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Charm and Deceit #3
Curtain Call (Charm And Deceit V3) (Charm & Deceit) by Jennifer AlLee
After the loss of her right leg from the knee down, Emily Forbes has focused on becoming a renowned opera singer. When at last it seems her dream is within reach, she ignores the concern of her detective brother and heads off to New York City, where she lands the lead role in a performance. While promoting the production, she hears a familiar DeKlerk. Soon she's digging through the only case her brother never closed. Samuel DeKlerk is a respected physician. After serving in the Civil War and witnessing the devastating effects of privation and war on fellow soldiers' physical and mental well-being, he shifts his clinical interests to diseases of the mind. He's now an alienist--a doctor to the mad--with little time for frivolity. He agrees to invest in the opera, in the memory of his sister, Sarah, who was murdered by a yet nameless killer. When he catches Emily Forbes prying into the past, his life is upended again. As they work to solve a case gone cold, determined to bring Sarah's killer to justice, tolerance for each other turns to mutual respect. Might love be waiting for them in the final act?
- GenresChristian Fiction
Mass Market Paperback
First published February 21, 2014
35 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer AlLee
32 books153 followersJennifer AlLee was born in Hollywood, California, and spent the first 10 years of her life living over a mortuary one block away from Hollywood and Vine. An avid reader and writer, she completed her first novel in high school. That manuscript is now safely tucked away, never to see the light of day again.
She has worked in numerous fields, including as a church secretary and as an administrative assistant at a cable company, but wherever she works, writing always becomes part of the job description.
Her first novel was published in 2007. Since then, she's published 11 novels and quite a few novellas with five different publishing houses. While she's thrilled to be living her dream as author, Jennifer considers raising her amazing son to be her biggest creative achievement.
She lives in southern Nevada with her husband, Nic, who is a hunky Englishman and the best cabbie in Las Vegas.
She has worked in numerous fields, including as a church secretary and as an administrative assistant at a cable company, but wherever she works, writing always becomes part of the job description.
Her first novel was published in 2007. Since then, she's published 11 novels and quite a few novellas with five different publishing houses. While she's thrilled to be living her dream as author, Jennifer considers raising her amazing son to be her biggest creative achievement.
She lives in southern Nevada with her husband, Nic, who is a hunky Englishman and the best cabbie in Las Vegas.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 3, 2022
About this book:
“After the loss of her right leg from the knee down, Emily Forbes has focused on becoming a renowned opera singer. When at last it seems her dream is within reach, she ignores the concern of her detective brother and heads off to New York City, where she lands the lead role in a performance. While promoting the production, she hears a familiar name: DeKlerk. Soon she's digging through the only case her brother never closed.
Samuel DeKlerk is a respected physician. After serving in the Civil War and witnessing the devastating effects of privation and war on fellow soldiers' physical and mental well-being, he shifts his clinical interests to diseases of the mind. He's now an alienist a doctor to the mad with little time for frivolity. He agrees to invest in the opera, in the memory of his sister, Sarah, who was murdered by a yet nameless killer. When he catches Emily Forbes prying into the past, his life is upended again.
As they work to solve a case gone cold, determined to bring Sarah's killer to justice, tolerance for each other turns to mutual respect. Might love be waiting for them in the final act?”
Series: The final book in the “Charms and Deceit” trilogy. Reviews of Book #1 Here! and #2 Here!
Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are remembered & mentioned; Prayers & Thanking God; Talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of those, events, & places in the Bible; Mentions of thanking God; Mentions of blessings; Mentions of when Emily doubted God; A few mentions of Emily’s singing sounding like an angel; A couple mentions of sins; A mention of a miracle;
*Note: A mention of Venus; A mention of Medusa; A mention of a godforsaken city; A mention of a devil-may-care attitude.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘drat’, a ‘dumb’, an ‘idiot’, a ‘shut up’, and a ‘stupid’; Some eye rolling; Pain, Being shot, Held at gunpoint, Threated, Slapped, Passing out, & Blood/Bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Almost being hit by a statue & a carriage accident (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of murders, murderers, & how they happened (barely-above-not-detailed to semi-detailed); Mentions of a war, fighting, deaths/murders, doing doctor stuff, injuries, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of poisons, being drugged, & being murdered; Mentions of thieves, being robbed, & when Emily was shot and her parents killed; Mentions of pain, being tied-up, shot, gunfire, & blood/bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of suicides, attempted suicides, how they did/tried it, & blood (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a falling statue, almost being hit, & a carriage accident; Mentions of violence; Mentions of being held at gunpoint & an intruder; Mentions of duels, shooting someone, & prison; Mentions of crimes; Mentions of threats & bribes; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & drunks; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of gangs & their wars; A few mentions of domestic abuse & injuries; A few mentions of tobacco & smoking; A few mentions of tattoos; A few mentions of throwing up; A few mentions of nightmares; A couple mentions of hangings; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of cheating.
Sexual Content- three hand kisses, two forehead kisses, a few not-detailed kisses, and a semi-detailed kiss; Touches, Warmth, & Blushes (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing; Mentions of a girl running away with her beau to elope; Mentions of reputations, virtues, & chaperones; A few mentions of hand kisses; A few mentions of jealousy;
*Note: Mentions of a man’s bare chest & muscles (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); A couple mentions of lingerie; A couple mentions of Emily being hooted & grabbed at.
-Emily Forbes
-Samuel DeKlerk
P.O.V. switches between them
Set in 1868
254 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- Two Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars
While I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first or even the second book, I did enjoy reading about Emily and Sam, but especially liked the last few chapters. I liked that Emily was different from most heroines.
This was a fun series that had a mystery in each book with a bit of suspense here and there, but also had some pretty good Spiritual Content. :)
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
“After the loss of her right leg from the knee down, Emily Forbes has focused on becoming a renowned opera singer. When at last it seems her dream is within reach, she ignores the concern of her detective brother and heads off to New York City, where she lands the lead role in a performance. While promoting the production, she hears a familiar name: DeKlerk. Soon she's digging through the only case her brother never closed.
Samuel DeKlerk is a respected physician. After serving in the Civil War and witnessing the devastating effects of privation and war on fellow soldiers' physical and mental well-being, he shifts his clinical interests to diseases of the mind. He's now an alienist a doctor to the mad with little time for frivolity. He agrees to invest in the opera, in the memory of his sister, Sarah, who was murdered by a yet nameless killer. When he catches Emily Forbes prying into the past, his life is upended again.
As they work to solve a case gone cold, determined to bring Sarah's killer to justice, tolerance for each other turns to mutual respect. Might love be waiting for them in the final act?”
Series: The final book in the “Charms and Deceit” trilogy. Reviews of Book #1 Here! and #2 Here!
Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are remembered & mentioned; Prayers & Thanking God; Talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of those, events, & places in the Bible; Mentions of thanking God; Mentions of blessings; Mentions of when Emily doubted God; A few mentions of Emily’s singing sounding like an angel; A couple mentions of sins; A mention of a miracle;
*Note: A mention of Venus; A mention of Medusa; A mention of a godforsaken city; A mention of a devil-may-care attitude.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘drat’, a ‘dumb’, an ‘idiot’, a ‘shut up’, and a ‘stupid’; Some eye rolling; Pain, Being shot, Held at gunpoint, Threated, Slapped, Passing out, & Blood/Bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Almost being hit by a statue & a carriage accident (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of murders, murderers, & how they happened (barely-above-not-detailed to semi-detailed); Mentions of a war, fighting, deaths/murders, doing doctor stuff, injuries, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of poisons, being drugged, & being murdered; Mentions of thieves, being robbed, & when Emily was shot and her parents killed; Mentions of pain, being tied-up, shot, gunfire, & blood/bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of suicides, attempted suicides, how they did/tried it, & blood (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a falling statue, almost being hit, & a carriage accident; Mentions of violence; Mentions of being held at gunpoint & an intruder; Mentions of duels, shooting someone, & prison; Mentions of crimes; Mentions of threats & bribes; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & drunks; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of gangs & their wars; A few mentions of domestic abuse & injuries; A few mentions of tobacco & smoking; A few mentions of tattoos; A few mentions of throwing up; A few mentions of nightmares; A couple mentions of hangings; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of cheating.
Sexual Content- three hand kisses, two forehead kisses, a few not-detailed kisses, and a semi-detailed kiss; Touches, Warmth, & Blushes (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing; Mentions of a girl running away with her beau to elope; Mentions of reputations, virtues, & chaperones; A few mentions of hand kisses; A few mentions of jealousy;
*Note: Mentions of a man’s bare chest & muscles (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); A couple mentions of lingerie; A couple mentions of Emily being hooted & grabbed at.
-Emily Forbes
-Samuel DeKlerk
P.O.V. switches between them
Set in 1868
254 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- Two Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars
While I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first or even the second book, I did enjoy reading about Emily and Sam, but especially liked the last few chapters. I liked that Emily was different from most heroines.
This was a fun series that had a mystery in each book with a bit of suspense here and there, but also had some pretty good Spiritual Content. :)
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
November 11, 2019
I enjoyed the characters and the plot--a cozy mystery/whodonnit.
April 13, 2015
This was a really interesting concept for a story. No spoilers here, reviewed it for Library Journal. Loved it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews