Welcome to First Line Friday! Each Friday I pick a book and share the first line with you. In return, I hope you’ll share with me a first line from whatever book you have at hand!
This week I am trying something a little different. I’m having trouble deciding which book to read next and I’d love your opinion! Below, I am sharing the first lines from each of the books I am debating between.
Take a look and let me know in the comments which one you think I should read first!
Option #1:
Here’s the first line:
For two hours a night, Monday through Saturday, Isadora Presley became the girl she’d lost.
Here’s the description:
Unknown to her tiny town of Deep Haven, Isadora Presley spends her nights as Miss Foolish Heart, the star host of a syndicated talk radio show. Millions tune in to hear her advice on dating and falling in love, unaware that she’s never really done either. Issy’s ratings soar when it seems she’s falling in love on-air with a caller. A caller she doesn’t realize lives right next door.
Caleb Knight served a tour of duty in Iraq and paid a steep price. The last thing he wants is pity, so he hides his disability and moves to Deep Haven to land his dream job as the high school football coach. When his beautiful neighbor catches his eye, in a moment of desperation he seeks advice from My Foolish Heart, the show that airs before his favorite sports broadcast.
Before he knows it, Caleb finds himself drawn to the host—and more confused than ever. Is his perfect love the woman on the radio . . . Or the one next door?
Option #2:
Here’s the first line:
Olin Springs, Colorado, 1880
The shooter did not flinch.
Here’s the description:
Love hadn’t brought her to Colorado, but it might be the one thing that keeps her there.
Mail order bride Mae Ann Remington won’t let circumstances get in her way. When someone else’s greed costs her everything—including her groom—she does the only thing she can in a new town with no money or friends. She asks a stranger to marry her.
Cattleman Cade Parker stops at the bank to withdraw cash for his sister, not find himself a wife. But that’s exactly what happens after a bank robbery leaves a farmer dead and his headstrong bride-to-be making a desperate business proposition.
Convinced he’s gone loco, Cade accepts the spirited young woman’s offer, and they stop by the church before heading to the ranch, his horses, and the herd. He’s soon adding to Mae Ann’s fine cooking skills by teaching her to ride, shoot, and do what he tells her. She manages the first two fairly well, but gets her back up at the third.
Cade struggles to keep his emotional distance from the stubborn gal whose gentle ways start drawing him in. But when a greedy neighbor challenges Mae Ann’s inheritance of her former intended’s run-down farm, Cade and Mae Ann drive to court at the county seat and into the jaws of a deadly storm. Not only must Cade fight to keep his new bride safe, he’s got to keep his heart from stampeding out of control.
Taking on snakes, scoundrels, and second chances is one thing, but falling in love wasn’t part of the deal.
The Comparison:
First of all, both of these authors are new to me, which I love.
Secondly, Option #1 is categorized as a Christian romance while Option #2 is categorized as a “Sweet Romance”.
Thirdly, Option #1 is contemporary while Option #2 is historical.
Why each appeals to me:
Option 1: Um, hello? That first line is fantastic! Are you kidding me? Yes! I’m hooked. Plus, the whole bit about the hero debating between two women who are really the same person… how fun is that?
Option 2: I know, I wrote a whole paragraph on how overdone the mail-order bride thing has been, but 1) it’s been done so often for a reason and 2) I love the twist this author gives it by shooting the heroine’s intended right off the bat. So cold. Genius. But cold. Plus, the first page is very compelling. I had to make myself put it down to go feed my kids.
Okay, so those are my thoughts. Tell me yours. Which do you think I should read first and WHY?
And don’t forget to grab the book nearest to you and include the first (or your favorite) line in your comment!
Then head over to Hoarding Books to see who else is participating:
I vote for option #1 simply because I prefer contemporary over historical (unless it’s regency). The first line from option #1 intrigues me, too. (And now I’m thinking I want to read this book!) Happy Friday!
It is an intriguing line! 🙂 Thanks for voting!
Happy Friday!
My FLF is from Barefoot Summer by Denise Hunter
Madison McKinley scanned the crowded town hall, wondering how many of her friends and neighbors she’d have to fight to get what she came for.
Have a great weekend!
Thanks for stopping by!
Oh dear, I see your dilemma. First of all, if you haven’t read any of Susan May Warren’s books yet, you have sooooo much to look forward to! I was going to suggest that one simply because I know how good it will be.
But then I read the following two sentences in the second book’s description: “He’s soon adding to Mae Ann’s fine cooking skills by teaching her to ride, shoot, and do what he tells her. She manages the first two fairly well, but gets her back up at the third.”
Bahahaha! That sounds like my kind of book! I’m thinking I’ll have to check that one out myself!
I’m featuring the first line from The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey by Carolyn Miller on my blog this week, but right now I’m almost finished a gripping read by Candace Calvert, Disaster Status, so I’m going to give you the first line of that:
“Fire captain Scott McKenna bolted through the doors of Pacific Mercy ER, his boots thudding and heart pounding as the unconscious child began to stiffen and jerk in his arms.”
Gotta get back to it! Have a great weekend 🙂
I liked that part, too! 🙂
I LOVE Susan May Warren books, so I would always read them first. I have read every one of her books, and can’t wait for the next one to be released. She is definitely one of my very favorite authors!
Happy Friday! My first line is from Love Unawares, a historical fiction book by Michelynn Christy:
Prairie, Texas 1895
“Well, Jed. Are you ready to meet your new wife tomorrow?”
Good to know. Thanks for voting!
Susan May Warren is an amazing author. I haven’t read this one yet, but that would be the one that I would choose. 🙂
I’m sharing about Isaiah’s Daughter by Mesu Andrews on the blog today, but here I’m going to share the first line from The Esther Paradigm by Sarah Monzon.
Prologue
Hannah Pratt stared out across the grainy hills as the wind blew a gentle kiss over the crest.
Chapter 1
Hannah
This was not how I’d thought I would die.
Happy Friday!
I’ve read and enjoyed both authors but I’m more familiar with Susan May Warren, she is a tried and true all-time favorite of mine!
Here’s the first line from my next read:
“Fowltown Village, Georgia
Big Chestnut Moon (October) 1817
Captain Marcus Buck dropped to one knee beside an Indian’s crumpled form and swept a hand down her face, lowering her lids over sightless eyes.”
Drawn by the Frost Moon: Bitter Eyes No More by April W. Gardner
I’d read Susan May Warren’s book. I’ve heard great things about them. HAPPY FRIDAY!
Rebecca Hawes lay awake in her tent, convinced that the howling wind was about to lift her entire camp into the air and hurl it to the far side of the desert. Where We Belong by Lynn Austin
Oh my goodness, that is a hard choice. I would say go with My Foolish Heart first. I love Warren novels. They are kind of my go-to!
I am showcasing Embracing Hope by Janell Butler Wojtowicz this week, so I will post the first line from the book I plan to read after I finish Embracing Hope.
“This is for them. This is for the magic. This is for every little dreamer in the room. Dozens of little awestruck faces crowded the large studio as I took position to practice my Sugar Plum Fairy solo.”
So, a little more than one line, but I really like the image this creates of cute little ballerinas excited to see a performance. This comes from A Season to Dance by Patricia Beal.
Oh goodness, I always have a hard time deciding what to read next too. 🙂 But I think option #1 sounds fantastic…happy reading and happy Friday!
That’s a tough decision. I’m always more drawn to historical books, but that one by Susan May Warren is tempting. I’ve already read An Improper Proposal and enjoyed it. Hmmm…I don’t know what to tell you. The great thing is, you can read both. Just not at the same time. (haha) I’m featuring A Most Peculiar Circumstance by Jen Turano on my blog, but here I will share the first line from a novel I recently published called Reluctant To Wed. “Sitting in her grandfather’s traveling coach, Emma suddenly felt the impact of her decision.”
Decisions, decisions …
The Susan May Warren book is part of a series. It is a standalone, but you’ll probably enjoy it more if you read the other books first.
So I’m voting for An Improper Proposal … if only so no one shoots me.
I’m sharing from The Dishonourable Miss DeLancy over on my blog, but I’m currently reading The Captive Brides collection. I’ve just started Waltzing Matilda by Lucy Thompson. Here’s the first line:
Matilda Brampton took one more look at the walls of the Parramatta Female Factory and vowed it would be her last.
Those both sound so good!! And what fun first lines too. I haven’t read the second author before, but I do love Susan May Warren’s books. Happy Reading…. no matter what you choose. 🙂
Tough choice. Both sound great, but I haven’t read either. However I have read a bunch of Susan May Warren’s works and loved most so I’m going to vote for that one.
Oh, wow! That is a difficult decision. They both sound really good. Personally, I’d reach for the historical first.
On my page I shared the first line from Heather Day Gilbert’s “God’s Daughter” a fantastic story rich in viking history. I would highly recommend the book to anyone who enjoys Historical Fiction.
I’ll share here an old favorite of mine “Heidi”
From the old and pleasantly situated village of Mayenfeld, a footpath winds through green and shady meadows to the food of the mountains, which on this side look down from their stern and lofty heights upon the valley below.
ooo those are tough choices – i don’t think you can go wrong with either (i’m no help, am I?)
My current first line is from Love Held Captive by Shelley Shepard Gray: “There was almost nothing there. Almost.”