The Silent Governess by: Julie Klassen

Olivia Keene is fleeing her own secret. She never intended to overhear HIS.

But she cannot go back. And now that she knows the truth about Lord Bradley, what will he do to her? Any uncouth comment to the wrong person could result in the truth being revealed. He stands to lose everything - fortune, reputation, and home.

He forces Olivia to stay with him at Brightwell Court where he can keep an eye on her. Was it not once said, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer"?

But as they begin to see into each other's hearts, things change ... suddenly they are no longer enemies. They look at each other in an entirely different way.

But Olivia is hiding something, and Lord Bradley cannot be entirely sure that it's not this clever woman who is leaving mysterious and threatening notes in his room.

Enter a 1900th century manor house run by the handsome and secretive Edward Bradley where all is not as it seems.

My thoughts:

This book is one of the. Best. EVER.

I love it.

One of the best things is that Olivia gets this neck injury so she can't talk anymore and she has to be a governess to these kids without talking to them. It's a really awesome plot idea.

I just LOVE Olivia Keene. She's clever and sticks up for herself. I love the cover art on this book. I love stories where the mean guy falls for the sweet girl and becomes nice. :)

I thought the story was slightly spoiled by the fact that there's this other guy who takes a romantic interest in Olivia and gets temporarily locked into a closet with her where he tries to kiss her. But aside from that I loved. This. Story.

Objectionable Content:

Language: None.
Romance/Sexual Content: Kissing.
Edward Bradley finds out his parents weren't married.
A servant has a baby and she isn't married.
Violence: Wild dogs attack Olivia.
Drugs/Alchol Content: None.

The Wishing Pearl by: Nicole O'Dell

Sixteen year-old Olivia Mansfield dreams of a land far, far away...

A land far away from her stepfather's abuse and torment.

A land far away from her mother's blind eye.

A land far away from the haunting memories of her past.

No one can be perfect, but it does seem like Olivia's parents could both do some things better. When Olivia's dad was alive, everything was different. Her mom would never have needed a spa day. Or had the money for it.

But he's gone. Forever. And with change, people change. Olivia's mother included. There's no way to talk to her, no way to have a glimpse of the mother she once knew.

In a confused state, Olivia makes some poor choices and finds herself in the middle of her best friend's unexpected death, leaving her at a crossroads.

She can choose to get help, or she can let life work itself out. Will the demons from her past prevent her from having a happy future? Or will she go down the right path, towards eternal hope and healing?

Watch the trailer for The Wishing Pearl...



My thoughts:

The Wishing Pearl is seriously amazing! I could not put it down. Everything in it is so nicely done. The cover art is gorgeous. I sat there staring at it for probably fifteen minutes before I actually opened the book.

One thing I did not like, however, was the little Kira-being-pregnant-thing. The romance between Olivia and Justin is innocent and cute, but Kira's pregnancy kind of spoiled the book for me. I know a lot of people would probably laugh at me for that, but it does matter. It was kind of necessary to the book, but it still bothered me.


Objectionable Content:

Language: I don't remember any...
Romance/Sexual Content: Kira is pregnant before she comes to Diamond Estates. She tries to make everyone believe Justin is the father.
Justin tells Olivia he loves her.
Violence: Olivia is in a car crash.
Drugs/Alcohol Content: Lots of drinking. One girl sneaks in some marijuana. Another girl is trying to lose weight, so she eats speed, which I have read a lot on, and it's really not good.

I reviewed this book for

Team Novel Teen.

Team Novel Teen is a group of bloggers dedicated to spreading the word about clean teen fiction. Check out other posts about The Wishing Pearl by Nicole O'Dell by clicking on the links below , and check out www.NovelTeen.com for more information about Team Novel Teen.

 My Life with a Mission • ADD Librarian • Audacious Reader • The Book Fae • Book Nook 4 You • Bookworm Reading • Gillian Adams • Jill Williamson • Katie McCurdy • The Librarian's Bookshelf • The Pen and Parchment • Rachelle Rea • Virtuous Girlhood

Want to buy the book??? Click HERE.

You can also check out Nicole O'Dell's website, HERE.

Gathering Blue by: Lois Lowry

Kira is an orphan with a big heart and a twisted leg. She lives in a world where the weak are cast aside. Where the unwanted are sent to the Field and never seen again. Where no questions are asked. Where the all-powerful Council of Guardians can create dreams... or smash them.

Vandara would like nothing better than to see Kira dead... especially so she can have the property that Kira lives off of. Her plans are to fence in animals and children on it... to keep them out of trouble.

The hate in Vandara's heart is so great that she brings it up with the Council of Guardians, resulting in half win, half loss. She gets her coveted property, but she does not, however, get to see Kira dead.

Vandara doesn't hesitate to remind Kira that if it weren't for her mother fighting the law, Kira would already be dead, a fact that she already knows all too well.

Now without parents or home, Kira is put up in a building with two other people, Thomas, the carver, and somebody else... a little girl with a talent for singing... that she isn't supposed to know about...

Kira's mother was a gifted weaver and passed on the talent into her daughter. But her daughter's talents go far beyond anything she was ever taught...

Kira's gift for weaving is the only thing keeping her alive...

No one can know her plans to find the truth about her world.

My thoughts:

Wow was this an interesting book!

Gathering Blue has some very excellent points. It doesn't really seem to ever get fully explained, though. The end makes you think there might be a sequel, but sadly, there is not. If you think about it, The Giver (which I reviewed HERE), could be a sequel, but not really.

Gathering Blue is not a supernatural book, but it is certainly not natural either. :) It's... odd.

Anyway, the characters are really well written. Their personalities can be almost confusing at times! :)

Objectional Content:

Language: None.
Romance/Sexual Content:  A little boy thinks Kira should marry someone.
Violence: There may have been some fighting.
Drugs/Alcohol: None.

Replication: The Jason Experiment by: Jill Williamson (win a copy for FREE!)

Martyr - J:3:3 - is only one insignificant clone out of hundreds kept in a facility - or prison! - called Jason Farms. He is content as he is, helping the brokens and learning new things, because he is told he has a purpose... to save humanity.

But Martyr has a natural curiosity to see outside the facility he is kept in. He knows he will "expire" soon... and his one last wish it to see the sky.

Abby Goyer weighs the pros and cons of living in Alaska and so far it would seem that the bad outweighs the good. Her dad may be caught up in something illegal, a guy in school just won't leave her alone, and then, if that isn't bad enough, she finds a clone in her bedroom!

Martyr must decide if living with Abby is worth giving up his purpose, which is starting to look like one big lie.

My thoughts:

I am a huge fan of Jill Williamson, and so I awaited this book in the mail with much anticipation. It didn't leave me wanting. The concept is amazing. I love scientific stories. The characters are unique. I love Abby because she is spunky and Martyr because he is so sweet and curious.

I was a little disappointed, however, as I felt some of the romance-y things puts in here were not necessary. I felt the book would have been a much better read without them.

Objectionable Content:

Language: None
Romance/Sexual Content: Three kisses. A guy in Abby's school takes an unhealthy romantic interest in her and in one sentence it specifies his eyes "wandering where they shouldn't be wandering." Talk of marriage.
Violence: Some fighting, not in detail. Some of the clones have needles inserted into them.
Drugs/Alcohol Content: None.

Some extras:

Visit the book's website.

Find out what your expiration date is.

Watch Martyr's book trailer.

Watch Abby's book trailer.

I reviewed this book for:

Team Novel Teen.

Team Novel Teen is a group of bloggers dedicated to spreading the word about clean teen fiction.

Check out other posts about Replication: The Jason Experiment by: Jill Williamson by clicking on the links below, and check out www.NovelTeen.com for more information about Team Novel Teen.

Read other people's thoughts on Replication.

ADD Librarian • Audacious Reader • The Book Fae • Books I Recommend • Book Nook 4 You • Bookworm Reading • Christian Bookshelf Reviews • Fiction Fire • Gillian Adams • Jill Williamson • Katie McCurdy • Kurly Katie's Ruminations • My Story Shelf • The Pen and Parchment • Rachelle Rea • SLY Games • Terri Harr

The giveaway:

The part you've all been waiting for, eh? :)

So. Jill Williamson has offered to give one commenter a hot-off-the-press copy of Replication: The Jason Experiment. For FREE! Due to the realities of shipping, this will only be open to the people of USA. Sorry, Canadians. I feel your pain (I'm one of you! :).

How to enter:

1). Leave a comment on this blog post either asking Jill Williamson a question or telling her how awesome this book sounds (leave your email address on the comment!).
2). Blog about the giveaway (and leave me a link!).
3). Facebook about the giveaway (tell me if you do so).

Be sure to leave your email address!!!

Giveaway ends February sixth at midnight. I'll try to post the winner as soon as possible! :)

The Crimson Banner by: Jennifer Sauer (and an author interview!)

First off, I thought I should say, the author of this book is an amazing girl and I am proud to call her my "adopted sister."

So. That's taken care of.

Now, this is her book. The Crimson Banner.

Lady Melinda Llewllyn thought she was just escaping her betrothed - Lord Pemberton - when she boarded the Cosette. She did not realize that she was fulfilling her destiny.

Captain Jack Breen knew there was something special about Melinda the moment he saw her. He did not realize just how much he would come to love her.

Selena wants to marry the man who will one day take over the throne, she never realized how hard she would have to work for true love.

Felicia "Toby" Pemberton is sister to a hated man. Will anyone ever come to trust her?

This group of unlikely friends come together along with several others to put the right man on the throne.

But at what costs?

My thoughts:

This is a very sweet book and was WAY too short. I wanted more!!

It is amazing how Jennifer has used this book to glorify our Creator. She incorporates scripture with expertise and I look forward to seeing what the Lord has planned for her in the future.

The Crimson Banner has got a mix or mystery, romance, and suspense. The characters are realistic, too. Each person has their own role to play, no matter how big or small.

Objectional Content...
Language:  None.
Romance/Sexual Content: Marriage, one or two kisses.
Violence: None that I remember.
Drugs/Alcohol: None.

An interview with the author, Jennifer Sauer!

When did you first start writing?
I’ve been telling tales ever since I could talk and before that I probably told them to myself. When I was about nine or ten, I realized that writers actually got paid to write and that I could make a career out of it. Then, I was probably thirteen when I started taking my writing seriously and trying to improve it.

That's very neat, Jennifer! Did you take any classes?
I took several classes for school but the one that most influenced my writing was the One Year Adventure Novel. Even though I didn’t agree with everything to curriculum said, it challenged me to strengthen my writing and to make it much more realistic. It emphasized on the importance of the story rather than structure so, there was a lot of things that I had never thought about and I hadn’t learned in other classes.

But, mostly, what strengthened my writing the most was me just simply writing. For, the only thing that can truly make a writer a writer is that they write.

The One Year Adventure Novel curriculum is excellent. I've been using it myself. So, who or what most inspired your writing?
First of all, what most inspires my writing is the burning passion within me to write words and create stories. It’s a God-given desire to tell tales and I love the feeling of joy and satisfaction that the simple putting together of words to form sentences gives me.

As for who inspires my writing, I would say it’s all the authors who wrote so beautifully and- in my opinion- used their talents to write junk. I’ve read too many books that had great storylines but were filled with inappropriate content. So, I was inspired to write the books I couldn’t find- ones with good storylines and nothing objectionable content-wise.



That's awesome! That desire certainly took you a long way. What was your first reaction when you found out you were going to be published?
I literally jumped up and down and screamed with excitement!!

Haha, I'm sure. :) Do you have any hobbies aside from writing?
Besides reading and writing, my hobbies (or, my passions, as I call them) are sewing and baking.

You've told me about your sewing projects before; They sound awesome! And are you working on any novels right now?
A few months ago, I finished writing my second novel, a western called The Sheriff of Colsen Creek. Now, I’m working on a science fiction called The Colony about a group of people who live in a Colony under Governmental control and the sequel to The Crimson Banner, called Walls of Refuge, furthering the adventures of Tom Rogers and Toby Pemberton.

Well, that's very exciting. I would love a sequel to The Crimson Banner!  Thanks for doing this Jennifer! And you all be sure to check out her book!!

The Merchant's Daughter by: Melanie Dickerson

Click HERE to read my review on The Healer's Apprentice, also by Melanie Dickerson.

 Click HERE to read my author interview with Melanie Dickerson.

Check out Melanie Dickerson's website, HERE.

While Annabel is hard at work in the fields, her family slacks at home, unwilling to do their share of the work and dirty their white hands.

Of course, laziness like this cannot go unnoticed forever.

Annabel's family is faced with two choices. The disgusting and perhaps sometimes cruel Bailiff Tom wants to wed Annabel. She, however, will do everything in her power not to marry him. Unfortunately, he has promised to pay the fine that her family has been charged with because of their lack of work. The one thing he asks in exchange? engagement to dear Annabel.

She, of course, is completely against this proposition. Her sissy of a brother Edward, though, encourages it. And, while her mother does not insist on the matter, Annabel knows that she yearns for Bailiff Tom and her union. Her other sibling, Durand, claims that he is afflicted with too great a sickness to over exert himself. Thus, Annabel has no supporters. She knows that her father, had he been alive, would have sided with her all the way.

The only other option would be to send Annabel to work for Lord Ranulf while the rest of her family pays off their debt in the field.

Since her family wants to make her marry the disgusting Bailiff Tom, Annabel decides to leave them and offer herself to Lord Ranulf.

She is hired on as a field worker, but soon moved into the kitchens. Then when a fire occurs she is given the occupation of caring for Lord Ranulf, because she has some of knowledge of how to cure burns. Her lord is not as bad as she had first thought he might be. His hand is maimed, his face scarred, and his life a wreck. But somewhere in there he has a good heart.

Soon she is confronted with a problem. She is attacked by a man and when her friend rushes in to save her, they injure him seriously.  Despite the fact that he was injured in a case of self-defense, problems quickly come of this, leaving Annabel and Lord Ranulf's futures at stake.

My thoughts:

This book is amazing! It is such a sweet, fairytale romance.

I love Annabel's kind heart. I love how rough around the edges Lord Ranulf is. I love how Annabel's dream is so simple - to be able to hold and read a Bible without the priest telling her what to believe.

This story is based loosely on the classic fairytale, The Beauty and the Beast.

I love a good medieval romance, and this certainly is that! The honesty and love in these pages is truly amazing. I recommend this book for anyone and everyone (girls especially :) ages twelve and up.

Objectional Content:

Language: None.

Romance/Sexual Content: Kissing, forced marriages. Bailiff Tom tries to get Annabel to kiss him and teases her.

Violence: Fighting. Fires. People getting seriously hurt.

Drugs/Alcohol Content: None as far as I remember.

I reviewed this book for:

Team Novel Teen.

Team Novel Teen is a group of bloggers dedicated to spreading the word about clean teen fiction.

Check out other posts about The Merchant's Daughter by: Melanie Dickerson by clicking on the links below, and check out www.NovelTeen.com for more information about Team Novel Teen.


The Librarian’s Bookshelf • Rachelle Rea • ADD Librarian • The Book Fae • My Life with a Mission • Katie McCurdy • Terri Harr • Book Nook 4 You • My Story Shelf • Sugar Peach • Jill Williamson

If you would be interested in buying this book, click HERE.

Dragon Slippers by: Jessica Day George

She wanted dragon gold. She got a pair of shoes.

The shoes could save her kingdom ... or destroy it.

Creel's parents are dead, leaving her and her young brother, Hagen, to the mercy of their aunt and uncle. These relatives were by no means cruel, what they did was not intentionally unkind, but that does not change what they did.

Creel was sacrificed to a dragon, in the hopes that a wealthy prince would be fooled into rescuing her. Then she and the unfortunate man would have to marry.

Not that Creel was hard on the eyes. But what prince in his right mind would want to marry a poor girl with freckles?

Creel decides to not wait for a knight to rescue her. She strikes out on her own. But not before making a bargain with her captor. Dragons love to collect things - this particular dragon loves shoes. He allows her to choose one pair. Creel, of course, chooses the wrong ones. A lovely pair of blue slippers, and, surprisingly, the only pair in the dragon's overwhelmingly large collection that fit her feet.

Creel, having now escaped the dragon's cave, is on the road to the king's city, where she hopes to make her fortune. Along the way she meets another dragon, Shardas. She stays with him and his stained-glass-window collection for several months - during that time she spends her days talking, embroidering, and meeting a new dragon, one with a dog collection.

When the time comes to leave, Creel and Shardas part ways as good friends, and Shardas instructs her to just call his name and he will always come. And then, after telling her how to find the king's city, he is gone.

Creel finds work as a seamstress, though not before making enemies with the royal prince's bride-to-be.

She is about to find out that these slippers are more than beautiful ... they control dragon's minds!

My thoughts:

I. Love. This. Book. It's AWESOME! You have to, er, get into it a bit, but once you do ... wow.

The cover is soooo cute! Love it.

There's this guy, a prince named Luka, who is sooo sweet! He's probably my favourite character ... next to Creel, of course.

Dragon Slippers is clever, well-thought out, and fun!

Objectional Content:

Language: None.

Romance/Sexual Content: A quick kiss between Creel and Luka (I don't mention him in the review above). Some boys want to hurt Creel and tease her - flattering and flirting with her.

Violence: Perhaps some fighting, nothing in particular.

Drugs/Alcohol: None.

12 and up.

9/10 stars.