Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.
Today’s feature is a recent download: The Roanoke Girls, by Amy Engel, shocks and tantalizes, twisting its way through revelation after mesmerizing revelation, exploring the secrets families keep and the fierce and terrible love that both binds them together and rips them apart.
Intro: (Prologue)
The first time I saw Roanoke was in a dream. I knew little of it beyond its name and the fact it was in Kansas, a place I had never been. My mother only ever mentioned it when she’d had too much wine, her breath turned sweet and her words slow and syrupy like molasses. So my subconscious filled in the rest. In my dream it stood tall and stately, tucked among a forest of spring-green trees. Its red-brick facade was broken up by black shutters, white trim, delicate wrought-iron balconies. A little girl’s fantasy of a princess castle.
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Teaser: I ease the list out from underneath its magnet without really knowing why. It feels like the closest I’ve gotten to Allegra since I’ve been back, as if her essence is embedded in this forgotten scrap of paper, and I don’t trust Sharon to keep it safe. I flip the paper over, hoping, maybe, for some more personal message. But it’s just a drugstore receipt from Parsons, a larger town about forty-five minutes from Osage Flats (p. 56).
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Synopsis: “Roanoke girls never last long around here. In the end, we either run or we die.”
After her mother’s suicide, fifteen year-old Lane Roanoke came to live with her grandparents and fireball cousin, Allegra, on their vast estate in rural Kansas. Lane knew little of her mother’s mysterious family, but she quickly embraced life as one of the rich and beautiful Roanoke girls. But when she discovered the dark truth at the heart of the family, she ran…fast and far away.
Eleven years later, Lane is adrift in Los Angeles when her grandfather calls to tell her Allegra has gone missing. Did she run too? Or something worse? Unable to resist his pleas, Lane returns to help search, and to ease her guilt at having left Allegra behind. Her homecoming may mean a second chance with the boyfriend whose heart she broke that long ago summer. But it also means facing the devastating secret that made her flee, one she may not be strong enough to run from again.
As it weaves between Lane’s first Roanoke summer and her return, The Roanoke Girls shocks and tantalizes, twisting its way through revelation after mesmerizing revelation, exploring the secrets families keep and the fierce and terrible love that both binds them together and rips them apart.
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What do you think? Do you want to keep reading?
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It’s odd because this is exactly the kind of book I’m usually drawn to but I haven’t felt the compulsion to read it – perhaps because I’ve gleaned too much of the underlying story from all the reviews… I do hope you enjoy it Laurel.
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Thanks, Cleo, and I am hoping to love it…and I’ve tried to avoid most reviews. That’s a challenge, though, isn’t it?
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I’m a lot like Cleo with this one. I’ve read so much about it, it feels like I’ve already read it! Maybe some day I’ll actually do so …
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Thanks for visiting, Karen, and I hope to be captivated by this book. Enjoy your pick.
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I do like family secrets! I would read on…
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Yes, secrets are my Kryptonite, Harvee…LOL. Thanks for stopping by!
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This book has been sitting on my shelf for a while now. Every time I walk past it, it calls to me. Now that you’ve featured it, you’ve given me all the incentive I need to actually take it off the shelf. Glad to hear you’re enjoying it.
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I’ve had it for about a month or so….which is why I am going to read it now! Hopefully in the next day or two. Thanks for stopping by, Catherine, and enjoy yours!
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I’m surprised I don’t have this one in my “girls” TBR pile! It sounds like something I would like to read. Thank you for sharing, Laurel-Rain. I hope you are enjoying your week.
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Thanks for visiting, Wendy, and I remember all the “girls” books I read last year. Now I have a lot with the word “widow” in the title…LOL
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Wow, this sounds excellent. It’s new to me, but I’m interested in reading this one.
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Thanks, Margot, I’m hoping to really love it!
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I like the opening, and I like the sound of this book. I would definitely keep reading!
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Thanks, Monica, I think I am going to enjoy it. Glad you could stop by.
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I enjoyed this one. It was a “girls” read for me too. I read it right after finishing Beautiful Broken Girls.
My TT from Grilled, Chilled and Killed
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Thanks, Laura, glad you enjoyed it…I’ve liked a couple of Lesley Diehl’s books, so Grilled, Chilled and Killed is tempting me.
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This one is on my list, I hope you like it. The intro makes me want to read more.
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Thanks for hosting and for visiting, Diane…I am looking forward to it. I thought I would be reading it already, but got sidetracked by one of my hardcover books that has been staring at me from the stack on my coffee table. LOL. Soon!
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This one is on my list, so I’ll keep an eye out for your review. Hope you love it!
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I hope so, too, JoAnn…thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your reading.
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I haven’t heard of this one. It sounds deliciously dark. I hope you enjoy it. Happy reading.
My teaser here in case you want to visit: http://nishitak.com/2017/04/25/teaser-tuesdays-the-husbands-secret/
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Thanks for stopping by, Nishita….I am excited about finally starting this one. Enjoy your pick!
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I’m really hoping that I’ll get the chance to read this soon. I got a copy last month, I just need to get around to it!
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Thanks for visiting, Kourtni, and I can definitely relate to trying to “get around to” books we’ve purchased. I know I should slow down adding to my stacks, but I haven’t managed to cut back. I think I bought fewer books in the past two months, but I still bought a lot. LOL.
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Hahaha, same here! Every month I tell myself I’m not going to buy more books but I’ve yet to actually follow through on that 😛
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