Category: First Line Friday

21 February 2020

First Line Friday | Week 123 | Collateral Damage by Lynette Eason

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from Collateral Damage by Lynette Eason. Here’s the first line of Chapter One:

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About Collateral Damage

Honorably discharged from the Army after an explosion nearly killed her, former military psychiatrist Brooke Adams has set up shop to help others–but her days of helping military personnel are over. She’s got her own battles to fight from her time overseas, and she’s not equipped to take on more. Former Army Special Ops Sergeant First Class Asher James could handle anything that war sent his way–terrorists, bombs, bullets. The only thing that scares him now is sleep. As the shadows close in, the nightmares begin.

Finally convinced that he needs help, Asher makes an appointment with a counselor, and Brooke is pressed by her boss to take him on. When he arrives at her office she isn’t there–but a dead body is. Brooke is devastated when she walks in, and Asher is a conveniently strong shoulder to cry on. But she can’t take him on as a client after sharing such an intimate and unprofessional moment, can she? And he’s not sure he can handle sharing his deepest fears with such a beautiful woman.

When it becomes clear that Brooke was the real target of the attack–and that her secrets go even deeper than his own–Asher vows to protect her no matter what.

You can find Collateral Damage online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Click the button to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today:

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

14 February 2020

First Line Friday | Week 122 | Border Breach by Darlene L Turner

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from Border Breach, the debut novel by Darlene L Turner. Here’s the first line of Chapter One:

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About Border Breach

When drugs are smuggled across the border …

It’s their duty to stop the culprits … at any cost.

Forming a joint task force, Canada border officer Kaylin Poirier and police constable Hudson Steeves have one objective: take down a drug-smuggling ring trying to sell a new lethal product. But when the smugglers come after Kaylin and Hudson, this mission becomes more than just a job. Can they live long enough to solve the case?

Find Border Breach online at:

Amazon | Goodreads | Kobo

Click the button to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today:

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

7 February 2020

First Line Friday | Week 121 | The Joy of Falling by Lindsay Harrel

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line.

I’ve wanted to read The Joy of Falling by Lindsay Harrel since I first heard about it. Why? Because it’s largely set in New Zealand, of course! Here’s the first line of Chapter One:

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About The Joy of Falling

Eva and Angela must learn to live again. One step at a time.

It has been fifteen months since Eva and Angela lost their thrill-seeking husbands in a scuba diving accident. Both women are trying to navigate their way through the grief, but neither one is making much progress. Angela is barely making ends meet, angry at her husband for leaving her to raise three children on her own. Meanwhile, Eva is stuck, unable to move forward after losing the love of her life and her source of inspiration.

But then Eva gets a life-changing phone call. Before Brent and Wes died, they had signed up for a race of a lifetime—an ultra-marathon in beautiful New Zealand. Eva begs Angela to run the race with her in their husbands’ place, and Angela finally agrees, hoping to finally understand her husband’s choices.

Training is exhausting, and the race is even more demanding. Their journey grows more complicated by the presence of two men—Marc is Brent’s best friend who is running the race with Eva and Angela, and Simon King is a writer who is covering their inspiring story. With every step, Eva and Angela must ask themselves questions that they haven’t had the courage to ask before. As the women literally put one foot in front of the other, they wonder: Is it possible to find their way forward in hope?

You can find The Joy of Falling online at

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Click the button to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today:

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

31 January 2020

First Line Friday | Week 120 | A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner. Here’s the first line of Chapter One:

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About A Fall of Marigolds

(Yes, there are two covers. I like the blue one best.)

A beautiful scarf connects two women touched by tragedy in this compelling, emotional novel from the author of As Bright as Heaven and The Last Year of the War.

September 1911. On Ellis Island in New York Harbor, nurse Clara Wood cannot face returning to Manhattan, where the man she loved fell to his death in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Then, while caring for a fevered immigrant whose own loss mirrors hers, she becomes intrigued by a name embroidered onto the scarf he carries…and finds herself caught in a dilemma that compels her to confront the truth about the assumptions she’s made. What she learns could devastate her—or free her.

September 2011. On Manhattan’s Upper West Side, widow Taryn Michaels has convinced herself that she is living fully, working in a charming specialty fabric store and raising her daughter alone. Then a long-lost photograph appears in a national magazine, and she is forced to relive the terrible day her husband died in the collapse of the World Trade Towers…the same day a stranger reached out and saved her. But a chance reconnection and a century-old scarf may open Taryn’s eyes to the larger forces at work in her life.

You can find A Fall of Marigolds online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Click the button to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today:

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

24 January 2020

First Line Friday | Week 119 | The Kiss Thief by Jessica Kate

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from The Kiss Thief, a new short story by Jessica Kate. Here’s the first line of Chapter One:

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About The Kiss Thief

A stolen memento and a mission to retrieve it…but who will steal a heart in The Kiss Thief?⠀

A girl doesn’t just let her cheating ex steal her dead mother’s cookbook without stealing it back. At least, that’s Australian carpenter Jaqueline Piper’s philosophy.

Jacq’s on a mission to retrieve her most precious possession, and her neighbor, Louisiana chef Donny Greyson, isn’t about to let her do it alone. But while he’s the only thing that got Jacq through her break-up, she hasn’t been entirely forthcoming with him about her plan. Like the part about breaking-and-entering. Or her ex’s biker neighbors…

The Kiss Thief is free, but only if you sign up for Jessica Kate’s newsletter.

Click here to sign up!

Click the button to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today:

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

17 January 2020

First Line Friday | Week 118 | Star Rising by Janet W Ferguson

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from Star Rising by Janet W Ferguson, the fourth novel in the Coastal Hearts series. Here’s the first line of Chapter One:

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About Star Rising

Star Youngblood has always been a fighter–a necessity after her mother married a monster of a man. Now, she’s finally on the path to the stable life she’s always wanted. Her employer, Priscilla Kelly, is a sweet woman ravaged by rheumatoid arthritis, and Star will do anything to help her. Even if that means going toe to toe with Mrs. Kelly’s neglectful son.

After being betrayed on the mission field and devastated by the tragic death of his father, Paul Kelly gave up on God. He lives life on his own terms, biding his time as a corporate pilot until he can save enough money to begin his own flight school closer to home. His mother is all he has left, and he wants to be near her. He just didn’t expect her health to decline so quickly. When he discovers his mother has taken in a stray—a woman he’s not at all sure can be trusted—his protective instincts kick into high gear. Paul’s handled a lot of turbulence, but he’s never gone up against a force like Star.

As Paul and Star strive to protect his mother in their own ways, they soon find their own hearts are at the greatest risk.

Find Star Rising online at:

Amazon | Goodreads

Click the button to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today:

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

27 December 2019

First Line Friday | Week 117 | Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe by Carla Laureano

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe by Carla Laureano. Here’s the first line of Chapter One:

(I actually finished this in one sitting, and now I’m looking forward to the sequel, which releases in about a month: The Solid Grounds Coffee Company.)

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe

Baker and pastry chef Melody Johansson has always believed in finding the positive in every situation, but seven years after she moved to Denver, she can’t deny that she’s stuck in a rut. One relationship after another has ended in disaster, and her classical French training is being wasted on her night job in a mediocre chain bakery. Then the charming and handsome private pilot Justin Keller lands on the doorstep of her workplace in a snowstorm, and Melody feels like it’s a sign that her luck is finally turning around.

Justin is intrigued by the lively bohemian baker, but the last thing he’s looking for is a relationship. His own romantic failures have proven that the demands of his job are incompatible with meaningful connections, and he’s already pledged his life savings to a new business venture across the country—an island air charter in Florida with his sister and brother-in-law.

Against their better judgment, Melody and Justin find themselves drawn together by their unconventional career choices and shared love of adventure. But when an unexpected windfall provides Melody with the chance to open her dream bakery-café in Denver with her best friend, chef Rachel Bishop, she’s faced with an impossible choice: stay and put down roots with the people and place she’s come to call home . . . or give it all up for the man she loves.

You can find Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Click the button to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today:

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

20 December 2019

First Line Friday | Week 116 | Breaking Point by Marji Laine

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from Breaking Point by Marji Laine:

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About Breaking Point

The mere rumor of treasure can change lives or destroy friendships, but kill?

Alynne’s Stone’s planned out and predictable life ended when she hurried to her mother’s side to support her during a family tragedy. So why would she now have a target on her back? Her father’s death had nothing to do with her, but suddenly she’s having these “accidents”? How can she stay and support her mom when someone is intent on eliminating her?

Police Lieutenant Jason Danvers believes her father was murdered. How, he can’t fathom, but he also can’t ignore the details that don’t add up. Attempts on Alynne’s life must be somehow connected. Still dealing with the pain of his own wife’s death, he can’t allow an innocent woman to die on his watch. Especially one as scintillating as Alynne Stone.

Even in a small town, things—and people—aren’t always what they appear to be.

You can find Breaking Point online at:

Amazon | Goodreads

Click the button to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today:

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

13 December 2019

First Line Friday | Week 115 | Bitter Pill by Richard Mabry

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from Bitter Pill from Dr. Richard Mabry. Here’s the first line of Chapter One:

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About Bitter Pill

Things were going along just fine. Until the miracle fouled them up.

“Brother” Bob Bannister is content with his life and his itinerant healing ministry, until one night he finds that the woman who walks off the stage under her own power isn’t one of his shills. At that point, doubts begin to intrude on his previously untroubled existence.

Dr. Abby Davis is tired of her family practice and at odds with God. Dealing with critically ill and dying patients has crushed her spirit to the point she’s ready to quit. But she soon realizes that there’s more to healing than ministering to the physical body.

Scott Anderson was the oldest graduate of his seminary class. Then again, most of them hadn’t turned away from a medical practice, hoping to atone for past mistakes (including his wife’s death) by ministering to men’s souls. Now he hopes he hasn’t made a colossal mistake in switching careers.

Each of these individuals becomes linked to the other, and each finds that God has a purpose for them—but, as it often does, the lesson comes with discomfort.

Find Bitter Pill online at:

Amazon | Goodreads

Click the button to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today:

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

6 December 2019

First Line Friday | Week 114 | Christmas in Winter Hill by Melody Carlson

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from Christmas in Winter Hill by Melody Carlson. Here’s the first line of Chapter One:

(Does that graphic look blurry to you? I create my graphics in Canva, and they’ve “upgraded” me to Canva 2.0. I’m not sold. Or do I need new glasses for Christmas?)

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About Christmas in Winter Hill:

Krista Galloway is not a fan of Christmas. After her rough childhood in multiple foster homes, the holiday season just brings too many bad memories to the surface. But when she accepts a job as a city manager in the mountain town of Winter Hill, Washington, Christmas is part of the deal. The small town is famous for its Christmasville celebration, something that the city manager . . . well, manages.

As she tries to make her tiny new apartment feel like home for her and her eight-year-old daughter, Emily, Krista begins to wonder if this move was a mistake. She doesn’t always feel welcomed in the close-knit town, and Emily continually wonders, “Where’s the snow?” Can a friendly stranger and his family help restore Krista’s Christmas spirit before the big day?

You can find Christmas in Winter Hill online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Click the button to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today:

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.