Category: First Line Friday

4 January 2018

First Line Friday | Week 23 | The View from Rainshadow Bay

It’s First Line Friday—our first for 2018, so Happy New Year!

Now it’s time to open the book nearest you and share the first line. Today I’m sharing from The View from Rainshadow Bay by Colleen Coble:

Colleen Coble’s books are always a mix of romance and suspense, and this looks to be no exception.

About the Book

After her husband, Jack, dies in a climbing incident, Shauna has only her five-year-old son and her helicopter charter business to live for. Every day is a struggle to make ends meet and she lives in constant fear of losing even more than she already has.

When her business partner is murdered, his final words convince Shauna that she’s in danger too. But where can she turn? Zach Bannister was her husband’s best friend and is the person she blames for his death. She’s barely spoken to him since. But right now he seems her only hope for protecting her son.

Zach is only too happy to assuage his guilt over Jack’s death by helping Shauna any way he can. But there are secrets involved dating back to Shauna’s childhood that more than one person would prefer to stay hidden.

In The View from Rainshadow Bay, suspense, danger, and a longing to love again ignite amid the gorgeous lavender fields of Washington State.

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

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

You can then click on the link which will take you to the master page, which holds 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!

22 December 2017

First Line Friday | Week 22 | All is Bright

It’s First Line Friday, which means it’s time to open the book nearest you and share the first line. Today I’m sharing from All is Bright by Australian author Andrea Grigg:

I know most of my #FirstLineFriday friends are choosing Christmas novels or novellas this week. Mine is also a Christmas novella, but it’s set in Australia, which means it’s the kind of Christmas I know and love: a summer Christmas. Sun, sand, beaches and barbecues.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

About All Is Bright

Amy Kirkwood is resigned to accept her destiny as a single woman. No one can measure up to Josh McMillan, her secret crush of fourteen years, and the man who was married to her late sister. But when Josh spends the weekend with Amy and her family on the anniversary of Tess’s death, everything changes.

A widower for five years, Josh McMillan is ready to love again, but he never expected to fall so fast for his sister-in-law, Amy Kirkwood. Then Josh receives a letter that rocks his world, and he knows he must show the letter to Amy, even though it may shatter their growing relationship.

Is their love strong enough to weather the storm unleashed from the secrets in their past?

A contemporary Christian romance novella, a spin-off story from ‘A Simple Mistake’.

Amazon | Goodreads

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

You can then click on the link which will take you to the master page, which holds 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!

15 December 2017

First Line Friday | Week 21 | A Song Unheard

It’s Friday, which means it’s time to open the book nearest you and share the first line. Today I’m sharing from A Song Unheard by Roseanna M White:

I love it! It’s atmospheric, and takes us straight into the setting.

About the Book

Willa Forsythe is both a violin prodigy and top-notch thief, which makes her the perfect choice for a crucial task at the outset of World War I–to steal a cypher from a famous violinist currently in Wales.

Lukas De Wilde has enjoyed the life of fame he’s won–until now, when being recognized nearly gets him killed. Everyone wants the key to his father’s work as a cryptologist. And Lukas fears that his mother and sister, who have vanished in the wake of the German invasion of Belgium, will pay the price. The only light he finds is meeting the intriguing Willa Forsythe.

But danger presses in from every side, and Willa knows what Lukas doesn’t–that she must betray him and find that cypher, or her own family will pay the price as surely as his has.

A Song Unheard releases in paperback and ebook on 2 January 2018.

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

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

You can then click on the link which will take you to the master page, which holds 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!

8 December 2017

First Line Friday | Week 19 | The House on Foster Hill

It’s Friday, which means it’s time to open the book nearest you and share the first line. Today I’m sharing from The House on Foster Hill by Jamie Jo Wright:

Is that creepy or what? I have to say I started reading this novel late at night, and that was a bad idea. I think it’s more suited for reading on a bright sunny day … when there are no creeping shadows in the house. Just saying.

About The Book

Kaine Prescott is no stranger to death. When her husband died two years ago, her pleas for further investigation into his suspicious death fell on deaf ears. In desperate need of a fresh start, Kaine purchases an old house sight unseen in her grandfather’s Wisconsin hometown. But one look at the eerie, abandoned house immediately leaves her questioning her rash decision. And when the house’s dark history comes back with a vengeance, Kaine is forced to face the terrifying realization she has nowhere left to hide.

A century earlier, the house on Foster Hill holds nothing but painful memories for Ivy Thorpe. When an unidentified woman is found dead on the property, Ivy is compelled to discover her identity. Ivy’s search leads her into dangerous waters and, even as she works together with a man from her past, can she unravel the mystery before any other lives–including her own–are lost?

Amazon US | Amazon AU | Amazon UK | Goodreads

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

You can then click on the link which will take you to the master page, which holds 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!

1 December 2017

First Line Friday | Week 18 | The Last Summer

It’s Friday, which means it’s time to open the book nearest you and share the first line. Today I’m sharing from The Last Summer by Brandy Bruce:

I never meant for any of it to happen. How often do we say that or feel it? Not many books make me cry, but this one did.

About the Book

For twenty-something Sara Witherspoon and her group of friends, a perfect Southern summer includes lake-house getaways, wedding planning, outdoor concerts, and a dash of romance. But for these seven friends who love each other like family, this year, summer rolls in with changes for everyone.

Sara’s longtime crush, Luke, has been her best friend for as long as she has been a part of the group. When Luke begins seriously dating another of their friends, Sara’s forced to deal with her hurt and jealousy, while outwardly try to support them both.

While Sara comes to terms with her own heart and her friends’ relationships, an unexpected handsome pilot from North Carolina and an old flame are thrown into the mix. Knowing her heart suddenly becomes much more complicated.

But as time unfolds and friendships begin to unravel, Sara and the others are presented with the reality of what a season of change does to old friendships and new love interests.

Does growing older mean growing apart?

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Goodreads

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

You can then click on the link which will take you to the master page, which holds 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!

24 November 2017

First Line Friday | Week 21 | The Carpenter’s Daughter

It’s First Line Friday, which means it’s time to open the book nearest you and share the first line. Today I’m sharing from The Carpenter’s Daughter by Jennifer Rodewald.

It’s a great first line, and a great novel. I loved it. (Because this is me. Once I read a first line like that, I can’t stop until I read the last line, and all the lines in between.)

One thing that really got me was how well Jennifer Rodewald writes emotion. If you’re wondering how my own writing is going, it’s ground to a complete halt as I realise how much I’ve got to learn. You can blame Jennifer Rodewald for that. #SorryNotSorry

About the Book

One word can change a life.

Sarah Sharpe has grown up as a carpenter’s daughter, knowing only the rough and work-heavy world of her father’s blue-collar profession. Abandoned by her mother as a baby, she’s lived twenty-one years content to drive nails at her dad’s side. Following her father into the world of construction was a natural path, and she took it without a second thought. But a harsh comment about her “butch” appearance sends her on a search for identity.

Enter handsome and easygoing Jesse Chapman, the roofer she meets on her first foray into volunteer work for Homes For Hope. In every way, the quirky man is her opposite—confident, a people kind of guy, and most importantly, happy. His likable qualities continue to draw her in, and for some reason he keeps coming back to her. But they can’t be more than friends—he’s made that crystal clear. Except for a handful of times…and the confusion is driving her crazy.

Sarah’s quest for self-definition becomes more tangled than she ever imagined, and she discovers that the journey will take her deeper than clothes and makeup. Filling the void in her heart becomes an obsession she cannot escape. How far is she willing to go to discover who she really is?

Amazon US | Amazon AU | Amazon UK | Goodreads

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

You can then click on the link which will take you to the master page, which holds 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!

17 November 2017

First Line Friday | Week 16 | Imperfect Justice

It’s Friday, which means it’s time to open the book nearest you and share the first line.

Today I’m sharing the first line from Imperfect Justice by Cara Putman.

As he reviewed the logs from Kaylene’s car, he was impressed. She was venturing beyond the short leash he had given her.

I’m a big legal thriller fan, and I think Cara Putman is one of my new favourite authors (along with Rachel Dylan). Great characters, great plot, great writing. And plenty of legal shenannigans, but not so much that I lose the plot. Perfect!

About Imperfect Justice

The police say the woman was a murderer. Emilie Wesley knows they can’t be talking about her client . . . can they?

To the world it seems obvious: Kaylene Adams killed her daughter and then was shot by police. Attorney Emilie Wesley knows a different story: Kaylene would never hurt anyone and was looking for a way out of a controlling, abusive relationship. Her death shakes Emilie’s belief that she can make a difference for women in violent marriages. Self-doubt plagues her as she struggles to continue her work in the wake of the tragedy.

Reid Billings thought he knew his sister—right up until he learned how she died. He discovers a letter from Kaylene begging him to fight for custody of her daughters if anything should happen to her. No attorney in her right mind would support an uncle instead of the father in a custody case, but Kaylene’s letter claims Emilie Wesley will help him.

Thrown together in the race to save Kaylene’s surviving daughter, Emily and Reid pursue the constantly evasive truth. If they can hang on to hope together, can they save a young girl—and find a future for themselves in the process?

Find Imperfect Justice online at:

Amazon US | Amazon AU | Amazon UK
ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

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

You can then click on the link which will take you to the master page, which holds 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!

10 November 2017

First Line Friday | Week 16 | The Austen Escape

It’s Friday, which means it’s time to open the book nearest you and share the first line.

Today I’m sharing the first line from The Austen Escape by Katharine Reay.

Well, the first two lines, because it’s the second line that really got me hooked!

“How can I help?”

The world stilled. It wasn’t the first time I wondered how one voice, one presence, could quicken the air and simultaneously stop all motion.

Nathan.

Ohh! Doesn’t that make you want to keep reading? And it’s Katherine Reay, who is a great writer, and it has the magic word in the title: Austen. If I think about it, these first few lines are very Austenesque. They foreshadow and summarise the plot in the same way as the opening line of Emma.

Yes, there will be a full review of The Austen Escape soon! (I actually typed ‘swoon’. That fits as well.)

About The Austen Escape

Falling into the past will change their futures forever.

Mary Davies finds safety in her ordered and productive life. Working as an engineer, she genuinely enjoys her job and her colleagues – particularly a certain adorable and intelligent consultant. But something is missing. When Mary’s estranged childhood friend, Isabel Dwyer offers her a two-week stay in a gorgeous manor house in England, she reluctantly agrees in hopes that the holiday will shake up her quiet life in just the right ways.

But Mary gets more than she bargained for when Isabel loses her memory and fully believes she lives in Jane Austen’s Bath. While Isabel rests and delights in the leisure of a Regency lady, attended by the other costume-clad guests, Mary uncovers startling truths about their shared past, who Isabel was, who she seems to be, and the man who now stands between them.

Outings are undertaken, misunderstandings play out, and dancing ensues as this company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation, work out their lives and hearts.

Click below to find The Austen Escape online:

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

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

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

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

3 November 2017

First Line Friday | Week 15 | Blue Ridge Sunrise

It’s Friday, which means it’s time to open the book nearest you and share the first line!

Today I’m sharing from Blue Ridge Sunrise, by Denise Hunter.

Zoe Collins never expected to step foot in Copper Creek again. But the one thing that could bring her back had happened.

Doesn’t that leave you wanting to know more? I certainly couldn’t stop reading there …

About Blue Ridge Sunrise

Former free spirit Zoe Collins swore she’d never again set foot in Copper Creek or speak to the man who broke her heart. But return she must when her beloved Granny dies, leaving the family legacy to Zoe—a peach orchard nestled at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

When Zoe returns home with her daughter and boyfriend Kyle, she finds that she’s the only person in town who doesn’t expect her to give up the life she’s established far away from Copper Creek. Everyone believes she was born to run the orchard, but how can she make it her home after so many years?

Cruz Huntley never quite got over his first love, Zoe Collins, the little sister of his best friend Brady. Not when she cheated on him during their “break,” not when she took off to parts unknown with good-for-nothing Kyle Jenkins, and not even now—five years later.

As life-changing decisions and a history with Cruz hang over Zoe’s head, tensions rise between her and Kyle. Even as she comes to terms with the shifting relationships in her life, Zoe still isn’t sure if she can remain in Copper Creek with her new responsibilities . . . and her first love.

You can find Blue Ridge Sunrise online at:

Amazon US | Amazon AU | Amazon UK
ChristianBook | GoodReads | Koorong

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

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

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

27 October 2017

First Line Friday | Week 14 | Lu by Beth Troy

It’s Friday, which means it’s time to open the book nearest you and share the first line

Today I’m sharing from Lu by Beth Troy:

All the stories have been written, including mine.

Intriguing! I enjoy first person novels, especially when the voice is as interesting as Lu promises to be.

About Lu

“There’s great hope where the road meets the sky – maybe even an answer. But this road leads home. Just home. I thought I’d finished writing that story years ago, but then yesterday’s story happened – the one about the boy who cheats and the girl who leaves.”

Lu Sokolowski never planned to return to her small hometown of Dunlap’s Creek, but it’s the only place she can think of to go after her boyfriend cheats on her. Moving back in with her family lets her run away from her problems, but it also means suffering their attempts to reassemble her failed life, including arranging a job as the wedding beat writer at the local paper and setting her up with Jackson, the divorced pastor of her family’s church. Unexpected success and friendships restore Lu to the family and faith she’d left behind. But when the small-town life Lu never intended shakes up, will she run again?

Lu’s story is a journey of a woman back to her family, her faith, and herself. It’s about second chances and the unchosen circumstances that press the point of who we are and what we believe. Are we the sum of our successes and failures, or does our identity rest in a greater hope?

Find Lu online at:

Amazon US | Amazon AU | Amazon UK | Goodreads

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

Yes, rather each blogger listing each of the other bloggers—which is getting to be a longer and longer list each month—we’ve got our own site. It’s just sharing FirstLineFriday posts for now, but who knows what the future holds?

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