Thursday, November 21, 2019

Book Beginnings + Friday 56: Christmas at Whitefriars by Elizabeth Camden

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading. Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice and asks you to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and share a non-spoilery sentence or two.

This week I'm featuring Christmas at Whitefriars by Elizabeth Camden. I know it's probably still a little too early for Christmas stories but when a favorite author releases a new book, I can't resist diving into it as soon as possible.

About the Book
Mary Beckwith lives in a magnificent English castle during the twilight years of the gilded age. With the help of an American millionaire, she has succeeded in renovating her beloved Whitefriars castle into a splendid estate just in time for Christmas.

From across the ocean, millionaire Everett Wooten has spent a fortune propping up Whitefriars to add modern conveniences and rebuild crumbling old walls. Even though he’s never met Mary, they have enjoyed a lively business correspondence over the nine years they have been working toward a renovation. Now he has finally come to see Mary and the castle in person, but nothing is as he was led to believe.

Mary and Everett try to find a way forward, but red-blooded American entrepreneurship doesn’t always mingle with blue-blooded English tradition. Can a Manhattan business tycoon and an English lady come to an accord, or will their joint venture in Whitefriars result in heartbreak for them both?

Book Beginning
"Are you sure you want me to do this?" Nick asked as he prepared to fuse the pipe joints. "As soon as I solder this pipe in, there's no turning back. The tower will get hot water, and your washroom gets nothing. We can't heat both."

Friday 56
This was going to be a disaster.

Hosted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer

Excluding the Bible, name one book that makes you feel thankful and happy.

Hmmm... that's a tough one. There's so many different ways to answer this question. Do I pick a favorite book that I go back to time and time again? (Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder) Do I pick a historical book where I learned something and am so thankful to the real-life heroes of that time? (Pretty much any Sarah Sundin/WWII-era novel.) Do I pick one of the first books I remember that sparked my love of reading? (The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, The Story of the Tower of Babel: An Alice in Bibleland Storybook) Maybe I'll just pick 'em all. :D


What have you been reading lately?

16 comments:

  1. Christmas at Whitefriars looks interesting. I like the quotes.

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    1. It was so good! Thanks for stopping by, Breana! :)

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  2. Yay for a wonderful Christmas read! I need to know what was going to be a disaster. I hope that you enjoy this one. :)

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    1. It's the perfect read to get in the holiday spirit. Thanks for coming by! :)

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  3. Love that cover. Sounds like a great holiday read! I added you to the linky. Happy American Thanksgiving weekend!

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    1. Thanks for adding me, Freda! I appreciate it! Happy weekend! :)

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  4. I wasn't sure how to answer the "thankful" part of this week's BBH question: your answer about what thankful could mean was great. :-)
    I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend, Ashley. Here's my BBH Post
    Flora x

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    1. It was a struggle for me. I stared at my computer screen for so long trying to think of something to say, lol. Thanks for visiting, Flora! :)

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  5. I hope you'll enjoy this new book by one of your favourite authors. I think lots of people are already getting into the Xmas stuff, so you are not alone.

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    1. I've tried to wait until December to start reading Christmas books, but there's been a couple I just couldn't wait that long for. Thanks for coming by, Nicki! :)

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  6. I am bound and determined to read a Christmas book this Christmas season. Hope you enjoy yours. My Friday quotes

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    1. It was great! Hope you get a chance to read a Christmas book. Thanks for the visit, Anne! :)

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  7. Looks like it's perfect for this time of year. :)

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  8. It's not at all too early for Christmas! I'm glad you featured this one. I've read a few holiday themed books recently myself. :-) There are so many books to be grateful for, aren't there? I love your answer. And I really do need to read Poison Study . . . Have a great weekend!

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    1. I can never get enough Christmas books this time of year. It's just a struggle trying to fit them all in, lol. Hope you have a great rest of the week. Happy Thanksgiving! :)

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