Friday Fun - March 20, 2026

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

This week I have two books and a short story to share with you.

I am rereading the Holly series by C.C. Warrens in anticipation of reading her newest book that releases this May, Crossbones. I zinged through Criss Cross.

Then I read the short story, Winter Memorial by C.C.Warrens, which I had actually not read previously. 

I'm currently reading book two, Cross Fire.

        Book Beginnings on Friday    

 

(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.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join Carrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selections:

 Criss Cross by C.C. Warrens:

"The ominous sound of something scraping across the cement behind me raised the hairs on the back of my neck."

Well, that got my attention. Definitely sets the tone.

Winter Memorial by C.C. Warrens:

"Life is a temporary gift - a fragile, fleeting moment in time."

Truth.

Cross Fire by C.C. Warrens:

"The aroma of sweat and coconut shampoo filled the room, bringing to mind a tropical sweat lodge."

A bit of a different first sentence than book one. I was curious why she was focusing on the scent and where exactly she was.

Now for:

The Friday 56 

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

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:

Criss Cross by C.C. Warrens:

"'And then there's the matter of the young woman covered in blood.'

'What young woman?' Detective Marx demanded.

'She's approximately five-one, red hair, brown eyes,' the man explained.

'You've got to be kiddin' me,' Detective Marx groaned. 'Is she all right?'"

Winter Memorial by C.C. Warrens:

"'I was so scared I just ran home and hid in my room. My Grams would be so disappointed if she knew.'

A disappointed Grandmother would be the least of his problems, but Sam didn't mention that at the moment. 'Tell me about the other guys.'"

Cross Fire by C.C. Warrens:

"'Look, Holly,' he began, his voice low and gentle. 'I realize that talkin' about the man who hurt you is painful. I've also learned that when you're scared or hurt, your defenses come up. But you don't need to hide behind those defenses with me.'

I stared into my hot chocolate.

'I promise you, sweetheart, I will put that man behind bars or in the ground if it's the last thing I do, but I need to know who I'm dealin' with.'"

Reviews:

Last week I shared two books in my Friday fun post. I'm still reading the one book, but here is the link to the other review:

Reign Breaker by J.J. Fischer