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Mysteries of Blackberry Valley #2
The Key Question
When Hannah Prentiss's best friend, Lacy Minyard, receives a strange package allegedly from her mother, she finds a mysterious key wrapped in a monogrammed handkerchief inside. Lacy is even more baffled when her mother reports receiving a similar package, purporting to be from Lacy! Hers contains a puzzling poem and a key wrapped in an identical handkerchief. Neither woman knows anything about their gifts.
Can Hannah help her friend identify the sender and decipher the poem to find out what the keys open?
Meanwhile, Hannah's father and brother are determined that she start dating. Hannah appreciates their well-meaning intentions, but she's more interested in making a success of her restaurant right now.
Can Hannah find a way to tell her loveable but interfering family how she really feels?
Can Hannah help her friend identify the sender and decipher the poem to find out what the keys open?
Meanwhile, Hannah's father and brother are determined that she start dating. Hannah appreciates their well-meaning intentions, but she's more interested in making a success of her restaurant right now.
Can Hannah find a way to tell her loveable but interfering family how she really feels?
246 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 11, 2025
24 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Virginia Smith
121 books348 followersUSA Today bestselling author Virginia Smith has written over fifty books with sales exceeding 1 million copies worldwide. Her book, Guilty Secrets, was recently produced as a movie now streaming on Lifetime. She lives in Kentucky with her husband, 27 chickens, a barn kitty, and a barky Maltese named Max. Learn more about Ginny and her books at www.virginiasmith.org
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 24, 2025
4 stars, personally ⭐️ Christian Fiction - Cozy Mystery
About this book:
“When Hannah Prentiss's best friend, Lacy Minyard, receives a strange package allegedly from her mother, she finds a mysterious key wrapped in a monogrammed handkerchief inside. Lacy is even more baffled when her mother reports receiving a similar package, purporting to be from Lacy! Hers contains a puzzling poem and a key wrapped in an identical handkerchief. Neither woman knows anything about their gifts.
Can Hannah help her friend identify the sender and decipher the poem to find out what the keys open?
Meanwhile, Hannah's father and brother are determined that she start dating. Hannah appreciates their well-meaning intentions, but she's more interested in making a success of her restaurant right now.
Can Hannah find a way to tell her loveable but interfering family how she really feels?”
Series: Book #2 in the “Mysteries of Blackberry Valley” series. Review of Book #1, Here!
Spiritual Content- A Scripture is read; A couple Prayers; Morning Bible reading & Thinking about it (1 Corinthians 13 Scriptures mentioned); Church going (including one time where Hannah tries to concentrate on the service, but is too focused on the mystery & another time when she manages to pay attention to the service); 'H's are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & devotionals; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, church events, services, pastors, sermons, & hymns; A mention of a miracle; A mention of a cross necklace;
*Note: Mentions of luck & being lucky; A mention of Santa.
Negative Content- A bit of eye rolling; Hannah has a couple moments of grief (about her late mother); Mentions of deaths, illnesses, & grief; Mentions of the Great Depression & wars (WWI, WWII, & the Korean War); Mentions of crimes, stealing, & a break-in; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of an estranged sister relationship; A few mentions of mines collapsing & trapping and killing workers; A few mentions of fires; A few mentions of a divorce (including someone saying that a couple divorced, but it wasn’t the man’s fault as they married young and things didn’t work out for them; Later, the man says his first wife didn’t want kids and that was a big part of why they got a divorce); A couple mentions of people not coming out after exploring a cave (implied deaths); A couple mentions of rumors; A mention of nightmares; A mention of hunting;
*Note: Mentions of a mother having “spells” (which seems to be more of a mental illness than a physical one, a character notes); Mentions of books, poems, authors, & fictional characters (‘The Count of Monte Cristo’, ‘The Firm’ by John Grisham, Winston Churchill, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, poems by Emily Dickinson, & also learning about Emily Dickinson’s life); Mentions of car brands; A mention of a brand name (Corelle); A mention of the Beatles.
Sexual Content- A bit of touches, noticing, & smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple Blushes; Hannah’s family tries to set her up with some guys they know, but she isn’t interested in dating anyone due to trying to make her restaurant successful first; Mentions of dates & dating; A few mentions of handsome men; A mention of a family not having a “sordid secret” (such as an out-of-wedlock pregnancy); A mention of a married couple sharing a kiss; A mention of flirting; A mention of crushes; A mention of heartbreak.
-Hannah Prentiss, age 35
P.O.V. of Hannah
246 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star (and a half)
New Teens- Three Stars
Early High School Teens- Four Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
I’m not sure exactly why, but I was actually pretty interested in the mystery of this story because it was a bit of a slower one. But I’ve always been fascinated mail and packages, so that’s probably why I was invested in the two mysterious packages that showed up. The ending was a bit sadder than I expected, but it was still a good mystery.
As a note, this second book does mention a couple events from the first book of the series, but does not give away that mystery or Hannah’s findings.
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:
“When Hannah Prentiss's best friend, Lacy Minyard, receives a strange package allegedly from her mother, she finds a mysterious key wrapped in a monogrammed handkerchief inside. Lacy is even more baffled when her mother reports receiving a similar package, purporting to be from Lacy! Hers contains a puzzling poem and a key wrapped in an identical handkerchief. Neither woman knows anything about their gifts.
Can Hannah help her friend identify the sender and decipher the poem to find out what the keys open?
Meanwhile, Hannah's father and brother are determined that she start dating. Hannah appreciates their well-meaning intentions, but she's more interested in making a success of her restaurant right now.
Can Hannah find a way to tell her loveable but interfering family how she really feels?”
Series: Book #2 in the “Mysteries of Blackberry Valley” series. Review of Book #1, Here!
Spiritual Content- A Scripture is read; A couple Prayers; Morning Bible reading & Thinking about it (1 Corinthians 13 Scriptures mentioned); Church going (including one time where Hannah tries to concentrate on the service, but is too focused on the mystery & another time when she manages to pay attention to the service); 'H's are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & devotionals; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, church events, services, pastors, sermons, & hymns; A mention of a miracle; A mention of a cross necklace;
*Note: Mentions of luck & being lucky; A mention of Santa.
Negative Content- A bit of eye rolling; Hannah has a couple moments of grief (about her late mother); Mentions of deaths, illnesses, & grief; Mentions of the Great Depression & wars (WWI, WWII, & the Korean War); Mentions of crimes, stealing, & a break-in; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of an estranged sister relationship; A few mentions of mines collapsing & trapping and killing workers; A few mentions of fires; A few mentions of a divorce (including someone saying that a couple divorced, but it wasn’t the man’s fault as they married young and things didn’t work out for them; Later, the man says his first wife didn’t want kids and that was a big part of why they got a divorce); A couple mentions of people not coming out after exploring a cave (implied deaths); A couple mentions of rumors; A mention of nightmares; A mention of hunting;
*Note: Mentions of a mother having “spells” (which seems to be more of a mental illness than a physical one, a character notes); Mentions of books, poems, authors, & fictional characters (‘The Count of Monte Cristo’, ‘The Firm’ by John Grisham, Winston Churchill, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, poems by Emily Dickinson, & also learning about Emily Dickinson’s life); Mentions of car brands; A mention of a brand name (Corelle); A mention of the Beatles.
Sexual Content- A bit of touches, noticing, & smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple Blushes; Hannah’s family tries to set her up with some guys they know, but she isn’t interested in dating anyone due to trying to make her restaurant successful first; Mentions of dates & dating; A few mentions of handsome men; A mention of a family not having a “sordid secret” (such as an out-of-wedlock pregnancy); A mention of a married couple sharing a kiss; A mention of flirting; A mention of crushes; A mention of heartbreak.
-Hannah Prentiss, age 35
P.O.V. of Hannah
246 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star (and a half)
New Teens- Three Stars
Early High School Teens- Four Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
I’m not sure exactly why, but I was actually pretty interested in the mystery of this story because it was a bit of a slower one. But I’ve always been fascinated mail and packages, so that’s probably why I was invested in the two mysterious packages that showed up. The ending was a bit sadder than I expected, but it was still a good mystery.
As a note, this second book does mention a couple events from the first book of the series, but does not give away that mystery or Hannah’s findings.
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.
June 30, 2025
Mysteries of BlackBerry Valley
Lacy and her Mom each receive an envelope without a postmark addressed as if they sent them to themselves along with a key in each envelope. Hannah Lacy's friend begins to investigate what it all means. I love these delightful mysteries with a message.
Lacy and her Mom each receive an envelope without a postmark addressed as if they sent them to themselves along with a key in each envelope. Hannah Lacy's friend begins to investigate what it all means. I love these delightful mysteries with a message.
July 28, 2025
This was a gently paced and easy to read cozy. It wasn't riveting but it was sweet. There was no romance, but I kind of like it that the heroine knows her mind. However, if she warmed up to the wonderful fire chief, I wouldn't be mad. LOL.
August 2, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. The whole series so far is really well done - even with different authors for each book, they keep doing a great job at developing the main characters.
The searching out clues and answers to the mystery go back to the earlier timeline, and things are revealed at a good pace. I look forward to more.
The searching out clues and answers to the mystery go back to the earlier timeline, and things are revealed at a good pace. I look forward to more.
June 20, 2025
A fun mystery to solve with lovable characters. The past and the present are woven together in an intriguing way in a lovely setting.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews