Shelter Us - First Chapter / First Paragraph and Teaser Tuesday

Shelter Us is the story of a woman whose daughter died at the age of six weeks. Now, several years later, the mother of two preschool sons is still overwhelmed by her daughter's death and barely functioning. When she becomes obsessed with a young homeless woman and her baby, her life changes, and her marriage is in jeopardy.

I was hesitant to read this book, mainly because it involves the death of a child, but I'm glad I stayed with it. It was nicely written and edited, and the story was compelling. The author takes her readers deep inside her character, and the plot will stay with me for a long time.



First Paragraph:
     This Ferris wheel revolves faster than I remember. It was Robert's idea to come tonight. "A great way to say good-bye to the old year -- right kiddos?" Oliver and Izzy jumped up and down, squealing their agreement. There was no saying no. And so we ride.

Teaser from 11% on my Kindle (three sentences, instead of two):
True, I didn't plan on being a full-time mom, didn't expect my maternity leave to end in an abrupt resignation. But now that I have them, I wouldn't give up these days with my children, no matter how trying of my nerves and patience they can be. I should remember this feeling the next time Izzy throws a fit because I've sliced his sandwich the wrong way, or when I envy Robert's pristine law-school setting, where the young people in his charge respect his opinion, listen to every word--take notes, for Chrissake--and let him use the bathroom in private.

Amazon Link: Shelter Us
Length: 246 Pages
Genre: Women's Fiction

Synopsis:
     Lawyer-turned-stay-at-home mom Sarah Shaw is struggling to keep it together for her two young sons and law professor husband. Since the death of their infant daughter, her husband has been buried in his career, her friendships have withered, and Sarah remains lost in a private world of grief. Then one day walking in L.A., Sarah’s heart catches at the sight of a young homeless woman pushing a baby in a stroller—and saving them becomes her obsessive mission. An unlikely bond grows between Sarah and the young mother, Josie. When tragedy threatens Josie, Sarah discovers that she is capable of deceptions and transgressions she never imagined. Her lies unleash a downward spiral that will threaten her marriage, family and her sanity.
     Shelter Us speaks to the quiet joys and anxieties of parenthood and illuminates a place all parents know: that shadowy space between unconditional love and fear of unbearable loss.

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you're reading. No spoilers, please!

Link at ADailyRhythm.com

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.

Link at BibliophileByTheSea

Loving Chloe - Teaser Tuesday

Back in February, I read and thoroughly enjoyed HANK AND CHLOE and featured the book on my blog (here). So when a friend asked if I'd like to borrow her copy of the sequel, I jumped at the chance. Although LOVING CHLOE stands alone, I recommend reading HANK AND CHLOE first, mainly because the characters are so interesting, as are their stories. The Arizona setting and Native American connections are essential to both books and give them added meaning and depth. 

Here's my Teaser from Page 121.
Was the baby all right? She tried to remember if it had cried, but of the birth in the Johnsons' living room she recalled only bits and pieces: Corrine's soothing voice, her hand on Chloe's calf, the television on some game show, Hank's face pressed close to her own, as she struggled to push out of her body what felt like a full-grown horse.

Genre: Contemporary Women's Fiction
Length: 347 Pages (Trade Paperback)
Amazon Link: Loving Chloe

Synopsis from Goodreads:
When thirty-four-year-old Chloe Morgan appears on Hank Oliver's doorstep in Cameron, Arizona, she arrives with more than her old white German shepherd, Hannah, and a rambunctious young horse in tow. Chloe is pregnant with Hank's child, and she's as tough-talking and vulnerable, skittish and tender as when last we saw her in Jo-Ann Mapson's acclaimed first novel, Hank & Chloe. As Chloe and Hank settle somewhat uneasily into domesticity, a local Navajo legend named Junior Whitebear returns home to collect his father's ashes and renew his own spirit after years spent in the art-world fast lane. When Junior arrives at the reservation, he doesn't expect to find a son he fathered unwittingly nine years ago; nor is he looking to fall in love with Chloe and to deliver her baby girl. Both events change his life, and the lives of those around him, forever. A passionate love story, Loving Chloe explores the emotional complexity of a love triangle with sympathy, humor, and compassion.

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 and author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers
• Leave a comment on MizB's Teaser Tuesday post (HERE) and include your link so everyone can find your post.

Peace by Piece - Teaser Tuesday

Rather than post two random sentences for Teaser Tuesday, I like to select an excerpt that tells about the book's plot or characters or that showcases the author's writing. With Peace by Piece this was hard to do because there were too many good passages to choose from! Carol Fragale Brill did a marvelous job of getting inside the head of a woman suffering from anorexia/bulimia. She has crafted a touching and meaningful story that gripped me from Page 1.

Here are two sentences from 
3% on my Kindle:
From time to time, Lilly asks me about him: about why I never talk about him, about how she can count on one hand the times she has heard me speak his name in the last five years. Her question always seems to hit me out of nowhere, as if I ran smack into a sliding glass door, and I am numb and achy at the same time.

Genre: Women's Fiction/Romance
Number of Pages: 369
Amazon Link: Peace by Piece

Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:
     Peace by Piece deals with unshakable first love, family, relationships, the difficulties of being a stepparent—all shadowed by the curse of anorexia/bulimia. 
     Six years after fleeing college and Thomas’s betrayal, Maggie has nearly given up on love. 
     Enter Izzie, a motherless eight year old, and every maternal instinct kicks-in. With Donald, Izzie’s dad, Maggie waits for the thrill—for anything magic: a spark, a quickening, a quiver racing up her spine. The magic never comes, but it is precisely the ordinariness of his kisses and subsequent proposal that make her feel safe. She imagines that loving Izzie is enough to finally lock Thomas out of her heart. 

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!

Here's the link to join in: Teaser Tuesday

Book Beginnings and Friday 56: Fly or Fall

FLY OR FALL is the third book I've read by author and artist Gilli Allan (the others are TORN and LIFE CLASS). I've enjoyed them all. They take place in England and feature real adult women. A blurb on Amazon says: Gilli Allan writes unconventional romantic fiction for grown-ups.


Here are excerpts from FLY OR FALL:



Book Beginnings on Friday (hosted by Rose City Reader): 
     The cartoon rabbit ran straight off the edge of the cliff. He hung, oblivious to his predicament, feet pedalling the empty air. There was a snigger, halfway between laughter and derision, from the twins.
     Perhaps belief is everything, I thought. If you believe you're still on the same level, that life hasn't changed, you won't see the void which has opened beneath your feet.

Friday 56 (hosted by Freda's Voice):
A rush of red suffused my vision. Legs, suddenly made of water, folded beneath me. I sat down heavily. My world had just fallen apart and Trevor was calmly watching cricket.
(at 56% on my Kindle)

Genre: Contemporary Women's Fiction / Romance
Number of Pages: 413
Amazon Link: FLY OR FALL
   

êêêê

Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings and Friday 56. 

   Click here to connect to other Book Beginnings posts 

   (sponsored by Rose City Reader.)

   Find other Friday 56 bloggers here 
   (sponsored by Freda's Voice).