Friday Fun - January 6, 2023

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with two different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays and the Friday 56.

This week I have three books to share with you. 

I had participated in a Christmas gift exchange in one of my groups last month. One day I realized the person I sent gifts to, Julie Bonn Blank, was an author. I read the description for her book Innocent Lives and thought it sounded like something I would enjoy. I will say, I did enjoy it, but it is a very hard subject, and it does get a bit more descriptive than I thought it was going to get, knowing the author was a Christian. But, it wasn't overly descriptive. It is a series about trafficking, and this first book includes scenes of abuse of different kinds. 

And because she is a new-to-me author, this book counts for one of my January reading challenges. 

       

I also read the second book in the Guardians of Grace series by Julie Bonn Blank, Innocent Voices. This book didn't have as many scenes of abuse, which I was thankful for. I enjoyed being able to continue the story of characters from the first book while getting to know new characters. The bummer is, it ends on a cliffhanger and the third book isn't out yet. 

I also started another book for one of my other reading challenges. I needed a book with "a" or "the" in the title from off of my bookshelf. I had won Taken in the Night by Elizabeth Goddard a while back and have really been wanting to read it. I'm about halfway through and it is quite fast paced and has lots of action and suspense. 

              Book Beginnings on Fridays

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

Here is my book beginnings for Innocent Lives by Julie Bonn Blank:

"They were no longer children, and finally allowed real fun. 
Thursday at 7:00PM, Cienna and Jasmine's dads, Jimmy and Ken, still wiped off the occasional sweat drop from their foreheads and Mari, Jasmine's mom, complained about her flushed cheeks as she gathered her hair into a ponytail. 'One of those days!' She grabbed a park brochure off the picnic table to fan herself. 'You should get going!' She waved at the girls. 'Back before dark, please."

Knowing what the story was going to be about, I had a feeling they weren't going to be back before dark. Sadly. 

And here is my book beginnings for Innocent Voices by Julie Bonn Blank:

"Jem glanced at Mom on the ratty couch. Mom trembled. Thank goodness she could help. Mom sweated - her face red. Jem pulled her earbuds out and set down her book. The song became a tiny sound. 'Maybe you should lay down.'"

I was figuring this was probably a case of a mom who was a druggie and a neglected child, or something like that. I wasn't sure if Jem was going to get kidnapped like the girls in the first book or not. 

Finally, here is my book beginnings for Taken in the Night by Elizabeth Goddard:

"Small campfires glowed in the darkness, dotting the campground as Danielle Collins drove five miles per hour along the curvy, paved road. Her window down, she listened to subdued voices murmuring here and there as she passed campsite after campsite searching for her brother's flashy Tesla, which would definitely stand out."

Seemed like a nice little outing, but from the cover and the book description I knew it wasn't going to remain nice for long.

Now for:

The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is hosted over at Freda's Voice.

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here are my Friday 56 selections.

Innocent Lives by Julie Bonn Blank:
 

"Amber laughed into her pillow. 'Don't be dumb. You'll probably forget lots of things in the next few months. But really it's better to not remember too much.'

Long after Amber fell asleep, Jasmine puzzled over her roommate's words."

Innocent Voices by Julie Bonn Blank:

"Jem felt weak and overwhelmed. She headed to a large rock near the water, within hearing distance should Jade awake. 'I just want Jade to be warm and safe. And to find Grandma.' She mumbled as she sat."

Taken in the Night by Elizabeth Goddard:

"'Wait here,' he whispered. Though he believed the house was safe - after all, it was supposed to be a safe house - he wouldn't presume that to be truth, and he quickly cleared it, turning on lights as he went."