First Lines Friday: May 27, 2022

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

• Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
• Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
• Finally… reveal the book!

---

First Line:

Lady Carys Davies dressed to meet her blackmailer in the same ways he dressed for every other social occasion: scandalously.

---

Do you recognize the lines?

Hint: It’s the second book in a historical romance series.

Still not sure? Here’s another hint: 

It’s written by Kate Bateman.

---

The First Lines Friday book is:

A Daring Pursuit

---

About the Book:

Title: A Daring Pursuit

Author: Kate Bateman

Series: Ruthless Rivals #2

Page Length: 320

Publication Date: May 24, 2022

Publisher: St. Martin’s

Synopsis: The Davies and Montgomery families have been locked in an ancient feud. But it’s a thin line between love and hate in Kate Bateman’s A Daring Pursuit.

TWO ENEMIES
Carys Davies is doing everything in her power to avoid marriage. Staying single is the only way to hide the secret that could ruin her—and her family—if it was revealed. For the past two seasons she’s scandalized the ton with her outrageous outfits and brazen ways in a futile bid to deter potential suitors. Outwardly confident and carefree, inside she’s disillusioned with both men and love. There’s only one person who’s never bought her act—the only man who makes her heart race: Tristan Montgomery, one of her family’s greatest rivals.

ONE SCANDALOUS BARGAIN
Wickedly proper architect Tristan needs a respectable woman to wed, but he’s never stopped wanting bold, red-headed Carys. When she mockingly challenges him to show her what she’s missing by not getting married, Tristan shocks them both by accepting her indecent proposal: one week of clandestine meetings, after which they’ll go their separate ways. But kissing each other is almost as much fun as arguing, and their affair burns hotter than either of them expects. When they find themselves embroiled in a treasonous plot, can they trust each other with their hearts, their secrets…and their lives?

LINKS:   Goodreads   |    Amazon   |  Book Depository | My Review

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, including Amazon, and I may earn a small commission, at no cost to you, if you purchase through my links.

---

Have you read A Daring Pursuit? What do you think of the first lines? Comment below!