Monday, January 9, 2017

Moonrise - #TeaserTuesday and First Chapter / First Paragraph / Tuesday Intros

I stopped by the library recently to return some books and browsed the stacks. That's when I found Moonrise by Cassandra King. I grabbed it! Several years ago I read The Same Sweet Girls and loved King's writing. Now I'm wondering why I haven't read all her books. 
     Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the book is told through the eyes of three different characters: a society insider (Tansy), a local woman who works for the summer people (Willa), and a newcomer (Helen) who's trying to fit in. The book deals with love, loyalty, intrigue, and obsession. FYI: Moonrise is the name of the mansion where much of the action takes place. It was named after the estate's gardens where night-blooming plants grow. Readers who enjoyed Daphne de Maurier's Rebecca will love this story.


First Paragraph: (FYI: Helen is the newcomer to Moonrise)
Helen
Moon Gardens
     I sit up with a start, my heart pounding. A noise like a scraping of a chair against the wooden floor wakes me, and for a brief moment, I have no idea where I am. The fire has died out, and a melancholy whiff of woodsmoke lingers in the cool air. Woodsmoke and something else, like the pungent aroma of sage. Pushing aside the crocheted coverlet, I swing my legs over the side of the bed, a bed so high that my feet barely touch the floor. I wait for a minute and listen for the noise again, but the room is quiet and still. The only sound is the soft snoring of my husband, who always sleeps like the dead. His back is turned my way, and I watch the gentle rise and fall of his bare shoulders. He is not one to be disturbed by things that go bump in the night.

Teaser #1: (FYI: I couldn't resist posting two Teasers):
Willa (the local woman)
     I can't think of a blame reason for me to be so nervous, but I know what Momma'd say if she was still here. If you don't feel right about doing something, then you'd best stop and ask yourself how come. Could the Lord be trying to tell you to think twice?

Teaser #2:
Tansy (the society insider)
     Like most Southern women, I was raised to ingratiate myself. Speaking one's mind was unheard of in a well-bred lady of my generation, as was having an unlady-like opinion. As Noel constantly reminds me, I flunked out of -- or was kicked out of -- that course, yet I still can't bring myself to tell Kit what I think of her newly remodeled house.

Genre: Romance / Gothic 
Amazon link: Moonrise
Book Length: 400 Pages
Website: Cassandra King

Synopsis:
When Helen Honeycutt falls in love with Emmet Justice, a charismatic television journalist who has recently lost his wife in a tragic accident, their sudden marriage creates a rift between her new husband and his oldest friends, who resent Helen’s intrusion into their tightly knit circle. Hoping to mend fences, the newlyweds join the group for a summer at his late wife’s family home in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Helen soon falls under the spell not only of the little mountain town and its inhabitants, but also of Moonrise, her predecessor’s Victorian mansion, named for its unique but now sadly neglected nocturnal gardens. But the harder Helen tries to fit in, the more obvious it is that she will never measure up to the woman she replaced. Someone is clearly determined to drive her away, but who wants her gone, and why? As Emmet grows more remote, Helen reaches out to the others in the group, only to find that she can’t trust anyone. When she stumbles on the secret behind her predecessor’s untimely death, Helen must decide if she can ever trust—or love—again.

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by The PurpleBooker. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you're reading. No spoilers, please! List the author and book title too.
Link up HERE
First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is hosted by Bibliophile By The Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or a few) from a book you're reading or thinking about reading soon.




28 comments:

  1. This one does look really promising. Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

    Sandra, I have a big favor to ask! I know that you create your comment links with code...and I had a page of samples that accidentally got deleted. Can you send me a sample, please? I should have memorized how to do it...but sadly, no.

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  2. Laurel-Rain: I'll send you a PM via Facebook. I can't remember the HTML either, so I copy and paste over and over again.

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  3. this sounds like a great read - I particularly liked the melancholy whiff of smoke - the synopsis sounds like something I'd enjoy too.

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  4. I'm sensing your enthusiasm for this author. I just checked my library's web catalog and learned they have about eight of Cassandra King's novels. I'm getting one to try. Thanks for your suggestion.

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  5. Rebecca has always freaked me out ... but in such a good way! Now I'll have to look this up!

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  6. I love the sound of this one - well, REBECCA is a great favorite of mine. And I do know that Cassandra King is the wife of the late Pat Conroy. I'm going to check and see if my library has her books. Bet they do.

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  7. I've enjoyed Rebecca's books so this could be a good one for me. YOu've got me curious about the characters already.

    My TT from Carpe Bead'em

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  8. Looks good. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

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  9. The setting alone makes me want to read! I really want to plan a trip to the Smoky Mountains and that area. Moonrise sounds like such a beautiful place. The synopsis sucked me in, though. I would definitely want to keep reading!

    https://girlof1000wonders.wordpress.com/2017/01/10/tuesday-teaser-intro-somebody-like-you/

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  10. The introduction didn't grab me, but the teasers did, as well as your comment of people who enjoyed Rebecca would like this one. I hope you enjoy!

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  11. I read this book and liked it, but didn't love it as much as a couple of her others ones. Hope it is a great read for you.

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  12. Nise: My favorite book by this author is The Same Sweet Girls, but I enjoyed this book a lot, too.

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  13. Oh, this one grabs my attention. I'd keep reading, for sure, if only to find out what kind of new wife goes to the late wife's home with her new husband. Not a good beginning. Very intriguing premise. Here's my link for this week: http://wp.me/p4DMf0-1rl

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  14. Rebecca is a favorite of mine, and I love the Blue Ridge Mountains! Yes, I would give it a try!

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  15. I'm not sure about the intro but I do like Rebecca plus you sound so enthusiastic so I may try it.

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  16. It sounds like 'Rebecca' with a Southern flavour:). I hope you're enjoying it. Many thanks for swinging by earlier and have a great reading week, Sandra:)

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  17. This sounds like something I need to check out. Thank you for sharing! Here's my teaser: Starling by Lesley Livingston

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  18. Nice teasers! Totally new to me one! Thanks for visiting my blog!

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  19. I'd have to continue reading to see if the noise had really been something or what?

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  20. I agree with others -- I'm curious: did she hear something or just dream it?

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  21. I like this author and have added this to my list. Enjoy!

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  22. Not my usual reading, but sometimes I venture outside my areas of interest, especially when geographic surroundings are well described, which seems the case here. Thanks for sharing.

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  23. It's been a while since I've read a good gothic romance. This one sounds intriguing. I especially like the idea that it's set in the South. I would definitely read on to see what happens next. Thanks for coming by and sharing it.

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  24. This sounds like a great book! I'm not familiar with Cassandra King, but your post has intrigued me. I think I'll give her a try at some point.

    I'm planning to read Rebeeca sometime this year.

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  25. Some pretty awesome teasers! I'm glad that I didn't grow up in the South because I am not one who cares about that kind of thing, I would've flunked out, too! Great teasers! Thanks for stopping by! Happy reading!

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