The Book Bag: Night Music

Showing posts with label Night Music. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Release Day! Night Music by Deanna Lynn Sletten and a Giveaway!

Happy Release Day!!

36297829

Night Music

Night Music: A Novel by Deanna Lynn Sletten
Print and e-book, 251 pages
Published: March 13th 2018 by Deanna Lynn Sletten

Charlotte Parsons is devastated over losing her brother in the Vietnam War. Desperate to learn more about the war, she joins a group of college women who send letters to soldiers and befriends Joseph Russo, a young soldier. But a few months after they begin corresponding, his letters stop coming, and Char moves on, still confused as to why so many young lives are being lost so far away from home.

Two years later, Char begins college in her small Illinois town of Grand Falls. She’s been dating her brother’s long-time best friend, Deke Masterson, who is a senior in college and is deep into the anti-war movement. Char isn’t sure how she feels about the war. Then a stranger comes to town and changes everything.

Joseph Russo served in the Vietnam War, earning a Purple Heart for his injury as well as a life-long limp. He’s ready to put the war behind him. While in Vietnam, he’d corresponded with a girl from Grand Falls and he enjoyed reading about her idyllic life. When he’s discharged, he moves there to attend college. And when he meets Charlotte in person, he’s taken with her sweetness, intelligence, and beauty.

The battle lines are drawn as Deke resents Joe’s presence around Char. What started out as a well-deserved escape to a small town for Joe soon turns into a battle of wills between him and the idealistic Deke. And there stands Charlotte, right in the middle.

Night Music is a story about a moment in time when the world was chaotic and nothing was completely clear. In the midst of all the chaos, can Char and Joe find enough middle ground to fall in love?

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Night Music by Deanna Lynn Sletten ~ My Thoughts and a Giveaway!

Night Music

Night Music: A Novel by Deanna Lynn Sletten
Print and e-book, 251 pages
Expected publication: March 13th 2018 by Deanna Lynn Sletten

Charlotte Parsons is devastated over losing her brother in the Vietnam War. Desperate to learn more about the war, she joins a group of college women who send letters to soldiers and befriends Joseph Russo, a young soldier. But a few months after they begin corresponding, his letters stop coming, and Char moves on, still confused as to why so many young lives are being lost so far away from home.

Two years later, Char begins college in her small Illinois town of Grand Falls. She’s been dating her brother’s long-time best friend, Deke Masterson, who is a senior in college and is deep into the anti-war movement. Char isn’t sure how she feels about the war. Then a stranger comes to town and changes everything.

Joseph Russo served in the Vietnam War, earning a Purple Heart for his injury as well as a life-long limp. He’s ready to put the war behind him. While in Vietnam, he’d corresponded with a girl from Grand Falls and he enjoyed reading about her idyllic life. When he’s discharged, he moves there to attend college. And when he meets Charlotte in person, he’s taken with her sweetness, intelligence, and beauty.

The battle lines are drawn as Deke resents Joe’s presence around Char. What started out as a well-deserved escape to a small town for Joe soon turns into a battle of wills between him and the idealistic Deke. And there stands Charlotte, right in the middle.

Night Music is a story about a moment in time when the world was chaotic and nothing was completely clear. In the midst of all the chaos, can Char and Joe find enough middle ground to fall in love?

My thoughts about Night Music ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First line—"Joseph Russo crouched in a pit surrounded by sandbags, his M-16 standing at attention beside him. It was 02:00 and all of Firebase Jack was on red alert."

I always know I am going to love the story when it's one of Deanna's. And her latest did not disappoint. Don't let that first line scare you off—this is a heartfelt, beautiful story that reminds of us of a turbulent time.

Night Music takes us to a tough time in our past, the Vietnam War period. Emotions were high and there were very strong opinions and feelings on both sides of the issue. It was a very tumultuous time in our history, a very troubled time for young men and women. This story took me back to that time and the craziness of that war. I lived through it and she gets it. She does a wonderful job of capturing both the turmoil and the love of that time.

Charlotte's older brother is killed in Vietnam and she finds herself between two men who have very opposite feelings about the war. There's Deke, her boyfriend, who is leading campus protests against the war and Joe, a Vietnam vet, who comes back having to deal with the aftermath of that controversial war.

I loved watching Charlotte mature and form her own opinions and beliefs as she learns what matters most to her. She works very hard to see both sides, in order to understand where the two men are coming from. She finally listens to what is in her own heart and sticks up for her beliefs.

One of the things that will stay with me and that I just love from this book is the term 'night music', the wonderful melody of the sounds of the night – crickets, frogs, etc.

"In Nam, as long as we could hear the sounds of the night, we knew we were safe. It's a comforting sound."

I love to relax on the patio in the evening and listen to the sounds. I never thought of it as 'night music' but that's exactly what it is. I'll always think of that now and will be drawn back to this wonderful story.

About the author

Connect with Deanna

Website | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

Deanna is offering a $20 Amazon Gift Card to celebrate the release of her newest book, Night Music!

Thanks so much, Deanna!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*********************

Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

Monday, January 1, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? January 1, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

**************************************

How did it get to be 2018?

I wish each and every one of you a blessed and peaceful new year. Thanks for continuing to stop by The Book Bag. I truly do appreciate all of you. I'm looking forward to another great year filled with amazing authors and their wonderful stories. I hope you'll join me as I embark on another exciting reading adventure!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week. Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading