First Chapter: The Last Goodnight by Howard Blum

Bibliophile By the Sea hosts First Chapter, First Paragraph every Tuesday. Share the first paragraph(s) of your current read or book interest, with information for readers

The Last Goodnight: a World War II Story of Espionage, Adventure & Betrayal by Howard Blum, to be released April 12, 2016 by Harper. The book is described as a "biography of Betty Pack, the dazzling American debutante who became an Allied spy during WWII and was hailed by OSS chief General “Wild Bill" Donovan as “the greatest unsung heroine of the war.” 

First paragraph, first chapter:

Betty Pack had planned her escape from the castle with great care. Too often impulsive - her greatest fault, she would frequently concede - she had deliberately plotted this operation with the long-dormant discipline acquired during her dangerous time decades ago in the field. Yet on the blustery morning of March 1, 1963, Betty, otherwise known in the tiny village in the French Pyrenees that lay just beyond the stone walls of the ancient castle as Mme Brousse, the American-born chatelaine of Castelnou, and who in a previous life had been known to an even smaller circle as the agent code-named Cynthia, was having doubts. 

Based on the opening paragraph, would you read on?

Book Review: The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman

A library book that I read after recommendations by several bloggers: The Light Between Oceans was published 2013 by Scribner. It 's about a lighthouse couple in Australia who find a baby girl ship wrecked or boat wrecked on their beach and who decide to keep her as their own. 

Big mistake. But the man, Tom, gives in to his wife's importuning as she manipulates him into keeping the baby. She has lost three children, one just recently stillborn, and he cannot find it easy to deny her this child washed up on their shore with no identifying clues except for an expensive silver rattle. 

Even after Tom suspects who the real mother might be, another grieving woman who has lost both husband and child, he is loath to reveal the truth about the little girl that people think is his own. 

Recommendation: I found this novel very thought-provoking, a look at the dynamics of childlessness and some reasons behind child abductions, a not too infrequent occurrence. Conscience, empathy, honor and loyalty all come into play in this story. Well written and developed, it's a novel I heartily recommend.

Sunday Salon: Island Novels

Welcome to the Sunday Salon where bloggers share their reading each week. Visit The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer.
Also visit Mailbox Monday, and It's Monday, What Are You Reading? hosted by Book Date. 

Now I can read comfortably in bed! Bought myself an Easter present, in advance - a new bed with motorized base that allows me to raise to sit up mode and raise legs to comfort mode. Can't wait for delivery! Maybe I'll stay in bed all day (the first day, that is).

Here are two new books for April, both set on islands:

A Man of Genius, a gothic novel by Janet Todd, to be released April 12, 2016 by Bitter lemon Press

"A quirky, darkly mischievous novel about love, obsession and the burden of charisma, played out against the backdrop of Venice's watery, decadent glory." Sarah Dunant

‘A mesmerizing story of love and obsession in nineteenth century Venice: dark and utterly compelling." Natasha Solomons

Sounds brooding and fit for Venice!

Braking for Bodies: A Cycle Path Mystery by Duffy Brown, to be released April 5, 2016 by Berkley

Moving from Los Angeles to picturesque Mackinac Island  in Upper Michigan to work in a bike shop, Evie knows it’s the best decision she’s ever made. 

“Sparkling dialogue, an unforgettable island setting, and all the charm a cozy mystery fan would want.”—Ellery Adams, New York Times bestselling author of the Books by the Bay Mysteries


A book I won from Shelf Awareness - The Underdogs!

The Underdogs Children, Dogs, and the Power of Unconditional Love by Melissa Fay Greene, to be released May 17, 2016 by Ecco.
"...a profound and surprising account of dogs on the front lines of rescuing both children and adults from the trenches of grief, emotional, physical, and cognitive disability, and post-traumatic stress disorder." 

What's on your reading chair/bed this week? 

Waiting on Wednesday: An Unhappy Medium by Dawn Eastman

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted weekly by Jill at Breaking the Spine. What new releases are you eagerly waiting for. Link your post to Breaking the Spine.

An Unhappy Medium: A Family Fortune Mystery by Dawn Eastman
Release date: April 5, 2016 by Berkley

Publisher description:
"Former cop, novice psychic Clyde Fortune is in a race for justice when a Zombie Fun Run turns deadly...

Crystal Haven, Michigan, is psyching up for a Zombie Fun Run, but Clyde is fretful about the undead festivities. For one thing, her sister, Grace, has unexpectedly returned to town after fifteen years. When one of the zombie runners is found murdered and then Grace disappears, Clyde must find a ghoulish murderer before someone points the finger at Grace. And when a web of family secrets combines with a mysterious case of stolen diamonds..."

I don't normally read zombie, supernatural, or paranormal cozies, but I got caught by how this one began!

Opening sentence:
My chest burned, my legs ached, and I felt a cramp in the vicinity of my liver.

Laughing out loud, I wanted to read on...

First Chapter: When Falcons Fall by C.S. Harris

Bibliophile By the Sea hosts First Chapter, First Paragraph every Tuesday. Share the first paragraph(s) of your current read or book interest, with information for readers.

When Falcons Fall: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery by C.S. Harris, published March 1, 2016 by NAL

Setting: 

Ayleswick-on-Teme, 1813. Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, has come to this seemingly peaceful Shropshire village to honor a slain friend and on a quest to learn more about his own ancestry. (publisher)

First paragraph,  first chapter: 

It was the fly that got to him. 

In the misty light of early morning, the dead woman looked as if she might be sleeping, her dusky lashes resting against cheeks of pale egg shell, her lips faintly parted. She lay at the edge of a clover-strewn meadow near the river, the back of her head nestled against a mossy log, her slim hands folded at the right waist of her fashionable dove gray mourning gown. 

Then the fly came crawling out of her mouth. 

Well, that opening chapter does come as a shock. Would this prevent you from reading on? Or does it provoke your interest in this mystery?

Sunday Salon: Spring Reads

Welcome to the Sunday Salon where bloggers share their reading each week. Visit The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer.
Also visit Mailbox Monday, and It's Monday, What Are You Reading? hosted by Book Date. 

It was so sunny and mild yesterday, I forgot myself and went back to the gym after a long winter break! 

Some new ARCs and books for review:
Start Where You Are: A Journal for Self-Exploration by Meena Lee Patel, published August 11, 2015 by TarcherPerigee. An interactive journal with inspiring artwork and quotes from writers, artists and others, paired with open-ended questions and prompts, with room for writing and reflecting.

Night Night, Sleep Tight by Hallie Ephron, published December 8, 2015 by William Morrow Paperback. A tale of domestic noir, infused with old Hollywood folklore and glamour, set in a town rie with egotism and backstabbing and where fame and infamy are often interchangeable. Los Angeles 1986. 

Rich Bitch: A Simple 12-Step Plan for Getting Your Financial Life Together...Finally by Nicole Lapin, published March 8, 2016 by William Morrow Paperbacks. Money expert and financial journalist Nicole Lapin lays out a 12-step plan to get your finances in order. 

The Invisible Guardian by Dolores Redondo, published March 8, 2016 by Atria Books. Shortlisted for the CWA International Dagger 2015Best Spanish Crime Novel of the Year, 2013 by major Spanish newspaper La VanguardiaTop 10 Crime Novels of the Summer by Le Figaro Magazine, France

The Girl from Home by Adam Mitzner, to be released April 5, 2016 by Gallery Books. A gripping psychological thriller, an electrifying tale of a millionaire who will go to deadly lengths to get what he wants.

Found at the library:

The Strangler Vine by M.J. Carter, historical novel of the British East India Company and the Thuggee sect in 19th century India. Finding it fascinating, with excellent writing.

Calcutta 1837. The East India Company rules India - or most of it; and its most notorious and celebrated son, Xavier Mountstuart, has gone missing. What was it that so captivated Mountstuart about the Thugs, the murderous sect of Kali-worshippers who strangle innocent travellers by the roadside? Who is Jeremiah Blake and can he be trusted? 

The Hanging Girl (Department Q #6) by Jussi Adler-Olsen, published Sepotember 8, 2015 by Dutton

Police procedural set in Denmark, the tragic cold case of a vivacious seventeen-year-old girl who vanished from school, only to be found dead hanging high up in a tree.

I have read almost all of the Department Q crime novels and enjoyed them. Carl Mørck, head of Department Q, and his quirky assistants Assad and Rose make this series memorable, with touches of humor. 

What's on your reading desk this week?

Book Tour: The Rain Sparrow by Linda Goodnight

The Friday 56. Grab a book, turn to page 56 or 56% of your eReader. Find any sentence that grabs you. Post it, and add your URL post in Linky at Freda's Voice.
Also visit Book Beginning at Rose City Reader.

The Rain Sparrow by Linda Goodnight
Series: A Honey Ridge Novel, published February 23, 2016
Genre: romance, contemporary novel

Book beginning:

Brody hated Fridays. He knew what would happen if he went home. So he didn't. He hung out at the library until it closed, and then, wishing he had money for a hamburger, he wandered down to his spot on Magnolia Creek. It was a pretty good hike, a couple of miles out of town past the Griffinsisters' peach orchard and through a hundred yards of tangled weeds, but at eleven, he was up for it. He could have run that far and not been out of breath. 

Page 56: 

She'd had coffee, in her pajamas no less, with Hayden Winters. Laughing at herself a little, she focused on work. The man had probably put her out of his mind the moment she'd driven away.

Book description: In Honey Ridge, Tennessee, thriller writer Hayden Winters lives a life colored by lies. He can trust no one with his secrets. But the charming old Peach Orchard Inn and a woman whose presence is as gentle as a sparrow’s song stops him in his tracks.

Carrie Riley is afraid of everything, but meeting the enigmatic writer at the inn emboldens her. When they discover a vulnerable boy hiding at the inn, Hayden is compelled to help Carrie protect him. A centuries-old mystery and secrets of the past and present cause their lives to become entwined, and all that’s left to come to light is love—if the grim truth doesn’t tear them apart first. (publisher)

My comments:
The plight of young Brody, who was abandoned by his mother and now living with an abusive and alcoholic father, can't be ignored by two people staying at Peach Orchard Inn. Hayden and Carrie take the boy who appears at the door of the inn one stormy night, they feed him and dry him off, and put him to bed in one of the rooms. They uncover the secrets of Brody's past over time and as expected, Hayden and Carrie also fall in love.

This is a romance in a charming inn, with a mystery thrown in, and the heart-tugging case of a lonely boy, needing help, who is too afraid to go home most nights. It is also the story of the writer Hayden whose dreams of past events come to haunt and puzzle him.

Romance lovers, this is the book for you!

About Author Linda Goodnight

New York Times and USA Today Bestseller, Linda Goodnight is the winner of the RITA and other highly acclaimed awards for her emotional fiction. Active in orphan ministry, this former nurse and teacher enjoys writing fiction that carries a message of hope and light in a sometimes dark world. A country girl, she lives in Oklahoma.

Connect with Linda

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Thanks to TLC BOOK TOURS and the publisher for a review copy of the novel. For other reviews of the book, visit the Tour Schedule