[Teaser Tuesday] April 13, 2021

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, originally hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

A silent house, in the middle of the night, might be one of the loneliest places on the planet.

Did you hear that?

Brain says: Absolutely an ax murderer.

Crouched in the hallway, I'm poised for anything. It's 11:31 P.M. to be exact, and a wonder that I can even hear Brain, with my heart hammering in my eardrums.

Inside my head, I count.

1 2 3 4 5 

This teaser is from A Thousand Minutes to Sunlight by Jen White. As someone who struggles with anxiety myself I was drawn to this book, and the snippet I shared above is something I actually go through most nights I am home alone.

Jen White's A Thousand Minutes to Sunlight is a sensitively-written middle grade novel about a girl struggling with anxiety, family secrets, and the meaning of friendship.

Cora is constantly counting the minutes. It's the only thing that stops her brain from rattling with worry, from convincing her that danger is up ahead. Afraid of the unknown, Cora spends her days with her feet tucked into sand, marveling at La Quinta beach's giant waves and her little sister Sunshine's boundless energy.

And then danger really does show up at Cora's doorstep--her absentee uncle, whose sudden presence in the middle of the night makes her parents nervous and secretive. As dawn breaks once more, Cora must piece together her family and herself, one minute at a time.

A Thousand Minutes to Sunlight is an endearing and revelatory middle-grade novel that is perfect for fans of Counting by 7s and Fish in a Tree.

Share your teaser with me!

[Teaser Tuesday] April 6, 2021

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, originally hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

In the last few years, Meg had been to hell and back- literally. She'd sold her soul to the god of the Underworld and spent her days and nights fulfilling Hades's every demand. While she still walked in the land of the living, her life was no longer her own.
Meeting Hercules had awoken something in her. Honestly, she wasn't sure what that something was, but she knew it felt important. Why else would she have leaped in front of a falling pillar to save him, causing her own demise in the process? That moment, and Wonder Boy's rescue of her afterward, was a blur now, like so many nightmares she tried hard to forget. The next thing she remembered was air filling her lungs as if she'd held her breath underwater for too long. Then there had been a crack of lightning, a flurry of clouds, and she and Wonder Boy were being whisked into the heavens toward Mount Olympus.

This teaser is from Go the Distance by Jen Calonita. It is a cute little story that takes place after the Disney movie Hercules ends. It's a quick and easy, yet fun little read.

What if Meg had to become a god?

After Hercules proves he's a true hero and regains his godship, all seems right in the world. That is, until Zeus tells Meg that she can't be with Hercules because she's, well, mortal. Luckily, Hera has a solution, offering Meg a chance to prove herself worthy of a spot on Mt. Olympus--as a god. All Meg has to do is complete a mysterious quest.

The mission? Oh, just to rescue her ex's current wife from the Underworld. The ex-boyfriend she saved by selling her soul to Hades. The ex-boyfriend who immediately moved on to someone else while she was stuck in the Underworld. Can Meg put her past behind her and use her quick-wit to defeat monsters and gods alike, including the nefarious Hades? Will she finally figure out her place and contribution to the world? Or will her fear of commitment have her running away from an eternity of godhood with Herc?

Written by the author of Mirror, Mirror and Conceal, Don't Feel, Jen Calonita's latest twist is sure to delight and surprise.

Share your teaser with me!

[Teaser Tuesday] March 30, 2021

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, originally hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

I didn't want to believe that killing was deep inside of me. I didn't want to think about the part of me that took a dark joy in gathering all the power it could and using it as I saw fit, everything else be damned. There was power to be had in hatred, too, in anger and in lust, in selfishness and in pride. And I knew that there was some dark corner of me that would enjoy using magic for killing—and then long for more. That was black magic, and it was easy to use. Easy and fun. Like Legos.

This teaser is from Fool Moon by Jim Butcher and is the second book in The Dresden Files series. I am currently listening to the audiobook version which is narrated by the fabulous James Marsters (whom I adore). Needles to say I am enjoying it completely!

Harry Dresden--Wizard
Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

Business has been slow. Okay, business has been dead. And not even of the undead variety. You would think Chicago would have a little more action for the only professional wizard in the phone book. But lately, Harry Dresden hasn't been able to dredge up any kind of work--magical or mundane.

But just when it looks like he can't afford his next meal, a murder comes along that requires his particular brand of supernatural expertise.

A brutally mutilated corpse. Strange-looking paw prints. A full moon. Take three guesses--and the first two don't count...

Share your teaser with me!

[Teaser Tuesday] March 23, 2021

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, originally hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

You see, Esme and I cannot be captured, not in photos, nor in paintings. In the morning, the canvas will always revert to white and film remains blank. But it's the painters that are bothered the most. They labor, connecting lines into form to create Esme's upturned nose, her small cherubic mouth, only to find that by dawn she has faded into the canvas like she was never there at all.

This teaser is from the novel The Ladies of the Secret Circus by Constance Sayers. This is a very intriguing story of magic and a strange dark circus, and the strange events that occur over several timelines. It has sucked me in completely.

Paris, 1925: To enter the Secret Circus is to enter a world of wonder-a world where women tame magnificent beasts, carousels take you back in time, and trapeze artists float across the sky. But each daring feat has a cost. Bound to her family's strange and magical circus, it's the only world Cecile Cabot knows-until she meets a charismatic young painter and embarks on a passionate love affair that could cost her everything.

Virginia, 2005: Lara Barnes is on top of the world-until her fiancé disappears on their wedding day. Desperate, her search for answers unexpectedly leads to her great-grandmother's journals and sweeps her into the story of a dark circus and a generational curse that has been claiming payment from the women in her family for generations.

Share your teaser with me!

[Teaser Tuesday] March 16, 2021

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, originally hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

“Wendy?” He wasn’t yelling anymore. He squinted at her, his head tilted to the side. She couldn’t find her voice. Her mouth was open, but nothing was coming out.

A wide smile curled across his lips, revealing a gleaming smile, a small chip in his front tooth and deep dimples. Those starry eyes of his lit up, ones that dozens of her mysterious drawings just couldn’t get right. But that just wasn’t possible…

He gave another tug against the two men holding him back, the smile never leaving his face. “I found you,” he said, sounding relieved and triumphant. “I knew I’d find you.”

The doctor stuck the needle into his arm and pressed the plunger down. “No, don’t!” The words flew from her mouth, but it was too late. The boy flinched and almost immediately those brilliant eyes grew glassy.

Wendy shoved a nurse out of the way and gripped the edge of the bed. “Who are you?” she asked.

He frowned, trying to keep his eyelids open. “You forgot about me?”

This teaser is from the novel Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas. As you can imagine, this has to do with Peter Pan and Wendy, but in a way you haven't imagined. I can't put this book down!

When children go missing in the small coastal town of Astoria, people look to Wendy for answers.

It's been five years since Wendy and her two brothers went missing in the woods, but when the town’s children start to disappear, the questions surrounding her brothers’ mysterious circumstances are brought back into light. Attempting to flee her past, Wendy almost runs over an unconscious boy lying in the middle of the road, and gets pulled into the mystery haunting the town.

Peter, a boy she thought lived only in her stories, claims that if they don't do something, the missing children will meet the same fate as her brothers. In order to find them and rescue the missing kids, Wendy must confront what's waiting for her in the woods.

Share your teaser with me!

[Teaser Tuesday] March 9, 2021

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, originally hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

“Bet you’re thinking I should’ve puckered up and planted one on you last night,” he says.

I don’t know if he’s trying to alleviate my mood or his own. Unless he’s just trying to get under my skin and embarrass me in front of my father.

My cheeks flame. “Trust me, that’s not even remotely close to what’s going through my mind at the moment.”

Slate’s eyes curve with a touch of humor. “De Morel, I think that if the ring doesn’t murder me, your daughter might.”

This teaser is from the novel Of Wicked Blood by Olivia Wildenstein and Katie Hayoz. I am 40% through the audiobook and can't get enough. I hope the ending doesn't let me down!

No rest for the wicked... or the cursed.

SLATE
I didn’t mean to steal the Bloodstone from the De Morel’s crypt.
Scratch that, I did mean to steal it.
Until I realized it was a curse-magnet that only comes off if I, along with a jolly trio, successfully defeat four curses.
If any of us fail, I’m dead.
I’ve never been a glass half-empty sort of person, but my glass looks in dire need of a refill right about now.
The only highlight of this wicked treasure hunt: feisty, entitled Cadence de Morel.

CADENCE
I was raised on tales of magic, in a small town reputed to be the birthplace of French witchcraft.
Did I believe all the stories I heard? Absolutely not. I mean, if magic existed, Maman wouldn’t have died, and Papa wouldn’t be stuck in a wheelchair, right?
Wrong.
The night Slate Ardoin waltzes into my life, wearing a ring he stole from my mother’s grave, I call him a monster.
But then I meet real ones, and Slate, well . . . he becomes something else to me.
Something frustrating to live with but impossible to live without.
Something I will fight for, no matter the cost.

*Warning: profuse cursing (and not just the magical kind).

Share your teaser with me!

[Teaser Tuesday] March 2, 2021

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, originally hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

The stench rose sinister from the bottom of Bleecker Hill. It lived there, down where the river ended in much, where they buried their children after the plague. It smelled like blood, left to rot out in the open air.

This teaser is the opening from the short story, Necromancy, by Melissa Bobe. It is the sixth short story in the collection Clockwork, Curses and Coal, edited by Rhonda Parrish. It is one of my favourite stories in the collection so far. If you like Steampunk and Gaslamp fantasy, you will thoroughly enjoy this collection.

Fairies threaten the world of artifice and technology, forcing the royal family to solve a riddle to stop their world from irrevocable change; a dishonest merchant uses automatons as vessels for his secrets and lies; a woman discovers the secret of three princesses whose shoes get scuffed while they sleep. These and so many other steampunk and gaslamp fairy tales await within the pages of Clockwork, Curses and Coal.

Retellings of Hansel and Gretel, The Princess and the Pea, Pinocchio, The Twelve Dancing Princesses and more are all showcased alongside some original fairy tale-like stories. Featuring stories by Melissa Bobe, Adam Brekenridge, Beth Cato, MLD Curelas, Joseph Halden, Reese Hogan, Diana Hurlburt, Christina Johnson, Alethea Kontis, Lex T. Lindsay, Wendy Nikel, Brian Trent, Laura VanArendonk Baugh and Sarah Van Goethem.

Share your teaser with me!

[Teaser Tuesday] February 23, 2021

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, originally hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

Alex read the e-mail twice, then flopped down on his bed. He stared at a black speck on the ceiling and tried to picture his parents in their vegetable garden back on Bainbridge Island. All he saw was their blue Camry swerving off the road, crashing into a cedar tree. For the first few years after their deaths, seeing his name in print had given him a feeling of existing when nothing else did, but he no longer got that rush. His job had become routine, easy. In his boredom, unpleasant images were arising. He hadn’t actually been there when his parents died, but he was seeing the crash almost every day now.

This teaser is from The Anonymous Source by A.C. Fuller, and is the first book in the Alex Vane series. I just finished listening to the audiobook version, and spoiler alert, I liked it quite a bit. And guess what? It comes out in audiobook format today! Go grab it! I intend on continuing on the series at some point, also hopefully in audiobook format.

FIND THE SOURCE. BREAK THE STORY. STAY ALIVE.

ONE YEAR AFTER the 9/11 attacks, Alex Vane--a brilliant, fitness-obsessed reporter for The New York Standard--wants nothing more than to break into the flashy world of TV news. But when he uncovers the scoop of a lifetime, his tightly controlled world is rocked: his editor buries his story, a source turns up dead, and Alex finds himself at the center of a violent media conspiracy.

AS HE RECEIVES TIPS from a mysterious source, Alex enlists the help of a captivating professor, Camila Gray. Aided by an Internet genius, a billionaire's sexy widow, and a washed-up sports reporter, Alex and Camila discover a $500-million secret that could derail the largest media merger in history.

IT'S A SECRET THAT unearths dark memories from Alex's past. It's a secret that leads back to the morning of 9/11. And it's a secret that could get them both killed.

IN HIS DEBUT MEDIA THRILLER, A.C. Fuller brings you a young journalist chasing the biggest story of his career--from the courtrooms of New York City to the beaches of Hawaii, from a crowded newsroom to a lavish boardroom at the top of a media empire.

Share your teaser with me!

[Teaser Tuesday] February 16, 2021

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, originally hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

Just mentioning that "indiscretion" had her simmering senses on the alert again. Did he feel it too, that constant, low hum of attraction? Something they both might wordlessly acknowledge but must determinedly ignore?

This teaser is from The Blustocking Duchess by Julia Justiss, and is the first book in the new Heirs in Waiting series. After reading The Duke and I, I felt the need to stumble back into the Regency era.

Her good friend...

Is suddenly a duke’s heir! Miss Jocelyn Sudderfeld is working at Edge Hall, indulging her love of translating ancient texts with her librarian father—and evading the need to marry! She’s always enjoyed a teasing friendship with estate manager Mr. Alex Cheverton. Until he unexpectedly becomes the duke’s heir. Now his first duty is to marry a suitable debutante, not consort with an earnest bluestocking like her… So where does that leave their friendship?

Share your teaser with me!

[Teaser Tuesday] February 9, 2021

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, originally hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

Alecto was facing death for her actions. She could still taste ashen bone in her mouth and smell burning flesh in the air. She could even hear the echoes of her rage reverberating from the yawning pit her soul had become. Yet, for all of this, Alecto was at peace. She was relieved.

This teaser is from A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth. I chose this book specifically for the cover and the fact it takes place in Toronto. I am not far into it yet and I am finding it very confusing and overwhelming. I hope it gets better!

The Cruel Prince meets City of Bones in this thrilling urban fantasy set in the magical underworld of Toronto that follows a queer cast of characters racing to stop a serial killer whose crimes could expose the hidden world of faeries to humans.

Choose your player.

The “ironborn” half-fae outcast of her royal fae family.
A tempestuous Fury, exiled to earth from the Immortal Realm and hellbent on revenge.
A dutiful fae prince, determined to earn his place on the throne.
The prince’s brooding guardian, burdened with a terrible secret.

For centuries, the Eight Courts of Folk have lived among us, concealed by magic and bound by law to do no harm to humans. This arrangement has long kept peace in the Courts—until a series of gruesome and ritualistic murders rocks the city of Toronto and threatens to expose faeries to the human world.

Four queer teens, each who hold a key piece of the truth behind these murders, must form a tenuous alliance in their effort to track down the mysterious killer behind these crimes. If they fail, they risk the destruction of the faerie and human worlds alike. If that’s not bad enough, there’s a war brewing between the Mortal and Immortal Realms, and one of these teens is destined to tip the scales. The only question is: which way?

Wish them luck. They’re going to need it.

Share your teaser with me!

[Teaser Tuesday] February 2, 2021

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, originally hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

How could she be so knowledgeable and yet so naïve? So beautiful, yet so beyond the law? Not a peer, yet deserving of the respect he learned from experience? In the dim light, she made him think of the sirens from his classics studies at Oxford. They were beautiful women who sang so sweetly that sailors would jump from their ships just to reach them and drown. Would she lead him to his doom?

This teaser is from A Pocket in Time by Lexi Post. This is the second book in the Time Weavers Inc. series, but I was told they were stand alone and I haven't read the first one yet, but I can tell it would have been better if I had.

Katz Almira’s mission is clear—travel to the past, steal the note that ruins the world, travel back to the present. Easy. She’s the best pickpocket Time Weavers, Inc. has ever had. Posing as a poor widow in Regency London, she convinces her target, Lord John Byron, a man as sexy as he is wealthy, to take her in off the streets. But at her request to keep her hidden, instead of his cushy manor, he allows her to stay in a warehouse full of orphan boys he cares for there.

It’s the perfect place to hide, and bonus, her new roommates can help her find the mysterious note. With John as their pseudo-father, they know what he does every day, and with who. Katz can’t afford any distractions, but she soon finds herself getting attached to the orphans—and John—even helping him plan for their futures.

Each day she spends in the past is another day closer to her deadline, another day closer to returning to her own time, and another day John and this makeshift family get dangerously closer to her heart. But Katz staying in the past would have dire consequences for them all…

Share your teaser with me!

[Teaser Tuesday] January 26, 2021

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, originally hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

Shifting and biting his head off would be so easy. She could bury him here in the garden. He was so full of shit he'd probably make great fertilizer.

This teaser is from Star-Crossed Dragons by Chris Cannon. This is fun little book about a society of dragons split into clans. It is very interesting to learn about the differences between the clans and how they interact together. 

Ice-princess, Sara Sinclair, is the most un-Blue Blue Dragon of her Clan. And now her parents signed a marriage contract to an absolute asshat. Sara has no interest in being one half of a snobby Blue power couple. In fact, all she can dream about is biting her obnoxious fiancé’s head off and burying him in the garden. Since that can’t happen, her future seems like a lost cause, until she meets Ian, a fire-breathing Red Dragon—who is everything her fiancé is not.

Now Sara’s jumped from the frying pan into the fire because dating outside of your Clan is against Directorate law. Ian could be thrown in jail or executed without a trial. But now that she knows what love feels like, she can’t imagine being with anyone else.

Talk about a rock and a hard place…

Share your teaser with me!

[Teaser Tuesday] January 19, 2021

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, originally hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

The look Anthony shot at his sister was so comically malevolent Simon nearly laughed. He managed to restrain himself, but mostly just because he was fairly certain that any show of humor would cause Anthony's fist to lose its battle with his brain, with Simon's face emerging as the conflict's primary casualty.

This teaser is from The Duke and I by Julia Quinn. This is book 1 in the Bridgertons series made popular by the new hit show Bridgerton on Netflix. I devoured the Netflix show very quickly and was left wanting more, and so I went ahead and scooped up the first three books in the series. I am quite enjoying it so far.

From New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn comes the first novel in the beloved Regency-set world of her charming, powerful Bridgerton family, now a series created by Shonda Rhimes for Netflix.

In the ballrooms and drawing rooms of Regency London, rules abound. From their earliest days, children of aristocrats learn how to address an earl and curtsey before a prince—while other dictates of the ton are unspoken yet universally understood. A proper duke should be imperious and aloof. A young, marriageable lady should be amiable…but not too amiable.

Daphne Bridgerton has always failed at the latter. The fourth of eight siblings in her close-knit family, she has formed friendships with the most eligible young men in London. Everyone likes Daphne for her kindness and wit. But no one truly desires her. She is simply too deuced honest for that, too unwilling to play the romantic games that captivate gentlemen.

Amiability is not a characteristic shared by Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. Recently returned to England from abroad, he intends to shun both marriage and society—just as his callous father shunned Simon throughout his painful childhood. Yet an encounter with his best friend’s sister offers another option. If Daphne agrees to a fake courtship, Simon can deter the mamas who parade their daughters before him. Daphne, meanwhile, will see her prospects and her reputation soar.

The plan works like a charm—at first. But amid the glittering, gossipy, cut-throat world of London’s elite, there is only one certainty: love ignores every rule...

Share your teaser with me!

[Teaser Tuesday] January 12, 2021

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, originally hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

He'd seen some seriously weird shit from me in the last hour. In fact, he's been a damn good sport about all of it. Did I owe him, like, flowers? What did you get a coworker for not freaking when you went all metaphysical on him? A card? Did Hallmark make a card for that?

This teaser is from Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton. This is book 17 in the Anita Blake series. I am a huge fan of all books by this author, but I am really into this one. The only issue I have is with one of the characters that gives me nightmares, and every time I read a section with this character in it my anxiety doesn't let me sleep well. I can't even read it if my hubby is on nights...lol. I am such a baby!

Once you tell someone certain things, like, say, you got mailed a human head in a box, they tend to think you're crazy.

Anita Blake's reputation has taken some hits. Not on the work front, where she has the highest kill count of all the legal vampire executioners in the country, but on the personal front. No one seems to trust a woman who sleeps with the monsters. Still, when a vampire serial killer sends her a head from Las Vegas, Anita has to warn Sin City's local authorities what they're dealing with. Only it's worse than she thought. Several officers and one executioner have been slain - paranormal style...

Anita heads to Las Vegas, where she's joined by three other federal marshals, including the ruthless Edward hiding behind his mild-mannered persona. It's a good thing Edward always has her back, because, when she gets close to the bodies, Anita senses "tiger" too strongly to ignore it. The were-tigers are very powerful in Las Vegas, which means the odds of her rubbing someone important the wrong way just got a lot higher...

Share your teaser with me!

[Teaser Tuesday] January 5, 2021

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, originally hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger. Roots entrench themselves and branches grow. The task of breaking a bad habit is like uprooting a powerful oak within us. And the task of building a good habit is like cultivating a delicate flower one day at a time.

This teaser is from Atomic Habits by James Clear. This book is for people who want to create new good habits and unlearn bad habits.

No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day.
James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.

If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you'll get a proven system that can take you to new heights.

Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. Along the way, readers will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field.

Learn how to:
* make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy);
* overcome a lack of motivation and willpower;
* design your environment to make success easier;
* get back on track when you fall off course;
...and much more.

Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits--whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal.

Share your teaser with me!

[Teaser Tuesday] December 29, 2020

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, originally hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

Slowly the ranger turned in a circle. The wind whipped some of the long, silver-white hair across her face, but not enough to obscure her sharp sight. Almond-shaped eyes the color of purest sky blue drank in even the most minute shift of foliage, and the lengthy, pointed ears that rose from her thick hair could pick up even the sound of a butterfly landing on a nearby flower.

This teaser is from Day of the Dragon by Richard A. Knaak. This is the second story in the Warcraft series.

In the mist-shrouded haze of the past, the world of Azeroth teemed with wondrous creatures of every kind. Mysterious Elves and hardy Dwarves walked among tribes of man in relative peace and harmony -- until the arrival of the demonic army known as Burning Legion shattered the world's tranquility forever. Now Orcs, Dragons, Goblins, and Trolls all vie for supremacy over the scattered, warring kingdoms -- part of a grand, malevolent scheme that will determine the fate of the world of WarCraft.
A terrifying upheaval among the highest ranks of the world's Wizards sends the maverick Mage, Rhonin, on a perilous journey into the Orc-controlled lands of Khaz Modan. What Rhonin uncovers is a vast, far-reaching conspiracy, darker than anything he ever imagined -- a threat that will force him into a dangerous alliance with ancient creatures of air and re if the world of Azeroth is to see another dawn.

Share your teaser with me!

[Teaser Tuesday] October 10, 2017

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, originally hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

My sister and I will each share our teaser of the week with you below.

Gwenyth:

The athletic ass of my neighbour's smart-alek prodigal son was not what I wanted to see at seven a.m. Yet there he was, clad in tight red running shorts, sporting a grey-flecked two-day stubble, disappearing inside to fetch his mum, his very steps springing with excess energy. And there I was, feeling far from energetic, standing on Davina's dorrstep, wishing I hadn't knocked. Because the last time I'd seen that bum it was bare, jigging up and down atop the buxom curves of a naked British cabinet minister. Eight million views on YouTube, and counting.

This teaser is from Gone Tomorrow by Felicity Price. This is an intriguing romantic suspense novel featuring an older main character. I love this idea! Have you read an amazing romance lately? Let me know in the comments. I am always looking for recommendations.

Would you kill to save the ones you love? Penny Rushmore returns in a fast-paced sequel to two earlier bestsellers. Funny, entertaining, romantic, occasionally dark and filled with suspense, Gone Tomorrow is about an engagingly vulnerable New Zealand woman approaching retirement who feels too old to find love again, while rushing between the demands of an elderly father, a son caught in a terrible marriage, and a daughter who wants a supersize wedding. But then a beloved little girl goes missing. Penny joins the search with her cyber-fraud detective neighbor and follows the trail via the dark web to the Viagra smugglers of India, learning the hard way to make the most of today because it could all be gone tomorrow.

Ally:

But I whisper like a sea in the horse's ear and take a step back from the roving flashlights. One step away from all of them, one step toward the ocean.

This teaser is from The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater.

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.
At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

This is a fabulous book! Gwenyth has already read this. It may even be the focus of a future Sister vs Sister post! Maggie is a favourite author to both of us. Enjoy!

Share your teaser with us!

[Teaser Tuesday] October 3, 2017

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, originally hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

My sister and I will each share our teaser of the week with you below.

Gwenyth:

Lata surveyed the scene from the edge of the chaos. Her father-in-law had pulled some hefty strings to obtain this most coveted corner spot, where it should've been relatively quiet. Only it wasn't, thanks to her son's chubby-cheeked bride, who bawled so loudly Lata couldn't decide if she wanted to slap the child's face or pull her close. What kind of girl-child cried like that? As though she had the right to be heard?

This teaser is from A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev. It is the first book in the Bollywood series. This is one of the first romance books I have picked up in a long time, as research for my own romance novel in progress. Have you read an amazing romance lately? Let me know in the comments. I am always looking for recommendations.

Mili Rathod hasn’t seen her husband in twenty years—not since she was promised to him at the age of four. Yet marriage has allowed Mili a freedom rarely given to girls in her village. Her grandmother has even allowed her to leave India and study in America for eight months, all to make her the perfect modern wife. Which is exactly what Mili longs to be—if her husband would just come and claim her.

Bollywood’s favorite director, Samir Rathod, has come to Michigan to secure a divorce for his older brother. Persuading a naïve village girl to sign the papers should be easy for someone with Samir’s tabloid-famous charm. But Mili is neither a fool nor a gold-digger. Open-hearted yet complex, she’s trying to reconcile her independence with cherished traditions. And before he can stop himself, Samir is immersed in Mili’s life—cooking her dal and rotis, escorting her to her roommate’s elaborate Indian wedding, and wondering where his loyalties and happiness lie.

Heartfelt, witty, and thoroughly engaging, Sonali Dev’s debut is both a vivid exploration of modern India and a deeply honest story of love, in all its diversity.

Ally:

And suddenly Mason was Mason again. The armour of the Valkyrie was gone. But somewhere deep inside, she could feel the Valkyrie's rage, like still-burning coals glowing silently beneath the ashes of a banked fire. Waiting to spark to life again... So she could burn down the world.

This teaser is from Transcendent by Lesley Livingston. It is the third book in the Starling series.

LOVE CONQUERS

On a storm-swept terrace high above the streets of Manhattan, Mason Starling holds the fate of the world in her hands as her beloved Fennrys lies bleeding at her feet, his life hanging in the balance. The ancient Norse prophecy of Ragnarok stands poised on the knife edge of fulfillment. Mason’s transformation into a Valkyrie—a chooser of the slain and the one who will ultimately bring about the end of the world—is complete. Still, she remains determined to thwart her father’s apocalyptic desires. Whatever is to come, it won’t happen because of what the prophecy foretold, or what Gunnar Starling has planned, or what the fates have already decided. What happens next will be up to Mason and the Fennrys Wolf. The world had better hope they haven’t reached the limits of what their souls and swords can survive.

Perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series, and set in the same universe as Lesley Livingston’s much-loved WONDROUS STRANGE trilogy, with roots in Greek, Roman, Norse, Egyptian, and Celtic myths and legends, this thrilling conclusion to the acclaimed Starling trilogy is filled to the hilt with sweeping adventure and soaring romance.

This is an amazing series! Both of us have read the first two books and Gwenyth hopes to be able to read the final book in the series soon. It may even be the focus of a future Sister vs Sister post! We both highly recommend it, and anything by Lesley Livingston to be honest. Enjoy!

Share your teaser with us!

[Meme] Teaser Tuesday - How Beauty Saved the Beast by Jax Garren

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

Travis put a restraining hand on her arm. Jolie could've easily broken his hold, but she paused anyway for him to say, "Hauk will have my head if I let you do something stupid. So keep my head attached to my body. Stay in the car." Yup. Travis was her babysitter. Great.

This teaser is from How Beauty Saved the Beast by Jax Garren. It is the second book in the Tales of the Underlight series. I am kind of having a Jax Garren / Tales of the Underlight week on the Blog. A review for book one, How Beauty Met the Beast, will be up soon. Jax Garren makes a special stop here Friday to talk about the series, and then I will share my review of book two! Exciting right?

Jolie Benoit left her old life behind to become an agent of the Underlight. Training under Sergeant Wesley Haukon, she’s honing her combat skills, all the while coping with the intense sexual attraction she feels for Hauk. She keeps their friendship casual, but when his high school sweetheart transfers into their division, Jolie finds herself grappling with jealousy.

The Underlight gave Hauk a purpose, but he can’t escape his past completely. The physical and emotional scars from the fire that killed seven fellow Army Rangers will mark him forever. Jolie sends his protective instincts into overdrive, but he’s convinced he’ll never be worthy of her love.

Hauk is determined to keep Jolie from harm. But when the Order of Ananke ambushes them with a new weapon that neutralizes Hauk, making him vulnerable, it’s Jolie who must tap into her hidden strengths to rescue him—or risk losing him forever…

Share your teaser with me!

[Meme] Teaser Tuesday - The Archived by Victoria Schwab

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

"Close your eyes and picture this: a dark alley, just wide enough for you to spread your arms and skim the rough stone walls on either side with your fingers. You look up and see...nothing, just the walls running up and up into black."

This teaser is from The Archived by Victoria Schwab. It is the first book in The Archived series.

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often-violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous-it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da's death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.

Share your teaser with me!