Yvonne
This is a meme for all you ‘page surfers’ out there!
RELATIVE FORTUNES by MARLOWE BENN
TEASER TUESDAY LINES
KINDLE 52%
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“The brush of knuckles against her door woke Julia on the morning of her twenty-fifth birthday. Anticipated for years, the occasion now soured her throat even before she opened her eyes. She sat up, sending Mr. Arlen’s impossible novel to the floor for the absolute last time. Mrs. Cheadle knocked again and cracked open the door. At Julia’s mumble she placed a pot of coffee on the dressing table and returned a moment later with a dozen Claudius Pernet roses in a cut-crystal vase. The note relayed Philip’s good wishes and an invitation to meet him for champagne in the library at seven. Perfectly civil. As if his needless questions hadn’t already smashed her future to bits.
Julia had managed to avoid him since their encounter at the elevator a week ago. That evening she’d found a note balanced on her bedroom doorknob. Philip was a benevolent conqueror. He promised Julia’s financial arrangements would remain unchanged until the lawyers drew up permanent papers. (How could that take more than ten seconds? Zero was simplicity itself.) He also reiterated his intention to take her to dinner and the theatre on her birthday, a plan brokered last summer when it was clear Julia would have to celebrate the event in New York. The thought of such an outing now, when any celebrating would be his alone, was noxious, but he’d pressed the matter so relentlessly she’d finally agreed.”
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If you still need to know more, check out those all important opening lines at
Just to help you get those words into some context – check out the premise below.
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In 1920s New York, the price of a woman’s independence can be exorbitant—even fatal.
In 1924 Manhattan, women’s suffrage is old news. For sophisticated booklover Julia Kydd, life’s too short for politics. With her cropped hair and penchant for independent living, Julia wants only to launch her own new private press. But as a woman, Julia must fight for what’s hers—including the inheritance her estranged half brother, Philip, has challenged, putting her aspirations in jeopardy.
When her friend’s sister, Naomi Rankin, dies suddenly of an apparent suicide, Julia is shocked at the wealthy family’s indifference toward the ardent suffragist’s death. Naomi chose poverty and hardship over a submissive marriage and a husband’s control of her money. Now, her death suggests the struggle was more than she could bear.
Julia, however, is skeptical. Doubtful of her suspicions, Philip proposes a glib wager: if Julia can prove Naomi was in fact murdered, he’ll drop his claims to her wealth. Julia soon discovers Naomi’s life was as turbulent and enigmatic as her death. And as she gets closer to the truth, Julia sees there’s much more at stake than her inheritance…
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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by:-
Ambrosia at ‘The Purple Booker‘.
Each week she shares her own teaser lines and invites other bloggers to do the same. So if you have a few moments, why not stop by and see what’s on offer this time, after all, you never know where that next great read is going to come from!
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I do admit to being intrigued by this story. I remember when you featured it before being curious about the circumstances surrounding the lead character’s money situation. I look forward to your final review of it… and whether you’ll be anxious to move on to the next in the series!
Hi Kelly,
I shall definitely be moving on to the next book in the series, just as soon as I have a slot in my reading schedule.
This was very much a story written in the same excellent vein as an Agatha Christie novel. Very reminiscent of a ‘Tommy and Tuppence’ style of narrative and dialogue, with that particular series having been successfully adapted for television over here.
My review is presently due on July 9th, unless any scheduled Blog Tours come my way, when that may be subject to change!
Nothing too deep and meaningful, but a good amateur detective storyline, with an easy to connect with main protagonist in Julia Kydd!