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Mysteries of Blackberry Valley #9
No Love Lost
No Love Lost is the ninth book in the Mysteries of Blackberry Valley fiction series.
Valentine’s Day is approaching, and Hannah Prentiss can’t wait to celebrate the romantic holiday with her boyfriend, Fire Chief Liam Berthold. That is, if they can find the time. With Hannah’s restaurant hosting both a private luncheon and a special Valentine’s dinner for her customers, and Liam being suddenly called away to attend a conference, it doesn’t look promising.
But there’s more going on in Blackberry Valley this winter. When firefighter Archer Lestrade tells Hannah and Liam that he has been receiving a series of strange and possibly threatening photographs, they rally to his side and undertake an investigation. Working together, can they figure out what the photos mean, who sent them…and most importantly, why?
Valentine’s Day is approaching, and Hannah Prentiss can’t wait to celebrate the romantic holiday with her boyfriend, Fire Chief Liam Berthold. That is, if they can find the time. With Hannah’s restaurant hosting both a private luncheon and a special Valentine’s dinner for her customers, and Liam being suddenly called away to attend a conference, it doesn’t look promising.
But there’s more going on in Blackberry Valley this winter. When firefighter Archer Lestrade tells Hannah and Liam that he has been receiving a series of strange and possibly threatening photographs, they rally to his side and undertake an investigation. Working together, can they figure out what the photos mean, who sent them…and most importantly, why?
281 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 27, 2025
About the author
Becky Melby
38 books52 followersWisconsin resident Becky Melby is the author of more than 20 titles, including her latest, Candles in the Rain, plus the Lost Sanctuary Series, four books in the Guideposts cozy mystery series Secrets of Wayfarers Inn, and a novella in A Door County Christmas. Married for 48 years, mother of four, grandmother to sixteen, Becky thrives on writing, reading, camping, rides on the back of a silver Gold Wing, and time with family. Connect with her at www.beckymelby.com or Facebook.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 7, 2026
4 stars, personally ⭐️ Christian Fiction - Cozy Mystery
About this book:
“Valentine’s Day is approaching, and Hannah Prentiss can’t wait to celebrate the romantic holiday with her boyfriend, Fire Chief Liam Berthold. That is, if they can find the time. With Hannah’s restaurant hosting both a private luncheon and a special Valentine’s dinner for her customers, and Liam being suddenly called away to attend a conference, it doesn’t look promising.
But there’s more going on in Blackberry Valley this winter. When firefighter Archer Lestrade tells Hannah and Liam that he has been receiving a series of strange and possibly threatening photographs, they rally to his side and undertake an investigation. Working together, can they figure out what the photos mean, who sent them…and most importantly, why?”
Series: Book #9 in the “Mysteries of Blackberry Valley” series. Reviews of Book #1, Book #2, Book #3, Book #4, Book #5, Book #6, Book #7, and Book #8!
Spiritual Content- 1 Corinthians 13:4 at the beginning; Scriptures are read, remembered, & discussed; Prayers & Thanking God; Church going & a sermon (including a quote by Elisabeth Elliot); Talks about God & patience; ’H’s are capital when referring to God; Hannah questions why it seems like some people were born blessed and others into adversity, thinking that it’s an age-old question she won’t have an answer to, but knows the true answer is that God is in control of everything, even the “things that don’t feel good”; Mentions of God, His timing, & having patience; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & devotions; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, Sunday school classes, & pastors; A mention of Vacation Bible School;
*Note: A couple mentions of fairy pools; A mention of luck.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: Two ‘dumb’s and two ‘stupid’s; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Eye rolling; A cave-in due to an explosion, being trapped, & seeing a death (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Seeing someone have an allergic reaction (anaphylactic shock, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of an explosion, cave-in, deaths and possible deaths, injuries, & pain (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of deaths (including from cancer) & grief (including Hannah and her dad for her mom/his wife); Mentions of fires & possible arson; Mentions of stealing, stolen items, & thieves; Mentions of a possible stalker; Mentions of threats & blackmail; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of needles and injections at a hospital (which Hannah avoids looking at); Mentions of poisons & possibly being poisoned; Mentions of a family kicking their daughter out due to her relationship with a man whose family they dislike; A few mentions of crimes & a robbery; A couple mentions of the Civil War; A couple mentions of the Great Depression; A couple mentions of lying; A couple mentions of nightmares; A couple mentions of the possibility of a puppy being hurt or killed; A mention of the death of a baby (no details, implied miscarriage); A mention of a car accident; A mention of murder shows; A mention of a divorce; A mention of jealousy; A mention of poker;
*Note: In the historical time period, a young woman asks a young man why men call boats and automobiles a ‘she’ and he responds “I suppose because they’re pretty, and if we’re nice to them, they do what they’re told and don’t talk back.” (which she smacks him for saying and he says that he doesn’t prefer that and wants a woman who speaks her mind); Mentions of car brands; Mentions of Romeo and Juliet; A few mentions of actors/actresses (Clark Gable, Irene Dunne, & Carole Lombard); A mention of a movie (You Can’t Take It With You); A mention of a song (‘Always,’ by Irving Berlin); In bonus content at the end of the book, there are mentions of the Hatfields-McCoys feud and murder & TV shows/actors/fictional characters mentioned (such as Family Feud, The Andy Griffith Show, Bonanza, The West Wing, NCIS, Bones, My Little Pony, Buster Keaton, Betty Boop, Elmer Fudd, Rocky and Bullwinkle, and the Flintstones).
Sexual Content- Two hand kisses, a cheek kiss, two forehead kisses, a not-detailed kiss, and two barely-above-not-detailed kisses; Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Winks & Blushes; a ‘babe’; Hannah spends a night on Liam’s couch after a scary event (health-related); Many mentions of dates, dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, break-ups, & exes; A few mentions of couples kissing & kisses; A few mentions of crushes; A few mentions of jealousy; A mention of toes tingling; Very light love, falling in love, & the emotions.
-Hannah Prentiss, age 36
P.O.V. switches between Hannah & a couple others (in the historical period)
Ten chapters set in 1921 & 1931
281 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Two Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
Because of a busy schedule, it took me a bit longer to read this book, but I really enjoyed it! I actually found myself super interested in the historical parts and the modern day mystery connected to it didn’t give away the ending to the historical timeline (which has happened before with other books I’ve read when it’s a dual time period book and the mysteries are connecting), so that was a nice surprise! My compliments to the author for that detail!
While I still wouldn’t call this a “romance book”, it definitely had more romance in it with all the mentions of dates/dating and whatnot. But in all honestly, I expect that from a book set around Valentine’s Day and greatly enjoyed it! Hannah and Liam are really cute together and I was invested in both mysteries—I’m a little annoyed at myself for not figuring out the ending, but I liked it regardless. Another winner for the series in my books!
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.
About this book:
“Valentine’s Day is approaching, and Hannah Prentiss can’t wait to celebrate the romantic holiday with her boyfriend, Fire Chief Liam Berthold. That is, if they can find the time. With Hannah’s restaurant hosting both a private luncheon and a special Valentine’s dinner for her customers, and Liam being suddenly called away to attend a conference, it doesn’t look promising.
But there’s more going on in Blackberry Valley this winter. When firefighter Archer Lestrade tells Hannah and Liam that he has been receiving a series of strange and possibly threatening photographs, they rally to his side and undertake an investigation. Working together, can they figure out what the photos mean, who sent them…and most importantly, why?”
Series: Book #9 in the “Mysteries of Blackberry Valley” series. Reviews of Book #1, Book #2, Book #3, Book #4, Book #5, Book #6, Book #7, and Book #8!
Spiritual Content- 1 Corinthians 13:4 at the beginning; Scriptures are read, remembered, & discussed; Prayers & Thanking God; Church going & a sermon (including a quote by Elisabeth Elliot); Talks about God & patience; ’H’s are capital when referring to God; Hannah questions why it seems like some people were born blessed and others into adversity, thinking that it’s an age-old question she won’t have an answer to, but knows the true answer is that God is in control of everything, even the “things that don’t feel good”; Mentions of God, His timing, & having patience; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & devotions; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, Sunday school classes, & pastors; A mention of Vacation Bible School;
*Note: A couple mentions of fairy pools; A mention of luck.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: Two ‘dumb’s and two ‘stupid’s; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Eye rolling; A cave-in due to an explosion, being trapped, & seeing a death (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Seeing someone have an allergic reaction (anaphylactic shock, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of an explosion, cave-in, deaths and possible deaths, injuries, & pain (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of deaths (including from cancer) & grief (including Hannah and her dad for her mom/his wife); Mentions of fires & possible arson; Mentions of stealing, stolen items, & thieves; Mentions of a possible stalker; Mentions of threats & blackmail; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of needles and injections at a hospital (which Hannah avoids looking at); Mentions of poisons & possibly being poisoned; Mentions of a family kicking their daughter out due to her relationship with a man whose family they dislike; A few mentions of crimes & a robbery; A couple mentions of the Civil War; A couple mentions of the Great Depression; A couple mentions of lying; A couple mentions of nightmares; A couple mentions of the possibility of a puppy being hurt or killed; A mention of the death of a baby (no details, implied miscarriage); A mention of a car accident; A mention of murder shows; A mention of a divorce; A mention of jealousy; A mention of poker;
*Note: In the historical time period, a young woman asks a young man why men call boats and automobiles a ‘she’ and he responds “I suppose because they’re pretty, and if we’re nice to them, they do what they’re told and don’t talk back.” (which she smacks him for saying and he says that he doesn’t prefer that and wants a woman who speaks her mind); Mentions of car brands; Mentions of Romeo and Juliet; A few mentions of actors/actresses (Clark Gable, Irene Dunne, & Carole Lombard); A mention of a movie (You Can’t Take It With You); A mention of a song (‘Always,’ by Irving Berlin); In bonus content at the end of the book, there are mentions of the Hatfields-McCoys feud and murder & TV shows/actors/fictional characters mentioned (such as Family Feud, The Andy Griffith Show, Bonanza, The West Wing, NCIS, Bones, My Little Pony, Buster Keaton, Betty Boop, Elmer Fudd, Rocky and Bullwinkle, and the Flintstones).
Sexual Content- Two hand kisses, a cheek kiss, two forehead kisses, a not-detailed kiss, and two barely-above-not-detailed kisses; Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Winks & Blushes; a ‘babe’; Hannah spends a night on Liam’s couch after a scary event (health-related); Many mentions of dates, dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, break-ups, & exes; A few mentions of couples kissing & kisses; A few mentions of crushes; A few mentions of jealousy; A mention of toes tingling; Very light love, falling in love, & the emotions.
-Hannah Prentiss, age 36
P.O.V. switches between Hannah & a couple others (in the historical period)
Ten chapters set in 1921 & 1931
281 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Two Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
Because of a busy schedule, it took me a bit longer to read this book, but I really enjoyed it! I actually found myself super interested in the historical parts and the modern day mystery connected to it didn’t give away the ending to the historical timeline (which has happened before with other books I’ve read when it’s a dual time period book and the mysteries are connecting), so that was a nice surprise! My compliments to the author for that detail!
While I still wouldn’t call this a “romance book”, it definitely had more romance in it with all the mentions of dates/dating and whatnot. But in all honestly, I expect that from a book set around Valentine’s Day and greatly enjoyed it! Hannah and Liam are really cute together and I was invested in both mysteries—I’m a little annoyed at myself for not figuring out the ending, but I liked it regardless. Another winner for the series in my books!
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.
January 2, 2026
This was a fairly decent mystery which included a historical story from the region, but I was annoyed with all the modern-day texting! What's up with that? Why can't people just call each other and TALK on the phone? Without all the texting, this could have been a 4-star review, reserving 5-stars for the best of the best.
November 28, 2025
Another great addition to the Blackberry Valley series! I enjoy the characters that show up in all the books, as well as the new ones pertaining to each specific story. Melby does a great job at keeping up the reader's interest in both timelines. I look forward to the next book!
January 16, 2026
3.5 stars.
One mystery was solid and the other struck me as busybody silly. The small town vibe was good, as always, and I enjoyed the relationship progression between the heroine and her man.
One mystery was solid and the other struck me as busybody silly. The small town vibe was good, as always, and I enjoyed the relationship progression between the heroine and her man.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews