Book Beginnings on Friday and Book Blogger Hop: August 17, 2023

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted each week by Rose City Reader. It’s a chance to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading this week. You can check out others’ book beginnings here. I’ll share a quote from the 56 percent mark for the Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice! I’m also going to link up with Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower for First Line Friday.

This week’s book beginning:

Synopsis:

Two Sisters. One Single Event. A Family Changed Forever.

At the turn of the twentieth century, sisters Emmy and Callie Bullock are living a privileged life as the only daughters of a wealthy Alabama cotton farmer when their well-ordered household gets turned upside down by the arrival of Lily McGee. Arrestingly beautiful, Lily quickly—and innocently—draws the wrong kind of attention. Meanwhile, Callie meets a man who offers her the freedom to abandon social constraints and discover her truest self.

After Lily has a baby, Callie witnesses something she was never meant to see–or did she? Her memory is a haze, just an image in her mind of Emmy standing on a darkened riverbank and cradling Lily’s missing baby girl. Only when the sisters are separated does the truth slowly come to light through their letters–including a revelation that will shape the rest of Callie’s life.

Bestselling author Valerie Fraser Luesse weaves a complex and suspenseful tale dripping with intrigue, romance, and Southern charm.

Callie Bullock traced an imaginary circle on the windowpane, framing a cluster of ladies in their picnic dresses—swirls of fine cotton in shades of spring. Like pastel swans, they glided across the lawn, gathering in flocks of three or four to preen, pose, and cast an inquisitive eye on their surroundings.

“Deliver me from the company of women,” Callie said as she completed the circle.

“Sir?” Callie’s heart was suddenly racing, a wave of heat flushing her whole body. She wished she could run to the nearest window and throw it open for some fresh air.

Would you like to know more of Callie’s story? Grab the book! My review will be up soon. Come back and see what I think of it!

Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer. It starts each Friday and runs through the following Thursday. Each week, there’s a new prompt featuring a book-related question. It’s designed to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, make new blogging friends, and gain followers. See what others have to say on this topic and link up your own post here.

Do you prefer to read standalone or series books? 
(submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

Stand-alone, series, I’m good either way! It does chap my hide, though, when an author starts a series and never finishes it (looking at you, George R. R. Martin with Song of Ice and Fire and you, Melanie Rawn with Exiles).

Got thoughts? Leave a comment! Pop by the respective pages linked up here and see what other bloggers are saying, too.

Now, get off of here and go read something good!