Category: First Line Friday

17 January 2025

First Line Friday #374 | The Island Girls by Rachel Sweasey

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m quoting from The Island Girls by Australian author Rachel Sweasey, a sweet dual timeline historical novel set in Poole, Dorset.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About The Island Girls

1941: For the townspeople of Poole on the Dorset coast, the war feels like it’s right on their doorstep. And with more and more men leaving to fight, one fisherman’s daughter is determined to do whatever she can to help. Peggy volunteers to use her skills on the water to work with the flying boats alongside the RAF based in the harbour. But when she is asked to undertake a special mission, she will have to make a terrible choice – between her duty to her country and her only chance of happiness.

1998: Rebekah has travelled halfway around the world to take up a role on Brownsea Island. This tiny island off the coast of England is a treasure trove of natural wonder, but it still carries the scars of fighting. And when Rebekah discovers a lost letter from the war, hidden all this time, she becomes determined to deliver it, fifty years later.

But the idyllic Dorset harbour hides many more secrets, and Rebekah’s search for the truth will change her life in ways she never imagined possible…

Find The Island Girls online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Click here 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!

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

10 January 2025

First Line Friday #373 | Marrying the Rancher’s Daughter by Tara Grace Ericson

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I recently bought Marrying the Rancher’s Daughter by Tara Grace Ericson, the first book in the Christmas in Redemption Ridge multi-author series.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About Marrying the Rancher’s Daughter

He’s completely wrong for her. But their marriage may be exactly what she needs.

Professional bullrider Jason Keen is chasing a national title–and running from his mistakes. When his last sponsor threatens to pull their support unless he becomes the poster boy of a charming, family friendly cowboy, there is no way he can pull it off. Unless he can find another way to soften his rough-edged image while he works at Redemption Ranch between events…

Despite her family’s status as Colorado ranching royalty, Cassie Reynolds’ heart has been tied to the rodeo since her first event at the tender age of five. If her possessive ex-boyfriend would get the hint and leave her alone, she’d never leave her rodeo marketing job. Unfortunately, with each passing day, he’s growing more desperate to claim her.

When a week at home on Redemption Ranch is interrupted by the appearance of Cassie’s ex, Jason can’t stand by and let him terrorize the owner’s daughter. Could her unorthodox proposal be the solution to get them both through the holidays and the rodeo national finals?

Find Marrying the Rancher’s Daughter online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Click here 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!

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

3 January 2025

First Line Friday #372 | A Home for Christmas by Sara Beth Williams

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m sharing A Home for Christmas, a new novella from Sara Beth Williams. I probably should have read this before Christmas … but before Christmas was so busy I didn’t get started on my Christmas reading until Boxing Day 🙂

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About A Home for Christmas

She just moved to Silver Pine to start a new future. He’s never been more unsure of what the future holds.

Garrett Kuhlmann doesn’t want or need anyone’s pity. As a single father, he’s worked hard by himself to ensure his son is fed, clothed and safe. But after house-hopping for the last year, he is desperate to give his teenage son more stability. If only housing weren’t so expensive. When a young woman gifts him a bag of food to thank him for changing her tire after her car breaks down in the parking lot where he works, he can’t put the act of kindness, or her pretty smile, out of his mind.

Even in the small town of Silver Pine, Lynn Monet didn’t expect to see the man who changed her tire again, until she discovers he’s the father to one of her high school students. The more they interact, the more her heart breaks for Garrett and his son, and the more the duo worm their way into her life. But Lynn isn’t looking for love, and the secret she has will only destroy any potential relationship, just like it had once before.

Lynn’s compassion is like a beacon of light cutting through the darkness of Garrett’s struggles, offering him a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, he doesn’t have to do everything alone. A new chapter of love and stability finally feels within reach. But secrets from both of their pasts threaten to shatter the fragile hope, leaving Garrett to choose between playing it safe or forgiveness and love.

Find A Home for Christmas online at:

Amazon | Goodreads

Click here 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!

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

27 December 2024

First Line Friday #371 | Becoming Us by Jaycee Weaver and Jenn Faulk

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m quoting from Becoming Us by Jaycee Weaver and Jenn Faulk, which I picked up on sale back in July. I just love that cover!

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About Becoming Us

He’s easy-going and charming. She’s hot-tempered and tightly wound. Together, can they become better than who they are apart?

Working through the disappointment of a teaching career that isn’t what he expected it to be, Mason Hayes’ otherwise cushy life gets turned upside down by the sudden loss of both parents in a car accident, leaving him with no one in the world. Until, that is, a half-sister he never knew existed shows up.

Hailee Miller-Garcia would do anything for Gina Bennett, including make a trip to meet the brother Gina’s never known – despite the issues Hailee’s having with her mother and little brother. As Mason’s life becomes entangled with her own, his laidback approach challenges her to reevaluate her own ways of dealing with the past, the present, and her dreams for the future.

Delving past friendship and growing into deeper feelings, it’s clear Hailee and Mason are better together. But the road ahead may be rocky and full of unexpected detours, challenging each of them to draw closer to Christ, work through their issues, and dream of a different future for themselves as they become more than a you and a me – they become us.

Find Becoming Us online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Click here 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!

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

20 December 2024

First Line Friday #370 | Always In My Heart (Trinity Lakes #14) by Iola Goulton

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I admit: this isn’t actually the book I’m reading today. But it is the book I’ve read over and over this year, because it’s my second book, and it’s releasing on Christmas Eve!

You can preorder from Amazon for 99 cents (the price will go up to the regular $3.99 right after release).

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About Always In My Heart

Sparks fly when an aspiring attorney comes face to face with his past mistakes.

Broke solo mother Maya Allen is raising her daughter, Sarah, as well as her dead best friend’s daughter … who just happens to be her own daughter’s half sister (thanks, cheating college boyfriend). When her lowlife landlord doubles her rent, she realizes it’s time to make a new plan and return to New Zealand with her children. First she has to do the make contact with her ex and compel him to relinquish his parental rights so they can legally leave the country … and not let her still-strong feelings for Trent get in the way.

Trent Thomas is an intern competing for a role in a prestigious Seattle law firm known for their family values. He figures he’s got the job sewn up when Sterling, Noble and Wright send him to his hometown of Trinity Lakes to research a dodgy property deal under the guise of offering the townsfolk pro bono legal services. After all, no one will know the ins and outs of small-town Trinity Lakes gossip better than a lifelong resident.

But he hadn’t bargained on Maya, Sarah, and Kacey stealing his chance to get his dream job, stealing his opportunity to leave Trinity Lakes behind forever, or stealing his heart.

A second-chance small town contemporary Christian romance.

Find Always In My Heart online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Click here 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!

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

13 December 2024

First Line Friday #369 | The Cowboy’s Christmas Decision by Evangeline Kelly

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m starting to embrace the Christmas season, so here’s a short Christmas story that looks like it will be a fun read. It’s got cowboys, Christmas, and a secret crush. What more could I want?

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About The Cowboy’s Christmas Decision

A Christmas charity event, a cozy barn, and two best friends. Will this holiday season be the one that changes everything?

Every year, Cortney Turner volunteers at the Christmas Bonanza, a charity event held in a barn in the small town of Copper Creek. As she and her best friend, Luke Fletcher, hang decorations, she can’t help but notice the way her heart races whenever he flashes that crooked smile. Convinced he’ll never see her as anything more than a friend, she reluctantly agrees to a blind date with another man—hoping it will help her move on from Luke.

Luke Fletcher may be known around town for his successful ranch and cowboy charm, but he’s spent years keeping his true feelings for Cortney buried deep, fearing the loss of their treasured friendship. When her blind date cancels last minute, leaving her dateless for the evening’s festivities, Luke playfully offers to step in as her escort, secretly thrilled at the chance to pretend they’re something more.

As the day progresses, neither can ignore the magnetic pull between them. Can one special afternoon transform best friends into something more, or will their fear of rejection keep them trapped in the friend zone?

Find The Cowboy’s Christmas Decision online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Click here 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!

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

6 December 2024

First Line Friday #368 | A Louisiana Snow by Morgan Tarpley Smith

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m sharing from A Louisiana Snow by Morgan Tarpley Smith, which is the first story in A Louisiana Christmas to Remember. I got a review copy of this anthology last year … but just didn’t get around to reading it before Christmas, and I’m not one of those people who reads Christmas stories all year round.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About A Louisiana Christmas to Remember

A Rare Snowfall Leads to a Christmas to Remember

Three heartwarming, interconnected stories of faith, love, and restoration, brought to you by three Louisiana-native authors. Will a rare snowy Louisiana Christmas bring restoration and hope to the hometown and hearts of three women from the town’s founding family?

In A Louisiana Snow by Morgan Tarpley Smith, meet Mattie: A passionate visionary who learns to forgive and finds love in unexpected places…

In Restoring Christmas by Betsy St. Amant, meet Jolene: An artist and prodigal daughter who discovers love exists in the very place she once called home…

In A Christmas Reunion by Lenora Worth, meet Adale: A beautiful widow who finally dares to love again…

And don’t forget Granny, whose feisty spirit, blunt dialogue, and quirky ways play an important and endearing role.

Find A Louisiana Christmas to Remember online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Click here 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!

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

29 November 2024

First Line Friday #367 | A Soldier Finds His Way by Irene Onorato

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 Soldier Finds His Way, a Christian military romance by Irene Onorato, a new-to-me author.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About A Soldier Finds His Way

Even an elite soldier can admit he’s lost.

Gruff and tough, Edward Giordano’s success as an elite Special Forces soldier doesn’t carry over to his personal life. Emotionally scarred from a painful childhood, he’s built a wall around his heart that he lets very few penetrate.

Audra Lorenzo, a first-year school teacher, is on a road trip with her niece during the holidays. A storm that was supposed to pass, instead crosses her path. Lost, with her GPS cutting in and out, her car skids off a road, down an embankment, and into an icy river. Everything goes black.

Regaining consciousness in a remote cabin, Audra finds she and her niece were saved by Edward, a soldier who’d put his life in danger to rescue them. Harsh and unfriendly at first, the lieutenant’s demeanor frightens her. As days go by, small kindnesses shine through chinks in his armor and her heart is drawn to his. But does he feel the same? Can this scarred and guarded man find it in him to share the same love for her?

Find A Soldier Finds His Way online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Click here 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!

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

22 November 2024

First Line Friday #366 | Me and Mr. Just Right by Kaylee Baldwin

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 Me and Mr Just Right by Kaylee Baldwin, which looks to be a fun rom-com with a Goldilocks vibe. (And I just realised this book opens on an airplane, just like last week’s book!)

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About Me and Mr Just Right

A famous singer fleeing the spotlight. A nature photographer with a secret. One week stranded together on an island…

What’s a country superstar to do when her ex betrays her, steals all her songs, and makes up lies for the media to salivate over?
Escape to a deserted Alaskan island.

Key word: deserted.

Turns out the island isn’t as deserted as Aurelia Halifax has been led to believe, and she’s surprised by the arrival of Haydn Forrester—who is less than happy to discover her asleep in his bed. And when an unexpected summer storm hits, they’re stranded together until it passes.

Worse, Haydn, is a photographer—exactly the kind of person she’s trying to avoid. He doesn’t recognize her, so it’s easy to pretend she’s Lia Hall, a make-up free, sweats-wearing, down-on-her-luck girl from the south. Unfortunately Haydn is proving to be irresistible, but she can’t let herself fall again. Trusting doesn’t come easy for Lia, especially when she learns that Haydn may be behind her biggest betrayal of all.

Find Me and Mr Just Right online at:

Amazon | Goodreads

Click here 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!

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

15 November 2024

First Line Friday #365 | Hearts Unknown by Dienece Darling

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m working my way through my Kindle downloads, and this week I’m sharing from Hearts Unknown by Australian author Dienece Darling, which released today.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About Hearts Unknown

When the heart longs for what it cannot have, toes aren’t safe in the ballroom.

Edith Howard has long mourned the loss of Clarence. He was more than the boy next door. He was her dearest friend until he left without word or warning. But when Clarence makes a surprise return the London season of 1763, the gentleman standing before her bears little resemblance to the boy she used to know. What happened to Clarence, and why is he back?

A chance encounter might be just the ticket Clarence needs to convince Edith he always has been and always will be hers. If only she wasn’t listening to those dangerous street preachers. Clarence doesn’t know how to save the lady he loves from believing the world will end on February 28th. Or, for that matter, how to show her all that’s in his heart.

What will it take for Edith to see the man Clarence is today? And dare she let him back into her life when she doesn’t know what drove him away the first time?

Find Hearts Unknown online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

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