First Lines Friday is a weekly feature for book lovers that was formerly 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!
Note: The original host blog does not appear to be active any longer, but if anyone knows of a new host, please
First Lines :
Holding out for a hero!
Forget Mr Right, I want a Mr Darcy, says Tess Hardy, The Sunday Sentinel’s resident single gal …
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman in possession of a good job, good friends and a wardrobe of really good frocks must be in want of a good man.
So, I ask you, nay, implore you, where have all the good men gone?
One thing’s for certain. They’re not in my local supermarket. I cruise the aisles hoping to meet eyes with a handsome stranger as he’s fondling avocados or selecting wine according to its vintage and taste notes rather than its alcohol content and competitive price point. I dream of some sophisticated and flirtatious banter as we both reach for the last posh sourdough loaf and before you know it, we’re enjoying a Dine In for Two promotion. But my dreams never come true and I have to make do with a basket of picky bits commonly known as ‘girl dinner’.
Note: I couldn’t use page 1 since it has the title in the first line.
Goodreads Blurb:
What if you could date your favourite book boyfriend?
“All loans are at the borrower’s own risk…”
After a series of dating disasters, Tess Hardy wonders if she’ll ever find the man of her dreams – or if he only exists on the pages of her favourite novels. So when she’s invited to visit The Love Library, a 200-hundred-year-old institution which promises dates with her favourite romantic heroes in real life, Tess can’t resist!
But handsome head librarian Gabe Sharma seems grumpily determined to keep the library under lock and key. And as soon as Tess steps into the beautiful building crammed full of books, she realises why – it’s not just dust in the air… it’s magic. Here she really can grab drinks with Heathcliff, dine with Rochester and cosy up to her one true literary love, Darcy.
There’s just one Gabe. He’s determined to sabotage all of Tess’s dates! And why is it that she has more fun fighting with Gabe than flirting with any of her book-bound suitors…?
Goodreads Link Here
The StoryGraph Link Here