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 Lines:
Rafe Andrew William Henley Dorchester, Duke of Rockford, notched the perfectly crafted arrow to his perfectly made bow, pulled the perfectly woven string taut, and just as he was about to let it fly, his mother, the duchess, announced…
“You are getting married.”
Do you recognize the lines?
Here’s a hint:
It’s a new release by Eva Devon.
Still not sure? Here’s another hint:
It’s the third in a historical romance series.
The First Lines Friday book is:
The Duke’s Secret Cinderella
About the Book:
Title: The Duke’s Secret Cinderella
Author: Eva Devon
Series: Never a Wallflower #3
Page Length: 384
Publication Date: Feb. 21, 2023
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Synopsis: Cinderella meets Ever After in this witty and lively historical romance from USA Today bestseller Eva Devon.
Charlotte Browne could just kick herself. What on earth possessed her to tell the Duke of Rockford that she is a lady? But something about the duke’s handsomeness and kind intelligence makes Charlotte blurt out the teeniest, tiniest falsehood. Now it’s too late to admit she’s just plain Charlotte of no particular importance—with cinder-stained hands, a wretched stepfather, and no prospects for marriage….
Rafe Dorchester, Duke of Rockford, has done what every self-respecting duke must do—avoid marriage at all costs. But the only thing stronger than the duke is his mother. When she lays down the highest ultimatum, he’ll need to find a duchess. Immediately. Only, when he calls on a potential bride, he instead finds the pert, fresh-faced Lady Charlotte. Rafe was warned to never mix the business of marriage with pleasure, but when it comes to Lady Charlotte…oh, business would be a splendid pleasure.
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Have you read The Duke’s Secret Cinderella? What do you think of the first lines? Comment below!
Well that was fun! I haven’t heard of that series.
Right! I’m really enjoying it!
Haven’t heard of this one but the lines are great!
Aren’t they? I’ve been loving the historical romances lately!
Fun first lines!
That’s a great beginning!
What a great first line, Julie. Guess what, I have this one to read and I hope to get to it soon, it sounds fun already.
Oh, I hope you enjoy it, Carla!