Just A Second

Sunday, February 26

Scripture and a Snapshot - Cornerstone

The LORD is my strength and my defense;

he has become my salvation.

Shouts of joy and victory

resound in the tents of the righteous:

"The LORD's right hand has done mighty things!

The LORD's right hand is lifted high;

the LORD's right hand has done mighty things!"

Open for me the gates of the righteous;

I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.

This is the gate of the LORD

through which the righteous may enter.

I will give you thanks, for you answered me;

you have become my salvation.

The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

the LORD has done this,

and it is marvelous in our eyes.

The LORD has done it this very day;

let us rejoice today and be glad.

LORD, save us!

LORD, grant us success!

~Psalm 118:14-16; 19-25~

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

Glimpses is hosted by Embracing Every Day, a lifestyle blog by Barbie Swihart.

Sunday Scripture Blessings is hosted by Peabea Scribble Pad.

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Saturday, February 25

Recent Reads - Against the Tide

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Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden - This story opens when Lydia Pallas is just nine years old, and it's her first day at school. Her childhood has been unusual and difficult in some ways, as her family lives on a small fishing boat and is very poor. Lydia has a keen mind and a love for learning and being able to attend school is a delight for her, even though she doesn't speak English. She does have a natural gift for languages though, so she soon adjusts. The first chapter ends on a very sad note though - one day Lydia's father doesn't come to pick her up after school and it's finally determined that her family is lost and Lydia is sent to an orphanage.

After this background sets the stage, the story picks up with Lydia as a young adult. She has a wonderful job as a translator for the US Navy, and has established as much stability and order in her world as possible. The only upsets to her safe existence happen when the mysterious Alexander Banebridge shows up for visits with Lydia's boss, Captain Fontaine. Then Bane needs translating work done, and since Lydia desperately needs extra funds, she takes the work. As they spend time together, they are drawn together and Lydia wants nothing more than to be with Bane always. Bane loves Lydia, but refuses to pursue a relationship because he fears the danger he would put her in if his enemies ever discovered what she means to him.

Lydia and Bane work together on his mysterious translating project, but Bane keeps insisting that they cannot have a future together. But when Bane's enemies kidnap Captain Fontaine's young son, Bane comes to Lydia with a daring plan for the child's rescue, and she is determined to succeed against all the odds. After all, there is a child's life at stake, and she believes that defeating Bane's enemy will mean that she and Bane can have a chance at a normal life together.

As with the other novels by Camden that I've read, her characters are complex and the challenges they face are gritty and unusual, and the path to 'happy ever after' is a rocky one. Wonderful story full of drama and a little suspense.

By the same author: From This Moment, Until the Dawn, Into the Whirlwind

Friday, February 24

Book Blogger Hop - February 24, 2017

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Book Blogger Hop

Welcome to another Book Blogger Hop question. Visit Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer to see the responses from other book bloggers.

How do you feel about books with multiple narrators?

As long as the transitions are clear and the narrators have different voices, I'm good with it. When there is more than one character telling the story, I prefer a predictable switch between points of view, such as alternating chapters, or most of the story told from one character's point of view with occasional inserts of narration from other character(s). Two narrators is enough - three is okay if well done - more than three I don't think I'd like.

I also feel very strongly about there being chapter headings or something that makes it very clear that a different narrator is speaking. Most books that I've read with two narrators title the chapters with the name of the character speaking. I've also read and enjoyed some books that kept the second narrator's identity a surprise (usually because the second one is the villain in a mystery) but indicate that it's a different character by using italics.

Thursday, February 23

Recent Reads - Rules of Murder

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Rules of Murder (A Drew Farthering Mystery) by Julianna Deering - Drew Farthering is a fashionable young British gentleman of leisure, but his leisure is interrupted when murder occurs during a house party. Drew is enjoying the company of Madeline Parker, a guest from America, and the two of them duck into a greenhouse to escape the rain and stumble upon the body of another house guest. The police are called and the investigation opened, but the evening is far from over, because while gathering the family for questioning, it's discovered that Drew's mother has unexpectedly passed away as well.

Drew and his friend Nick, with Madeline's help, do a little investigating of their own, because some of the pieces of evidence don't seem to fit, and they keep coming across other clues to the puzzle. Unfortunately, there are a couple more bodies and some very disturbing suspicions and revelations before the murderer is identified.

This story was highly entertaining, but more in the telling than in the mystery itself. I'd describe the tone as a combination of cozy and book noir, and the best parts in my opinion were the witty dialogues. The wrap-up of the mystery itself felt a little sloppy and I found the motivations and actions of the murderer difficult to believe. Overall though, I think that the book doesn't take itself too seriously, so as a reader I tried to view it as a bit tongue-in-cheek when it stretched a bit far.

I may continue reading this series at some point, because I certainly enjoyed the style and the characters, and it has lots of potential. Hopefully the mystery details will be tightened up in future adventures of Drew Farthering.

Tuesday, February 21

Teaser Tuesday/First Chapter First Paragraph - Against the Tide

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker. 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!

Were he ever free to pursue a woman, Lydia Pallas would be the first, last, and only woman he would be interested in, but it was pointless to even dream about it. Lydia was too priceless to entangle in his dangerous world.
~Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden, page 105

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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.

PROLOGUE

BOSTON, 1876

Lydia was embarrassed to wear a damp dress on the first day of school, but it rained last night while her clothes were strung across the boat's rigging to dry. She was lucky to be going to school at all, and tried not to think about her clammy dress as she walked to the schoolhouse, her hand clasped in her father's work-roughened palm. He seemed more nervous than she was as they walked to the school, almost a mile from the pier where their boat was docked. The school was a fancy brick building with real glass in the windows. There were no windows on the boat where Lydia lived, just oiled parchment that let a little light into the cabin where the whole family slept.

Papa did not want her to go to school at all. Last night he and Mama had a big fight about it, and Lydia had heard every word. They made her and Baby Michael go beneath the hatch, but living on a boat as tiny as the Ugly Kate meant she could hear everything.

"That girl doesn't speak a word of English!" her father roared. "What is the point of sending her to school if she can't understand what they are saying?"

"She will learn," Mama said. "Look how quickly she learned to speak Italian when she was just a small child. She already knows Greek and Turkish and even Croatian from the year we lived there. She is good with languages, and she will learn English. Lydia is nine years old, and it is time for her to be in school."

Here's the blurb:

After a childhood rampant with uncertainty, Lydia Pallas has carved out a perfect life for herself. She spends her days within sight of the bustling Boston Harbor, where her skill with languages has landed her an enviable position as a translator for the U.S. Navy.

Lydia's talents bring her to the attention of Alexander Banebridge, a mysterious man in need of a translator. Driven by a campaign to end the opium trade, Bane is coolly analytical and relentless in his quest. He cannot afford to fall for Lydia and must fight the bittersweet love growing between them.

When Bane's enemies gain the upper hand, he is forced to turn to Lydia for help. Determined to prove her worth, Lydia soon discovers that carrying out Bane's mission will test her wits and her courage to the very limits.

When forces conspire against them from without and within, can their love survive?

What do you think? Would you continue reading?

Monday, February 20

What I'm Reading - February 20, 2017

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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! I also link up with Tales of a Pee Dee Mama for D.E.A.R. Monday (Drop Everything And Read).

I finished reading . . .

A Christmas Valentine by Jamie Carie - A light reading romance novella. (Read my full review HERE.)

I'm currently reading . . .

Here, There Be Dragons (Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica) by James A. Owen - Exciting YA fantasy. I wish I had a little more time so I could get through it faster.

Rules of Murder (A Drew Farthering Mystery) by Julianna Deering - Rather like a cozy mystery with a humorous nod to film noir. Very enjoyable!

Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden - I was drawn into this one from the first page. An intelligent leading lady who craves stability and order finds the need to take risks to keep her safe little world intact.

Baseball Faith: 52 MLB Stars Reflect on Their Faith by Rob Maadi - I received this book of devotionals for review and started browsing through it on the weekend.

Next on the stack... I received three books for review at the end of last week, and have another one on the way, so my TBR list has changed somewhat:

Shepherd, Potter, Spy and the Star Namer by Peggy Miracle Consolver

My Heart Belongs in Fort Bliss, Texas: Priscilla’s Reveille by Erica Vetsch
My Enemy, My Heart (The Ashford Chronicles Book 1) by Laurie Alice Eakes (at the time of writing, this was on sale for Kindle $1.99)
All in Good Time (The Gilded Legacy) by Maureen Lang