
Happy Friday & welcome to the First Line Friday hosted by Reading Is My Superpower It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. Today, I’m featuring the first line of In Spotlight and Shadow by Rachel Scott McDaniel. It has such a beautiful cover and her books are so good. I’m looking forward to this book I grabbed off of NetGalley yesterday.

And the first few lines are……….
January Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
History didn’t haphazardly repeat itself in the chapters of Elise Malvern’s life. It copy and pasted in the most irritating fashion. But if one were to flip through this proverbial book,most of the pages would be blank.
About The Book
Barbour Fiction (February 1, 2023)Paperback : 256 pages
A Gem of a Mystery Takes Center Stage
Walk through Doors to the Past via a new series of historical stories of romance and adventure.
Elise Malvern has a habit of letting people down. Her former boyfriend who hoped she’d be his bride. Her grandfather who hoped she’d take over the family’s auction company. But mostly she’s disappointed herself. What’s the point of pursuing her passion as a violinist, if she is too scared to audition for a seat in the Pittsburgh Symphony? Her internship at the elegant Heinz Hall places her in the wings of the stage, but never on it. By accident, she discovers an old stage prop. Her instincts tell her there’s more to the paste necklace than meets the eye. Whether a good idea or not, she accepts help from a childhood friend, who happens to be country music megastar–Peirson Brooks. Peirson and Elise share a history; one she doesn’t care to repeat. The more involved they become in the mystery, the more things get tangled, including her heart.
A century earlier…
Sophie Walters longs for center stage, her name on the marquee, and all that jazz, but climbing her way into an acting career is more difficult than she imagined. Having spoiled all her chances in Hollywood, she returns to Pittsburgh, accepting an insignificant role in a popular production. She watches her dreams pass by from behind the curtain at the illustrious Loew’s Penn Theatre. She finally gets the coveted spotlight, but not for her talent. No, her surge to fame is all one terrible mistake. Somehow, she’s suspected to be a notorious jewel thief known around Pittsburgh as The Mirage. The man she pleads for help is none other than the man she jilted at the altar five years before, Sterling Monroe.
Don’t miss other great books in the Doors to the Past series:
The Lady in Residence by Allison Pittman
Hope Between the Pages by Pepper Basham
Bridge of Gold by Kimberley Woodhouse
Undercurrent of Secrets by Rachel Scott McDaniel
Behind Love’s Wall by Carrie Fancett Pagels
High-Wire Heartbreak by Anna Schmidt
Love’s Fortress by Jennifer Uhlarik
A Promise Engraved by Liz Tolsma
Laura’s Shadow by Allison Pittman
Passages of Hope by Terri Haynes
In Spotlight and Shadow by Rachel Scott McDaniel
The Keys to Gramercy Park by Candice Sue Patterson
Pre-order here
Do you have a favorite book by this author? What is your first line Friday this week?
Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your weekend

19 replies on “First Line Friday”
Awesome first line Deanne. This sounds like a really good story!🤗📚💜
LikeLiked by 1 person
She really writes great books. It’s only 256 pages so I’m hoping I can sneak it in within the next few months, lol.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like this series and hadn’t realized this one came out!! So fun! Thanks for sharing. Have a great weekend!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a great series, I’m loving it. I didn’t know about this book until I just saw it on NetGalley. You’re welcome. Have a great weekend.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Can’t wait to read this from one of my favorite authors!
My first line comes from Within These Gilded Halls by Abigail Wilson.
Southern England, 1819
Hunting the treasure without me?
A fascinating book!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I mean Rachel is one of my favorite authors! Abigail, too though!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m really looking forward to reading both books Paula.
LikeLike
I’ve not heard of this series, but they sound quite interesting. Great first line to tempt me with, Deanne.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve read just about all in the series so far Carla. They are great. The nice thing is the books are less that 300 pages each so not a big time commitment.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good to know Deanne. I will have to see what I can find.
LikeLike
What a cover!!! 😍
I’m currently reading Authentically, Izzy by Pepper Basham. It’s super cute!
“In my psychology class we learned that the best way to deal with sensitive artistic personalities like Eli’s is to ask questions to help them come to their own conclusions. Directness may lead to internal wounds. Or was that about counseling teenagers? Oh well, I’m sure it works for both.”
Have a great weekend!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree, that red hair is very eye-catching. How are you liking the writing style of Authentically,Izzy? I’ve heard both good and bad reviews for this one.
LikeLike
I was struggling with it until I started reading it through the NetGalley reader app. This book is formatted like a bunch of emails and text messages so there’s a ton of transitions that don’t translate on a Kindle at all. Once I started reading it in its galley form (full-page length) I had no problem. I actually started to really enjoy it. My review will reflect that this book may be best read in actual paper. Otherwise it could be a rough read. Which is sad cause the story is good. I would hate for a reader to miss the goodness of the story because of formatting.
LikeLike
That opening definitely grabbed my interest.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t wait for this one! I’m currently re-reading To Treasure an Heiress by Roseanna M White. The first line is: “Prince … or pirate?” Have a great weekend!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too, her books are so good. To Treasure A Heiress was great too, the whole series was. That’s a very intriguing first line. Thank you Danielle. You have a great weekend too. Hope you’ll find some reading time.
LikeLike
I agree, it definitely sounds like a winner.
LikeLike
I love the cover! Sounds like a good one 😊 This week I featured the first line from Concrete Evidence by DiAnn Mills. http://gracetogrowblog.com/concrete-evidence-diann-mills/
Have a great week!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree, can’t wait to read it. I haven’t read a book by DiAnn Mills in years. I’ll need to remedy this.
LikeLiked by 1 person