Friday Focus: Bookish Memes to Start the Weekend

 

 

It's Friday . . . time to share book excerpts with:

• Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
• The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an eBook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.
• First Line Friday hosted by Reading Is My SuperPower
  

 

Today I'm featuring a current read, Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. The excerpts shared are from a hardcover version borrowed from the library.

 

 

 

Book Beginning/First Line:  William, February 1960--December 1978

For the first six days of William Waters's life, he was not an only child.

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Page 56:  Julia found herself strangely unprepared for their honeymoon, which took place at a resort on the shore of Lake Michigan. She'd spent so much time and energy planning the wedding that she hadn't given much thought to her and William's trip.

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My thoughts:  I am thoroughly enjoying this immersive novel with its fascinating characters, complex family relationships, and rich story lines.

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From GoodReads:  An emotionally layered and engrossing story of a family that asks: Can love make a broken person whole?

William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him. So it’s a relief when his skill on the basketball court earns him a scholarship to college, far away from his childhood home. He soon meets Julia Padavano, a spirited and ambitious young woman who surprises William with her appreciation of his quiet steadiness. With Julia comes her family; she is inseparable from her three younger sisters: Sylvie, the dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book and imagines a future different from the expected path of wife and mother; Cecelia, the family’s artist; and Emeline, who patiently takes care of all of them. Happily, the Padavanos fold Julia’s new boyfriend into their loving, chaotic household.

But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters’ unshakeable loyalty to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most?

Vibrating with tenderness, Hello Beautiful is a gorgeous, profoundly moving portrait of what’s possible when we choose to love someone not in spite of who they are, but because of it.

 

 

 

 

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This Friday Focus: Bookish Memes to Start the Weekend post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com. It cannot be republished without attribution.

 

 

Friday Focus: Bookish Memes to Start the Weekend

 

 

 

It's Friday . . . time to share book excerpts with:

• Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
• The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an eBook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.
• First Line Friday hosted by Reading Is My SuperPower
  

 

Today I'm featuring a recent read, Zero Days by Ruth Ware. The excerpts shared are from a hardcover version borrowed from the library.

 

 

Book Beginning/First Line:  Saturday, February 4 -- Minus Eight Days

The wall around the perimeter was child's play.

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Page 56:  I felt my rage deflate inside me like a pricked balloon, leaving only an intense weariness, close to despair. I felt my shoulders droop.

********************  

My thoughts: I've read most of Ruth Ware's novels and she continues to surprise me with her originality. Her ability to create each new story with settings and characters that are so vastly different from her previous novels is amazing and what keeps me coming back for more.

Zero Days takes readers into the world of computer hacking and security monitoring, where the stakes can be incredibly breathtaking. Secrets and information are highly prized and dangerous in the wrong hands, as Jack learns when her husband is murdered. Who killed Gabe and why? 

When Jack becomes the main murder suspect, she must rely on her wits and steely grit as she descends into a high stakes game of cat and mouse with the police and the real murderer. With the odds stacked against her, will Jack bring Gabe's murderer to justice, or die trying? 

This fast-paced, thrilling novel has unexpected twists and turns, demonstrating that Ruth Ware is one of the best writers of contemporary suspense.

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From GoodReads: Ruth Ware returns with this adrenaline-fueled thriller about a woman in a race against time to clear her name and find her husband’s murderer.

Hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems, Jack and her husband, Gabe, are the best penetration specialists in the business. But after a routine assignment goes horribly wrong, Jack arrives home to find her husband dead. To add to her horror, the police are closing in on their suspect—her.

 

 

 

 

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This Friday Focus: Bookish Memes to Start the Weekend post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com. It cannot be republished without attribution.

 

Friday Focus: Bookish Memes to Start the Weekend

 

 

It's Friday . . . time to share book excerpts with:

• Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
• The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an eBook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.
• First Line Friday hosted by Reading Is My SuperPower
  

 

Today I'm featuring a current read, The Engineer's Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood. The excerpts shared are from a hardcover version I borrowed from the library.

 

Book Beginning/First Line:  Washington, DC February 1864

The light, sweet honey scent of burning candles did not quite mask the odor of blood and sweat in the makeshift ballroom.

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Page 56:  When I had regained my strength, I accompanied Wash on research trips, sometimes leaving Johnny with the Roebling clan. Words like "caisson" and "quoin" became as familiar to me as "cat" and "dog."

********************  

My thoughts:  Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and I am enjoying this story about a strong female protagonist and her role in the construction of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge that connects the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan. I've driven over it many times (as recently as last month)--and you can also walk across it. The views are quite spectacular.

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From GoodReads:  She built a monument for all time. Then she was lost in its shadow. Discover the fascinating woman who helped design and construct the Brooklyn Bridge.

Emily Roebling refuses to live conventionally—she knows who she is and what she wants, and she's determined to make change. But then her husband asks the unthinkable: give up her dreams to make his possible.

Emily's fight for women's suffrage is put on hold, and her life transformed when her husband Washington Roebling, the Chief Engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, is injured on the job. Untrained for the task, but under his guidance, she assumes his role, despite stern resistance and overwhelming obstacles. But as the project takes shape under Emily's direction, she wonders whose legacy she is building—hers, or her husband's. As the monument rises, Emily's marriage, principles, and identity threaten to collapse. When the bridge finally stands finished, will she recognize the woman who built it?

Based on the true story of an American icon, The Engineer's Wife delivers an emotional portrait of a woman transformed by a project of unfathomable scale, which takes her into the bowels of the East River, suffragette riots, the halls of Manhattan's elite, and the heady, freewheeling temptations of P.T. Barnum. The biography of a husband and wife determined to build something that lasts—even at the risk of losing each other.

 

 

 

 

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This Friday Focus: Bookish Memes to Start the Weekend post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com. It cannot be republished without attribution.

 

Friday Focus: Bookish Memes To Start the Weekend

 

 

 

It's Friday . . . time to share book excerpts with:

• Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
• The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an eBook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.
• First Line Friday hosted by Reading Is My SuperPower
  

Today I'm featuring a recent read, An American in Scotland by Lucy Connelly, the first book in the Scottish Isle mystery series. The excerpts shared are from a hardcover version I borrowed from the library.

 

 

Book Beginning/First Line:  Scotland was gorgeous--even more than I'd imagined. Any last-minute doubts I'd had about moving across the pond, leaving everything and everyone behind at home in Seattle, were gone.

********************  

Page 56:  "It's terrible, but I don't think there's a soul that lives here who will miss him."

********************  

My thoughts:  Sea Isle, Scotland is half a world away from Seattle--and this is how much distance former ER doctor Emilia (Em) McRoy feels she must put between herself and her former life. Reeling from a traumatic personal experience, Em believes the picturesque coastal town will afford her a new start. Yet life as the only doctor in town is off to a bumpy beginning when Em finds the lifeless body of a local man just hours after she had words with him in one of the town's pubs.

Constable Ewan Campbell is eager to write the death off as accidental--the result of a drunken fall. Based on the injuries, however, Em suspects foul play. The victim is the most ornery soul in town, with more enemies than friends--begging the question, who killed Smithy and why? Moreover, will Em find the killer or become the next victim before she gets her chance at a new life?

An American in Scotland is a charming cozy mystery centered around a competent and likable protagonist in search of a fresh start and the eclectic mix of residents who welcome the much-needed doctor to their rugged locale. While the murder mystery propels the story forward, more engaging are the personal relationships that develop along the way.

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From GoodReads:  The small idyllic town of Sea Isle, Scotland, harbors some dark secrets, and Dr. Emilia McRoy is determined to uncover all of them—no matter what the diagnosis in this charming cozy, sure to enchant fans of Sheila Connolly and Charlene O’Connor.

Sea Isle was supposed to be the fresh start Dr. Emilia McRoy dreamed of. Far from the busy emergency room across the Atlantic in Seattle, she hoped to settle down and begin this new chapter as a small-town doctor to the quirky residents who immediately welcomed her. When she stumbles across a dead body, she starts to think that she may not be as Scot free of the drama and intrigue as she initially thought.

Emilia soon learns she has bigger issues at hand. It starts with realizing she’ll work closely with the less than helpful local constable, Laird Ewan Campbell. Her luck continues when she discovers that part of her new responsibilities includes being the coroner for the very body she found. Finally, when the body goes missing before she can even begin the autopsy, Emilia must convince the townspeople that a crime did, in fact, occur. The deeper she digs into the picturesque town, the more suspicious she becomes. And then there are her sleep issues. It may be due to the ever-growing list of suspects, a number of threatening letters, or the surprise visitor who breaks into her house at night. But she’s never backed down before, and she doesn’t intend to start now.

Someone doesn’t want this doctor to treat the ailments of Sea Isle, but Emilia McRoy is determined to find the murderer before they kilt again.

 

 

 

 

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This Friday Focus: Bookish Memes to Start the Weekend post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com. It cannot be republished without attribution.

Great Escapes Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway: Collecting Can Be Murder by Jennifer S. Alderson

Today I'm participating in the Collecting Can Be Murder Blog Tour. In this post you'll find book and author information along with my review. And be sure to enter the giveaway below.

About the book . . .

Collecting Can Be Murder (Carmen De Luca Art Sleuth Mysteries)

Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – France
Traveling Life Press (May 31, 2023)
Approximately 250 Pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BZPHKHGQ

Synopsis . . . Coming out of retirement can be deadly . . .

After tragedy struck three years earlier, art sleuth Carmen De Luca vowed to never work in the field again. But fifty is too young to fill her days with water aerobics and bingo, so when her former partner calls and begs for her help, Carmen gladly agrees.

Yet after their first assignment--the recovery of a rare medieval prayer book from an eccentric collector living in rural France--goes horribly wrong, Carmen ends up in the crosshairs of both the local police and a murderer!

With her target dead the the stolen book missing, she and her partner will have to pull out all of the stops to sleuth out the true killer's identity before their stay in France becomes permanent.

Introducing Carmen De Luca, an art sleuth with a nose for mystery and the job of locating valuable artwork stolen from museums around the world. If you love strong and resourceful heroines, puzzling mysteries, and a dash of art history, pick up Collecting Can Be Murder now!

My review . . . A group of wealthy business associates gather at Villa Saint Marie, the French country estate of rare book collector Harold Moreau for an auction of his prized medieval prayer books. Also present are his wife, adult children, and Carmen De Luca and Lady Sophie Rutherford--undercover employees from the Rosewood Agency specializing in the recovery of stolen art objects. Amidst a raging major storm on the Breton coast, Harold is killed in his library by a toppling bookcase and his copy of the Avron Book of Hours goes missing. Carmen and Sophie believe this valuable manuscript was originally stolen from an Ohio museum and are on assignment to retrieve it. Where is the book now? But more importantly, who killed Harold and why?

The murder suspects are dramatic and plentiful, as are the possible motives of greed, jealousy, desperation, and betrayal.  It is up to Carmen to investigate until the police can physically reach the remote location days later--and she's a bit rusty after three years away from this type of surveillance and reconnaissance work following the tragic death of her husband while on a similar assignment. Can she identify the killer among them without suffering a similar fate and recover the rare tome without blowing her cover?

Collecting Can Be Murder is Agatha Christie-esque in its locked-room setting and cast of characters. The protagonist, Carmen De Luca, is a vibrant, intelligent art professional ready to re-embrace life after personal loss and return to the field she loves. She is steadfast and likable, and her work relationship with Lady Sophie--her polar opposite--creates an entertaining vibe and scenario. Having successfully navigated her re-entry into art sleuthing, Carmen is ready for further assignments, the next of which will be in Belgium. I'm ready to join Carmen in her future exploits, because reading a Jennifer S. Alderson novel guarantees an intriguing mystery and armchair travel to appealing locales.

Giveaway . . . Enter the giveaway contest for a $20 Amazon gift by clicking on this link.

About the author . . . Jennifer S. Alderson was born in San Francisco, grew up in Seattle, and currently lives in Amsterdam. After traveling extensively around Asia, Oceania, and Central America, she lived in Darwin, Australia before finally settling in the Netherlands.

Jennifer's love of travel, art, and culture inspires her award-winning Zelda Richardson Mysteries, her Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mysteries, and her Carmen De Luca Art Sleuth Mysteries. Her background in journalism, multimedia development, and art history enriches her novels.

When not writing, she can be found perusing a museum, biking around Amsterdam, or enjoying a coffee along the canal while planning her next research trip.

Author links . . . 

Website: http://www.jennifersalderson.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JenniferSAldersonauthor

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/JSAauthor

Instagram:  https://instagram.com/JSAauthor

Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jennifer-s-alderson

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/JennifeSAlderson

Purchase Link . . . Amazon

Tour Participants 

June 12 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

June 12 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 12 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST

June 13 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW

June 13 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT

June 14 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

June 14 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

June 15 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

June 15 – Indie Author Book Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST

June 16 – Books to the Ceiling – SPOTLIGHT – PODCAST

June 16 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

June 17 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 17 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

June 18 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

June 18 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST

June 19 – The Book Decoder – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

June 19 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 20 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

June 20 – The Mystery Section – SPOTLIGHT

June 21 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

June 22 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

June 22 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

June 23 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW

June 23 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

June 24 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

June 24 – Jane Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST

June 25 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Note . . . I received a complimentary copy of Collecting Can Be Murder from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 

This Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog. It cannot be republished without attribution.

Great Escapes Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway: Earl Grey and Shallow Graves by Victoria Tait

Today I'm participating in the Earl Grey and Shallow Graves Blog Tour. In this post you'll find book and author information along with my review.  And be sure to enter the giveaway below. 

 

About the book . . .

Earl Grey and Shallow Graves (A Waterwheel Cafe Mystery)

Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – England
Kanga Press (May 19, 2023)
Number of Pages: 240
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BXQL5YS5 

GoodReads Page 

 

Synopsis . . . A 30-year-old skeleton. A missing girl. Can a community police officer read the tea leaves or will a deadly secret remain buried for ever?

Sergeant Keya Varma is delighted with her new part-time role as the Cotswolds’ Rural Engagement Officer. She’s also fulfilling her dream of opening a small neighbourhood café. But she gets herself into a stew with renovation works when builders unearth a young girl’s remains.

While Keya and her police colleagues gain ground reviewing the unsolved disappearance of a local girl, her brief taste of success turns to dust when a friend is found dead at her tea shop. Confusion over identities threatens to bury the investigation and our junior police officer is worried that justice won’t be served.

Can Keya dig into the mystery and uncover the real culprit?

Earl Grey and Shallow Graves is the first book in The Waterwheel Café series. If you’ve enjoyed the Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series, then you’ll love meeting some of your favourite characters and making new friends in Victoria Tait’s intriguing British cozy mystery.

 

My review . . .Sergeant Keya Varma of the Gloucester Police is used to dealing with minor incidents while maintaining a reassuring police presence in her placid Cotswold village. All that changes, however, with the discovery of a skeleton on the site of the old flour mill that Keya is renovating into the long-awaited cafe of her dreams . . . 

It seems fairly obvious to residents that the remains are those of a young girl who disappeared without a trace some thirty-odd years ago. But how did she die? Not long after an investigation is opened, the body of a woman who recently returned to the village after years away is found--also at the cafe construction site. Both victims--once childhood friends--were murdered. Are their deaths related? Why were they killed and who is responsible for these shocking acts?

Earl Grey and Shallow Graves is an appealing start to the Waterwheel Cafe cozy mystery series. The story features a complexly interesting plot that weaves together two murders set three decades apart and a dynamic, methodical protagonist who is up to the task of handling the investigation's many twists and turns in stride--all whilst gracefully managing the complicated demands of a major restoration project and an upcoming family wedding.

Spending time in Victoria Tait's quaint English setting with its likeable heroine, eccentric supporting characters, local social landmarks, and endless cups of tea is a delightful reading experience. And, best of all, Keya's life situation creates a keen interest in her future exploits and many directions for series growth. I look forward to what lies ahead in the next installment and beyond.

Giveaway . . . Enter the "Fabulous at 50" giveaway by clicking on this link.  It's your chance to win Earl Grey and Shallow Graves and The Ghost of Glengullion Castle plus a $20 Amazon Gift Card.

Bonus: Download free books and earn extra entries!

 

About the author . . .   Victoria Tait was born and raised in Yorkshire, UK, and never expected to travel the world. She's drawn on her experiences following her military husband to write cozy murder mystery books with vivid and evocative settings. Her determined female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and you’ll experience surprises, humour, and sometimes, a tug on your heartstrings.

After reading Keya’s first book, why not join her and her friends as they solve more mysteries in Tait's  Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series, also based in the Cotswolds?  Visit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TMJFL7L

And if you like tea, cakes, and books, you are invited to join the author's TeaCozy Club for regular news and updates. You'll also receive a free book gift by visiting VictoriaTait.com

Who doesn’t like tea, cake, and a slice of murder?

 

Author links . . .

Website:  https://victoriatait.com/

Book Bub:  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/victoria-tait

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/victoriataitauthor/

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.co.uk/VictoriaTaitAuthor/_saved/

GoodReads:   https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20373879.Victoria_Tait

 

Purchase link . . .  Amazon

 

 

 

Tour participants . . .

May 19 – Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – SPOTLIGHT

May 19 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 19 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW

May 19 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

May 20 – Reading Is My SuperPower – AUTHOR GUEST POST

May 20 – Indie Author Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 21 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

May 21 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

May 22 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

May 22 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 22 – Nadaness In Motion – REVIEW*

May 23 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 23 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW  

May 23 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

May 24 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

May 24 – CelticLady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 24 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

May 25 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

May 25 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

May 25 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 26 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

May 26 – Jane Reads – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 27 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

May 27 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT

May 28 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW

May 28 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

 

 

Note . . . I received a complimentary copy of Earl Grey and Shallow Graves from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 

This Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog. It cannot be republished without attribution.

 

 

 

 

Friday Focus: Bookish Memes to Start the Weekend

 

 

It's Friday . . . time to share book excerpts with:

• Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
• The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an eBook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.
• First Line Friday hosted by Reading Is My SuperPower
  

 

Today I'm featuring a current read, Where Are The Children Now? by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke. The excerpts shared are from a hardcover version borrowed from the library.

 

 

 

Book Beginning/First Line:  Prologue

She could feel the damp evening winds coming in through the cracks around the windowpanes.

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Page 56:  "Or 'Helen'"--she made air quotes with her fingers--"made up the whole story and is a lying scoundrel hiding out with his mistress for a few weeks."

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My thoughts:  If you've ever read a Mary Higgins Clark novel, you know that even the simplest opening sentence can send chills up one's spine. This book is the sequel to Where Are The Children?--a wildly popular read when it was first published decades ago--a book that established MHC as the queen of suspense. After all these years, it is nice to revisit with the characters from the original story, who once again find themselves in a perilous situation.

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From GoodReads:  The legacy of the “Queen of Suspense” continues with the highly anticipated follow-up to Mary Higgins Clark’s iconic novel Where Are The Children?, featuring the children of Nancy Harmon, facing peril once again as adults.

Of the fifty-six bestsellers the “Queen of Suspense” Mary Higgins Clark published in her lifetime, Where Are the Children? was her biggest, selling millions of copies and forever transforming the genre of suspense fiction. In that story, a young California mother named Nancy Harmon was convicted of murdering her two children. Though released on a technicality, she was abandoned by her husband and became such a pariah in the media that she was forced to move across the country to Cape Cod, change her identity and appearance, and start a new life. Years later her two children from a second marriage, Mike and Melissa, would go missing, and Nancy yet again became the prime suspect—but this time, Nancy was able to confront the secrets buried in her past and rescue her kids from a dangerous predator.

Now, more than four decades since readers first met Nancy and her children, comes the thrilling sequel to the groundbreaking book that set the stage for future generations of psychological suspense novels. A lawyer turned successful podcaster, Melissa has recently married a man whose first wife died tragically, leaving him and their young daughter, Riley, behind. While Melissa and her brother, Mike, help their mom, Nancy, relocate from Cape Cod to the equally idyllic Hamptons, Melissa’s new stepdaughter goes missing. Drawing on the experience of their own abduction, Melissa and Mike race to find Riley to save her from the trauma they still struggle with—or worse.

Just like the original, Where Are The Children Now? keeps readers guessing and holding their breath until the very last page.

 

 

 

 

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This Friday Focus: Bookish Memes to Start the Weekend post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com. It cannot be republished without attribution.

 

Friday Focus: Bookish Memes to Start the Weekend

 

 

It's Friday . . . time to share book excerpts with:

• Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
• The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an eBook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.
• First Line Friday hosted by Reading Is My SuperPower
  

 

Today I'm featuring my current read, The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey by Serena Burdick. The excerpts shared are from a hardcover edition borrowed from the library.

 

 

Book Beginning/First Line:  Prologue

This will go on forever, life and death, stretching out over the expansive body of water, chill and slick and seductive against my skin.

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Page 56:  Normally she dated damaged men--capricious and erratic, men who wore their internal scars like fashion, a sexy handicap.

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My thoughts:  Questions abound in this dual timeline novel about two women trying to make their way in the world each inhabits. Evelyn mysteriously disappears and is presumed dead—was it her husband's doing? Abigail doesn't know who her father is—do she and Evelyn share ancestry? This engrossing read has me turning pages quickly, wanting to unravel the family secrets.

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From GoodReads: What if you could write a new ending for yourself?

England, 1898. When Evelyn first married the famous novelist William Aubrey, she was dazzled by his brilliance. But their newlywed bliss is brief when William is gripped by writer’s block, and he becomes jealous of Evelyn’s writing talent. When he commits the ultimate betrayal—stealing a draft of her novel and passing it off as his own—Evelyn decides to write her way out of their unhappy marriage.

California, 2006. Abigail always wondered about her father, his identity forever lost when her mother unexpectedly died. Or so Abigail thought, until she stumbled upon his photo and a message that her great-great-grandmother was the author Evelyn Aubrey, leading Abigail on a journey to England in search for answers. There, she learns of Evelyn’s shocking disappearance and how London society believed she was murdered. But from what she uncovers about Evelyn, Abigail believes her brilliant great-great-grandmother had another plot up her sleeve.

Rich in atmosphere and emotion, The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey tells the story of literary secrets, a family curse and the lengths women will go to take charge of their future.  

 

 

 

 

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This Friday Focus: Bookish Memes to Start the Weekend post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com. It cannot be republished without attribution.

 

Friday Focus: Bookish Memes to Start the Weekend

 

 

It's Friday . . . time to share book excerpts with:

• Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
• The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an eBook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.
• First Line Friday hosted by Reading Is My SuperPower
  

 

Today I'm featuring my current read, The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. The excerpts shared are from a hardcover version borrowed from the library.

 

 

 

Book Beginning/First Line:  Somewhere around the time she started calling herself "Chess," I realized I might actually hate my best friend.

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Page 56:  It feels a little like one of those nights now, the two of us alone in this quiet house. But instead of the sad little duplex with its peeling linoleum and secondhand furniture, we're in a villa, an Italian villa Chess was able to rent, because despite her kind of dysfunctional and sad childhood, she's done . . . this. All of this.

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My thoughts:  The Villa is told in dual timelines, both of which revolve around a house in Italy. In the 1970's, it was the site of a sensational crime. This past history captures the imagination of one of its current summer residents, an author with a case of writer's block, who is sharing the villa with her childhood friend who is a more successful author. I'm one hundred pages in and the suspense is building, with relationship parallels between the two sisters from that fateful summer and the two best friends in the present. The sisters experienced some dark things--will the friends share a similar outcome? Having read other novels by Rachel Hawkins, I'm wondering what is in store for these two friends––and for readers.

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From GoodReads:  From New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins comes a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set at an Italian villa with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.

As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls' trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album––and ends in Pierce’s brutal murder.

As Emily digs into the villa’s complicated history, she begins to think there might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974. That perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred––and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind.

Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels developing between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge––and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends.

 

 

 

 

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This Friday Focus: Bookish Memes to Start the Weekend post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com. It cannot be republished without attribution.

 

Great Escapes Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway: Digging Up Daisy by Sherry Lynn

 

Today I'm participating in the Digging Up Daisy Blog Tour. In this post you'll find book and author information along with my review.  And be sure to enter the giveaway below. 

 

About the book . . .

 

 

Digging Up Daisy (A Mainely Murder Mystery)

 Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Maine
Berkley (April 4, 2023)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593546652
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593546659
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B8GQNCBY
 

 

Synopsis . . .  In a fresh new Maine-set cozy from author Sherry Lynn, Kinsley Clark must root out a killer before the killer roots out her.

At twenty-nine, Kinsley Clark is living the dream life she always envisioned for herself. She’s the proud owner of SeaScapes, a thriving landscaping company in wealthy Harborside, set on the rugged coast of southern Maine. Kinsley’s veins are filled with salty air, a myriad of colors, and the fragrance of fresh blooms. But one afternoon, while working at her aunt Tilly’s bed-and-breakfast, the Salty Breeze Inn, Kinsley digs up more than she bargained for—a high-heeled shoe. The once sparkly shoe, now caked in mud, is linked to a case the police had appropriately dubbed the “Cinderella Murder.”

Kinsley panics. Does this mean that her aunt and the inn are somehow connected to this murder? Will it scare away potential guests? Will it subject the inn to a rush of bad press? With Aunt Tilly’s reputation, and possibly her safety, on the line, Kinsley digs deeper into the crime to find out what the shoe was doing on her aunt’s property and who murdered Cinderella, whose real name is Daisy. As she investigates, more suspects rise to the surface, and eventually, Kinsley has to weed out a killer.

 

My review . . . Landscaper Kinsley Clark lives in the caretaker's cottage on her Aunt Tilly's ocean view property, a bed-and-breakfast known as the Salty Breeze Inn. Her life is relatively tranquil, revolving around her landscape designs and time spent with friends and neighbors. In the lead up to the town's annual Walk Inns, its open house tour of local bed-and-breakfasts, Kinsley finds herself in unusual circumstances. She's been sprucing up plantings all over town in advance of the event only to find that her efforts are being sabotaged, leaving all of her beautiful flora and fauna wilting and dying. Further complicating issues, Kinsley discovers a lady's high heel buried beneath the shrubbery in Aunt Tilly's garden. Once it's established that the shoe belonged to Daisy Davis, the victim of a recent unsolved murder, Kinsley is concerned that this finding will bring negative publicity to the inn and suspicion to Aunt Tilly's doorstep. Kinsley feels obligated to protect her aunt's reputation and find the killer.

Kinsley enlists her best friend Becca and local detective Rachel Hayes to solve the mystery of Daisy's death. Who killed Daisy and why? Will Kinsley expose the truth before she herself becomes the next victim?

Digging Up Daisy, the first book in the Mainely Murder cozy mystery series, introduces readers to a lively cast of characters. The author hints at several motives and possible suspects, playing up mysterious connections between characters that keep readers engaged in unraveling the clues until the book's final pages. Protagonist Kinsley and her close circle of friends and family are relatable, and the ruggedly beautiful setting is the kind of inviting community that cozy readers will enjoy returning to time and time again.

 

Giveaway . . .  Enter for a chance to win a print copy of Digging Up Daisy by clicking this link.

 

About the author . . .  Sherry Lynn spent countless summers on the coast of Maine, knowing she’d one day return to write about the magical location from her youth. Curious by nature, sleuthing became the perfect fit for her, and she has written multiple cozy mystery series under several pseudonyms. Currently, Sherry lives in the Midwest with her husband, but she dreams about one day retiring oceanside with a good book in her hand.

 

Author links . . .

PenguinRandomHouse: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/708881/digging-up-daisy-by-sherry-lynn/

Website: https://www.sherrylynnbooks.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sherrylynnbooks

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23043674.Sherry_Lynn

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sherrylynnmysteries/

 

Purchase links . . . Amazon – B&N – Kobo

 

 

Tour participants . . . 

April 3 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

April 3 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 4 – I’m Into Books – SPOTLIGHT

April 4 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

April 5 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST

April 5 – ebook addicts – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT

April 5 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

April 6 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT

April 6 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

April 6 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

April 7 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

April 7 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW

April 7 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW

April 8 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT WITH RECIPE

April 8 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT

April 9 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

April 9 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT WITH RECIPE 

April 10 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 10 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW

April 11 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER GUEST POST

April 11 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW

April 12 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW

April 12 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

 

 

 

Note . . . I received an advance readers copy of Digging Up Daisy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 

This Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog. It cannot be republished without attribution.