The Strange Situation at Emlee by MaryJo Dawson

I'm so excited to review the third Sally Nimitz novel!  This is by far my favorite book so far, as MaryJo Dawson creates a wonderful southern backdrop at an old plantation with diverse characters and strange occurrences.  I love the fact that she takes the time to explore in detail the backgrounds of the characters and she paints a great picture with her descriptions of their voices and her nailing of their accents.  Her story is about a family going back generations whose "ghosts" are coming out of their closets, but many of the family members want them left in the past.  It is a complex story that is a fun puzzle to solve.  It does involve a murder but there is no violence.  You hear about the murder that happens next door but you do not hear about it as it is happening.  There is no sex or romance. I highly recommend Sally's intriguing look at the strange happenings at Emlee House!

Rating: PG
No sex, no violence, D-mn-1, H-ll-2.

The Death of Amelia Marsh by MaryJo Dawson

The first of the Sally Nimitz mystery novels introduces you to Sally, a labour/delivery nurse and her friends and family.  Her husband has passed and they have 2 grown children, a son who lives close, who has a son who is the apple of Sallly's eye.  Her sister-in-law lives next door but they are not close which plays into the first book's storyline.  Her late husband's best friend George has become Sally's best friend (no romance there) and her best sounding board when she needs to work things out that are puzzling her.  In this story she meets a neighbor, Anne, an older lady and they become great friends.  She is always up for any adventure Sally throws at her.
    MaryJo's writing style is intelligent, witty, gripping and flows along quickly. I usually read her books in just a few days because I can't put them down.  Sally isn't your usual frazzled housewife who outwits the cops in solving the murder.  She is an intelligent middle aged woman who puzzles out brain teasing   problems.  When her neighbor is found dead in her apartment, her head bashed in, Sally notices not a thing has been disturbed anywhere.  Someone just walked in, bonked her in the head, and walked out.  the worst part was the old woman had requested to see Sally just after it happened.  Sally was the one who discovered the body, so she feels inclined to find Amelia's killer. This is an incredibly fun book to read, very clean, very thought provoking, yet easy reading.  Her job throws in a fun secondary storyline that I enjoyed having just spent a lot of the last year in the hospital.  Another plus, you can get this book free on the website Smashwords or kindle or paperback is just $2.99

PG
H-ll 4, G-d 4

The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale

I don't know exactly what I was expecting when I began reading this novel, but it certainly was not what I got.  This novel was written by a Mormon author about a Mormon housewife, Becky who sells her screenplay to a hollywood producer and while in hollywood bumps into her big screen crush actor, Felix. Through a series of fumbles and coincidences (quite charming and comical) they end up having dinner together and sharing the evening shooting barbs and insults back and forth playfully and agreeing (though both not really believing it) to be friends forever as they parted ways. Becky goes back to her incredibly strong marriage (understanding beyond words husband Mike) and 4 children believing the chance encounter was just a fluke. But Felix calls and so begins and lifelong friendship between the housewife and the actor.
     Although things remain totally platonic, Becky never having a wayword thought away from her husband, I still felt uncomfortable reading much of the book.  I though about how I would feel if it were my husband spending hours on the phone with another woman. Becky sells another screenplay that is bought and she is chosen to play the part of Felix's love interest in the movie.  At this point, I did something I have never done in my whole life of devouring books..... I started reading another book.  I just had to absorb what was happening in this book and distract myself by getting involved in another fantasy for awhile.  I read both simultaneously.
    The author is an incredible story teller and I definitely had to keep reading.  The story takes you into some dark places (the part I didn't expect), which I really did not see coming!!! But just when I thought I was really going to get angry and hate the author.... she redeemed herself and the story ends exactly the way i felt it should. It was a really interesting novel and definitely clean! Just be ready for a definite ride.  This is not a fluff piece!
Rating : PG
Sex-kissing, a little bit of talking about how good Becky's marriage is including intimacy, but nothing graphic
Violence-zero
Profanity-D-mn 4, H-ll 4

Aunt Dimity Down Under by Nancy Atherton

This is my Very Favorite Mystery series!! Unfortunately I don't have all of the books and they aren't all available on Kindle for me to re-read to review them all so I can't review them from the first book but the series starts with Lori Shepherd learning that the loveable "fictional" Aunt Dimity that her mother used to make up bedtime stories about was in fact a real person.  Not only that, she left an extremely large amount of money and a lovely little cottage in England to Lori when she died. So Lori packs up and moves to England to live in the cottage. She finds a journal on a shelf in the cottage. When she opens it and begins to write, Aunt Dimity answers back in beautiful, flowing script.  Thus begins a long and beautiful relationship. Aunt Dimity speaks to Lori from beyond and helps her solve many problems, murders, and enjoys the ups and downs of Lori's life in England. So there is a little "supernatural" eliment to the cozy mystery series.
   This book finds Lori sad to find that two of the main characters of the series, her sweet neighbors the Pym systers (very old typical english ladies) are dying.  They ask a favor of her, sending her to New Zealand to find their long lost brother who was cast out of the family in disgrace. With the help of Aunt Dimity, Lori tries to heal a broken family and brings a new character into the village of Finch.  Also a long awaited wedding finally occurs!  There are some Tolkien nods in this as well! Fun book! Fun, Clean Series! Although I can't tell you exactly what is in all of them, I can atest to you that they are Clean! The First in the series is Aunt Dimity Dies.
 Rating : PG
Sex-zero
Violence-mild
Profanity-H-ll 3

Highland Games by Annis Ward Jackson

The fourth book of the Rachel Myers mystery series set in the Appalachian Mountains finds our amateur sleuth not hunting down a murderer, but trying to figure out if she is going insane or facing demensia.  Strange things are happening in her own home, things disappearing, moving around.... Her policeman/boyfriend Robby comes to her aid to help figure out exactly what is going on. It was a departure from the normal series but I really liked it. Definitely another one to put on your clean reads list, and for those Kindle owners only $2.99!
 Rating: PG
Sex-mild kissing
Violence-mild
Profanity-H-ll 5, D-mn 3, G-d 5 exclamations

I Love a Parade by Gayle Wigglesworth

This short novella by our Author of the month was a fun, quick read. It finds our latest friend in her newest series from "Glenda at large" on her rambling, meandering way toward the rest of her life.  She has car trouble near a small town in Texas and has to stay a few days, so she finds a quaint little bed and breakfast and starts making temporary, but sweet and colorful friends.  It just so happens they are having their annual parade the next day and it sounds like a fun time with a local bar-b-que at the end.  Glenda makes plans to join in the fun.  She buddies up with a man who is auditing the local bank who loves a good bar-b-que and they make plans to meet up to watch the parade and enjoy a good meal but when he doesn't show, Glenda get that old feeling that something is amiss. I love this character and can't wait for the next Glenda at large mystery!

  Rating: PG
Sex-zero
Violence-mild
Profanity-H-ll 1, G-d exclamation 2, Sh-t 1

Breach of Trust by DiAnn Mills

In this thriller/suspence novel, Paige Rogers lost everything when her entire CIA team was betrayed by their leader.  They were all killed in their last mission, but she escaped and started a new life in hiding.  Now a librarian in a small town, she finds out the man who betrayed her team is running for Governor of her state.  He comes to find her and silence her. I found this a really compelling page turner! It is a Christian based novel but it doesn't cram it down your throat. It is a fascinating clean read.

Rating: PG
Sex-kissing
Violence-mild, mostly tense situations
Profanity-zero

Behind the Smile; My Journey Out of Postpartum Depression by Marie Osmond

This very touching and very candid look at a very personal experience was an incredible read for me.  I felt like I was going on this journey with her, as Marie Osmond chronicled her walk through the depths of Postpartum depression.  Like many women out there, she didn't even realize what was happening to her.  This is a subject that just wasn't talked about much.  It was interesting to find that her mother had gone through it as well, but had never told her about it until she was going through it herself.  I highly recommend this book to any young mother, whether suffering with postpartum or not. It was insightful to learn how she climbed out of the darkness. There are great gifts given to any women about self esteem and the value of being a mother from reading this book!

Rating: PG
Sex-zero
Violence-zero
Profanity-zero
I rated it PG because the subject matter is somewhat dark but it is completely clean

Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster

Guest Review by Dani Potter

This book was originally published in 1912 which is why I love it so dearly. The book is a series of letters from a 17 year old orphan named Jerusha Abbott to Daddy Long-Legs, a mysterious trustee of the orphanage who is paying for her college education to become a writer.  She has never met the man, but got a glimpse of him leaving the orphanage one day.  She only saw his shadow which looked like a huge daddy long-leg spider so she named him Daddy Long-Legs.  Every month he pays her tuition to school & she in turn is required to write him a letter updating him on her life & progress in her education.  Her letters become more frequent as her life new adult life begins to unfold.  I love how involved you start to feel in this young girls life as the letters progress.  It's a WONDERFUL story of overcoming obstacles, growing up , & falling in love.  And, it's CLEAN.

Rating: PG
Sex-zero
Violence-zero
 Profanity-G-d 2, Good L--d 5 (thank the L--d) as well

Mud to Ashes by Gayle Wigglesworth

In a departure from her travel mystery series, Gayle Wigglesworth has created a new character in Karo Meisner, a new divorcee who has moved to California to create a new and different setting for the second half of her life.  She enjoys pottery and joins in the local potters' "scene". She buys 2 dogs to keep her company and while walking them on the beach, stumbles onto a dead body.  The police seem way too interested in her private life and she becomes involved in solving the mystery. Once again Gayle creates a very interesting character and a story that keeps you wanting to read on.  I hope this might be the beginning of another series from Gayle Wigglesworth!
Rating: PG
Sex-zero
Violence-Mild
Profanity-H-ll 6, G-d 4 exclamations, other Thanks to.

Blind Malice by Annis Ward Jackson

This is the first book in a series of mysteries set in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.  The amateur detective is Rachel Myers who runs a nursing home but finds more than enough time to stick her nose into situations the police would rather she would not.  Rachel travels home to her father's funeral where she feels something was not quite right about his death.  It leads her on a path to finding things she did not know about her father's past.  This is a great read for mystery buffs!  The author is really good at weaving the story and setting up the characters so you care deeply about each one of them.  I love this series!  Just so you know, if you are an Amazon Prime customer and a kindle owner, you can borrow this book for free!
Rating: PG
Sex-none
Violence-mild
Profanity-D-mn 2, H-ll 7, G-d 4 exclamations, some other thanks be to, B-std 2

Malice in Mexico by Gayle Wigglesworth

In book 5 of the Claire Gulliver series, the CIA agent, Jack Rallins that Claire has worked with through the series and has been getting close to romantically (Very Mild) shows up at her bookstore looking very broken up and run down. The doctors prescribe some good rest and down time in a good climate so Claire suggests they go to Mexico for a vacation together (again no blatant hanky panky). Jack is extremely reluctant due to Claire's past vacation mishaps with murder and meyham, but relents and they find themselves in beautiful Juanajuato Mexico. However, trouble seems to follow Claire everywhere she goes. I really enjoyed the little bit of romance blended into this clean read! It didn't overshadow the mystery or action of the story.

Rating: PG

Sex - Mild, Claire and Jack finally reveal their feeling so some kissing and romance but very mild

Violence - Mild but a little bit of action, nothing graphic

Profanity - D-mn 5, H-ll 19, G-d 6 three of them are  Thank G-d, Sh-t 6

Cruisin' For a Bruisin' by Gayle Wigglesworth

Claire Gulliver has always dreamed of going on a cruise. Her dream comes true as she embarks on a cruise to Alaska with her mother and a few friends, all women.  They luckily get seated for dinner at a table with 6 interesting people, including 3 single men! Claire immediately starts plotting to find partners for dancing, but of course nothing ever works out the way it should. This is a great adventure with Claire and her mom, a character that is becoming one of my favorites in the mystery genre.  This is the 4th book in this clean reads series.
                                                            
Rating: PG
Sex-none
Violence-Mild
Profanity-G-d 17, but mostly Thanking Him and conversational "God forgave me", etc, H-ll 8, D-mn 1, sh-t 2

Intrigue in Italics by Gayle Wigglesworth

In the 3rd Claire Gulliver Adventure by Gayle Wigglesworth, my favorite, we find Claire on vacation in Italy with her mom and her mom's friend, where they are attending a cooking school. One day she runs into an old friend... but the old friend won't even acknowledge her.  Then Claire realizes she attended the person's funeral about a year ago.  Of course she cannot let it go.  She has to track down the person and make sure it isn't her friend. Obviously Intrigue ensues! Meanwhile her mother gets mixed up in some Intrigue of her own at the cooking school. This was a really fun, clean read for me!


Rating: PG
Sex-none
Violence-mild
Profanity- D-mn 1, H-ll 6, G-d 15 most as Thank G-d, Sh-t 2.

Washington Weirdos by Gayle Wigglesworth

The 2nd in the Claire Gulliver mysteries by Gayle Wigglesworth finds Claire in Washington where the owner of Vantage Airlines has offered her a golden ticket to ride anywhere, anytime for the rest of her life on their airlines for helping solve the mystery in London in the last book.  While there, she is attacked and thus a new mystery unfolds. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat from the first chapter. These mysteries also have some humor added in, which I really enjoy.  Another fun adventure in clean reading!

Rating: PG

Sex - none

Violence- the attack on Claire but it is not graphic

Profanity - D-mn 2, G-d 14 but almost all are thanking G-d, H-ll 4, Sh-t 1

Tea Is For Terror by Gayle Wigglesworth

Genre: Cozy Murder Mystery,  Some of her books are only available in Kindle Version
This is the first book in the Claire Gulliver series which finds bookstore owner Claire compelled to spearhead a tour group trip to London because the original leader has an "accident" and cannot go.  Soon other mysterious accidents begin to occur and Claire gets embroiled in a puzzling mystery that begins her fun adventures.  I loved this book from the first page.  I had just returned from a vacation to London when I read it and Ms. Wigglesworth was great with every detail of the geography and landmarks.  This is a great clean reads series.


Rating: PG
Sex - zero
Violence - moderate, it's a murder mystery so people are killed, but it is not explained in detail, it is not gruesome.
Profanity - G-d: 6 times, mostly used as "thank  God", D-mn 7 times, H-ll 7 times