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First Line Friday — The Final Word

23 Oct

Happy Friday! Today I am featuring the 2nd book in Laura Thomas‘s Bite of Betrayal series, The Final Word. This book takes place mostly in a small village in England. But true to form in a romantic suspense, danger can go anywhere! Baker Sophie Brooks’s new beginning is tainted by an old relationship. This novel is perfect for fans of the genre.

Here’s the first line:

The deserted street was deliciously sinister in the glow of a solitary lamp — the perfect milieu for Sophie’s final nights living in Paris.

Terrorized by darkness from her past. Real life is no fairy tale…

When aspiring author Sophie Brooks chooses to trade a vibrant Paris life for the tranquility of a quaint English village, she imagines her final days in the City of Lights will be magical. Sophie doesn’t anticipate a chilling encounter with an old flame—nor does she plan to find a new love on her very last night.

Miles Morgan’s life has been defined as a successful opera singer—until now. His chance encounter with Sophie in Paris ignites renewed hope … if he can figure out his next chapter and if she can accept what his future may hold.

In the heart of the English countryside, Sophie and Miles’ fairy tale romance turns into a noxious nightmare as the darkness of Sophie’s past—and her volatile ex—catch up with her. Both Sophie and Miles must surrender everything to the One they thought had betrayed them as they lean into love and fight for their lives.

Travel from Paris to England in this fast-paced, faith-over-fear story of surrender.

An award-winning Christian author, Laura Thomas writes heartwarming encouragement for your soul… with the ultimate desire to inspire fiction readers in their real lives with her stories of hope.

Laura is a certified writing coach, a book-loving chocoholic mom and nanny, and is married to her high school sweetheart. Originally from the UK, they now live the empty nest life in Kelowna, British Columbia, with their French bulldog!

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First Line Friday — The Lies We Trade

16 Oct

The Lies We Trade by debut novelist Kristine Delano was a unique read for me. I admit that most of my suspense comes in the romantic version with unmarried main characters. The plots also do not usually include white color crime. Arsonists, serial killers, drug cartels are the usual suspects. The Lies We Trade has none of the above. The main character is married with kids, and the suspense arises from underhanded Wall Street types. I liked it a lot.

Here’s the first line:

I always watch for the pivot — I sense it before I see it and I notice it before the crowd.

A high-powered Wall Street career, a beautiful family in a quiet suburban neighborhood—she seems to have everything. Which means she has everything to lose.

Meredith Hansel should be having the best week of her life. After establishing herself as a portfolio manager at a prestigious Wall Street firm, she’s in the national spotlight for the innovative funds she created. But as Meredith prepares to celebrate, the plates she’s kept spinning for years begin to crash: Her strained marriage reaches a breaking point. Her conscientious teenage daughter acts out under mysterious pressures. Someone vandalizes her home with disturbing graffiti. And Betsey, her most trusted ally at the financial firm, goes rogue, and Meredith is forced to sign a restraining order against her.

Then her worlds collide when she receives a thumb drive and a cryptic note from Betsey threatening to reveal a secret that could have devastating effects on Meredith’s family . . . unless she can figure out what Betsey wants and deliver it in time.

As Meredith begins to dig into the data, however, she begins to suspect that it’s no coincidence her life is crumbling. That maybe what’s happening to her family is connected to what’s boiling beneath the surface at her investment company. Soon Meredith realizes there’s only one way to avoid taking the fall, and it all hinges on Betsey’s true motives. Was she really threatening Meredith or trying to warn her?

Kristine Delano is a former Wall Street executive turned award-winning author of domestic thrillers set in the high-stakes finance world. She hosts the We Talk Careers podcast and mentors women on work-life balance. When she’s not writing or reading, she enjoys scuba diving, playing games with friends, and chasing her family down the ski slopes of western Maine.

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First Line Friday — Girl Lost

9 Oct

Happy Friday! Leading up to the 2026 Christy Awards next month, I am featuring first lines from some of the nominees. Today I am featuring Girl Lost by Kate Angelo. This romantic suspense is book 1 in The King Legacy. Set in south Florida, it is a chilling novel — real enough to make you believe the unthinkable is possible. Nominated for the mystery/supense/thriller category, this book is perfect for fans of the genre.

Here’s the first line:

Luna Rosati could disappear into any crowd, any city, any life.

A LOST BABY
Luna Rosati found acceptance and comfort with her childhood foster family, but when she became pregnant at sixteen, she gave the baby up for adoption and left without a word. Now a CIA counterintelligence officer, Luna wants to reconcile her fractured sense of self by finding the only blood family she has–the teenage daughter she’s never met. As Luna closes in on learning the girl’s identity with the help of her mentor, Stryker, she prepares to meet him in her old neighborhood–the last place she wants to be. Then Stryker is captured.   

AN INESCAPABLE PAST
Special Agent Corbin King changed his last name to escape the shadow of his convicted father serving a life sentence. When he runs into Luna, the object of his failed teenage romance, the two must put their pasts aside and work together to expose a secret that someone’s willing to kill for.

A DEADLY THREAT
But when they encounter a kidnapping, missing bodies, and murder, the secrets Corbin and Luna are keeping from one another are only the beginning of the threat they face with more than their own lives at stake.

Kate Angelo is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author, Selah Award winner, and Amazon Top 100 bestseller from Southwest Missouri. She writes fast-paced romantic suspense novels where her characters confront trauma and find faith and healing.

When she’s not putting fictional people through the wringer, Kate works alongside her husband, Jerry Angelo, as the co-founder of their nonprofit ministry dedicated to strengthening marriages and families. Whether she’s helping people survive in fiction or thrive in real life, Kate is passionate about helping others discover their happily ever after.

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First Line Friday — The Accused

2 Oct

Happy Friday! Today I am featuring another 2026 Christy Award nominee in the mystery/suspense/thriller category — The Accused by Cara Putman. The Accused is a good choice if you like courtroom drama. The author is an attorney and law school professor, and her two main characters have those careers in common. It’s another twisty mystery in the Secrets to Keep series.

Here’s the first line:

Margeaux Robbins sprinted from her parked Sonata toward the Loudoun County Courthouse, miles from her comfortable office on the Monroe College campus in Kedgewick, Virginia.

When a popular college student is murdered, her international roommate, Anneliese, becomes a prime suspect. But law professor Margeaux Robbins doesn’t believe that the quiet, lonely German girl in her class is the killer.

Chase Crandall is a burned-out defense attorney ready to extricate himself from the grind of criminal law. After he loses a client to tragedy, he’s ready for an in-house corporate position.

When Chase is assigned to Anneliese’s case, Margeaux is horrified. She doesn’t want him to provide legal counsel—not after what happened to his past client. And not with the evidence incriminating Anneliese.

Despite their mutual misgivings, the lawyer and professor pair up to find the killer and prove Anneliese’s innocence. Will they be able to untangle the mystery—and navigate their growing interest in one another—before the wrong person is charged with murder?

In addition to writing, Cara Putman is a mom of four, an attorney, a Clinical Associate Professor at a Big Ten university who also runs a center, and an all-around crazy woman. Crazy about God, her husband, and her kids. She graduated with honors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Go Huskers!), George Mason Law School, and Purdue University’s MBA program. You can learn more about her books on her website, which is easy to find because it’s simply her name dot com.

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First Line Friday — Tempest at Annabel’s Lighthouse

25 Sep

Happy Friday! Today I am featuring another 2026 Christy Award nominee — Tempest at Annabel’s Lighthouse by Jamie Jo Wright. This dual timeline novel is a twisty, spooky, gothic mystery/suspense with a married couple in the modern day storyline. I loved that! If you haven’t read it, what are you waiting on?!

Here’s the first line:

This great water will be my sepulcher.

Where the lighthouse no longer illuminates, ghostly lore and legends emerge . . . 

1874
A battered woman awakens atop a forgotten gravesite by Lake Superior’s southern shore. Identified only by the locket around her neck inscribed with the name Rebecca, she seeks refuge with an elderly lighthouse keeper. But as Rebecca struggles to remember who she is, she finds herself haunted by the lingering memories of Annabel, a mysterious woman who perished in the lake’s unforgiving waves years earlier. With the spirit of Annabel seemingly reawakened, and an unknown adversary on the hunt to silence Rebecca once and for all, more is at stake than reclaiming her own memories. Rebecca must reclaim Annabel’s as well. 

Present Day
Author and researcher Shea Radclyffe escapes to the lighthouse outside a historic Michigan mining town to seek clarity about her failing marriage. Instantly drawn to the lighthouse’s landlord, Shea contends with the legend of Annabel’s vengeful ghost and a superstitious community that has buried the truth about a current murder. As the secrets harbored around Annabel’s lighthouse unravel, Shea must navigate a fight between torn loyalty, self-discovery, and the haunting forces of love.

. . . demanding vengeance for secrets that should have drowned a century before.

Jaime Jo Wright, multi award-winning author–including the Christy and Daphne du Maurier awards–is a coffee-fueled and cat-fancier extraordinaire. She has entwined her life with the legendary Captain Hook, residing serenely in Wisconsin’s rural woodlands. Her literary vocation involves penning chilling Gothic tales, a baffling change from that of Austenites, with a strong preference to the master of dark, Edgar Allan Poe. Two mischievous urchins adorn their family, who keep their mother on her toes – providing an exhilarating amount chaos.

Visit her at: http://www.jaimewrightbooks.com and listen to her podcast MadLit Musings on your favorite podcast player or at http://www.madlitmusings.com.

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First Line Friday — Final Approach

18 Sep

Happy Friday! Today I am featuring the final book in Lynette Eason‘s Lake City Heroes, Final Approach. If you like an ensemble cast of characters, then this romantic suspense is for you. Full of twists and turns and secrets of the past, this novel starts off with a bang!

Here’s the first line:

Air Marshal Kristine Duncan leaned back in her seat, her eyes skimming over the sunrise outside the Airbus 319’s window.

She’s intent on investigating a sinister plot of revenge, and it will take all her courage to survive. 

Air Marshal Kristine Duncan is on duty when a hijacker attempts to seize control of the plane she and her friends are on as they head out on a much-needed vacation. Jumping into action and aided by FBI Special Agent Andrew Ross, Kristine thwarts the attack and the plane lands safely. But as the investigation into the incident gets underway, Kristine and Andrew are confused at every step. Nothing about the investigation goes as it should, and each layer they peel back just reveals another layer of perplexity. 

As the two work together to navigate a web of deception, blame, and personal reckoning, they find there’s more to this story than meets the eye–and more to love and admire about each other. They’ll have to put their skills to the test–and their hearts on the line–to unravel the truth and ensure that justice prevails.

New York Times and award-winning, best-selling author, Lynette Eason writes for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense line and for Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Her books have hit the New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, CBA and ECPA bestseller lists and have won numerous awards such as the prestigious Carol Award, the Selah, the Daphne, the IRCC award and more. Lynette is married, has two children, and lives in South Carolina.

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First Line Friday — The Heartfelt Formula

11 Sep

Happy Friday! Today I am featuring another great book by Leslie Kirby DeVooght. The Heartfelt Formula is a fun way to kick off the Christmas holidays, whether you begin your holiday reading in December or you can’t wait to skip all the pumpkin spice frenzy. 😉 A sweet, sassy, Southern romance I can’t wait to read, The Heartfelt Formula releases October 22, but you can preorder now.

Here’s the first line:

The Kiss.

She’s got a formula for love… but real life isn’t a Christmas movie.

After another breakup, Atlanta attorney Hope Elliot decides to stop waiting for her happily-ever-after and write it herself. Inspired by her beloved Christmas romance movies, Hope crafts The Heartfelt Formula: a foolproof plan including snowball fights, cookie baking, and a perfectly timed first kiss.

Trading the big city for coastal Georgia, Hope sets out to find her small-town soulmate. But the actors in her carefully plotted scenes keep shuffling—especially when Brennan Taylor, her ambitious co-counsel continues to fill in for Cole Walker, the carefree furniture maker, who Hope cast as her hero.

Between courtroom drama, a mismatched leading man, and a mistletoe mishap, Hope must decide if she’ll trust her formula or accept a plot twist that might leave her all alone, or perhaps, with happiest ending of all.

A faith-filled romantic comedy for anyone who believes love, like Christmas, can still surprise you.

PW Best-Selling Author Leslie Kirby DeVooght writes women’s fiction inspired by romcoms, coastal Georgia, and fried okra! While Leslie and her family live in Jacksonville, Florida, they often visit her hometown of St. Simons Island, Georgia, where she loves to go for long walks on the beach. A graduate of Florida Southern College and Mercer Law School, Leslie is always revising her life from prosecutor to judge to PTA president to author of happily-ever-afters.

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First Line Friday — Fatal Finale

4 Sep

Happy Friday! I am excited to feature Fatal Finale by Nancy Mehl this week. The third and final book in the Erin Delaney Mysteries series is just what this suspense-loving gal is looking for! The series follows policewoman turned author, Erin Delaney as she navigates a new life, and of course dangerous situations. 😉 In each book she is joined by Kaely Quinn, a great character from the author’s Kaely Quinn Profiler series. If you haven’t read either of the series, then begin with Mind Games — you will have 6 fabulous books to binge this fall!

Here’s the first line:

Kaely’s eyes fluttered open, and she tried to focus on her surroundings.

They’d started back to the house when they heard a male voice behind them. Then a shot rang out.
“Run!” Kaely said. 

When bestselling author Erin Delaney’s novel gets picked up for a movie deal, she eagerly awaits her friend Kaely Quinn-Hunter’s arrival in Tennessee before they head to California to observe the film’s production. However, when Kaely does not arrive at the scheduled time and Erin can’t reach her by phone, her concern grows. 

A cryptic phone call from Kaely’s kidnapper confirms Erin’s worst fear–she has exactly six days to save her friend’s life by solving his twisted clues. The message comes with a warning: Contact the police or FBI, and Kaely dies. But Erin works for the Sanctuary Police Department, and Kaely’s husband is with the FBI, putting her in an impossible situation. As Erin races against time, she’s forced to crack the kidnapper’s chilling puzzle before it’s too late.

Nancy Mehl delivers thrills like no one else in the closure of her high-stakes Christian romantic suspense series full of action, investigations, cryptic clues, and dangerous threats. This promises to captivate fans of Criminal Minds, Lynette Eason, Colleen Coble, Irene Hannon, Susan May Warren, and Elizabeth Goddard.

Nancy Mehl lives in Missouri, with her husband Norman, and her puggle, Watson. She’s authored over fifty books and is currently at work on a new FBI suspense series for Bethany House Publishing.

All of Nancy’s novels have an added touch – something for your spirit as well as your soul. “I welcome the opportunity to share my faith through my writing,” Nancy says. “It’s a part of me and of everything I think or do. God is number one in my life. I wouldn’t be writing at all if I didn’t believe that this is what He’s called me to do. I hope everyone who reads my books will walk away with the most important message I can give them: God is good, and He loves you more than you can imagine. He has a good plan especially for your life, and there is nothing you can’t overcome with His help.”

You can find out more about Nancy by visiting her Web site at: http://www.nancymehl.com. She also is active on the Suspense Sisters: www.suspensesisters.blogspot.com and on FaceBook!

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First Line Friday — Spies, Lies, And Alibis

28 Aug

Happy Friday! Today I am featuring my book club’s upcoming selection, Spies, Lies, And Alibis by Natalie Walters. I am a big fan of Walters’ books, and this one looks especially fun. Its cover definitely has a different vibe from her previous novels. If you’ve read it, we’d love to know what you think.

Here’s the first line:

The day I walked into school in my Sunday suit, my hair slicked back, and my orange juice in a martini shaker I took from my house, I felt like the coolest kid in school.

They were each other’s first love. Now they might be each other’s last hope. Perfect for fans of Ally Carter, Spies, Lies, and Alibis is an unputdownable binge-fest, full of laughs, heart, and mischief.

Cybil Langford has spent years hiding behind her polished, professional facade as the executive assistant to a powerful real estate mogul, where she’s perfectly positioned to collect intel on her boss’s criminal network. But when her mission leads her into the path of Lorenzo Ramirez–a ruthless crime boss with deadly plans–she’ll need every ounce of cunning and charm to stay one step ahead.

Then he walks back into her life.

Ben Bradley is deep undercover for the FBI, living under an alias, as a financial advisor with a reputation for helping the wealthy and corrupt launder their money. His target? Lorenzo Ramirez, a dangerous crime boss with his hands in everything from smuggling to murder. But when a familiar face from his past suddenly reappears, things get . . . complicated.

The last time Cybil saw Ben, he was an annoying prankster–and her first crush. The last time Ben saw Cybil, she stole a piece of his heart. Neither expected to run into each other at a high-stakes fundraising gala where crime, corruption, and undercover agendas collide.

Forced to work dangerously close, neither knows the other’s true agenda. Cybil sees the boy who once broke her heart, now a man whose motives are deeply suspect. Ben sees the woman he never got over but can’t determine if she’s an innocent caught in the crossfire or a willing accomplice. As they navigate a world of spies, lies, and fragile alibis, they must dismantle the walls around their hearts.

The intel is classified. The trust is fragile. And their covers are one lie away from blowing wide open.

Dive into a hilarious, fast-paced romantic suspense that balances danger with wit and charm. Early readers are loving the gripping twists, engaging humor, and clean, chemistry-filled romance that make Spies, Lies, and Alibis such a fun, page-turning ride. Grab your copy today for a story packed with intrigue, heart, and just the right amount of sass.

Natalie Walters is a best selling author who loves writing romantic suspense with dynamic plots, memorable characters, humor, heart, and adventure.

As an Army wife, she fills her stories with the right balance of romantic and suspenseful tension to get the heart-racing and a cast of witty characters–all of which, may or may not be inspired by true people and/or events.

When she’s not writing, she’s dreaming of her next vacation, spending time with her family, or chasing after her sock-eating Goldendoodle, Scout. Annnd binging CourtTv.

You can find Natalie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nataliewalters_writer/

Or join her Facebook group: Natalie Walters Book Battalion: https://www.facebook.com/groups/604378643316169

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First Line Friday — Things We Cannot Keep

21 Aug

Happy Friday! Today I am featuring a very special novel — Things We Cannot Keep by Amanda Cox. During the days that I read this book, my family was walking through the grief of losing my mother-in-law. At 98 years old she had lived a very full and faith-filled life, so the past 2 weeks have been bittersweet. The main character of the novel restores cherished heirlooms specifically because of the stories attached. We have been recounting stories that have made us laugh and made us cry, pain and joy making the memories special– a truth that Tess discovers for herself . I highly recommend this book!

Here’s the first line:

People always used the phrase “can’t see the forest for the trees” like it was a bad thing, but Tess Holcomb had learned to survive by letting the big picture fade into meaningless blur.

A mysterious package. A name she thought she’d erased. And the one person she never expected to see again.

Tess Holcomb has built a new life in Alabama, repairing timepieces and avoiding her troubled past as she restores her customers’ family heirlooms–treasures she never had. When a mysterious package arrives addressed to Teresa Baker, the name she abandoned, Tess finds herself drawn into a puzzle that threatens her delicate peace.

Then Elliot Sullivan appears at her door after eighteen years, and Tess knows he’s after more than just forgiveness. She doesn’t trust his motives, but he could be the key to uncovering the origin of the mystery package and its cryptic contents.

Tess has found safety in her simple life, but to reunite this lost heirloom with its rightful recipient she will have to come out of hiding. Each clue leads her further from the security of home, and each story reveals hidden truths. The question is whether she’s brave enough to face what she might find–and whether the man beside her can be trusted with what matters most.

Before becoming a stay-at-home parent, Amanda Cox spent her time counseling children, families, and individuals through life’s challenging moments. Now she uses those same skills to develop layered characters and stories, bringing them on a journey of hope and healing. A journey she hopes her readers experience in their own lives as they read.

A few of her favorite things are the sanctuary of the great outdoors, the feeling of pen on paper, the sound of her children’s laughter, and exploring new places with her husband of 18 years. (Oh, let’s not forget good fiction and good coffee. She’s addicted to both.) You can stay connected with her latest writing updates at http://www.amandacoxwrites.com. You can find her on social media by searching Amanda Cox Writes

To get a free short story featuring characters from The Edge of Belonging visit: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/fuj7mlfd83.

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