Recent Reads - A Brush With Shadows

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A Brush with Shadows (A Lady Darby Mystery) by Anna Lee Huber - Lady Kiera and her new husband Sebastian Gage have had quite the honeymoon. It was cut short when they were sent to investigate a murder in Ireland, and they'd barely wrapped that case up when Gage is summoned to his childhood home because one of his cousins is missing. Although Gage hasn't been to his home in many years, his grandfather wants him to come look for Alfred, who is the heir to Lord Tavistock's title and estate. The reception for Gage and Kiera is decidedly frosty, however, at least from Alfred's mother and brother.

Gage and Kiera set to work trying to track Alfred down and get more information. Gage's aunt is cold and disdainful, and cousin Rory is sometimes helpful, but at other times seems to be obstructing the investigation. Lord Tavistock, Gage's grandfather, is gravely ill, but his own attitudes are changeable and frustrating. Kiera strikes up a friendship of sorts with a young woman who lives by herself in the moors, but since she is the subject of rumours and prejudice, it's unclear whether she can be trusted or not.

The conflicting stories and impressions, and the increasing sense that Kiera herself may be in danger, put a strain on all the relationships. Did Alfred disappear voluntarily, and if so, why? Or is there foul play involved? Is there any connection between the story of a family curses and the disappearances? 

This setting forces Gage to face his difficult memories, with Kiera gently prodding him to explain more about what happened so she can help in the investigation. 

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By the same author: The Anatomist's Wife, Mortal Arts; A Grave Matter, A Study in Death, A Pressing Engagement, This Side of Murder, As Death Draws Near, A Brush With Shadows  (from my first reading in 2018), Treacherous Is The Night, An Artless Demise, Secrets in the Mist, Penny for Your Secrets, A Stroke of Malice, A Pretty Deceit

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2022 European Reading Challenge

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Scripture and a Snapshot - You Know The Way

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."

Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

~John 14:1-7~

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Friday Fun - The Friday 56 and First Lines for March 11, 2022

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Someone had once said I would have a terrible influence on her. It appeared they were right.  

~from page 57 of An Artless Demise (A Lady Darby Mystery) by Anna Lee Huber

November 1831. After fleeing London in infamy more than two years prior, Lady Kiera Darby's return to the city is anything but mundane, though not for the reasons she expected. A gang of body snatchers is arrested on suspicion of imitating the notorious misdeeds of Edinburgh criminals, Burke and Hare -- killing people from the streets and selling their bodies to medical schools. Then Kiera's past - a past she thought she'd finally made peace with - rises up to haunt her.

All of London is horrified by the evidence that "burkers" are, indeed, at work in their city. The terrified populace hovers on a knife's edge, ready to take their enmity out on any likely suspect. And when Kiera receives a letter of blackmail, threatening to divulge details about her late anatomist husband's involvement with the body snatchers and wrongfully implicate her, she begins to apprehend just how precarious her situation is. Not only for herself, but also her new husband and investigative partner, Sebastian Gage, and their unborn child.

Meanwhile, the young scion of a noble family has been found murdered a block from his home, and the man's family wants Kiera and Gage to investigate. Is it a failed attempt by the London burkers, having left the body behind, or the crime of someone much closer to home? Someone who stalks the privileged, using the uproar over the burkers to cover his own dark deeds?

The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your e-reader.

*Find a snippet, short and sweet.

*Post it, and share in the Linky.

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NOVEMBER 5, 1831

LONDON, ENGLAND

I didn't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for the poor fellow. For all his tailored clothing and the jaunty angle of his hat, which refused to stay on his head properly, he was in a ragged state. 

~From the beginning of An Artless Demise (A Lady Darby Mystery) by Anna Lee Huber

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader.

*It's Book Beginnings on Fridays! Time to gather with our fellow book lovers and share the opening sentence (or so) of the books we are reading this week. Or share from a book that is on your mind right now -- whatever catches your fancy.

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First Line Fridays is hosted at Reading is My SuperPower

*Share the first line or two of the book closest to you, then visit other FLF participants.

*Please keep posts family friendly or clean reads.

*Link back to Reading is My SuperPower within your post or grab a button.

 ©2008-2022 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

 

Recent Reads - The End of The Magi

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The End of the Magi by Patrick W. Carr - This novel follows the epic journey of a young magi acolyte as he flees the city where his father was murdered, joins a merchant caravan, and eventually makes his way to Bethlehem following a star that not everyone can see.

The prophet Daniel called on a select group of magi to keep a calendar counting down the days until the arrival of a king promised to Israel. For generations, these few magi counted the days faithfully, until a Parthian queen ordered the magi slaughtered. Myrad's adoptive father was one of this select group, and he had been bringing Myrad up as a magus as well. Despite being lame, Myrad is able to escape the city with his father's important documents, including the calendar. He had also received a dream that directed him to a special star appearing in the sky, and Myrad's journey is a combination of survival, desperation, and a determination to follow the star and keep the calendar.

Myrad's insight and gift for negotiation earns the respect of a wealthy merchant, and a place traveling with the merchant's caravan. They must navigate clever trade agreements, war and intrigue, enemies, and much more as their travels take them through the Parthian and Roman Empires and into Judea. As a few other magi join their numbers, Myrad learns more about the ancient prophecies about a Messiah king for Israel, and the magi all consider whether the calendar and star are pointing to that Messiah and how a baby born to a peasant couple could possibly be the promised one.

This historical fiction gives a fresh perspective and possible explanations of the background of the 'wise men from the east' that visited the baby Jesus. It would make a good read for young people, in my opinion. A lot happens to Myrad along the way, the storyline is straightforward and uncluttered.

©2008-2022 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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Scripture and a Snapshot - To The Ends Of The Earth

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

~Acts 1:8~

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Friday Fun - The Friday 56 and First Lines for March 4, 2022

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If he hadn't gotten upset at her for anything else she'd said, hopefully he'd take this in stride too.

~from page 56 of Love's Fortress by Jennifer Uhlarik

An Epic Love Story From the Past Brings Closure to Dani's Fractured Family Roots

Walk through Doors to the Past via a series of historical stories of romance and adventure.

When Dani Sango's art forger father passes away, Dani inherits his home. Among his effects is a book of Native American drawings, which lead her to seek the help of museum curator Brad Osgood to decipher the ledger art. Why would her father have this book? Is it just another forgery?

Brad Osgood's four-year-old niece, Brynn, needs a safe home, and Brad longs to provide it The last thing he needs is more drama, especially from a forger's daughter. But when the two meet "accidentally" at St. Augustine's 350-year-old Spanish fort, Castillo de San Marcos, he can't ignore the intriguing woman. 

Broken Bow is among seventy-three Plains Indians transported to Florida in 1875 for incarceration at ancient Fort Marion. Sally Jo Harris and Luke Worthing dream of serving God on a foreign mission field, but when the Indians arrive in St. Augustine, God changes their pans. Then when a friendship develops between Sally Jo and Broken Bow and false accusations fly, it could cost them their lives. 

Can Dani discover how Broken Bow and Sally Jo's story ends and how it connects to her father's life?

The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your e-reader.

*Find a snippet, short and sweet.

*Post it, and share in the Linky.

***************

"Hardly the best choice of mood music, you idiot." The evocative first lines of "Sound of Silence" had seemed appropriate when it came up on her playlist, but as Dani Sango pulled into the driveway, a thick blanket of melancholy threatened to smother her.

~From the beginning of Love's Fortress by Jennifer Uhlarik

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader.

*It's Book Beginnings on Fridays! Time to gather with our fellow book lovers and share the opening sentence (or so) of the books we are reading this week. Or share from a book that is on your mind right now -- whatever catches your fancy.

***************

First Line Fridays is hosted at Reading is My SuperPower

*Share the first line or two of the book closest to you, then visit other FLF participants.

*Please keep posts family friendly or clean reads.

*Link back to Reading is My SuperPower within your post or grab a button.

 ©2008-2022 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

 

Recent Reads - Lumberjacks and Ladies

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Lumberjacks and Ladies (a novella collection) - A themed novella collection is a nice break from longer novels now and again, don't you agree? It's an introduction to authors I might not have read before, and the shorter stories are easier to get through in a short period of time. This particular set focuses on the lumber trades during the 1800s, from Maine to the Great Lakes region to the Rocky Mountains.

All That Glitters is set in 1851 Maine. Wini has taken responsibility for her family's lobstering trade because her father and brothers have gone in search of gold. A lumberjack named Jess happens to see her fall into the water and saves her from drowning. He also falls for her and as he's courting her the two of them try to find out what is really going on at the Electrolytic Marine Salts Company. 

In Winter Roses, Eliza Beth comes home to help her mother cook for a logging crew in Michigan, but she's determined to find a teaching job and get away from that life. She's also sure she does not want a relationship with a logger, because of the danger and uncertainty of that life, even if the new hire Wes is charming and kind, and even saves her life. 

Not for Love is set in Wisconsin. Maggie, a  young widow, hopes to find a husband from the logging camps where her late husband worked. She needs a man to help her work her farm so that she won't need to sell to speculators, so it's just a marriage of convenience. To her surprise, once Jack has settled in and they start working together, she may be open to love again after all.

In the final story, Undercover Logger, widow Carrie needs to get her inherited timberland to turn a profit again before the bank calls her loan. The banker's nephew, Michael, hires on as a clerk, and unbeknownst to Carrie, his assignment is to figure out why her business is losing money. Soon he realizes he has a rival for her affections as well. Can he help her hold on to the property so she can follow the dream she has for developing it?

The first story, All That Glitters, was my least favorite of the four, which was disheartening. I assumed that the crazy scheme of the marine salts company had to be based on a true story (it was), but overall the story didn't ring true with me. From the 'love at first sight' meeting of the two protagonists to the improbable amateur sleuthing they try to do, somehow it didn't draw me in. I enjoyed the other three stories, and I think the characters were more realistic and the love stories moved at a more believable pace. The sweet courtship of Winter Roses and the friendship turning to something more in Undercover Logger were paced well. Undercover Logger also had an improbable scheme going on, one that was not based on real events, but it seemed more believable for some reason! Not For Love was my favorite of the four, and ironically almost none of it involved logging! Maggie and Jack form a good working partnership which inevitably leads to trusting friendship and eventually a true marriage. The progression goes quickly, but because the story itself has a gentle pace, it feels measured and real.

From the publisher:

Lumberjacks and Ladies Work Together to Build America

Struggling to remain independent in the 1800s, four women reluctantly open up to help from lumberjacks - and love.

All That Glitters by Candice Sue Patterson

1851 - Maine

Winifred finds herself running the family lobstering business when her father and brothers join the California gold rush. Will she stubbornly reject help from a local lumberjack?

Winter Roses by Pegg Thomas

1865 - Michigan

Eliza Beth cooks for a logging crew, determined to escape that life for something better, until reoccurring gifts capture her attention. Will she follow her dreams - or her heart?

Not for Love by Naomi Musch

1881 - Wisconsin

Widowed, Maggie seeks a husband - in name only - from the logging camps, but the man who answers her letter is a surprise. Can she open her heart to love again?

Undercover Logger by Jennifer Lamont Leo

1890 - Idaho

Carrie will not sell her timberland and allows the banker's nephew to sign onto her logging crew to ferret out the reason she is losing money at an alarming rate. Will truth be revealed to her forlorn heart?

Visit Barbour Publishing for more info on where to buy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

This is an anthology (#44) for The 52 Book Club's 2022 Reading Challenge

#the52bookclub2022

©2008-2022 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.