First Line Friday

First Line Friday – Holiday Grab Bag Edition

September 21, 2018 by Suzie Waltner 11 Comments

Do you start celebrating the holidays early or wait until it’s upon you? Are you a fan of fall? Pumpkin spice?

This week’s First Line Friday special edition topic is holiday grab bag. Share a book, cove & first line from any book that features a holiday. So I’m sharing the next holiday read on my TBR list. I’m looking forward to this one for a couple of reasons. First, it’s a Christmas book (and who doesn’t like a warm fuzzy romance at Christmas). Another reason is that this author is known for her romantic suspense stories so this is a genre shift for her. And judging from the first paragraph, we are in for a treat with this one!

Anyone else has Catching Christmas by Terri Blackstock on their lists this year?

About the Book

The first Christmas story from New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Terri Blackstock.

“The feel-good Christmas book of the year. Blackstock’s tale of love and redemption wrapped in a holiday bow will leave you smiling. Don’t miss Catching Christmas.” —New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hauck

This Year, Christmas Comes Just in Time

As a first-year law associate, Sydney Batson knows she will be updating her resume by New Year’s if she loses her current court case. So when her grandmother gets inexplicably ill while she’s in court, Sydney arranges for a cab to get her to the clinic.

The last thing cab driver Finn Parrish wants is to be saddled with a wheelchair-bound old lady with dementia. But because Miss Callie reminds him of his own mother, whom he failed miserably in her last days, he can’t say no when she keeps calling him for rides. Once a successful gourmet chef, Finn’s biggest concern now is making his rent, but half the time Callie doesn’t remember to pay him. And as she starts to feel better, she leads him on wild goose chases to find a Christmas date for her granddaughter.

When Finn meets Sydney, he’s quite sure that she’s never needed help finding a date. Does Miss Callie have an ulterior motive, or is this just a mission driven by delusions? He’s willing to do whatever he can to help fulfill Callie’s Christmas wish. He just never expected to be a vital part of it.

“Terri Blackstock’s latest offering touches tender places with its quirky characters and stirring plot. Catching Christmas explores what happens when the paths of a disenchanted Taxi driver collide with that of an overworked attorney. Blackstock weaves a compelling, romantic tale that is sure to get you into the Christmas spirit!” —Denise Hunter, bestselling author of Honeysuckle Dreams

“Blackstock’s Catching Christmas is not your average romance. Darling and laugh-out-loud cute, it makes the reader think about the important things in life. I read it in one gulp and wished there was more. Highly recommended!” —Colleen Coble, USA TODAY bestselling author of the Hope Beach series and the Lavender Tides series

Your Turn

What holiday read is on your TBR? Or what is one of your favorite holiday-themed books? Share the first line in the comments and then hop on over to our host site at Hoarding Books and check out the other first lines.

First Line Fridays hosted by Hoarding Books

First Line Friday – A Tale of Two Hearts

September 14, 2018 by Suzie Waltner 4 Comments

Happy Friday, reader friends! My plans for cranking some reading out while on vacation were hit and miss. On travel days, I had no problem keeping my nose in a book. On the other days, there was almost too much going on around me to really concentrate. As my brother-in-law was making the food for his daughter’s wedding, he had his music cranked. Even when I went upstairs, it was loud (but not too loud to put earphones in and listen to an audiobook until he finished up in the kitchen).

This week, I’m sharing the line from Michelle Griep’s Christmas book. Well, Christmas, historical fiction, ode to Dickens. So much packed into this little story!!

About the Book

London, 1853: Innkeeper’s daughter Mina Scott will do anything to escape the drudgery of her life, for there’s nothing more mundane than serving customers day after day. Every minute she can, she reads and dreams of someday becoming a real lady—and catch the eye of William Barlow, a frequent guest at the inn.

William is a gentleman’s son, a charming but penniless rogue. However, his bachelor uncle will soon name an heir—either him or his scheming cousin. In an effort to secure the inheritance, William gives his uncle the impression he’s married, which works until he’s invited to bring his wife for a visit.

William asks Mina to be his pretend bride, only until his uncle names an heir on Christmas Day. Mina is flattered and frustrated by the offer, for she wants a true relationship with William. Yet, she agrees. . .then wishes she hadn’t. So does William. Deceiving the old man breaks both their hearts. When the truth is finally discovered, more than just money is lost.

Can two hearts survive such deception?

What are you reading this weekend?

Grab the book nearest you and drop the first line in the comments. Then head over to our hosts at Hoarding Books and check out what others are sharing this week.

First Line Friday – Hidden Among the Stars

September 7, 2018 by Suzie Waltner 6 Comments

Happy Friday, friends! I’m headed back to Tennessee tomorrow. Hanging out with family always comes with lots of laughs!

I did manage to get a book or two read in there too, including this new release from Melanie Dobson.

About the Book

From the award-winning author of Catching the Wind, which Publishers Weekly called “unforgettable” and a “must-read,” comes another gripping time-slip novel about hidden treasure, a castle, and ordinary people who resisted evil in their own extraordinary way.

The year is 1938, and as Hitler’s troops sweep into Vienna, Austrian Max Dornbach promises to help his Jewish friends hide their most valuable possessions from the Nazis, smuggling them to his family’s summer estate near the picturesque village of Hallstatt. He enlists the help of Annika Knopf, his childhood friend and the caretaker’s daughter, who is eager to help the man she’s loved her entire life. But when Max also brings Luzia Weiss, a young Jewish woman, to hide at the castle, it complicates Annika’s feelings and puts their entire plan―even their very lives―in jeopardy. Especially when the Nazis come to scour the estate and find both Luzia and the treasure gone.

Eighty years later, Callie Randall is mostly content with her quiet life, running a bookstore with her sister and reaching out into the world through her blog. Then she finds a cryptic list in an old edition of Bambi that connects her to Annika’s story . . . and maybe to the long-buried story of a dear friend. As she digs into the past, Callie must risk venturing outside the safe world she’s built for a chance at answers, adventure, and maybe even new love.

Now It’s Your Turn

Grab the book nearest you and leave the first line in the comments below. Then hop over to our host site at Hoarding Books and check out what first lines others are sharing this week.

grab button for Hoarding Books

First Line Friday – Engaged in Trouble

August 31, 2018 by Suzie Waltner 12 Comments

And sinc

Happy Friday, friends! I’m extra pumped for this particular Friday because next week is vacation!! I’ll have lots of reading time on Sunday as I fly from Nashville to Seattle. My oldest niece is getting married next Thursday (which means I’ll get to spend some quality time with family).

For some reason, the week prior to a vacation always seems to drag a little more than normal. And since I had already listened to all of the available audiobooks on my August TBR, I decided to catch up on a couple older books I haven’t had the opportunity to read yet. Including this one from Jenny B. Jones…

First Line Friday – Mourning Dove

August 24, 2018 by Suzie Waltner 16 Comments

Ah, Friday! It’s been a long week with some unexpected and shocking news, so this weekend is needed to rest and recover from the news. And, of course, there will be reading involved.

This week, I’m the first line from Mourning Dove, a beautiful Book by Claire Fullerton. You can learn more about the book, read my full review, and enter to win an audio copy of this book here as part of the JustRead blog tour.