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First Line Friday

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FIRST LINE FRIDAY

Happy Friday & welcome to the First Line Friday hosted at Reading Is My Super Power. It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. Today I’m delighted to feature the first line of The Mayor of Maxwell Street by Avery Cunningham. I am featuring this book today for Black History month.

The First Lines Are:

Prologue

The Ballad of Jimmy Blue-Eyes

“What do you see?”

Jimmy saw decay. Mold and termites and the final days of living things. But he also saw a place of mediation.

ABOUT THE BOOK

“A debut novel everyone will be talking about,” Avery Cunningham’s epic love story is “a triumph” and “a tale of intrigue, racial tension, and class warfare, set against the glamorous and gritty backdrop of early 20th century Chicago.”

When a rich Black debutante enlists the help of a low-level speakeasy manager to identify the head of an underground crime syndicate, the two are thrust into the dangerous world of Prohibition-era Chicago.

The year is 1921, and America is burning. A fire of vice and virtue rages on every shore, and Chicago is its beating heart.

Nelly Sawyer is the daughter of the “wealthiest Negro in America,” whose affluence catapulted his family to the heights of Black society. After the unexpected death of her only brother, Nelly becomes the premier debutante overnight. But Nelly has aspirations beyond society influence and marriage. For the past year, she has worked undercover as an investigative journalist, sharing the achievements and tribulations of everyday Black people living in the shadow of Jim Crow. Her latest assignment thrusts her into the den of a dangerous vice lord: the so-called Mayor of Maxwell Street.

Born in rural Alabama to a murdered biracial couple, Jay Shorey knows firsthand what it means to be denied a chance at the American dream. When a tragic turn of fate gave Jay a rare path out, he took it without question. He washed up on Chicago’s storied shores and forged his own way to the top of the city’s underworld, running Chicago’s swankiest speakeasy, where the rich and famous rub elbows with gangsters and politicians alike.

When Nelly’s and Jay’s paths cross, she recruits him to help expose the Mayor and bring about lasting change in a corrupt city. But Jay also introduces a whole new world to Nelly, one where her horizons can extend beyond the confines of her ivory tower. Trapped between the monolith of Jim Crow, the inflexible world of the Black upper class, and the violence of Prohibition-era Chicago, Jay and Nelly work together and stoke the flames of a love worth fighting for.

Debut author Avery Cunningham’s stunning novel is at once an epic love story, a riveting historical drama, and a brilliant exploration of Black society and perseverance when the ‘20s first began to roar.

Grab a copy here.

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FIRST LINE FRIDAY

FIRST LINE FRIDAY

Happy Friday & welcome to the First Line Friday! I hope your week has been great, it’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. Today I’m delighted to feature the first line of 8 Down (Alaskan Cyber Hunters, 2). I’ve read plenty of historical fiction books by  Kimberley Woodhouse but none of her suspense books yet, so I look forward to getting into it. Hosted at Reading Is My Super Power.

The first lines are:

Nothing could have prepared her for the dead body at the crime scene. None of her training, classes, or visits to the morgue could have accomplished that feat.

ABOUT THE BOOK

8 more lives at stake.
Investigator Carrie Kintz is new blood with the Alaska Bureau of Investigation in Anchorage. But with a serial killer on the loose, there’s no easing into the job. It’s sink or swim. The only clues to help law enforcement stop this madman are the taunts he drops into crossword puzzles across the country–always in the same 8 DOWN position.
Carrie is desperate to prove her worth to the force and the community by catching the killer. But when she discovers signs that these deaths are just the tip of the iceberg in a frighteningly elaborate cyberattack, it’s time to admit she needs help.
Calling in security specialist Scott Patteson for his expertise seems like the right move–until Carrie realizes that he may be a dangerous distraction for her heart. With her faith fading in the face of horror and uncertainty and her career in danger of ending, this is no time for flirtation.
But with a killer who is determined to prove that he’s smarter than everyone else, it may be impossible to fight both the madman and their feelings for each other . . .

Publication March 5, 2024 here

Let me know the first line of the book closest to you. Would you read this book?

I went to the orthopedic dr yesterday about my ankle injury. I have a grade 2 sprain which means there is tearing of the ligaments in my ankle, but it’s not completely torn through. It’s been 13 days now and he’s pleased I am able to bear a bit of weight on it. I will be starting physical therapy as soon as they call me. He wants me to do tiptoe raises and use a stationary bike. I have 4 more weeks of recovery he’s saying. It sounds like a long time but I’m glad I can finally start to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you all for your kind words, prayers and positivity. This means so much especially when I’m having a bad day with this. Some days the pain is worse than others. My husband and kids have been so helpful through this all.

Enjoy your weekend all and thanks for stopping in.

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FIRST LINE FRIDAY

FIRST LINE FRIDAY

Happy Friday & welcome to the First Line Friday hosted at Reading is my Super Power! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. Today I’m delighted to feature the first line of While the City Sleeps By Elizabeth Camden. She is one of my absolute go to authors for historical fiction.

And the first line is:

New York City April 1913

People were rarely in a good mood while in a dentist’s chair by Dr. Katherine Schneider’s patient was singing.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Amid the hushed city, two hearts must navigate danger and deception, bound by a love that outshines the stars.

Katherine Schneider’s life as a dentist in 1913 New York is upended when a patient reveals details of a deadly plot while under the influence of laughing gas. As she is plunged into danger, she seeks help from the dashing Lieutenant Jonathan Birch, a police officer she has long admired from afar.

Jonathan has harbored powerful feelings toward Katherine for years but never acted on them, knowing his dark history is something she could never abide. Now, with her safety on the line, he works alongside her through the nights as they unravel the criminal conspiracy that threatens her . . . even as he keeps his deepest secrets hidden at all costs.

Pub Date 13 Feb 2024

What do you think of my choice this week? Will you be reading this one?

Thank you for stopping in. I hope your day is great.

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FIRST LINE FRIDAY

FIRST LINE FRIDAY

Happy Friday & welcome to First Line Friday hosted at Reading is My Super Power! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. Today I’m delighted to feature the first line of Freedom’s Song by Kim Vogel Sawyer.

FIRST LINE:

Thunderous applause. Cries of, “Encore, encore.”

ABOUT THE BOOK

Her voice made her a riverboat’s darling—and its prisoner. Now she’s singing her way to freedom in this powerful novel from the bestselling author of The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow.

“[An] enjoyable faith-filled adventure . . . Sawyer’s episodic narrative and rich assortment of characters fighting for freedom provide the story with many twists and unexpected side-plots.”—Publishers Weekly

Indentured servant Fanny Beck has been forced to sing for riverboat passengers since she was a girl. All she wants is to live a quiet, humble life with her family as soon as her seven-year contract is over. So when she discovers that the captain has no intention of releasing her, she seizes a sudden opportunity to escape—an impulse that leads Fanny to a group of enslaved people who are on their own dangerous quest for liberty. . . .

Widower Walter Kuhn is overwhelmed by his responsibilities to his farm and young daughter, and now his mail-order bride hasn’t arrived. Could a beautiful stranger seeking work be the answer to his prayers? . . .

After the star performer of the River Peacock is presumed drowned, Sloan Kirkpatrick, the riverboat’s captain, sets off to find her replacement. However, his journey will bring him face to face with his own past—and a deeper understanding of what it truly means to be free. . . . 

Uplifting, inspiring, and grounded in biblical truth, Freedom’s Song is a story for every reader who has longed for physical, emotional, or spiritual delivery.

I love this author’s books and I’m not sure why I haven’t read this book yet. It is part of my backlist books I’ll be reading next year.

Have a great day all. Thanks for stopping in.

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FIRST LINE FRIDAY

FIRST LINE FRIDAY

Happy Friday & welcome to First Line Friday! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line(s). Today I am featuring a cozy mystery publishing December 26 that I look forward to reading. I think this is the third in the series and I haven’t read any of them yet.

And this first lines are:

“Will we see you and Benny at the festival, Tanya?” My grandmother, Genevieve Bain sat at her dark wood folding table in Spice Isle Bakery, our family- owned business, early Friday morning.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The case in Olivia Matthews’s Coconut Drop Dead is going to be a tough nut to crack.

Brooklyn’s annual Caribbean American Heritage Festival is finally here, and Spice Isle Bakery is thrilled to be one of the event’s food vendors. After all, the Murrays have been attending the festival for years. Co-owner Lyndsay Murray hopes their West Indian pastries and finger foods draw people back to the bakery in Little Caribbean. She’s looking forward to having fun, connecting with customers, and celebrating with her family.

The day’s festivities are cut short when Camille, lead singer of an up-and-coming reggae band, dies. The police think it may be a tragic accident. But Lyndsay’s cousin Manny was close to Camille, and he believes someone cut her life short. Now Manny needs Lyndsay’s help to make sure a killer faces the music.

Let me know the first lines of the book closest to you.

Though you are just one person you are someone’s everything! Thank you for visiting today.

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First Line Friday

FIRST LINE FRIDAY

Good Morning,

It’s time for another First Line Friday, hosted at Reading is my SuperPower. Grab the book closest to you and list the first line(s) then return to Reading is my SuperPower and visit other blogs to see everyone else’s posts.

The book I’m featuring today is:

The first line:

On the doorstep of Rose’s house, Annie smooths out her coat and straightens her scarf before gripping her cane again.

+ABOUT THE BOOK

Grannies, gangsters, murders—and a rollicking journey across France!

It’s January 4, 1961, and Marseilles housemaid Annie Malian is in love. It’s also the day her fiancé René takes his life under peculiar circumstances.

Many decades later, an old Christmas postcard addressed to Annie arrives, and all her doubts come flooding back.

At 84, there’s no time to waste!

Annie enlists the help of Rose Tassy, an eccentric retired teacher and amateur sleuth.

Thus begins an unforgettable journey from Provence to a quaint village in Picardie and then on to the sparkling Riviera, with a detour through wintry Paris.

Amid yuletide festivities, Annie and Rose navigate perilous terrain. Their list of suspects quickly grows. Was it Rene’s older brother? Maybe the ex-gangster turned chicken farmer? The powerful Monegasque tycoon?

Stumped, Rose begins to question her detective mettle when a new death compounds the plot…

This Christmas, will Annie receive the overdue truth as a gift?

Is this book on your to read list?

Happy Friday may your day be great.

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FIRST LINE FRIDAY

FIRST LINE FRIDAY

Happy Friday & welcome to First Line Friday hosted by Reading is my Super Power! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. The book I am featuring is the one I am reading right now; it’s called A Vineyard Wedding. I am reading it because I am doing a spelling challenge for November on GoodReads and we are spelling Thanksgiving. In November we are reading one book for each of the letters in Thanksgiving. My V letter corresponds with A Vineyard Wedding.

FIRST LINE

It was the ugliest wedding dress Annie had ever seen.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Finding love on Martha’s Vineyard has been a dream come true—but for the bride-to-be, the price of happiness may be too high . . .

With her long-awaited wedding to police sergeant John Lyons only weeks away, bestselling author and Vineyard Inn proprietor Annie Sutton is faced with more drama than usual. Between the hideous heirloom gown her new family expects her to wear and the challenges of bonding with John’s contentious daughter Abigail, Annie’s having serious doubts. But when the baby she once found on her doorstep goes missing, Annie has bigger concerns, including that the little girl’s pregnant, older half-sister is in no condition to hear bad news . . .

Desperate for answers, Annie combs the island, questioning friends and even her family-to-be. Because suddenly it seems as if Abigail will do just about anything to stop her father from marrying Annie—even if it means putting a child at risk. But if scaring Annie half to death is the plan, it’s working. Nothing else matters now except finding the little girl. And if postponing her future with John—indefinitely—is the only way to make that happen, it’s a sacrifice Annie may have to make . . .

What are you currently reading and what is Your first line?

Enjoy your day. Thank you for stopping in.

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First Line Friday-on Saturday

FIRST LINE FRIDAY

I hope you don’t mind this being a day late. With traveling yesterday, I didn’t have a chance to do this one on time.

It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. First Line Friday is hosted by Reading is My Super Power.

Today I am featuring the first line(s) of………….

The Twelve Books of Christmas by Kate Carlisle

And the first line is………..

I stared out the wide kitchen window as a black stretch limousine pulled to a stop in front of our new second home in Dharma. Less than two minutes later, another limo arrived, and I had to take a few bracing breaths. “Have we done the right thing?”

ABOUT THE BOOK

The first ever Christmas mystery in the beloved New York Times bestselling Bibliophile Mystery series!

San Francisco book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright and her hunky security-expert husband, Derek Stone, face a locked-room murder mystery during the holidays in Scotland.

In the middle of a wonderful Christmas holiday in Dharma, Brooklyn and Derek receive a frantic phone call from their dear friend Claire in Loch Ness, Scotland. The laird of the castle, Cameron MacKinnon, has just proposed to her! They plan to be married on New Year’s Day, and they want Derek and Brooklyn to be their witnesses. And while they’re visiting, Claire hopes that Brooklyn will be able to solve a little mystery that’s occurred in the castle library—twelve very rare, very important books have gone missing.

Once in Scotland, Brooklyn starts working on the mystery of the missing books but is soon distracted by all of the thumping and bumping noises she’s been hearing in the middle of the night. You’d think the Ghost of Christmas Past had taken up residence. But when one of the guests is poisoned and another is killed by an arrow through the heart, Brooklyn and Derek know this is not the work of any ghost. Now they must race to find a killer and a book thief before another murder occurs and their friends’ bright and happy future turns dark and deadly.

Thanks for stopping in today.

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First Line Friday

FIRST LINE FRIDAY

First Line Friday is hosted at Reading Is My Super Power.  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 A Corpse at the Witching Hour by Debra Sennefelder.

And the first line is………

Hope Early blew out a breath as she started at the plans spread across her kitchen table. She’d been studying them for days. At this point, she wasn’t sure what she was looking for.

credit

Yesterday I featured a Christmas cozy, today a Halloween one. Maybe I should get to the Halloween one before the end of the month, hopefully I can fit it in.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Hope Early has to contend with ghosts, a fatal curse, and a decades-old family secret to catch a killer in the new Food Blogger Mystery . . .

When her best friend’s Aunt Issy falls ill, food blogger Hope Early agrees to help him hand out Halloween candy at his aunt’s house, which is rumored to be cursed. A murder-suicide took place there a century ago, and legend has it that a woman has died there every twenty years since—on Halloween. Hope doesn’t really believe in curses or ghosts, but when all the trick-or-treaters are gone and she discovers a woman’s dead body on the front lawn, she wonders if the curse might be real after all.

Then Hope and her friend discover a cache of love letters linking the dead woman to Aunt Issy’s husband years ago, and Hope is certain they’ve uncovered the motive for murder—and the police are certain Aunt Issy is their main suspect. Determined to prove Issy’s innocence and nab the real culprit, Hope starts shaking other branches of the family tree. But she forgets that Halloween isn’t the only day people hide behind masks, and if she’s not careful, Hope will come face-to-face with a ghoulish fiend who’s not afraid to kill again . . .

Includes two tasty recipes!

Grab it here

276 pages October 5,2023 publication date Beyond the Page publisher

Do you like Halloween books? I know some don’t. I have a few Halloween/Fall books I still need to read for this year but seem to keep getting sidetracked by other books I need to read on a deadline. Here’s to reading Halloween books in February 🙂

Have a great day. Thanks for stopping in.

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FIRST LINE FRIDAY

Happy Friday & welcome to First Line Friday hosted at Reading is my Super Power! 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 The Wings of Poppy Pendleton by Melanie Dobson.

the first lines are……..

“Are you cold, madame?”

Her hands shook like the tremors from the ships bell, clattering against the shreds of wet fabric that hung at her sides, but she didn’t answer his question.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In this compelling new time-slip mystery, a little girl goes missing from her family’s castle in the Thousand Islands of New York. Eighty-five years later, a journalist teams up with a woman living on Koster Isle to find out what happened to Poppy, once and for all.

1907. On the eve of her fifth birthday, Poppy Pendleton is tucked safely in her bed, listening to her parents entertain New York’s gilded society in their Thousand Islands castle; the next morning, she is gone, and her father is found dead in his smoking room.

1992. Though Chloe Ridell lives in the shadows of Poppy’s castle, now in ruins, she has little interest in the mystery that still captivates tourists and locals alike. She is focused on preserving the island she inherited from her grandparents and reviving their vintage candy shop. Until the day a girl named Emma shows up on Chloe’s doorstep, with few possessions, save a tattered scrapbook that connects her to the Pendleton family. When a reporter arrives at Chloe’s store, asking questions about her grandfather, Chloe decides to help him dig into a past she’d thought best left buried. The haunting truth about Poppy, they soon discover, could save Emma’s life, so Chloe and Logan must work together to investigate exactly what happened long ago on Koster Isle.

Grab a Copy Here

Let me know the first line of the book closest to you in the comments.

Have a teriffic day and thanks for stopping in.