First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week 49 | The Forgiving Hour by Robin Lee Hatcher

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 Forgiving Hour by Robin Lee Hatcher.

Here’s the first line:

First Line From The Forgiving Hour: The sky that Saturday in May was a brilliant cloudless blue, sunshine kissing the earth with a promise of the summer to come.

It’s an older book that I recently picked up when the Kindle version was on sale. It’s brilliant—part romance, but mostly a deep and challenging examination of forgiveness.

(No, I couldn’t stop just reading the first line. My bad.)

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

About The Forgiving Hour

Twelve years ago, Claire Porter thought her entire life was over when she learned that her husband, Dave, was having an affair with a young college student. Following their divorce, Claire started over, including changing back to her maiden name of Conway.

Claire now feels pretty good about her accomplishments. She has raised a wonderful son, Dakota; enjoys her work; and finally has a new love. When Dakota informs her that he is engaged, she looks forward to meeting his fiancée, even as she wonders if 31-year-old Sara Jennings is too old for her “little” six-foot-plus boy.

Secrets never stay buried long, and only God can help Claire find forgiveness when betrayal comes back to haunt her.

You can find The Forgiving Hour 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!

38 comments

  1. Caryl Kane says:

    My first line comes from The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard

    Proluge
    November 1942

    The news that June’s grandfather was being evicted had come from her older sister Mary, who worked in town at Langham’s Drug Store.

  2. I’ll share a first line from a book I hope to start reading very soon.

    “Two construction workers carried in the orange ladder splatted with dried paint blotches and old drywall mud.”

    From The House at Saltwater Point by Colleen Coble

    Happy Friday! 🙂

  3. I love that author! The book I’m sharing on my blog is “Lord Livesey’s Bluestocking” by Audrey Harrison. I will share the first line from chapter 22. “Livesey stood next to his aunt in the side chapel, taking in the scene whilst gritting his teeth.” Have a wonderful weekend!

  4. Paula Shreckhise says:

    My first line is from Blind Betrayal by Nancy Mehl:

    As Martin Avery waited to be murdered, he was surprised to find that, more than anything else, he felt offended.

    • Iola Goulton says:

      What a bizarre first line! I’m going to have to check that out, as Nancy Mehl is one of my favourite romantic suspense authors. This week is getting expensive …

  5. Suzie says:

    Yay! This was the first Robin Lee Hatcher book I read. It made me a fan!

    My current read is The Truth Between Us by Tammy L. Gray:

    Nine months, twenty-seven days, and four hours.

    Happy Friday!

  6. Rachel says:

    I shared the first few lines of Rosie Walsh’s debut “Ghosted” on my blog, but I’m going to share an old favorite here.

    “The fans scream for her, but they don’t really know the girl on the magazine covers – the girl with the guitar and the easy smile. Her given name is Delilah, and they think she goes by Lilah. But anyone who really knows my best friend calls her Dee.”

    That line comes from Emery Lord’s “Open Road Summer”. It’s a light, fun and romantic read, perfect for, well, summer. Haha!

    Hope you enjoyed it. Happy Friday! 😀

  7. Susan Dyer says:

    Happy Friday!😎 I love her books!😊

    My first lines come from Loving Grace by April Smith.

    I’M LATE. THE PHONE IS already ringing off the wall by the time I make it to my desk. I toss my keys and bag to the side, not really bothering with where they land. I’ll get them later. I grab the phone and snag the corner of the desk with my hip. That’s going to leave a mark.

    Have an awesome weekend and happy reading!😊

  8. Becky Smith says:

    Happy Friday! My first line is from This Freedom Journey by Misty M. Beller:

    “This journey I take seems foolish to others, yet I can’t help the yearning that fuels me. ~ Adrien’s Journal”

  9. Yvette says:

    I picked that one up for my kindle as well! I’m sharing from Hurricane Season by Lauren K. Denton on my blog today, so here is the rather long first line from chapter 2:

    “The babysitter was late, Addie and Walsh were flying around the house in superhero capes yelling the Batman theme son–“Da-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-Batman!”–and Jenna had just poured a mug of coffee when Walsh bumped into her from behind, spilling hot liquid down the front of her black Full Cup Coffee T-shirt.”

    Happy Friday!

  10. This week for FLF, I am showcasing Roseanna M. White’s novel Whispers From the Shadows. Here, I will post the first line from chapter 2 in the book I’m just starting today, The Hope of Azure Springs by Rachel Fordham.

    “Em, you look so improved.”

    Kind of sounds insulting…I’ll have to read on and find out the context. 😉

    Hope you’re having a blessed weekend with lots of fun reading time. 😊

    • Iola Goulton says:

      I love Roseanna M White’s novels. I haven’t read The Hope of Azure Springs, but I’m hearing lots of good things about it. Thanks for sharing, and have a great weekend of reading 🙂

  11. Janine says:

    Happy Reading!

    I’m featuring lines from Danielle Norman’s upcoming release “Stetson” on my blog.

    Here I’m sharing lines from Susan Stoker’s “Shelter for Blythe.”

    “That her?” Sawyer “Squirrel” McClay turned to look at his friend and fellow firefighter, Penelope. She was sitting on one of the couches in the fire station with her pet miniature donkey, Smokey, beside her.

  12. BECCA WEIDEL says:

    The book I shared on my blog is The Hidden Side by Heidi Chiavaroli, but I’m currently reading Things I Never Told You by Beth K Vogt so I’ll share that first line here: “The what-ifs taunted me every time I visited my parents, but any hope of beginning again had vanished years ago–if there’d ever been one. Hope you have a great weekend!

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