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:
Since he’d been a boy, Lord Nathaniel Ellsby, the fourth Marquess of Winfield, had delighted in subverting his father’s wishes. Any opportunity to disappoint or keep him waiting, Nathan had grasped.
This time, stopped outside the Duke of Roxburghe’s offices, however, was no deliberate ploy on his part.
Do you recognize the lines?
Here’s a hint:
It’s a new historical romance.
Still not sure? Here’s another hint:
It’s written by Christi Caldwell.
The First Lines Friday book is:
The Heiress at Sea
About the Book:
Title: The Heiress at Sea
Author: Christi Caldwell
Page Length: 331
Publication Date: March 14, 2023
Publisher: Montlake
Synopsis: Perpetually unattached Lady Cassia McQuoid has accepted her fate as a spinster. But how can she be expected to lead a life confined to drawing rooms and royal balls when there’s a vast, exciting world to explore? Cassia can find but one solution: she masquerades as a thrill-seeking lad and stows away on a ship bound for open waters. Adventure awaits. So does notorious privateer Nathaniel Ellsby.
Nathaniel doesn’t want to be the Duke of Roxburghe. Instead, the second-born son relishes his freedom to do as he pleases: pursuing enemy ships in service of the war effort. But when his older brother dies, Nathaniel embarks on one last mission before he fulfills his ducal duties with an arranged marriage. That’s the intention, at least—until he discovers that his woefully green deckhand is a fetching but vulnerable woman in disguise.
Nathaniel’s new mission is to protect Cassia from the perils of the sea, both above and below the water, by sharing the close confines of the captain’s quarters. As roiling emotions turn to love, Nathaniel and Cassia realize the greatest risks—to the Crown, to their futures, and to the heart—still lie ahead.
Have you read The Heiress at Sea? What doe you think of the first lines? Comment below!
Ooh, interesting! I’d seen some mixed reviews for this one so I was on the fence about adding it to my TBR but these are fun first lines 🙂
I really enjoyed it. There are some funny misunderstandings and good banter!
I do love that beginning, Julie. I enjoy trouble makers.
Me too, Carla! 🙂
I’m just here for the Schitt’s Creek memes!! hahaha 😀
lol – they’re the best!