- 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:
“Tess Townsend was accustomed to men falling at her feet metaphorically, but this was the first time one had ever done it literally. .”
Do you recognize the lines?
Here’s a hint:
It’s a new historical romance that released this week!
Still not sure? Here’s another hint:
It’s written by Kate Bateman.
The First Lines Friday book is:
Second Duke’s the Charm
About the Book:
Title: Second Duke’s the Charm
Author: Kate Bateman
Series: Her Majesty’s Rebels
Page Length: 320
Publication Date: Dec. 26, 2023
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Synopsis: The wedding-night death of her much older husband left Tess Townsend the Dowager Duchess of Wansford—and still a virgin. Now she and her two best friends investigate London’s most scandalous crimes, and while Tess longs to experience physical pleasure for herself, she can’t risk losing her treasured independence…
Cynical shipping magnate Justin Thornton never expected to inherit a dukedom, but he’ll do his duty. When the ravishing woman he kissed at a party turns out to be the Dowager Duchess, Justin sees an obvious solution: a marriage of convenience that will suit them both.
But the passion that sparks between them is anything but convenient. As Tess works on a new case at the request of Queen Charlotte, her increasingly suspicious behavior makes Justin question her motives—and her past. The infuriating woman clearly can’t be trusted, but Justin doesn’t believe in love, so there’s absolutely no danger of him falling for his own wife…is there?
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Have you read Second Duke’s the Charm? What do you think of the first lines? Comment below!
Now, that’s a great first line. Definitely pulls the reader in.
It sure does!