Teaser Tuesday: Tumbled Graves by Brenda Chapman

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

"I hear some hesitation in your voice."

"Adele and I weren't exactly close growing up, being so far apart in age, so it's hard for me to pass judgment. I just, well, I wondered if Ivo was enough for her."

This week my teaser comes from Tumbled Graves by Brenda Chapman. I got this eARC from NetGalley. Here is the description from Amazon:

A missing child. A dead mother. Kala Stonechild is about to discover what one betrayal can lead to.

When Adele Delaney and her daughter, Violet, go missing, Jacques Rouleau is called upon to investigate. However, struggling with the impending death of his ill ex-wife, he sends Kala Stonechild and Paul Gundersund instead. Stonechild has been trying to adapt to life as her young cousin Dawn’s guardian, and even though Gundersund has offered support, Stonechild is at risk of losing custody.

On the second day of the investigation, Adele’s body turns up, dumped on the shoulder of the highway with no sign of her daughter. Her husband, Ivo, denies any involvement with either his wife’s death or their child’s disappearance, but not everyone is convinced. As the investigation unfolds, Stonechild learns that Adele was once entangled with a Montreal biker gang and heads to Quebec to investigate further.

As Stonechild and Gundersund juggle personal troubles and a complicated, dangerous case, they find themselves piecing together a chain of disasters leading back to a single betrayal.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (March 14, 2016)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Other Than Reading... 

We had a four day work week with evening conferences on Monday and Thursday this week which led to a Friday off. I took advantage of the day off and had my taxes done. That is all done for another year. The rest of the weekend is time for reading and writing. Rain is predicted but, as I am writing this on Saturday morning, the skies are blue and the sun is shining. I'm tempted to go outside for my first walk of the season.

Next up on the schedule is our very short Easter Break. We only have Good Friday and Easter Monday off this year. And then April 1 is the end of the third quarter. This school year is rushing by. This third quarter has been quite an adjustment for me. It seems like I am always behind on correcting and getting papers back to students - even though almost all the papers are electronic. Seven groups of kids a day in six hours is really a struggle.

I don't plan to travel over the Easter Break except to drive to St. Paul for an author event at the Red Balloon. Weather permitting - which we always say in March - I will get a chance to meet six authors I've never met before. I'm excited!

Read Last Week

I Dream of Dragons by Ashlyn Chase was an entertaining fantasy that featured dragons, leprechauns, vampires, and modern day muses. I liked the characters and thought the romance was fun too. My review will be posted on March 31.

Currently

Hold Your Breath by Katie Ruggle is a romantic suspense title from my review stack. It will be released on April 5.

Next Week

Two more from my review stack:

• Luck Is No Lady by Amy Sandas (April 5)
• The Obsession by Nora Roberts (April 12)

Reviews Posted

• When Gods Die by C. S. Harris
• The Skeleton Garden by Marty Wingate

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

I got the latest books in two of my favorite series this week. I chose Kindle copies.

• Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop
• Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs

I read The Drafter by Kim Harrison on my computer and enjoyed it. I decided I wanted a print copy and got an inexpensive one from Amazon Marketplace.

I used some of my points at Penguin's First to Read to guarantee my review copy of The Obsession by Nora Roberts. I am a huge fan of her writing. This book will be released on April 12.

To see what Young Adult books I have been reading and plan to read, check out Ms. Martin Teaches Media - my other blog.

ARC Review: The Skeleton Garden by Marty Wingate

The Skeleton Garden
Author: Marty Wingate
Series: A Potting Shed Mystery (Book 4)
Publication: Alibi (March 15, 2016)

Description: Texas transplant Pru Parke has put down roots in England, but she never dreamed she’d live in a grand place such as Greenoak. When her former employers offer Pru and her new husband, former Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Pearse, the use of their nineteenth-century estate while they’re away for a year, she jumps at the chance. Sweetening the deal is the prospect of further bonding with her long-lost brother, Simon, who happens to be Greenoak’s head gardener. But the majestic manor has at least one skeleton in its closet—or, rather, its garden.

Working on renovations to the extensive grounds, siblings Pru and Simon squabble about everything from boxwood to bay hedges. But when the removal of a half-dead tree turns up the wreckage of a World War II–era German fighter plane and a pile of bones, the arguments stop. That is, until a rival from Simon’s past pays a surprise visit and creates even more upheaval. It’s suddenly clear someone is unhappy their secrets have been unearthed. Still, Pru’s not about to sit back and let Simon take the fall for the dirty deed without a fight.

My Thoughts: Long buried secrets are unearthed and the repercussions echo to the present when Pru Parke and her brother Simon unearth a World War II plane and some bones in the garden where they are both working. Someone doesn't want the mystery of the identity of the bones to be discovered. This story is filled with all sorts of tangled relationships.

Pru is just getting to know her brother Simon since her mother left him behind when she moved to America with her new husband at the end of World War II. Simon is still dealing with the fact that his supposed mother was actually his great-aunt and that he was abandoned - though left in a loving home. He is torn between love and anger now that his mother has died and he is having a hard time deciding how he feels.

When an old rival for Simon's wife returns from Canada even more emotions surface. When the rival is found dead in the same place where the bones were found, Simon becomes one of the suspects. Christopher is back doing police work after his retirement as a detective inspector for the Metropolitan police but he doesn't want to take over from the local police officer who is his superior. Still he and Pru get involved in investigating both deaths.

The story is filled with all sorts of characters who have ties to the World War II past and who might have reasons to want to keep the secrets buried. I really enjoyed the relationships in this story. I like the way Christopher and Pru are building their new marriage. I like the friendships that are forming among the characters.

This was a great cozy mystery in a series that is filled with great characters. 

Favorite Quote:

They settled on the sofa, sitting close and sharing a footstool. Christopher laid his hand on her thigh, and Pru absorbed the comfort from his light touch. They didn't speak for a while, but at last Pru sighed deeply. "I suppose we couldn't keep him forever."

I got this eARC at NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: The Skeleton Garden by Marty Wingate

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

The full moon washed all color from the landscape, rendering trees in shades of pale silver relieved only by the inky blackness of the ground beneath them.

Friday 56 (from location 560 on my Kindle):

"Orlando!" She hurried, glancing over her shoulder to see if Simon was in range. She should be helping Simon with something at that very moment, but she couldn't think with what. "It isn't a rubbish tip—you're meant to be stacking them. It'll take the stonemason forever to sort through this lot again."

This week I am spotlighting The Skeleton Garden by Marty Wingate. This is the 4th book in her Potting Shed cozy mystery series. Here is the description from Amazon:

Texas transplant Pru Parke has put down roots in England, but she never dreamed she’d live in a grand place such as Greenoak. When her former employers offer Pru and her new husband, former Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Pearse, the use of their nineteenth-century estate while they’re away for a year, she jumps at the chance. Sweetening the deal is the prospect of further bonding with her long-lost brother, Simon, who happens to be Greenoak’s head gardener. But the majestic manor has at least one skeleton in its closet—or, rather, its garden.

Working on renovations to the extensive grounds, siblings Pru and Simon squabble about everything from boxwood to bay hedges. But when the removal of a half-dead tree turns up the wreckage of a World War II–era German fighter plane and a pile of bones, the arguments stop. That is, until a rival from Simon’s past pays a surprise visit and creates even more upheaval. It’s suddenly clear someone is unhappy their secrets have been unearthed. Still, Pru’s not about to sit back and let Simon take the fall for the dirty deed without a fight.

Book Review: When Gods Die by C. S. Harris

When Gods Die
Author: C. S. Harris
Series: Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries (Book 2)
Publication: Signet; Reissue edition (November 7, 2006)

Description: The young wife of an aging marquis is found murdered in the arms of the Prince Regent. Around her neck lies a necklace said to have been worn by Druid priestesses-that is, until it was lost at sea with its last owner, Sebastian St. Cyr's mother. Now Sebastian is lured into a dangerous investigation of the marchioness's death-and his mother's uncertain fate.

As he edges closer to the truth-and one murder follows another-he confronts a conspiracy that imperils those nearest him and threatens to bring down the monarchy.

My Thoughts: Sebastian St. Cyr is drawn into his second murder investigation when he is called in to determine who murdered Guinevere Anglessey, the young wife of the elderly Marquis of Anglessey, and arranged for her to be found in the arms of the Prince of Wales.

Sebastian has a number of suspects including the Prince of Wales, the lady's elderly husband, or her young lover. The more he investigates the more the plot thickens and the more the pool of suspects widens. While Sebastian deplores murder, the first thing that draws him to the case is the necklace around Guin's neck. It is the some historic necklace that his mother was wearing when she set sail for a day cruise when Sebastian was eleven, a cruise she never returned from. Sebastian has mourned her loss all his life.

Tracking the necklace leads him to things that had been hidden from him his whole life. He is gradually repairing his relationship with his father, the Earl of Hendon, and these secrets threaten the relationship.

Sebastian's investigation unearths a conspiracy that puts his life in danger on a number of occasions.  He is assisted in his investigation by his friend Doctor Paul Gibson whom Sebastian met while serving in the army in the fight against Napoleon, his tiger Tom who is a poor boy pulled from the streets and who investigates where Sebastian can't, and Kat Boleyn who is his love interest. Kat has some secrets of her own which are keeping her from marrying Sebastian. Of course, she is also an Irish actress who is completely unacceptable to Sebastian's family. Sebastian also calls upon his aunt, the Dowager Duchess of Claiborne, for insights into the social world which help him untangle the clues.

This was an engaging mystery. I am getting to like Sebastian more and more as the series moves on and he transitions from bored Man About Town to a man of conscience. I am eager to see where his relationship with Kat goes and what he decides to do next about the family secret.

Favorite Quote:

"Really, Sebastian. Like some common Bow Street Runner."

"With rather more finesse than that, I like to think. And, of course, I'm not getting paid, so you needn't worry there's any hint of the stench of trade being attached to the practice."

"I should rather think not."

Sebastian gave her a hard smile. "Offends your delicate sensibilities, does it?"

"It would offend the sensibilities of anyone of breeding and culture."

"Really? Well, murder offends mine."

I bought this book. You can buy your copy here.

WoW: The Obsession by Nora Roberts

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. She has a linky widget at her site each week for your post and to make it easy to find posts by other people.

The purpose of the meme is to spotlight books that we are eagerly anticipating. It is fun to take a look at what others are waiting for. I have noticed that it has expanded my wishlist though. Be warned!

The Obsession

Nora Roberts

April 12, 2016

I am currently waiting for the newest Nora Roberts - The Obsession. In fact, I ordered a copy for my Kindle on December 5 because I am so eager to read it. I love all her writing and can't wait to read her latest romantic suspense title. Here is the description from Amazon:

“She stood in the deep, dark woods, breath shallow and cold prickling over her skin despite the hot, heavy air. She took a step back, then two, as the urge to run fell over her.”

Naomi Bowes lost her innocence the night she followed her father into the woods. In freeing the girl trapped in the root cellar, Naomi revealed the horrible extent of her father’s crimes and made him infamous. No matter how close she gets to happiness, she can’t outrun the sins of Thomas David Bowes.

Now a successful photographer living under the name Naomi Carson, she has found a place that calls to her, a rambling old house in need of repair, thousands of miles away from everything she’s ever known. Naomi wants to embrace the solitude, but the kindly residents of Sunrise Cove keep forcing her to open up—especially the determined Xander Keaton.

Naomi can feel her defenses failing, and knows that the connection her new life offers is something she’s always secretly craved. But the sins of her father can become an obsession, and, as she’s learned time and again, her past is never more than a nightmare away.

Teaser Tuesday: When Gods Die by C. S. Harris

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

Devlin looked up, his expression one of mile interest rather than the irritation Jarvis had expected. "Think back to earlier in the evening, sir," said the Viscount, pushing away from the wall. "How did you happen to be in the cabinet with the Marchioness?"

This week my teaser comes from When Gods Die by C. S. Harris. This is the second book in the ten book Sebastian St. Cyr mystery series. Here is the description from Amazon:

The young wife of an aging marquis is found murdered in the arms of the Prince Regent. Around her neck lies a necklace said to have been worn by Druid priestesses-that is, until it was lost at sea with its last owner, Sebastian St. Cyr's mother. Now Sebastian is lured into a dangerous investigation of the marchioness's death-and his mother's uncertain fate.

As he edges closer to the truth-and one murder follows another-he confronts a conspiracy that imperils those nearest him and threatens to bring down the monarchy.