First Lines Friday: December 14, 2023

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

The Rules:

  • 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:

Astaroth of the Nine-demonic high council member, legendary soul bargainer, and renowned liar – was having a very bad day.


Do you recognize the lines?

Here’s a hint:

 It’s a new paranormal romance.

Still not sure? Here’s another hint: 

It’s written by Sarah Hawley.


The First Lines Friday book is:

A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch


About the Book:

Title: A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch

Author: Sarah Hawley

Series: Glimmer Falls #2

Page Length: 432

Publication Date: Nov. 28, 2023

Publisher: Berkley

SynopsisCalladia Cunnington curses the day she met Astaroth the demon, but when he shows up memoryless, why does she find him so helpless . . . and sort of hot?

Calladia Cunnington knows she’s rough around the edges, despite being the heir to one of small-town Glimmer Falls’ founding witch families. While her gym obsession is a great outlet for her anxieties and anger, her hot temper still gets the best of her and manifests in bar brawls. When Calladia saves someone from a demon attack one night, though, she’s happy to put her magic and rage to good use . . . until she realizes the man she saved is none other than Astaroth, the ruthless demon who orchestrated a soul bargain on her best friend.

Astaroth is a legendary soul bargainer and one of the nine members of the demon high council–except he can’t remember any of this. Suffering from amnesia after being banished to the mortal plane, Astaroth doesn’t know why a demon named Moloch is after him, nor why the muscular, angry, hot-in-a-terrifying-way witch who saved him hates him so much.

Unable to leave anyone in such a vulnerable state–even the most despicable demon–Calladia grudgingly decides to help him. (Besides, punching an amnesiac would be in poor taste.) The two set out on an uneasy road trip to find the witch who might be able to restore Astaroth’s memory so they can learn how to defeat Moloch. Calladia vows that once Astaroth is cured, she’ll kick his ass, but the more time she spends with the snarky yet utterly charming demon, the more she realizes she likes this new, improved Astaroth . . . and maybe she doesn’t want him to recover his memories, after all.

LINKS:   Goodreads   |    Amazon   | Review


Have you read A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch? What do you think of the first lines? Comment below!

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