REVIEW: “Storing Up Trouble” by Jen Turano

 

About the Book...

*Title: Storing Up Trouble

*Author: Jen Turano

*Genre: Christian Historical Romance

*Series: Book #3 in the American Heiresses series

*Recommend for: ages 14 & up

My Personal Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐️

📖Synopsis

When Miss Beatrix Waterbury's Chicago-bound train ride is interrupted by a heist, Mr. Norman Nesbit, a man of science who believes his research was the target of the heist, comes to her aid. Despite the fact that they immediately butt heads, they join forces to make a quick escape.

Upon her arrival in Chicago, Beatrix is surprised to discover her supposedly querulous Aunt Gladys shares her own suffragette passions. Encouraged by Gladys to leave her sheltered world, Beatrix begins working as a salesclerk at the Marshall Field and Company department store. When she again encounters Norman on a shopping expedition, he is quickly swept up in the havoc she always seems to attract.

But when another attempt is made to part Norman from his research papers, and it becomes clear Beatrix's safety is also at risk, they soon discover the curious way feelings can grow between two very different people in the midst of chaos.

💭My Thoughts 

"He was the most annoying man she'd ever known, but there was something about him that appealed to her."

Overall, this was a fun read!

I took a chance reading this third book without reading any of the prior books in the series, but it actually seemed okay to do so. I wasn't confused and there were only a couple mentions of characters from the other books towards the very end. However, I may go back and read those other two books, because this one was pretty enjoyable!

Just like the other book by this author that I read, this was simply a cute, fun, lighthearted romp...definitely unrealistic at times, but again, that doesn't always bother me. I really enjoyed how Norman and Beatrix were not instantly attracted to each other, and just how plain annoyed they got with each other 🤭 The banter was great and there was lots of humor throughout!

I will say that I'm not sure if I love this author's writing style. Personally, it comes across as a bit...wordy? Unnatural? I'm not sure. Also, it might have just been me noticing it being fresh from lots of creative writing courses, but I thought that all the characters talked basically the same exact way, with little variety or distinct voices. There was also a major lack of foil characters :( They aren't strictly necessary, I suppose, but I feel like the story and character development could have been improved with a foil character or two, personally.

One final little note/nitpick is that I kind of liked Norman with Theodosia better than with Beatrix...But for some reason I always seem to like the wrong pair of people in romance books 😭

All that aside, it was enjoyable! There were admittedly some cheesy moments, but I also laughed a lot and it was altogether a good read! I'm excited to continue reading books by this author 😊

⚠️ Broad content notes

Not too much to note, really. There's a thread of romance, so some attraction, noticing, flirting, and kisses (up to mildly descriptive as well as discussion of kissing); injuries, pain, shooting someone. (it's not as bad as you think and was actually quite humorous😂)

🎕 Was this review helpful? Please consider following The Boundless Bookshelf!

Bookishly yours, 

Lottie M.

MONTHLY TAG: Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag 📚 📚 📚 | 2025

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2025 

Heh…I can’t choose just one! Some of my favorite reads of the year so far include The Secrets of Ormdale series by Christina Baehr, The Swans Are Not Silent series by John Piper, as well as Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, The Heavenly Man by Brother Yen, Tramp for the Lord by Corrie ten Boom…among many other 5 star reads I can’t include all of here because of space!  

2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2025 

A really incredible sequel that I read this year was Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Majors. The first book is Kisses from Katie which I loved as well and need to reread. I also really enjoyed The Hidden Smile of God by John Piper (book #2 of The Swans Are Not Silent), and Drake Hall by Christina Baehr (book #2 of the Secrets of Ormdale) was good as well, although it wasn’t my favorite of the series. 

3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to. 

A Lesson in Propriety by Jen Turano was released in May and I still need to read that! 

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year. 

I don’t believe I’m really anticipating any book releases coming out later this year…unless Christina Baehr’s spin off series is releasing that soon, but I’m not certain of that. 

5. Biggest disappointment. 

I was hoping The Atlas of Untold Stories by Sara Brunsvold would be a big hit for me because of the premise and the fact that I enjoyed her debut book, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me personally and I ended up not really caring for it for several different reasons. 

6. Biggest surprise. 

I was surprised at the depth, insight, and hard hitting truth of The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, his famous satirical epistolary novel that has entertained and enlightened so many. *nervous laughter* It really made me think, that’s for sure.

7. Favorite new author. (Debut or new to you) 

That would probably be Christina Baehr. I love her writing style so much and have enjoyed her historical fantasy series quite a bit! 

8. Newest fictional crush. 

Exactly none 😘

9. Newest favorite character. 

That’s a hard one, but some characters who have stuck with me include Edith and Simon from The Secrets of Ormdale, Burndee from The Reluctant Godfather (whom I relate to way too much) and of course, Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice 🥹

10. Book that made you cry. 

If rereads count, I reread Little Women earlier in the year and that made me sob into my pillow as usual, but if we’re talking new reads, I would say Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Deibler Rose as well as Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson…although I can’t even remember why the latter made me cry 🤔

11. Book that made you happy. 

Well, I would venture to say that most 5 star reads made me happy, but one that sticks out to me (that I actually gave 4.25 stars) is “The Story People” by Heather Kaufman, which was very sweet, fun, whimsical, and humorous, as well as “Wormwood Abbey” by Christina Baehr (I bet you didn’t see that coming), which was also a delightful, fun book and a great start for series that did make me happy, along with basically every other emotion there is ;) 

12. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received) 

The *gorgeous* edition of The Complete Novels of Jane Austen that I bought earlier this year, or the copy of War and Peace that I bought that has a lovely cover. 

13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

A lot 😑 I don’t have space here to list off every book I want to read by the end of f the year, but here are 15 noteworthy priority books/series that I really hope to get to, among MANY others: 

~To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

~Animal Farm by George Orwell 

~Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen 

~Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 

~War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy

~The remaining 4 books in The Swans Are Not Silent series by John Piper 

~Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret by Dr. & Mrs. Howard Taylor 

~God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew 

~Foxe’s Book of Martyrs by John Foxe

~The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

~A Lady’s Guide to Marvels & Misadventure by Angela Bell

~Once I Knew by Victoria Lynn 

~The Legendary Inge by Kate Stradling 

~The Lady of Lanaria by Michaela Bush 

~The Accidental Cases of Emily Abbot series by Perry Elizabeth Kirkpatrick 

🌹 I hope you enjoyed reading through this little tag! I won’t officially tag anyone, but if you’re reading this and want to do this tag yourself, you’re more than welcome to. Please also consider following The Boundless Bookshelf if you want to see more in depth book reviews, fun tags, book recommendations, writing updates, and more! 

REVIEW: “The Curious Inheritance of Blakely House” by Joanna Davidson Politano

About the Book...

*Title: The Curious Inheritance of Blakely House

*Author: Joanna Davidson Politano

*Genre: Christian historical romance (w/ steampunk elements)

*Series: No, seems to be a standalone novel

*Recommend for: ages 15+

My Personal Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐️

📖Synopsis

A clever young woman, a contested will, and an estate that does not easily give up its secrets.

It is 1901 when clockmaker and tinker Sydney Forrester receives a most unusual inheritance. Blakely House, the island estate of an estranged uncle she's never met, seems almost alive, revealing and hiding its secrets at will. It is filled with remarkable inventions, including an intriguing unfinished automaton Sydney is itching to get her skilled hands on.

The estate is also home to a number of peculiar people--including two men intent on removing this interloper from the island. Convinced that Sydney has something to do with their uncle's death, the late master's nephews contest the will and work against their cousin at every turn.

Sydney finds a sometimes-ally in the estate's butler, an ex-adventurer who ran aground on the island years ago. But when a mysterious man washes ashore with a stunning surprise that upsets everything, Sydney must prove she has inherited the late master's brilliance as well as his property--or someone else will.

💭My Thoughts 

"...Suddenly I couldn't think of a clever thing to say. 'Good day, then.' I pulled out my emergency book and buried my burning face in it as I pushed my way out the door. This was precisely why I would never marry."

Now that was...intriguing 👀

The premise was super interesting, and I really got sucked in, especially towards the beginning (I will admit once the romance entered I got slightly bored at times). I'm not sure that I've ever read a book quite like this one, and again, those first several chapters when Sydney is exploring Blakely House, I was gasping and my heart rate was definitely increased...although perhaps that was simply because it was past midnight and I was reading in bed when a thunderstorm was happening. ;)

I really liked Sydney as a character and how quirky and bookish she was, and I loved that it was first person for her POV. Also that she compared people to clocks ("Clocks made sense. People seldom did."). It was a bit heavy in the details of the machinery and gadgets and such, but I honestly visualized everything very well, almost like a movie, which was quite enjoyable. The "pirates" were very...stereotypical, but a fun and unique addition nonetheless.

One small thing was that I'm a little tired of the main girl always being the one who doubts God, however, I did love that Sydney came back to God because she saw the Maker's mark in everything, and how nature and such clearly shows design and thus, a Designer.

This was my first Politano novel, and I am really looking forward to hopefully picking up more of her books soon!

Read for...

🕰️1901 historical fiction

🕰️ Gothic mansion full of surprises

🕰️ Intriguing mystery involving inheritance and family secrets 

🕰️ Action and adventure 

🕰️ Steampunk elements 

🕰️ Pirates

🕰️ Love letters

🕰️ A feline friend named Micah 

🕰️ Strong, witty FMC 

🕰️ Threads of faith and romance 

⚠️ Broad content notes

No language besides "what in heavens name", "be hanged", "confounded", "dash it all", and "blazes"; Semi-descriptive injuries, pain, and a near drowning; lots of mentions of murder and a mention of eloping; noticing, attraction and a few semi-descriptive kisses. Note: a character is insecure at times because he had lost his arm prior to the book starting.

🎕 Was this review helpful? Please consider following The Boundless Bookshelf!

Bookishly yours, 

Lottie M.

REVIEW: “The Atlas of Untold Stories” by Sara Brunsvold

About the Book...

*Title: The Atlas of Untold Stories

*Author: Sara Brunsvold

*Genre: Contemporary Christian

*Series: No, seems to be a standalone novel

*Recommend for: ages 15/16+

My Personal Rating

⭐⭐⭐

📖Synopsis

A literary journey beckons them . . . and may profoundly rewrite their stories.

Chloe Vance, dreamer of the family, needs to tell her pragmatic mom, Edie, that she has accepted a low-paying art instructor role at a Christian school in Prague. Her older sister, Lauren--the "responsible one"--is doing all she can to hide the fact she's been fired for a foolish mistake and is desperately seeking her next career move. Meanwhile, Edie, estranged from her own sister following their mother's recent death, is frankly in no mood for anything else to change.

The one thing they can all agree on? Life in books sure is easier to navigate than life in the real world. As the three women embark on a nine-day road trip to visit significant literary sites throughout America's heartland, they hope to find inspiration through the works and lives of literary greats. As they experience firsthand the adventure and wonder of the classics, they'll discover the value of being honest with themselves--and their family--about their losses and failures. Only then can they come to terms with their own needs and desires and find support from the most important women in their lives--each other.

💭My Thoughts 

Hmm. I have mixed thoughts on this one.

First of all, I did love the premise of a bookish road trip sooo much. It was so fun and different, and I really enjoyed the many references to classics throughout, and finding out how many I recognized. I so appreciate Sara Brunsvold’s ability to write meaningful stories that don’t rely on romance, however I will say the tiny thread of romance that was in this story I did not care for. 

While this book had less faith content than “The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip” in my opinion, it was thoughtfully written, and the author did a good job of contrasting the character’s perspectives- pessimism vs optimism, for example. That being said, I really did not like any character except for Chloe. She was sweet and positive, and her “not wanting the cubicle life” and just her ambition and energy in general were super relatable to me.

I guess I just never understood WHY Edie was the way she was with her own daughter. Her mother being the same way was given as a sort of reason, but I personally don’t think the why of everything was ever fleshed out. As well, I’m not sure why the dad wasn’t in the picture more…? If he had been a stronger part of his family’s interactions, I feel like things could have been different.

While Edie realistically wasn't a full-on "villain" in the story, and had rare, brief moments when she showed a kinder, more tolerant side, her and Lauren's attitudes still annoyed me and significantly brought down my enjoyment of the book. Honestly, after a while it was a bit grueling. I felt so bad for Chloe, who was trying her best to win her mom's heart. Also, if I could note one more thing, there were nods to an eating disorder of Lauren's throughout, but as far as I can see, it was never properly dealt with or wrapped up aside from a sentence towards the end about her "eating fuller meals" and thus could potentially be harmful to some.

It should be noted that I am not a big fan of contemporary fiction, so as with every book I’ve read that takes place in modern times, there were times when this book was a little jarring and off-putting, particularly with the mentions of Instagram and Taylor Swift, for instance…🤨 But that’s merely a personal note, so if you don’t mind contemporary books, that shouldn’t bother you.

This book just had a sadder feel to it, and there were elements I didn’t care for within. The ending was quite touching, but possibly a little rushed. Overall, while this was not a terrible read, and I can see why many would love it, it wasn't fully my thing for several different reasons.

***Thank you to the publisher (Revell) for sending me a complimentary copy of this book to read and review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

⚠️ Broad content notes

Grief, extremely strained family dynamic, an evident eating disorder, discussion of the history and sad conditions of orphan trains, no language besides "blasted" and curses said by characters but not written out, and semi-detailed injuries and pain.

🌼 Was this review helpful? Please consider following The Boundless Bookshelf!

Bookishly yours, 

Lottie M.

REVIEW: “The Reluctant Godfather” by Alison Tebo

 

About the Book...

*Title: The Reluctant Godfather

*Author: Alison Tebo

*Genre: Clean fairytale retelling (Cinderella)

*Series: Book # 1 in the Tales of Ambia

*Recommend for: Ages 12 & up

My Personal Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐

📖Synopsis

Burndee is a young and cantankerous fairy godfather, who would rather bake cakes than help humans. A disgrace to the fairy order, Burndee has only two wards entrusted to his care…a cinder girl and a charming prince.

A royal ball presents Burndee with the brilliant solution of how to make his wards happy with the least amount of effort. He’ll arrange a meeting and hope the two fall in love.

A humorous and magical re-telling of Cinderella from a unique perspective.

💭My Thoughts 

This was actually really...neat 😉 (Burndee's highest compliment).

It should be noted that I am not a fairytale retelling reader, this being only the second I've read. Furthermore, I have never even watched Cinderella and have no interest in doing so. (Or any Disney movie for that matter). But that didn't stop me from truly enjoying this fun little book and relating way more than I should with Burndee. His sarcastic thoughts and comments were hilarious, and I can't wait to see him again in the next books.

Personally, I thought it was possibly a tiny bit rushed, but that's probably just because the book is very short. For the same reason, the writing occasionally felt as if it was not fully fleshed out and didn't quite immerse me in the story like some other books, but I can easily look past those minor things because it's just a short, cute, fun fairytale book. One final thing was that I have seen in reviews that there's a "twist" at the end and, well, I don't quite get how people would be surprised by that ending...I guessed it would happen from like page 5 😂

But overall, this was a fun, sweet, humorous, unique story, and I am very excited to continue the series!

⚠️ Content notes

Old school Disney-like magic & spells; no language stronger than phrases like "blasted", "give a hang", and "why the blazes" throughout, as well as a bit of name calling from a certain reluctant godfather (idiot, fool, dunderhead, etc.); very light romance with minimal not-detailed kisses.

🌼 Was this review helpful? Please consider following The Boundless Bookshelf!

Bookishly yours, 

Lottie M.