REVIEW: “Valley of Dragons” by Christina Baehr

 

About the Book...

*Title: Valley of Dragons

*Author: Christina Baehr

*Genre: Cozy historical fantasy (with dragons and a touch of romance)

*Series: Book #5 of the 5-book series The Secrets of Ormdale {See review for book #1 here, review for book #2 here, review for book #3 here, and review for book #4 here!}

*Recommend for: 15+

My Personal Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

📖Synopsis

***SPOILER ALERT FOR BOOK 4***

The joyous and suspenseful conclusion of The Secrets of Ormdale.

Now that Edith and her friends have everything they need to ransom Simon from captivity, hopes are high for a brighter future for both the people and dragons of Ormdale.

But then a surprising invitation from Edith's past leads her to a clue to the mysterious nemesis that threatens her family's legacy, and news reaches her that the sinister Dr Farley is at large. And Edith begins to wonder if the most potent threat to her happiness may be much closer to home.

In this last chapter of their story, Edith and her friends, family, and allies must come together to free themselves from the final secrets of Ormdale and determine the future of England's dragon keepers—and their extraordinary dragons.

💭My Thoughts 

"Some would say it is not very considerate towards the nerves of one's family for a young lady to come to breakfast on the back of a dragon. Thankfully, Mother was made of sterner stuff."

As the back cover says, this truly was a joyous and suspenseful conclusion to The Secrets of Ormdale. I read this 515 page book in just less than three days, but if not for school, I could have read it much faster. It was that good. I have been completely invested in this whole series and quite frankly, I have hardly been able to bring myself to read another fiction book since finishing it.

There were so many elements of this fifth book that I enjoyed. Edith's parents' real love and concern for her was really put on display in this one and was so touching to see. The romance, which has been slow-burn throughout the whole series, was finally brought to fruition, and it was absolutely precious. The proposal was the best I've read since reading Pride and Prejudice🥹🥹🥹 

*SLIGHT SPOILER* Something that dawned on me when reading was the fact that the period of time when Edith fell most in love with Simon and realized her feelings for him was when he was absent. I thought that was such a difference from the typical romance book, and I really loved that and thought it was so sweet and natural. 

As always, there were such beautiful, poignant messages presented, and I loved the nods and moments that clearly indicate that the author is Christian. 

I absolutely loved this series for dozens of reasons. Of course, not every book was completely perfect, and there were some minor things here and there that I maybe didn't love, but overall? It was a beautiful series, and I am beyond excited for the spin-off series that is coming soon!!!

Note: Just in case anyone is curious, here is how I believe I might rank the five books of this series based on how much I enjoyed them. I obviously enjoyed something about every book however :) And though Castle of the Winds is last, it was still really good...but I had to put it somewhere!

1. Wormwood Abbey (book #1- still my favorite!)

2. City of Serpents (book #4- for all the twists and turns and action)

3. Valley of Dragons (book #5- such a joyous end!)

4. Drake Hall (book #2- Edith discovers lots of secrets!)

5. Castle of the Winds (book #3- very emotional and Simon was great :))

⚠️Content notes

Some danger and peril; no language stronger than "what the devil", "what the dickens", "blast it", "give a fig", and phrases like "why in heavens name"; noticing, attraction, kisses & wanting to kiss; mentions of elopement & being born outside of wedlock; Edith ponders that seeing Simon in his shirt sleeves is very different than seeing her father or brother in theirs.

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Bookishly yours, 

Lottie M.

Mini-Review: "The King of Montreal" by Daniela L. Norris

About the Book...

✦ Title: The King of Montreal

✦ Author: Daniela L. Norris

✦ Genre: Historical fiction

My Personal Rating

⭐⭐.5

📖Synopsis

The year is 1800 when LouisCharles, only fifteen years old, arrives in Montréal. Known to everyone as Charles, he has escaped France aboard the illfated packet ship Freedom. Rescued by Basque fishermen, Charles is taken to the port of Montréal and left there to fend for himself as he bears the heavy secret of his true identity. A story of adventure, resilience, and historical mystery, The King of Montréal takes place in one of North America's most beautiful cities.

💭My Thoughts 

This was an intriguing premise, one that had the potential to unfold into something truly unique. The concept drew me in initially and made me curious to see where the story would go. The setting was beautiful, with descriptions that painted a vivid picture and created a strong sense of place throughout the book. The writing itself was expressive and showed a lot of potential- certain passages really stood out to me for their imagery and detail. However, the book ultimately was not my cup of tea. I didn’t connect with it as much as I’d hoped, the narrative was a little confusing at times, and certain elements made me slightly uncomfortable. But I can still see it appealing to many readers. Those with a taste for this kind of story will likely find it interesting and enjoy it more than was my experience.

*I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own.

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Bookishly yours, 

Lottie M.

REVIEW: “A Change of Fortune” by Jen Turano

 

About the Book...

*Title: A Change of Fortune

*Author: Jen Turano

*Genre: Christian historical romance

*Series: Book #1 of the Ladies of Distinction series

*Recommend for: ages 15+

My Personal Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐

📖Synopsis

Lady Eliza Sumner is on a mission. Her fortune was the last thing she had left after losing her father, her fiancé, and her faith. Now, masquerading as Miss Eliza Sumner, governess-at-large, she's determined to find the man who ran off with her fortune, reclaim the money, and head straight back to London.
Mr. Hamilton Beckett, much to his chagrin, is the catch of the season, and all the eyes of New York society—all the female ones, at least—are on him. He has no plans to marry again, especially since his hands are full keeping his business afloat while raising his two children alone.
Eliza's hapless attempts to regain her fortune unexpectedly put her right in Hamilton's path. The discovery of a common nemesis causes them to join forces and, before she knows it, Eliza has a whole retinue of people helping her. Eliza's determination not to trust anyone weakens when everyone's antics and bumbling efforts to assist her make her wonder if there might be more important things than her fortune and independence.
When all of Hamilton's and Eliza's best-laid plans fall by the wayside, it will take a riot of complications for them to realize that God just might have had a better plan in mind all along.

💭My Thoughts 

"'May I assume you're attempting to propose to me?' Eliza asked, resisting the urge to throttle the man on the spot."

This was a fun, witty, lighthearted historical romance! A little silly or unrealistic at times, yes, but that's not always a bad thing, and overall I really did enjoy it! Hamilton's kids were an absolute hoot and probably my favorite part🤭😂

The main couple's attraction to each other was a little much at times, in my opinion. The way they were infatuated with each other honestly just made me laugh, though I'm not sure if it was supposed to be funny or if that's just on me as a non-romantic? Something else I noticed is that for some reason, I had a hard time keeping some of the character's names straight occasionally, but that could very well also be my fault because I read this so late at night.

Overall, an easy, fun and enjoyable read! It was my first Jen Turano book, and I am very excited to check out the rest of her books!

⚠️Content notes

Attraction and noticing each other; staring at lips; two characters are mistaken as prostitutes but are not; some drinking, and a character is mistaken to be drunk but is not; murder & a dead body (with little to no details); another murder is described with a few non-gruesome details; phrases such as "Good heavens!" said throughout book; Eliza doubts God & doesn't believe in prayer for a portion of the book; the "villain" character is slightly creepy, in my personal opinion.

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Lottie M.

REVIEW: "City of Serpents" by Christina Baehr

About the Book...

*Title: City of Serpents

*Author: Christina Baehr

*Genre: Cozy historical fantasy (with dragons and a touch of romance)

*Series: Book #4 of the 5-book series The Secrets of Ormdale {See review for book #1 here, review for book #2 here, and review for #3 here!}

*Recommend for: ages 15/16+

My Personal Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

📖Synopsis

Edith is ready for the mad scientist and the snake-infested laboratory, but is she ready to admit she needs a little help from her friends?

Edith is convinced that Janushek's former employer, the mysterious Doctor Farley, holds the key to an antidote for dragon venom—her only hope to free the man she loves. Her ruse to obtain it leads her to London's shadowy East End and a plot as sensational as one of her own detective novels.

As Edith goes deeper into a city far more serpentine than she ever dreamed, she begins to question what Farley is really searching for . . . and if the cost to save Simon might be more than she can pay.

Book 4 of The Secrets of Ormdale takes Edith from the heights of London society to its darkest slums, where unexpected dragons follow and her survival lies not in her hands, but in the hands of her friends.

💭My Thoughts 

*Taking a moment to catch my breath as I hastily buy the fifth book*

Oh my. What a ride.

I stayed up later than I care to admit reading this. It was fascinating and fast-paced and action-packed and all the twists and reveals left me gasping left and right. And the cliffhanger? *Wild hyperventilation* Needless to say, I was quite desperate to read the next book immediately.

First off, if "mad scientist" vibes, a slightly creepy laboratory, snakes and such are not your cup of tea, this book may not be your thing. However, I personally found it very riveting and enjoyable. And as I have recently read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the little nods to that classic in this book were super fun.

Whereas the first and second books of this series were more cozy, the third book and this fourth one have much more adventure and suspense, which I have really enjoyed, and so I am interested to learn which side the fifth book leans towards. This book certainly kept me on my toes and kept me awake enough to stay up well past my bedtime. 😉

I really missed… *a certain character* in this book, and while I have confidence that Edith will get him/her back (Being vague for spoilers), I was quite sad about not seeing that character for the entire book 😔

For the first time in the series, I was a little frustrated at a few decisions Edith made, but I suppose no one is perfect, and she still remains a character I dearly love.

Something that I didn’t really expect going into this series was that there would be so many incredibly beautiful moments in this book that absolutely touched me! While these books are not technically Christian fiction, you can definitely tell that the author is a Christian, and some of the elements, messages, lessons, thoughts, etc. were so moving and quite frankly, a couple particular parts made me want to cry.

Overall, I highly enjoyed this read for so many different reasons and simply can’t wait to continue the series. I am loving the beautiful writing, the unique, twisty, riveting storyline, the historical details and dragons, the fleshed out, memorable characters and character arcs, the lovely slow burn romance, and the beautiful relational messages hidden in the pages of these books. Still would recommend the series to many different readers!

Note: Read the author’s note at the end!!

⚠️Content notes

At the beginning of the book, there is an author's note on content that shares the following: “Content warnings: In this adventure, our heroine spends some time in a slightly creepy laboratory. There are non-detailed scenes of needles and blood tests, one of them unwilling as a character is briefly drugged. And (if the title wasn't warning enough) in two scenes, there are snakes.” 

Other broad content notes: 

Mentions of Jews, Gentiles, antisemitism & Jews being treated worse than others; mentions of illegitimate children; no language stronger than “dashed”, “where the dickens”, “give a fig”, “idiot” & phrases like “Heaven knows” & “God help me.” Also the polish oath “Cholera!” is said multiple times; mentions of curses & spells (not actual); a mention of opium dens; a mention of a brothel; lots of snakes & other reptiles, a slightly creepy laboratory, a quite creepy “mad scientist” character, drug testing on people and deaths from that, being drugged (semi-detailed), blood transfusions, and overall some “scarier” elements, though nothing too gruesome or disturbing; Edith has some flashbacks and PTSD like thoughts from events in the prior book. 

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Lottie M.

REVIEW: “Castle of the Winds” by Christina Baehr

 

About the Book...

*Title: Castle of the Winds

*Author: Christina Baehr

*Genre: Cozy historical fantasy (with dragons and a touch of romance)

*Series: Book #3 of the 5-book series The Secrets of Ormdale {See review for book #1 here and review for book #2 here!}

*Recommend for: ages 15+

My Personal Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐

📖Synopsis

At Midsummer’s Eve, the Red Dragon will choose his bride.

Following this mysterious invitation, Edith sets off on a quest to the Castle of the Winds to find a lost family of dragon keepers in the mountains of Wild Wales.

But all is not as it seems. Edith must guard her own hidden power, or she might not return to her friends in Ormdale—including the man who has come to love her. Will Edith make an alliance with the legendary Red Dragon of her dreams to safeguard her ancestral charge, or will she lose everything she has tried to protect?

Book 3 of The Secrets of Ormdale is a breathtaking adventure that will take Edith to exhilarating new heights…and deeper into peril than ever before.

💭My Thoughts 

Another enjoyable book from this lovely series! So much happened within these 250ish pages, and by the end I was so ready to read book 4 and find out more.

One thing that strikes me about this book and series is just how unique it is. I truly don't think there is anything else quite like it out there. It's clean, cozy historical fantasy with gothic vibes, dragons, mythology, adventure, humor, sweet romance...I just love it! I never knew I could enjoy fantasy so much!

I'm growing to love Edith's family even more- I wish I saw more of them in this third book! Also, the slow-burn romance in these books is just how I like it 🥰 I love Simon so much and am eagerly awaiting developments with him and Edith.

I would venture to say that this series is better to binge in short succession rather than take long breaks between the books. As it had been a little while since reading the second book, I had forgotten a few details going into this book, but I still kept up well enough to enjoy the story.

This would have been 5 stars except that I didn't love all the references to illegitimate children, wedlock, etc. At the same time, however, I acknowledge that those elements gave the story more depth and poignancy, and of course, I appreciate that it was kept delicate.

All in all, I enjoyed this book quite a bit and it makes me even more eager and excited to continue the series! I would say "onto book 4!" except that, well, as of writing this, I've already read book 4 and am now more than ready to read the fifth (and final) book. I certainly took to heart my advice about binging this series. ;)

⚠️Content notes

At the beginning of the book, there is an author's note on content that shares the following: “If you are someone who does not like to be surprised by content, read the following warning. Otherwise, enjoy the surprises! Content warnings: In this adventure, Edith encounters threats of imprisonment and physical peril. A child is endangered, and a rather nasty man is injured. There is also a short discussion of a tragic assault in Lily’s past (off-page).”

Other broad content notes: No language, but phrases like "Good heavens" and a "Good God" are said; "modern, very English" oaths are said by characters but not written out; mentions of cults, rites, a wizard, and child sacrifices; Edith drinks wine; animals are killed and eaten on page; Injuries & pain; a mention of wedlock; a woman kisses a guard to distract him; some flirting. 

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Bookishly yours, 

Lottie M.

REVIEW: "The Cryptographer's Dilemma" by Johnnie Alexander

 

About the Book...

*Title: The Cryptograoher's Dilemma

*Author: Johnnie Alexander

*Genre: Christian, Historical fiction, Romance

*Series: Book #1 of the Heroines of WW11 series {multi-authored, not connecting}

*Recommend for: Ages 16+

My Personal Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐

📖Synopsis

A Code Developer Uncovers a Japanese Spy Ring
 
FBI cryptographer Eloise Marshall is grieving the death of her brother, who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor, when she is assigned to investigate a seemingly innocent letter about dolls. Agent Phillip Clayton is ready to enlist and head oversees when asked to work one more FBI job. A case of coded defense coordinates related to dolls should be easy, but not so when the Japanese Consulate gets involved, hearts get entangled, and Phillip goes missing. Can Eloise risk loving and losing again?

💭My Thoughts 

Confession: I was so invested into this story that I did not take a single note on my thoughts or content for this review. I'm sorry. Sooo...if you are looking for a very in-depth, detailed review with thorough content notes, check out this review. But elsewise, here is a very rough, very broad outline of my own thoughts.

The historical elements of this book were simply fascinating. I found the book so hard to put down at certain parts and as soon as I finished, I did a ton of research on the Doll Woman from WW2. It was just so intriguing! The reason I was so invested into this story was not really that it was incredible fast-paced, but simply because I found the history so fascinating.

The romance was cute…I liked both Eloise and Philip well enough. I do wish that a few comments were left out, and a couple very little things weren't my favorite, but aside from those it was an enjoyable, unique, riveting read for sure!

I am very interested in reading more books from this series and would recommend this book to older teens who want an interesting WW2 historical book filled with elements of adventure, intrigue, spies, codes, and a touch of romance!

Bonus link for more info! The Cryptographer’s Dilemma ~ Behind the Scenes |

⚠️ (Very rough, broad) content notes

Many mentions of the elements of WW2; bombs, fighting, deaths, the death penalty, treason, torture, kidnapping, suicide, grief, etc. Drinking & smoking. Talk of divorce & abandoning family. Kisses (a couple lightly detailed), wanting to kiss & remembering kisses. A mention of a man possibly being a bigamist. "God knew where" said. Note: Towards the start of the book, Phillip is bitter because of his colorblindness & that he couldn't join the Air Force.

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Bookishly yours, 

Lottie M.

📚 Book 20 Questions! 📚

 1) How many books are too many in a series? 

-Hmm...I honestly don't typically pay attention to that if I'm enjoying a series, but I suppose my preference is for a series not be much more than 4-5 books. However, I have really enjoyed series with more books than that! 

2) How do you feel about cliffhangers?

-I have not read very many books with major cliffhangers at the end, so I will reserve my opinion on them until I have read more. But I can say that chapters ending in cliffhangers aren't my favorite...

3) Hardback or paperback?

-This is such a difficult question for me. I believe that overall, I would say paperbacks for everyday reading, but I also own so many gorgeous hardbacks!

4) Favorite book?

-I have many favorite books, but if I had to choose my top 3 (aside from the Bible), they might be Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, and Pride and Prejudice. 

5) Least favorite book? 

-It's actually quite difficult for me to think of a lot of least favorite books. If I read a book and really don't like it, my brain seems to just forget it completely! But a few have stuck with me, one of which is Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. It's a Cinderella retelling (I think) which I read when I was around 9 or 10. I clearly remember absolutely despising it, but I don't recall exactly why. And then for nonfiction, I read The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel a couple years ago, which unfortunately contained faulty reasoning and unbiblical (and in my opinion, misleading) arguments for creation.

6) Love triangles: Yes or no? 

-Again, this is something I just have not read all that often, so I don't have a strong opinion on it. But from what I have read and things I've heard, I would probably say no...maybe. 

7) The most recent book you couldn't finish?

-That would be The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie. I checked it out from the library and attempted to read it, but I simply couldn't because of the fact that I already know who the culprit is! My brother accidentally spoiled it for me at one point, so it was just very hard getting into it knowing what the ending is (and what an ending!). However, I do want to try again at some point for the sake of seeing how exactly how it all plays out. 

8) A book you're currently reading? 

-As of writing this, I'm currently reading a few books, one of which is City of Serpents by Christina Baehr, which I'm really enjoying so far! 

9) The last book you've recommended to someone?

-If I'm not mistaken, the last book I recommended was Wormwood Abbey by Christina Baehr and it was to a good family friend Amanda from The Little Book Spot. She loves the Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower, and Wormwood Abbey reminded me of those quite a bit, so I believe she might enjoy Wormwood Abbey! 

10) Oldest book you've read (based on publication date)?

-Aside from the Bible, I believe the oldest book I've read is Love and Friendship by Jane Austen, which (according to Goodreads) was published in 1787 when Austen was just a young teen! It is a satire of drawing-room society in which tragedy and comedy go hand in hand, and it was very absurd and humorous, and just a lot of fun :)

11) Newest book you've read (based on publication date)?

-I believe that as of right now, that would be Hope’s Enduring Echo by Kim Vogel Sawyer, which was published in March of this year. {See my thoughts for that one here!}

12) Favorite author?

-Um...I don't have just one! As far as fiction goes, some of my favorite authors are (not ranked-just in alphabetical order) Beth Brower, Christina Baehr, Jane Austen, Janette Oke, L.M. Montgomery and Louisa May Alcott. And for nonfiction, a few authors I love the most are Andrew Peterson (who also writes fiction that I've not read), Elisabeth Elliot, John MacArthur, John Piper, and Katie Davis Majors. 

13) Buying books or borrowing them?

-If I'm even a little hesitant about whether I'll enjoy a book or not- or if it is expensive to buy- then I'll happily borrow it from either my library or a friend. But if I have very high hopes and good reasons to believe that I'll like a book, and I can find it for a fair price...I'll buy it 😉 And I prefer to own all books that I have enjoyed, so if I initially borrow a book and end up loving it, then I will nearly always buy a copy to put on my shelves. 

14) A book you dislike that everyone else loves?

-I don't have a lot of answers to this one. There are a lot of books that everyone loves but I don't want to read, but if I haven't actually read them I don't think that counts. I suppose a very popular one that I didn't care for exactly was And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. It was brilliantly crafted, but too dark for my taste! I also read about a third of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone...🫣

15) Bookmarks or dog ears?

-Honestly, I prefer the idea of bookmarks, but I always end up using dog ears instead. 

16) A book you can reread over and over again?

-Excluding the Bible, my answer would be Little Women all the way! I typically will reread it every year around Christmas, and I have loved it more every time I read it! ❤

17) Can you listen to music while reading? 

-I can, especially if it's instrumental, but I don't very often. 

18) Multiple POVs or just one?

-Until recently, I hadn't read too many books with multiple POVS- because a lot of the books I read are old ones- but I would still say that I usually prefer one POV, or at least no more than 2. 

19) Do you read a book in one sitting or over multiple days on average?

-A goal of mine this year is to try to read fiction books in a shorter amount of time while still absorbing and comprehending them, but I can't say I've achieved that goal quite yet. On average, it usually takes me about 2-3 days to finish a normal length fiction book, and longer for nonfiction. 

20) Who do you tag?

-I'm still new to this whole book tag thing, so I won't officially tag anyone, but anyone reading this is more than welcome to do it! 

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Bookishly yours, 

Lottie M.