Category: First Line Friday

13 August 2021

First Line Friday | Week #198 | Rose Among Thornes by Terrie Todd

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 Rose Among Thornes by Terrie Todd, which looks to be historical fiction with a unique setting—World War II Canada and Hong Kong. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About Rose Among Thornes

Forgiveness is the deadliest force on earth.

War might be raging overseas, but Rose Onishi is on track to fulfill her lifelong goal of becoming a concert pianist. When forced by her government to leave her beloved home in Vancouver and move to the Canadian prairie to work on the Thornes’ sugar beet farm, her dream fades to match the black dirt staining her callused hands. Though the Thorne family is kind, life is unbearably lonely. In hopes that it might win her the chance to play their piano, Rose agrees to write letters to their soldier son.

When Rusty Thorne joins the Canadian Army, he never imagines becoming a Japanese prisoner of war. Inside the camp, the faith his parents instilled is tested like never before. Though he begs God to help him not hate his brutal captors, Rusty can no longer even hear the Japanese language without revulsion. Only his rare letters from home sustain him—especially the brilliant notes from his mother’s charming helper, which the girl signs simply as “Rose.”

Will Rusty survive the war only to encounter the Japanese on his own doorstep? Can Rose overcome betrayal and open her heart? Or will the truth destroy the fragile bond their letters created?

You can find Rose Among Thornes online at:

Amazon | BookBub | 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!

6 August 2021

First Line Friday | Week #197 | Where the Stars Meet the Sea by Heidi Kimball

It’s First Line Friday! (Again. Already. The year seems to be rushing by.)

That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from Where the Stars Meet the Sea by Heidi Kimball, 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 Where the Stars Meet the Sea

Juliet Graham fervently counts the days until her twenty-first birthday, when she can claim the inheritance that will grant her the freedom she has always craved and the guardianship of her younger brother. Until then, she is trapped under her aunt Agnes’s domineering will. When forced to accompany the family to a house party at Shaldorn Castle, Juliet’s only objective is to keep to herself. That is, until a chance encounter with a boorish stranger stirs up an unexpected whirlwind of emotions in her. Thrown off-balance, Juliet does the unthinkable: loses her temper and insults the man—who turns out to be her unwilling host, the Duke of Halstead. Fully expecting to be sent away, Juliet is surprised when the brusque and callous duke instead takes an interest in her.

Drawn to the duke in unguarded moments, Juliet finds herself more and more intrigued by the man who shuns Society’s rules as completely as she does, and over the next few weeks, their unlikely friendship deepens into a connection neither expected.

But even as Juliet comes to recognize her true feelings, her scheming aunt issues an ultimatum that threatens the future she was just beginning to hope for. Juliet must choose: either break the promise she made to herself years ago, or lose the man who has captured her heart and soul.

You can find Where the Stars Meet the Sky online at:

Amazon | BookBub | 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!

30 July 2021

First Line Friday | Week 196 | Provenance 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 Provenance by Carla Laureano, one of my favourite contemporary Christian fiction writers.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About Provenance

Los Angeles interior designer and former foster kid Kendall Green is in high demand, both for her impeccable eye and for her uncanny ability to uncover the provenance of any piece. But for all her success, skyrocketing costs have put her California home and her business in jeopardy. Then an unexpected inheritance provides a timely solution: a grandmother she never knew has left her a group of historic properties in a tiny Colorado town on the edge of ruin.

To young, untried mayor Gabriel Brandt, Jasper Lake is more than another small town—it’s the place that saved his life. Now, seeing the town slowly wither and die, he’s desperate to restore it to its former glory. Unfortunately, his vision is at odds with a local developer who wants to see the town razed and rebuilt as a summer resort. He’s sure that he can enlist the granddaughter of one of its most prominent former citizens to his cause—until he meets Kendall and realizes that not only does she know nothing of her own history, she has no interest in reviving a place that once abandoned her.

In order to save his beloved town, Gabe must first help Kendall unravel the truth of her own provenance—and Kendall must learn that in order to embrace the future, sometimes you have to start with the past.

Find Provenance online at:

Amazon | BookBub | 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!

23 July 2021

First Line Friday | Week 195 | Undercurrent of Secrets by Rachel Scott McDaniel

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 Undercurrent of Secrets by Rachel Scott McDaniel, part of a new series of dual-timeline novels.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About Undercurrent of Secrets

Two women, a century apart, are bound by a haunting secret aboard a legendary steamboat.

As wedding coordinator for the 100-year-old steamboat The Belle of Louisville, Devyn Asbury takes pride in seeing others’ dreams come true, even though her engagement had sunk like a diamond ring to the bottom of the Ohio River. When the Belle becomes a finalist in the Timeless Wedding Venue contest, Devyn endeavors to secure the prestigious title with hopes to reclaim some of her professional dreams. What she hadn’t planned on was Chase Jones showing up with a mysterious photo from the 1920s.

A century earlier, Hattie Louis is as untamable as the rivers that raised her. As the adopted daughter of a steamboat captain, her duties range from the entertainment to cook. When strange incidents occur aboard the boat, Hattie’s determined to discover the truth. Even if that means getting under First Mate Jack Marshall’s handsome skin.

You can find Undercurrent of Secrets 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!

16 July 2021

First Line Friday | Week 194 | Chicken Crossing by Kristen J Wilks

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 Chicken Crossing by Kristen J Wilks. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

This sounds like a fun story for those who like chickens … and don’t mind rats.

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

About Chicken Crossing

Why did the chicken cross the road?

The machinations of poultry are difficult to decipher. Add an infuriating youth pastor, a terrifying crash at highway speeds, and trap-building kids too bored for their own good and you have something a little more serious than a knock-knock joke. After the local librarian foolishly agrees to haul a trailer full of chickens over the pass, an unexpected crash sends fifteen beloved hens scattering into the wilderness. Shelby and the exasperating Jack must locate, capture, and return the chickens to his nephew before the talent show at the boy’s new school on Monday. The problem: chickens are incredibly difficult to catch. Especially when dispersed throughout the wild. When they take refuge in a coop occupied by twenty identical hens and guarded by multiple NO TRESPASSING signs and a pair of bored mountain children who have been watching way too much TV, tensions rise and feathers fly. Can Shelby thwart an alarming collection of unlikely traps and find the chickens before they are devoured? Imagination and ingenuity go so very wrong in this epic clash of inventive child verses accidental chicken thief.

You can find Chicken Crossing online at:

Amazon | BookBub | 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!

9 July 2021

First Line Friday | Week 193 | The Nature of Small Birds by Susie Finkbeiner

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 Nature of Small Birds by Susie Finkbeiner, who writes beautiful novels with deep Christian themes. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About The Nature of Small Birds

When Mindy announces that she is returning to Vietnam to find her birthmother, it inspires her father, mother, and sister to recall the events of her adoption at the end of the Vietnam War during Operation Baby Lift. In this beautiful time-slip story, Mindy’s family reexamines what it means to grow together beyond genetic code.

Find The Nature of Small Birds online at:

Amazon | BookBub | 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!

2 July 2021

First Line Friday | Week 192 | Dual Power of Convenience by Chautona Havig

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 Dual Power of Convenience by Chautona Havig, the first book in the multi-author Independence Island series. I haven’t read any of her books yet, and I also haven’t read any of the Independence Islands books, so I’m looking forward to it.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About Dual Power of Convenience

All they wanted was a happily-never-after.

When Richard Danforth inherits the family estate on Merriweather Island, he doesn’t have time to deal with it—especially not from halfway across the globe. He’s too busy working to become the world’s newest billionaire and avoiding the women who would detract him from his goals.

Enter Lyla Santana. Fresh out of Oxford University with a degree in antiques and a relationship that nearly killed her to leave, she’s eager for the isolation and treasure trove that is Danforth Hall. Lyla also is determined to avoid men at all costs. Forever.

It was supposed to be a match made on paper. With him halfway across the globe, they’d never have to see each other again.

So, what’s Richard doing on Merriweather just weeks after the wedding? And how will his arrival test Lyla’s faith, not to mention stretch their so-called relationship?

You can find Dual Power of Convenience online at:

Amazon | BookBub | 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!

25 June 2021

First Line Friday | Week 191 | Polarized Love by Lisa Renee

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 Polarized Love, the third book in the Single Again series from Australian author Lisa Renee.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

I have visited Rottnest Island, and it was great fun (although our crossing was a little calmer than this one). I’m looking forward to “visiting” again in the pages of this book, and meeting more quokkas.

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

About Polarized Love

Polarized Love begins with a fun, romantic encounter on the shores of Rottnest Island. An American Navy chaplain meets a feisty Australian journalist investigating the Quokka mystery.

Why are the rare marsupials dying on the Island? Will the handsome American, Lachlan Peters, help Bethany Michaels with her cause or distract her from her mission?

Beth has served her family and father’s church faithfully, and now it’s her turn to leave the nest and spread her wings. But does her dad push her into the arms of the right man to launch his daughter into her God-given destiny?

When an American sailor, Nick DeHann, arrives on the shores of the West Coast of Australia, Beth is swept away with the promise of high aspirations. As the rushed relationship unfolds, Beth finds herself torn between following someone else’s dream or settling for the comfort of home and all she’s ever known.

Lachlan Peters returns to San Diego from his time in the Navy and tries to gain his footing in a life that has passed him by. Will Lachlan realize what he’s missing out on before Beth commits to another man?

You can find Polarized Love online at:

Amazon | BookBub | 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!

18 June 2021

First Line Friday | Week 190 | All Arranged by Meredith Resce

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 new release from Australian author Meredith Resce: All Arranged, the third book in her Luella Linley romance series.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About All Arranged

Regency romance author, Luella Linley (AKA Louise Brooker), should feel satisfied she has helped her two daughters marry happily. However, her successful meddling came at a price and her husband has advised she leave the children to their own devices.

But her eldest, Pete, is thirty-five, living back at home and dejected after having been jilted days before his wedding. Her responsible, hard-working and handsome son would make a good husband and father—but he’s given up after three failed relationships. He’s a good catch, but unlikely to be fooled by his mother’s scheming and meddling.

This situation calls for a direct approach. Just like in her novels, Louise decides the parents should do the arranging and sort out the wheat from the chaff.

Carrie Davis is a dedicated career woman and hasn’t had time for relationships. However, her sister, Ellen, is now happily married with a delightful little girl and for the first time, Carrie finds loneliness stalking her. Ellen want’s the best for Carrie, so when she comes across an odd advert in the classifieds, she wonders if it is a prank or an opportunity sent from heaven.

“Wanted. For a social experiment. A family arranged marriage.”

You can find All Arranged online at:

Amazon | 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!

13 June 2021

First Line Friday | Week 189 | Lethal Cover-Up by Darlene L Turner

It’s First Line Friday … time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line! I’ve just received a review copy of Lethal Cover-Up by Darlene L Turner, her latest release from Love Inspired Suspense, so that’s my pick. I’m a definite romantic suspense fan, so the chances of me not reading this right away are low.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

Between the action-packed cover and that first line, how can I resist?

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

About Lethal Cover-Up

Some secrets are dangerous…

But uncovering the truth could be deadly.

Border patrol officer Madison Steele knows her sister Leah’s fatal car crash was no accident. Someone’s willing to kill to cover up a pharmaceutical company’s deadly crime of distributing tainted drugs. Now they are after Madison to tie off loose ends. But with her high school sweetheart, Canadian police constable Tucker Reed, at her side, can Madison expose the company’s deadly plan before she becomes the next victim?

Find Lethal Cover-Up online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | 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.