Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Teaser Tuesday/First Chapter First Paragraph


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. 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 & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!



The Agincourt Bride by Joanna Hickson tells the story of Catherine of Valois, a Princess of France who eventually married Henry V of England.  Catherine was as much a pawn as a princess, to be used to further the cause of France.  One of the queen's lovers, the powerful Duke of Burgundy, was busy solidifying his position by marrying off the princes and princesses to relatives of his.  But his designs on Catherine were of a more sinister nature.

I invite you to return to the back porch tomorrow for my review of this book.

There was no other interaction between them, for Catherine's way of preserving her sanity was to withhold all communication ... Somehow while the devil was with her, she managed to keep control but, afterwards, anguish flowed from her like wine from a split barrel.

~~~oOo~~~


Every Tuesday, Bibliophile by the Sea hosts the First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where readers share the first paragraph or (a few) of a book s/he is reading or thinking about reading soon. Care to join us?



In Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy:  Four Women Undercover in the Civil War, Karen Abbott illuminates one of the most fascinating yet little known aspects of the Civil War: the stories of four courageous women—a socialite, a farmgirl, an abolitionist, and a widow—who were spies.

I'll be reviewing this book a week from Wednesday, on October 10, 2014.
In the town of Martinsburg (VA) on the lower tip of the (Shenandoah) Valley, a seventeen-year-old rebel named Belle Boyd sat by the windows of her wood-frame home, waiting for the war to come to her.  It was July 4 and the war was still new, only two and a half months old, but Belle - known by one young rival as "the fastest girl in Virginia or anywhere else for that matter" - had long been accustomed to things operating on her schedule, and at her whim.
~~~oOo~~~

These books both tell stories about actual historical events, but are eminently readable.

20 comments:

  1. I enjoyed the teaser more but the opener is good too.
    Hope September brings you blessings, LuAnn.

    Kay

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    1. I totally understand that, Kay. Catherine had little say in what happened to her, whereas the ladies of the second book chose to do what they did. I hope you have a great September too! :O)

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  2. WOW, that is quite an intro, I think I would read more. I hadn't seen that book around before. Thanks for joining us this week.

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    1. Thanks, Diane. And thank YOU for having such a fabulous meme! :O) There is a tour going on...or shortly to start with Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy.

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  3. I really like the first book. The way her anguish is described is really moving. Thanks for sharing both books.

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    1. Thank you for visiting and commenting, Tea! I'd like to have been a killer bee on the wall and stung the you-know-what out of that Duke!

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  4. Both sound like good reads--thanks for sharing them.

    My Tuesday post: http://www.bookclublibrarian.com/2014/09/first-chapter-first-paragraph-74-and.html

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    1. As does yours, Catherine! I'm salivating (but NOT on the book! *lol*) from the description on your blog! :O)

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  5. Both excerpts pique my curiosity...now I definitely want to know more! Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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    1. Thanks, Laurel! Sometimes it is a bit of a struggle to find the 'right' quote. :O)

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  6. Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy sounds interesting! I might be tempted to read it.

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  7. Since I enjoy stories based on history, I'm intrigued by both these books. GREAT beginnings!
    Thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment.
    Sandy @ Texas Twang.

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  8. I just finished The Agincourt Bride last week! My review will be up Thursday! And Liar, Soldier, Temptress, Spy is on my list. I'll watch for your reviews!
    Today I'm featuring The Girl Who Came Home.

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  9. I've been looking forward to this book also! And I love the intro...Belle sounds like a firecracker!
    Thanks for stopping by today!

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  10. Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy sounds like a really interesting book! I'll have to keep my eye on it :) But the descriptions in 'The Agincourt Bride' are really good as well! Thanks for sharing :) hope you have a great week!
    My Tuesday post
    Juli @ Universe in Words

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  11. I prefer the cover for the first and the teaser for the latter. :-) Both sound interesting though.

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  12. Looks like an interesting read! I just read a book by Neil Gaiman, but I returned it to the library...

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  13. The opening paragraph grabbed me. I can imagine how the woman feels as she waits for a war to come her way.

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  14. The Civil War one is right up my alley. Enjoy.

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  15. I'd really like to read the second book. I've read two other books of the same subject, one was actually true stories that have been collected over the years. The whole subject is simply fascinating. Enjoy your books. kelley—the road goes ever ever on

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