Friday Fun - The Friday 56 and First Lines for December 16, 2022

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I lay on my side, staring into the shadows gathered at the edges of the room, when the door to the dressing chamber clicked open behind me.

~from page 56 of A Wicked Conceit by Anna Lee Huber

March 1832. Edinburgh, Scotland. Kiera and Gage have been eagerly awaiting their bundle of joy, but trouble has been brewing in the form of roguish criminal Bonnie Brock Kincaid. A new book and subsequent play feature some of Kincaid's daring exploits as well as thinly veiled representations of Kiera and Gage. Rumors are swirling that Bonnie Brock, not Gage, is the father of Kiera's unborn child. Once again Kiera finds herself fighting off scandalous lies while the play's popularity continues to grow.

A rash of crimes break out across the city, seemingly inspired by the play and book. When the publisher is found brutally murdered - in an imitation of a gruesome scene - the finger points not only to Bonnie Brock as the possibly culprit, but also to the Gages, who have been outspoken in their condemnation of the tale. Now, the Gages are on a hunt to unmask a deadly fiend. But family quarrels and the revelation of a secret Kiera has been keeping from Sebastian threaten to undermine their investigation. When they find themselves in the crosshairs of the killer, they will soon discover that the truth does not always set you free, and death can lurk around any corner.

 

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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I blamed it on the salmon mousse. That, and my preoccupation with the stilted conversation around my sister's dinner table that evening.

~From the beginning of A Wicked Conceit 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.

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It's been several years since I participated in the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer, but I've decided to try to include it in my Friday Fun posts again.  

This Week's Question: Which time of day do you prefer to read: morning, afternoon, or evening? 

My Answer: When I'm on a reading roll, I'll read any time during the day, but my preference is evening. I almost always read in bed, whether chapter after chapter, or just a paragraph or two before I'm too tired.

Book Blogger Hop

 ©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.

 

What I'm Reading - December 12, 2022

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

This weekly reading list meme is hosted at Book Date. Join in to see what others are reading and maybe get some ideas of what to read next! Although the Book Date link-up happens weekly, I don't manage to post that often. I aim to post and link about once a month, although I sometimes link up my monthly summary as well. Here's what I've been working on lately.

I finished reading . . . 

Beneath His Silence by Hannah Linder - Ella Pemberton poses as a governess to try and find proof that Lord Sedgewick murdered her older sister, but discovers that the man may not be the monster she believes. (Read my full review HERE)

A Stroke of Malice by Anna Lee Huber - Kiera and Gage work to identify a body and a murderer when a corpse is discovered at a Twelfth Night house party. (Read my full review HERE)

I'm currently reading . . .

 A Wicked Conceit by Anna Lee Huber - Next in the Lady Darby series, Kiera and Gage are confronted by Bonnie Brock Kincaid who thinks they have disclosed some of his secrets in a tell-all book.

Next on the stack . . . 

The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West

A Perilous Perspective by Anna Lee Huber

Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber

   

     

What I'm Highlighting . . . an older post from HS Coffee Break about teaching creative writing by watching and discussing holiday films. At the co-op classes I taught, we watched kids Christmas specials on the last class before the holiday break and found the examples of fiction writing skills to discuss. 

Elements of Creative Writing - In Christmas Specials! 

On my blogs recently . . . 

Besides the reviews, here on Just A Second you'll find:

Scripture and a Snapshot posts

Friday Fun - The Friday 56 and First Lines posts

Monthly Bookshelf Review - November 2022

And on my "first cup blog", HS Coffee Break:

I Spy posts (#98-#100, Collection for December 12)

Five Minute Friday - Simple

Currently . . . December 7, 2022

Five Minute Friday - Instant

November Photo Album

Share Four Somethings - November 2022

Five Minute Friday - Like

Five Minute Friday - Laugh

What are you reading?

 ©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 - A Stroke of Malice

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

A Stroke of Malice by Anna Lee Huber - Kiera and Sebastian Gage are spending part of their holidays at Sunlaws Castle, along with Kiera's siblings and many fashionable members of society. Their hostess, the Duchess of Bowmont, has been one of Kiera's supporters so despite being well along in her pregnancy and not fond of social events, Kiera does her best to enjoy the festivities. However, during the costume ball that opens the event, one of the Duchess's sons leads guests on a tour of the castle's crypts, and a decomposing body is discovered. Once again, Kiera and Gage find themselves taking charge of an investigation because of the obvious signs of foul play.

The body must first be identified, and this task is complicated by difficulty of travel and a cholera outbreak nearby. Even though the body appears to be that of the Duchess's son-in-law, the family members are not all cooperative, and they seem to have secrets to keep that impede the investigation. Kiera's own advancing pregnancy limits her ability, and then a suspicious accident puts Kiera in danger, and raises the stakes.

In this particular mystery, the list of possible suspects is narrowed down early, and the questions lie more in who is hiding information and why. The identification of the body is almost as big a conundrum as figuring out why the person was killed and by whom. Plenty of family drama and secrets of the past combine to provide frustration and unexpected twists for Kiera and Sebastian as they pursue the truth.

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, Treacherous Is The Night, An Artless Demise, Secrets in the Mist, Penny for Your Secrets, A Stroke of Malice (from my first reading in 2020), A Pretty Deceit

This book features an unlikely detective (#22) 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.

Scripture and a Snapshot - Let Us Rejoice (Advent: Joy)

LORD, you are my God:

I will exalt you and praise your name,

for in perfect faithfulness

you have done wonderful things,

things planned long ago.

He will swallow up death forever.

The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears

from all faces;

he will remove his people's disgrace

from all the earth.

The LORD has spoken.

In that day they will say,

"Surely this is our God;

we trusted in him, and he saved us.

This is the LORD. we trusted in him;

let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation."

~Isaiah 25:1, 8-9~

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. . . The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

~Luke 2:8-20~

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©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.

Friday Fun - The Friday 56 and First Lines for December 9, 2022

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee.

"Whoever he is, his body needs to be transported back to the castle," Gage stated, seemingly oblivious to the undercurrents swimming between me and Lord Edward.

~from page 56 of A Stroke of Malice by Anna Lee Huber

January 1832. After enjoying a delightful few weeks with her family, expectant mother Kiera and Sebastian Gage have been invited to the Duchess of Bowmont's Twelfth Night party in Traquair, Scotland. Though she normally avoids such fashionable, rambunctious events, Kiera is ready to join in the festive merrymaking. But upon their arrival at the opulent estate, it becomes obvious that all is not merry in their hostess's home. The family appears to be under a great strain, and someone seems determined to cause mayhem among the guests with a series of forged notes.

Matters swiftly turn from irksome to downright deadly when the partygoers stumble upon a decomposing body in the castle's crypt. The corpse is thought to be the duchess's son-in-law, who had purportedly traveled to Paris more than a month earlier. It is evident that the man met with foul play, and Kiera and Gage soon realize that a ruthless murderer walks among them - and may well be a member of the duchess's own family. And when the investigation takes a treacherous turn, Kiera discovers just how deep the killer is willing to dig to keep their secrets from ever seeing the light of day.

 

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.

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

If there had been any doubts I was visiting a ducal estate, the trumpeting buglers would have clarified the matter. Not that there was truly any confusion. Not when I was staying in a grand 284-room Gothic castle surrounded by nothing but miles of steep snowy hills and ice-choked burns, save the occasional sheep.

~From the beginning of A Stroke of Malice 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.

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

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 - Beneath His Silence

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

   

Beneath His Silence by Hannah Linder - Ella Pemberton is determined to find proof that Lord Sedgewick murdered her older sister, so she recklessly pursues the opportunity to get inside Wyckhorn Manor as a governess. Even though she has no qualifications or background to recommend her. Ella pulls off the ruse and secures the position, and is soon charmed by her sister's young son, Peter.

Henry, Lord Sedgewick, is surprised at how outspoken the new governess is, but she and Peter get along well, and Henry is desperate to provide security and happiness for his little boy so he allows Ella some special privileges and insists that she and Peter take meals with him. He soon finds himself more than politely interested in Ella, but his own guilt and bitterness - and the secrets he holds - hold him back. 

Ella makes use of the freedom she has at Wyckhorn to sneak into the library and into her sister's old room in search of clues to prove Henry's guilt. She eventually discovers a diary and the awful secrets it reveals, and she encounters a mysterious and malevolent figure in the house more than once. And yet, even her hard heart admits that the Lord Sedgewick she is becoming acquainted with would be incapable of murder. Is she seeing the truth, or is she being fooled by his kindness? 

When Ella and Peter are both threatened by violence and danger, Henry must act and hope that he is doing the right thing. When Ella's deception is exposed, will Henry ever be able to forgive her?

The themes of mystery, dark secrets, and revenge are used to advantage in true Gothic romance style, but forgiveness and redemption play roles that are just as important in the storyline. Ella is haunted by stubbornness and a desire for retribution, while Henry is haunted by guilt and old secrets. The characterizations are well done, and the shifts between viewpoint characters are clear and insightful. This is a beautifully written debut that makes me eager for more from this author!

From the Publisher:

Will Seeking Justice Lead to Her Own Demise?

A Gothic-Style Regency Romance from a Promising Young Author

Second daughter of a baron - and a little on the mischievous side - Ella Pemberton is no governess. But the pretense is a necessity if she ever wishes to get inside of Wyckhorn Manor and attain the truth. Exposing the man who killed her sister is all that matters.

Lord Sedgewick knows there's blood on his hands. Lies have been conceived, then more more lies, but the price of truth would be too great. All he has left now is his son - and his hatred. Yet as the charming governess invades his home, his safe cocoon of bitterness begins to tear away.

Could Ella, despite the lingering questions of his guilt, fall in love with such a man? Or is she falling prey to him - just as her dead sister?

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 a book read during the month of November (#47) 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.

Scripture and a Snapshot - He Himself Is Our Peace (Advent: Peace)

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace

there will be no end.

He will reign on David's throne

and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

with justice and righteousness

from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the LORD Almighty

will accomplish this.

~Isaiah 9:6-7~

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

~Ephesians 2:13-18~

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©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.