LET’S CURL UP WITH “TRUE BLEND”: INTROS/TEASERS

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by Should Be Reading.

Today’s featured book is one I’m reviewing for the author, and since I have enjoyed her previous books, I am definitely looking forward to this one.  True Blend, by Joanne DeMaio, is a compelling love story where truth is veiled by secrets.

Intro:  The wishing fountain sprays silver water droplets arching high above it, looking like liquid stars.  Grace wants to toss in a coin, eager to watch it loll back and forth down through the water until it settles with the other coins below.  In that pool of shimmering wishes, small hopes and secrets are gathered together.  Amy lifts her onto the low stone wall circling the fountain and wraps her arms around her daughter’s waist.  She bends, her mouth near Grace’s ear, her breath tickling loose wisps of hair.  Her fingers find Grace’s palm and press a penny into it.  “Make a wish,” she softly says.  There is only the sound of falling water then as Grace drops the penny in, silently captivated by its descent, and Amy wonders what she might wish for, if she even knows what a wish is.

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Teaser:  Finally Amy moves to the kitchen, picks up a knife and begins slicing celery at the counter.  She slices only half a stalk before setting the knife down and turning to pull a bottle of Scotch from the high cabinet.  (p. 51)

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Amazon Description:  Vintage bridal shop owner Amy Trewist thinks she’ll never recover her quiet life at her beloved farmhouse on an old country road. Not after her two-year-old daughter Grace is kidnapped in an elaborate crime. On one clear morning, in mere minutes, Grace is gone and Amy’s world spins into a heartbreaking new place.

George Carbone often spends easy time with his brother. Whether at a ballgame or taking a day trip, it’s how they connect. Until one sunny day when the trip is to a bank parking lot and George is drawn into a crime he never sees coming. And into a stricken mother’s life he cannot ignore.

In a summer that simmers with the unsolved crime, George is haunted by a bankroll hidden behind kitchen tiles, by a brother who dragged him into this, and by a father who instilled in him a conscience. A conscience challenged when a young child and beautiful woman crossed paths with him and unexpectedly took hold of his heart.

Set among the red barns, lush cornfields and sparkling wishing fountain of Addison, Connecticut, True Blend is a captivating novel that steals your heart and does not let go. Because like the lace wedding gowns hanging on Amy’s clothesline, waltzing in the summer breeze, love and secrets twist and spin together in their own mesmerizing dance.

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What do you think?  Do you want to know more?  Come on by and share your thoughts…and your links.

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