Teaser Tuesdays/First Chapter First Paragraph - A Curious Beginning

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Jenn at A Daily Rhythm. To play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

I did not bother to explain that it could hardly be considered a proper abduction when I was clearly there of my own volition. I might have escaped him a dozen times, but it seemed unkind to raise the point when he thought he was doing such a masterful job of keeping me in tow.

 ~A Curious Beginning: A Veronica Speedwell Mystery by Deanna Raybourn, page 73

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First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is a weekly link-up hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or two) of a book you're reading, or thinking about reading soon.

June 1887     I stared down into the open grave and wished that I could summon a tear. Violent weeping would have been in exceedingly poor taste, but Miss Nell Harbottle had been my guardian for the whole of my life, and a tear or two would have been a nice gesture of respect. The vicar murmured the appropriate prayers, his voice pleasantly mellow, his tongue catching softly on each s. It was the first time I had noticed the lips, and I only hoped Aunt Nell would not mind. She had been quite exacting about some things, and elocution was one of them. I slipped my dry handkerchief into my pocket with a sigh. Aunt Nell's death had been neither sudden nor unexpected, and the warmth of our affection had been tepid at best. That her death removed my last attachment to childhood did not unduly alarm me as I stood in the quiet churchyard of Little Byfield. In fact, I was aware of a somewhat disconcerting feeling of euphoria rising within me.
     As if to match my mood, the breeze rose a little, and on it fluttered a pair of pale wings edged and spotted with black. "Pieris brassicae," I murmured to myself. A Large Garden White butterfly, common as grass, but pretty nonetheless. She darted off in search of an early cabbage or perhaps a tasty nasturtium, free as the wind itself. I knew precisely how she felt. Aunt Nell had been the final knotted obligation tying me to England, and I was unfettered once and for all, able to make my way in the world as I chose.

A Curious Beginning: A Veronica Speedwell Mystery by Deanna Raybourn

Here's the blurb:

In her thrilling new series, the New York Times bestselling author of the Lady Julia Grey mysteries returns once more to Victorian England... and introduces intrepid adventuress Veronica Speedwell.

London, 1887.  As the city prepares to celebrate Queen Victoria's golden jubilee, Veronica Speedwell is marking a milestone of her own. After burying her spinster aunt, the orphaned Veronica is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry-- and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as she is fending off admirers, Veronica wields her butterfly net and a sharpened hatpin with equal aplomb, and with her last connection to England now gone, she intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.

But fate has other plans, as Veronica discovers when she thwarts her own abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron with ties to her mysterious past. Promising to reveal in time what he knows of the plot against her, the baron offers her temporary sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker--a reclusive natural historian as intriguing as he is bad-tempered. But before the baron can deliver on his tantalizing vow to reveal the secrets he has concealed for decades, he is found murdered. Suddenly Veronica and Stoker are forced to go on the run from an elusive assailant, wary partners in search of the villainous truth.

What do you think? Would you continue reading?

©2008-2015 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/

What I'm Reading - September 21, 2015

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This weekly reading list meme is hosted at Book Journey. I have also been linking at the book blog Christian Novels. Looking forward to seeing what others are reading and maybe getting ideas of what to add (or not!) to my own TBR list.

I recently finished reading...

I didn't get a lot of reading done last week, and didn't finish any of the ones I've been working on.

I'm currently reading...

Murther and Walking Spirits by Robertson Davies


Bathsheba: Reluctant Beauty by Angela Hunt


A Curious Beginning: A Veronica Speedwell Mystery by Deanna Raybourn


  Next on the stack...

This list hasn't changed much recently.
Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer
The Fatal Tree (Bright Empires) by Stephen R Lawhead
Flint and Feather, The Complete Poems of E. Pauline Johnson

   



What are you reading?

©2008-2015 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/

Scripture and a Snapshot - Fruit of the Spirit

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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

~Galatians 5:22-23~

Scripture & a Snapshot is hosted by A Glimpse of Our Life.

Weekend Whispers is hosted by Barbie Swihart.

©2008-2015 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/

Teaser Tuesdays/First Chapter First Paragraph - September 15, 2015

This post may contain affiliate links. 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Jenn at A Daily Rhythm. To play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

 "I wanted her," David said.
"Every man wants her," I answered, barely able to bridle the resentment in my voice. "But they do not take her."
 ~Bathsheba: Reluctant Beauty by Angela Hunt, Loc. 1802

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First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is a weekly link-up hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or two) of a book you're reading, or thinking about reading soon.

Spring, 996 BC   The first time I saw King David, I was sixteen and he was behaving like a man possessed. The procession carrying the holy Ark of the Covenant was moving slowly down the street where we lived, and the pageantry of the parade mesmerized me. Scores of musicians preceded the Ark -- trumpeters, harpists, men who played the lyre, and singers with fine voices -- and dozens of somber priests walked alongside them, their faces a study in reverence and sobriety.
     Then I caught the glimmer of sunlight on a cherubim's golden wing. I clutched my father's arm and wondered if I should hide my face from such a sacred sight, but before I could ask, a rising cloud of dust caught my attention. Behind the two priests who guarded the ark, between the Levites who were blowing shofars, I spotted an auburn-haired, bearded man who leapt and spun and whirled in reckless abandon. He wore the linen ephod and robe worn by the priests of Israel, but as the day was warm and the sun hot, he stopped spinning long enough to shrug off the outer robe and toss it to one of the guards. Then, clad only in the light linen shift, he continued to leap and twist, all the while grinning like a man who had been caught up in a holy rapture.

Bathsheba: Reluctant Beauty by Angela Hunt

(Find out more at the publisher's website.)

Here's the blurb:

One of Ancient Israel's Most Famous Women--
As You've Never Looked at Her Before

One of the Bible's most misunderstood and misjudged women, Bathsheba comes to life in this new biblical re-imagining from Angela Hunt. Combining historical facts with detailed fiction, this is an eye-opening portrait that will have you reconsidering everything you thought you knew about her.

After receiving God's promise of a lifelong reign and an eternal dynasty, King David forces himself on Bathsheba, a loyal soldier's wife. When her resulting pregnancy forces the king to murder her husband and add her to his harem, Bathsheba struggles to protect her son while dealing with the effects of a dark prophecy and deadly curse on the king's household.

What do you think? Would you continue reading?

©2008-2015 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/

What I'm Reading - September 14, 2015

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I started participating in this weekly meme while its hostess, Book Journey, was taking a break. This week she is back and I look forward to getting to know her better. I have been linking at the book blog Christian Novels, which is where I was introduced to this easy summary of what's on our reading lists. It's interesting to see what others are reading and often get ideas of what to add (or not!) to my own TBR list.

I recently finished reading...

Luther and Katharina: A Novel of Love and Rebellion by Jody Hedlund -  (Read my review HERE.)

I'm currently reading...

Murther and Walking Spirits by Robertson Davies


Bathsheba: Reluctant Beauty by Angela Hunt


A Curious Beginning: A Veronica Speedwell Mystery by Deanna Raybourn - I was so excited when this arrived in the mail last week! Deanna Raybourn is one of my most favorite authors, and it feels like I've been waiting forever for this new series!


  Next on the stack...

Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer - I've had this one in reserve for awhile! Someday I'll actually start reading it.
The Fatal Tree (Bright Empires) by Stephen R Lawhead - and this one got set aside for quite awhile because I had other books I was reviewing. I hope to get back to it soon!
Flint and Feather, The Complete Poems of E. Pauline Johnson

   



What are you reading?

©2008-2015 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/

Scripture and a Snapshot - September 12, 2015

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And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

~Genesis 9:12-16~

Scripture & a Snapshot is hosted by A Glimpse of Our Life.

Weekend Whispers is hosted by Barbie Swihart.

©2008-2015 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/

Recent Reads - Luther and Katharina

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Luther and Katharina: A Novel of Love and Rebellion by Jody Hedlund
Release date: October 6, 2015

Although I love history, I admit I knew little about Martin Luther's wife other than her name before reading this novel based on her story. Jody Hedlund brings Luther and Katharina to life in a compelling novel that begins with Katharina's daring escape from the convent where she'd lived since she was a little girl. She and some of the other nuns had been able to read some of Martin Luther's writings and took to heart his admonishment for monks and nuns to leave the cloisters, marry, and have families. More than anything, Katharina wants the love and sense of belonging of a family. She and the other nuns flee to Luther and he helps arrange marriages and homes for each of them except Katharina, who wants a nobleman in keeping with her own status. Luther and Katharina are drawn to each other from the start, and their friendship is by turns tender and contentious. Luther needs to admit his love for her and take the risk of proposing marriage, allowing Katharina to decide if she is willing to accept him despite their differences and the constant threats to his life. Katharina must lay aside her pride in order to find the love and family she has always wanted.

I was surprised at how much of the story really was fact, and it gave me a new appreciation for the courage and character of Luther and the other reformers who took so many risks to live out what the read in God's Word and encourage others to do the same. The story highlights the challenges faced by nuns and monks who left the cloisters and had little experience of the outside world. Former nuns were at a great disadvantage, especially if their families would not accept them back, because without dowries their marriage prospects were bleak and they had few choices or opportunities to support themselves. Katharina's situation was probably not unusual - she was of noble birth, but her family had abandoned her to the abbey, so she no longer had a dowry or connections, and she was older than many brides of the time. It was her knowledge of herbal remedies and nursing that brought her and Luther together, as he suffered from several physical ailments. I enjoyed their fiery relationship, and the growth in both their characters as they dealt with the realities of their situations and the depth of their love for each other. Despite their clash of personalities and pride, Katharina compassionately cared for Luther whenever he became ill; and Luther never failed to go to Katharina's rescue when she was in danger.

From the publisher:

She was a nun of noble birth. He, a heretic, a reformer... an outlaw of the Holy Roman Empire.

In the 16th century, nun Katharina von Bora's fate fell no further than the Abbey. Until she read the writings of Martin Luther.

His sweeping Catholic church reformation-- condemning a cloistered life and promoting the goodness of marriage -- awakened her desire for everything she'd been forbidden. Including Martin Luther himself.

Despite the fact that the attraction and tension between them is undeniable, Luther holds fast to his convictions and remains isolated, refusing to risk anyone's life but his own. And Katharina longs for love, but is strong-willed. She clings proudly to her class distinction, pining for nobility over the heart of a reformer. They couldn't be more different.

But as the world comes tumbling down around them, and with Luther's threatened life a constant strain, these unlikely allies forge an unexpected bond of understanding, support and love.

Together they will alter the religious landscape forever.

By the same author: Hearts Made Whole, Love Unexpected

Jody Hedlund is a CBA best-selling author of ten books. Her first novel, The Preacher's Bride, won the Reader's Choice Award as part of the RWA Faith, Hope, and Love contest. Hedlund revels in bringing forgotten historic women to life and can usually be found with a book, a cup of coffee and a piece of chocolate. She lives in Midland, Michigan with her husband and five children.

For more information, visit the publisher's website, WaterBrook Multnomah.

I received an ARC from Blogging For Books for this review. 

©2008-2015 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/