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First Line Friday — On Living Stone

20 Mar

Happy Friday! I am having such a good time reading books as the mood strikes! This past week I finished a historical mystery set in the 14th century (The Easter Sepulchre by Mel Starr) and began the Biblical novel, On Living Stone by Heather Kaufman. I have spent so many years with my reading life dictated by book review schedules and have finally given myself permission to read what I want, when I want. It’s fun and freeing! On Living Stone features, Salome, the mother of James and John, disciples of Jesus. I loved the first 2 books in Kaufman’s Women of The Way series, and am already drawn into this story.

Here’s the first line:

Their footsteps are slow, sluggish, — like the steps of my children after blundering a task, coming to me with half-frightened eyes.

Every stone sings as it finds its purpose. This is the lesson restless Salome learns from her father as she grows up by the Sea of Galilee. Known as the wild girl with the quick tongue, Salome is determined to silence the critics who claim she has no future. An unexpected romance and the gift of two sons, James and John, leave her hopeful and resolved to prove herself as a mother.

Salome’s dreams are challenged, however, when her sons answer the call to follow Jesus of Nazareth. As James and John are drawn deeper into Jesus’ ministry, opposition to his message intensifies, leaving Salome with a choice. Can her family continue down the path of discipleship when it might cost them everything? With threats abounding, Salome must confront her fears, even as she discovers her own worth in this most unexpected rabbi. 

A journey of faith unfolds in this New Testament-inspired story of Salome, mother of Jesus’ apostles James and John. This compelling biblical fiction book explores themes of family, sacrifice, courage, and redemption, making it a stirring read for fans of The Chosen, Francine Rivers, Tessa Afshar, and Angela Hunt.

Heather Kaufman lives in the Midwest with her husband and three children. She holds a BA from McKendree University and an MA from the University of Missouri—St. Louis. When not reading or writing, she can be found drinking copious amounts of coffee and exploring new parks with her family.

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First Line Friday — Ambush

13 Mar

Happy Friday! It’s almost Spring and here in the sunny South we are experiencing Summer temperatures! After ice and snow and very low temps in January and February, I guess I can deal. LOL! I can also deal with some good reading. My book club’s March selection is Ambush, a romantic suspense from Colleen Coble. It is fast-paced with lots of puzzling and dangerous attacks on the main characters. Have you read it yet?

Here’s the first line:

What had possessed her to agree to this crazy idea?

The first book in the riveting new series from USA TODAY bestselling author Colleen Coble, where a young woman will do anything to uncover the truth of her parents’ murder–even work alongside the man who once broke her heart.

Paradise Alden’s childhood in Nova Cambridge, Alabama, was idyllic until the night her parents were murdered. Since then, life has left her scarred. The abuse she suffered in the foster care system, her first love’s betrayal, and the jaguar attack that nearly destroyed her career have led to an unshakable distrust–in men, in God, and maybe in even in herself.

After fifteen years, returning to her hometown is a last resort to finding her life again. She’s hoping the wildlife refuge where she’s accepted a veterinarian job will be the perfect place to heal from her recent traumas and unlock her memories about the night her parents died. But the day she arrives at The Sanctuary, a body is discovered on the grounds. And soon, a series of deadly events threatens not only her future, but the man who, despite all odds, still makes her pulse stutter. Arson, a shooting, a break-in, and multiple instances of animals being freed from their enclosures all point back to him, but Paradise knows Blake Lawson isn’t responsible. Not the man who has been helping his mother manage The Sanctuary these past six months and care for his stepbrothers in the wake of their father’s death . . . even if his betrayal years ago cost her everything.

Someone dangerous is lurking beneath the town’s moss-draped trees, and Paradise refuses to let another murderer disappear into the shadows.

USA TODAY and Publishers Weekly bestselling author Colleen Coble has captivated readers with over 6 million books in print, earning #1 spots on Amazon. Her novels blend suspenseful plots, emotional depth, and faith-filled redemption that keep fans turning pages late into the night.

Colleen also teamed up with attorney Rick Acker. Together they launched the high-octane Tupelo Grove series which infused her signature coastal intrigue with Rick’s courtroom-sharp twists. Multiple high concept novels continue to flow from their fun and exciting collaboration including I Think I Was Murdered, a ripped-from-the-headlines AI suspense novel.

A passionate mentor to aspiring writers, Colleen has served on the American Christian Fiction Writers board for 20 years, helping foster a warm and supportive community. A life-long Hoosier, she and her husband recently moved to Arizona where she continues to spoil her grandchildren and craft stories in the sunshine.

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First Line Friday — Snowbound Secrets from Whiteout by Lynette Eason and Dani Pettrey

6 Mar

Happy Friday! Today I am featuring the second story in Whiteout, a novella collaboration from Lynette Eason and Dani Pettrey. Snowbound Secrets by Eason continues the frosty suspense and sizzling romance.

Here’s the first line:

Despite the darkness that had fallen, the sky was on fire.

Brace yourself for double the suspense in these snowbound adventures as an avalanche forces two couples to face down their enemies in a ski resort shut off from the outside world. 

In Buried in Shadows by Dani Pettrey, Cassandra Parker arrives at her best friend’s destination wedding, praying her stalker hasn’t tracked her to Colorado. Also part of the wedding party is Sheriff Joel Brunswick, the man she stunned by leaving at the altar to hide a dangerous truth. When an avalanche strands their ski group in an abandoned lodge, it becomes chillingly clear that Cassandra’s stalker has followed her . . . and he’s willing to kill to make her his. 

In Snowbound Secrets by Lynette Eason, Dr. Maya Sullivan fully intends to escape her past and finish planning a retreat for military veterans at the ranch she’s inherited. Unfortunately, her plans go sideways when an avalanche traps her in a Colorado ski resort. An unexpected reunion with her high school crush forces her to confront past wounds, but she soon realizes someone is targeting her, and their search for a shadowy enemy becomes a matter of life and death. 

A gripping romantic suspense novella collection from bestselling authors Lynette Eason and Dani Pettrey featuring second-chance romance, trapped together forced proximity, military and law enforcement heroes, a small-town destination wedding, and snowbound survival at a Colorado ski resort.

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.

Publishers Weekly and #1 Amazon bestselling author, Dani Pettrey has sold nearly one million copies of her novels to readers eagerly awaiting the next release. Dani combines the page-turning adrenaline of a thriller with the chemistry and happy-ever-after of a romance.

Her novels stand out for their “wicked pace, snappy dialogue, and likable characters” (Publishers Weekly), “gripping storyline[s],” (RT Book Reviews), and “sizzling undercurrent of romance” (USA Today).

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First Line Friday — Buried in Shadows from Whiteout by Dani Pettrey and Lynette Eason

27 Feb

Happy Friday! I am so excited for Whiteout, the novella collaboration between Dani Pettrey and Lynette Eason, the masters of romantic suspense! I have an early copy, so I am sharing the first line from Buried in Shadows by Dani.

Here’s the first line:

Her breath bursting in her lungs, Cassie Parker readied to take a step, her bare foot hovering over the wooden floorboard.

Brace yourself for double the suspense in these snowbound adventures as an avalanche forces two couples to face down their enemies in a ski resort shut off from the outside world. 

In Buried in Shadows by Dani Pettrey, Cassandra Parker arrives at her best friend’s destination wedding, praying her stalker hasn’t tracked her to Colorado. Also part of the wedding party is Sheriff Joel Brunswick, the man she stunned by leaving at the altar to hide a dangerous truth. When an avalanche strands their ski group in an abandoned lodge, it becomes chillingly clear that Cassandra’s stalker has followed her . . . and he’s willing to kill to make her his. 

In Snowbound Secrets by Lynette Eason, Dr. Maya Sullivan fully intends to escape her past and finish planning a retreat for military veterans at the ranch she’s inherited. Unfortunately, her plans go sideways when an avalanche traps her in a Colorado ski resort. An unexpected reunion with her high school crush forces her to confront past wounds, but she soon realizes someone is targeting her, and their search for a shadowy enemy becomes a matter of life and death. 

A gripping romantic suspense novella collection from bestselling authors Lynette Eason and Dani Pettrey featuring second-chance romance, trapped together forced proximity, military and law enforcement heroes, a small-town destination wedding, and snowbound survival at a Colorado ski resort.

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.

Publishers Weekly and #1 Amazon bestselling author, Dani Pettrey has sold nearly one million copies of her novels to readers eagerly awaiting the next release. Dani combines the page-turning adrenaline of a thriller with the chemistry and happy-ever-after of a romance.

Her novels stand out for their “wicked pace, snappy dialogue, and likable characters” (Publishers Weekly), “gripping storyline[s],” (RT Book Reviews), and “sizzling undercurrent of romance” (USA Today).

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First Line Friday — Last to Fall

20 Feb

Happy Friday! Today I am featuring Last to Fall, the final book in Lynn Blackburn’s romantic suspense series, Gossamer Falls, that releases on March 17. I am so excited to read this book — Mo and Bronwyn have been favorite characters of mine since the beginning of the series. I can’t wait to find out what happened years before to make them enemies and to see how Blackburn will achieve an HEA for them. Not to mention all the great twists and turns and dangerous situations she will inflict on them. 😉

Here’s the first line:

Whoever said blood was thicker than water hadn’t know about the Pierce family.

She’s caught in a deadly game. He’s the only one who can help her win. 

Bronwyn Pierce has poured everything into The Haven, her family’s exclusive mountain resort in Gossamer Falls. But when financial discrepancies surface and the numbers suggest something far darker than simple mismanagement, she’s forced to call on the one person with the skills to help her: Mo Quinn, a former Army intelligence officer, her first love, and the last person she ever wanted to trust again.

Mo has spent years avoiding the woman he once loved and the secrets that tore them apart. But when Bronwyn calls, he can’t walk away–especially when it’s clear someone wants her gone for good. As they dig deeper into the treacherous motives behind a blackmail scheme, their proximity reignites long-buried feelings neither of them are ready to face. And when the evidence points to an unexpected culprit, Mo faces an impossible choice: trust the proof in front of him or trust his heart.

Lynn H. Blackburn loves writing romantic suspense because her childhood fantasy was to become a spy, but her grown-up reality is that she’s a huge chicken and would have been caught on her first mission. She prefers to live vicariously through her characters and loves putting them into all kinds of terrifying situations while she’s sitting at home safe and sound in her pajamas!

Unknown Threat, the first book in her Defend and Protect series, was a 2021 Christy Award finalist, and her previous titles have won the Carol Award, the Selah Award, and the Faith, Hope, and Love Reader’s Choice Award.

Lynn lives in South Carolina with her family. You can stay up-to-date by signing up for her newsletter at her website and following her on social media @LynnHBlackburn.

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First Line Friday — The Text

13 Feb

Happy Friday! Only one week to go until the Read, White, And Blue Book Festival taking place in Perry, Georgia. If you are anywhere within driving distance of this great event, you need to check it out. Luncheon speaker, Becky Wade, will be joined by 40 fabulous authors for a day filled with bookish fun!

One of the attending authors is Julane Fisher. Julane writes both YA and MG fiction. Today I am featuring her YA speculative novel, The Text.

Here’s the first line:

Creating backdoor access to the most popular social media app, Allicio, proved more difficult than I imagined.

In a world where safety is scripted and freedom comes with terms and conditions, Rami Carlton is about to learn that the deadliest virus wasn’t the one that killed millions—it’s the one controlling the truth.

Fans of Divergent and The Maze Runner will race through this twist-packed thriller where control is the real contagion, and knowing the truth could get you killed.

They said it was for your safety. They lied. In 2048, America thrives under the Department of Safety Threats and Reinforcement—STaR—a government agency born from the ashes of a pandemic that wiped out a third of the world’s population. Through mandatory health monitors and its addictive social app, Allicio, STaR promises citizens a safe and healthy life.

But when a massive blackout shuts down the nation’s health tech, sixteen-year-old Rami Carlton is thrust into a dangerous mystery. Her mother disappears. Her phone goes dark. And someone sends her a chilling message: You’re being watched.

Teaming up with tech prodigy Finley Drake, Rami races to uncover the truth behind STaR’s perfect system. What they find is worse than they imagined: STaR isn’t just monitoring citizens. They’re manipulating them—and Rami is their next target. With her family in danger and the country in chaos, Rami has one chance to expose the truth.

Safety is mandatory. Privacy is extinct. And truth is a glitch in the system.

Julane Fisher is the author of the award-winning Sour Lemon Series. Sour Lemon and Sweet Tea is a humorous portrayal of life before cell phones and social media, emphasizing positive family values. Her latest novel, The Text, explores a near future where technology not only governs citizens, it controls them. Julane lives in north Georgia with her husband, twin boys, and their two mischievous Labrador retrievers. Be the first to know when she releases a new novel and sign up for her newsletter by visiting http://www.julanefisher.com.

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First Line Friday — The Bitter End Birding Society

6 Feb

Happy Friday! Today I am featuring my book club’s February selection, The Bitter End Birding Society by Amanda Cox. We are big fans of Amanda’s stories and are excited to discuss this book. Have you read it yet? We would love to know your thoughts.

Here’s the first line:

Viola Chambers had always wondered at what point in the dying process a person understood they weren’t long for this world, and now she’d give anything to unlearn it.

Hometown hero Ana Leigh Watkins ventures to Bitter End, Tennessee, to help her great-aunt get her house ready to sell. Bitter End seems an ironic place for Ana to refresh her weary spirit, but she’s desperate for respite from her community’s attention and unwarranted admiration. While on a hike in Roan Mountain, a ragtag group of amateur bird watchers take her under their wing—a little against her will. However, she quickly warms to these genuine souls seeking solace in the great outdoors.

But when Ana’s adventures in Bitter End lead her to a severed branch of her family tree—one that involves the forbidden love between a moonshiner’s daughter and a preacher’s son—what began as a quest to study Appalachian birds becomes a transformative journey that binds together two women who, though they live on the same street, have been estranged for sixty years.

Immerse yourself in the lyrical prose and layered plotting of award-winning novelist Amanda Cox as she offers up an engaging story of finding belonging, reconciliation, and new beginnings in the most unexpected places.

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.

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First Line Friday — Deadly Currents

30 Jan

Happy Friday! Today I am featuring a highly anticipated romantic suspense — Deadly Currents by Elizabeth Goddard. I LOVE her books! This is the 3rd book in the Hidden Bay series. If you haven’t started the series, what are you waiting for?!

Here’s the first line:

“The sea never gives back what it claims . . .”

Investigative journalist Cressida Dane arrives in Hidden Bay after a worldwide journey to finish her late father’s manuscript on shipwrecks. As she tries to discover the story behind the “ghost ship” Specter’s Bounty, her only lead is a name her father left behind–Evelyn Monroe. As Cressida uncovers more about the ship, she quickly realizes that her research has placed her in the crosshairs of dangerous forces.

County detective Braden Sanders is in Hidden Bay for one reason–to get his niece lifesaving medical treatment. To do that, he is assigned to protect Cressida from a revenge-driven enemy. Together, Braden and Cressida dig deeper to discern the myth from the facts surrounding the Specter’s Bounty. 

But more is brewing under the surface than they could ever imagine. Entangled in secrets, they must unravel the past before the current sweeps away their future.

Elizabeth Goddard is the PW, ECPA, and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of over sixty novels, including the Missing in Alaska and Rocky Mountain Courage series. Her books have sold more than 1.5 million copies. She is a Christy Award, Carol Award and Reader’s Choice Award winner and a Daphne du Maurier Award and HOLT Medallion finalist. When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her family, traveling to find inspiration for her next book, and serving with her husband in ministry. For more information about her books, visit her website.

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First Line Friday — Anna of Arimathea

23 Jan

Happy Friday! Today I am featuring the debut Biblical novel Anna Of Arimathea by Susanne Blumer. Some of you may know Susanne from her bookstore, Sassafras on Sutton. I am so looking forward to reading this book!

Here’s the first line:

Anna pressed her small hands against the rough stone wall of their courtyard, watching her mother clean the gash along the young lamb’s flank with steady hands.

Some wounds are carried in silence. Some healings require more than medicine.

Eighteen-year-old Anna bears the marks of a childhood tragedy that left her motherless, scarred, and lame. Hidden within the household of her father, Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy councilman of the Sanhedrin, her days are measured in herb gardens and healing tinctures, in the steady work of hands trained to help others, and in the quiet safety of a world made small.

Then Andrew of Bethsaida arrives at her father’s gate with urgent business for Joseph and talk of a teacher who calls ordinary people to extraordinary purpose. A fisherman turned disciple, Andrew follows the rabbi Jesus with a conviction that unsettles every long-held expectation—including Anna’s own.

When Andrew’s kindness cracks open the door to a larger world, Anna faces an impossible choice: remain in the safety of her father’s estate or risk everything for the possibility of healing, love, and a life she never dared imagine.

Set against the dusty roads and fishing villages of first-century Judea, where miracles unfold and mercy walks among the broken, Anna of Arimathea opens The Arimathea Chronicles—a richly imagined tale of faith, first love, and redemption in the footsteps of the Messiah.

Susanne Blumer is an award-winning author, bookstore owner (x3), and CEO & Founder of Sassafras on Sutton LLC. She co-authors the Bell Tower Bible Adventures middle grade series with her husband Cole and the Piper Periwinkle picture book series. Her new series, The Arimathea Chronicles, follows the life of Anna, the daughter of Joseph of Arimathea. A long-time lover of Biblical Fiction, she is so excited to be bringing the story of Anna to life. The first book, Anna of Arimathea, published in December 2025. Book two, Anna of Bethsaida, will release in March 2026. Susanne splits her time between the magical mountains of North Carolina and the enchanting lowcounty coast of South Carolina where she drinks far too much coffee, spoils her chickens, daydreams a lot, and loves hanging out at her stores chatting with customers. If you’re ever up in the NC mountains or down in Beaufort, SC, stop by and say “Hey!”

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First Line Friday — All We Thought We Knew

9 Jan

This month my book club chose All We Thought We Knew, the Christy Award-winning novel by Michelle Shocklee. I finished it last night, and I am excited to discuss it with my group next Tuesday. This dual timeline story focuses on WWII and Vietnam-eras. Difficult issues are explored in thoughtful ways. Have you read it? Let us know what you thought.

Here’s the first line:

I deeply regret to confirm that your son Lance Corporal Mark James Taylor died in Vietnam 1 November 1968.

She was so sure she knew her family’s story . . . Now she wonders if she was wrong about all of it.

1969. When Mattie Taylor’s twin brother was killed in Vietnam, she lost her best friend and the only person who really understood her. Now, news that her mother is dying sends Mattie back home, despite blaming her father for Mark’s death. Mama’s last wish is that Mattie would read some old letters stored in a trunk, from people Mattie doesn’t even know. Mama insists they hold the answers Mattie is looking for.

1942. Ava Delaney is picking up the pieces of her life following her husband’s death at Pearl Harbor. Living with her mother-in-law on a secluded farm in Tennessee is far different than the life Ava imagined when she married only a few short months ago. Desperate to get out of the house, Ava seeks work at a nearby military base, where she soon discovers the American government is housing Germans who they have classified as enemy aliens. As Ava works to process legal documents for the military, she crosses paths with Gunther Schneider, a German who is helping care for wounded soldiers. Ava questions why a man as gentle and kind as Gunther should be forced to live in the internment camp, and as they become friends, her sense of the injustice grows . . . as do her feelings for him. Faced with the possibility of losing Gunther, Ava must choose whether loving someone deemed the enemy is a risk worth taking, even if it means being ostracized by all those around her.

In the midst of pain and loss two women must come face-to-face with their own assumptions about what they thought they knew about themselves and others. What they discover will lead to a far greater appreciation of their own legacies and the love of those dearest to them.

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels including ALL WE THOUGHT WE KNEW, the 2025 Christy Award Book of the Year; APPALACHIAN SONG, a 2024 Christy Award Finalist; COUNT THE NIGHTS BY STARS, winner of the 2023 Christianity Today Book Award in Fiction; and UNDER THE TULIP TREE, a Christy Award & Selah Award finalist. As a woman of mixed heritage–her father’s family is Hispanic and her mother’s roots go back to Germany–she has always celebrated diversity and feels it’s important to see the world through the eyes of one another. Learning from the past and changing the future is why she writes historical fiction. With both her sons grown and happily married, Michelle and her husband make their home in Tennessee. She loves to hear from readers, so please connect with her at: http://www.MichelleShocklee.com

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