First Lines Fridays 22

My reading is questionable, and yeah, if anyone cares, I have started the Kristin Hannah books with The Great Alone. It’s not going as I hoped. I finished it, and I have a better feel for Home Front, but we will see; the issue is that I’m a character-driven reader, not a plot reader. I lower my listening speed; if that doesn’t work, I will change devices as a last resort because I don’t think I ever said I would read a book for a post, and I didn’t. Can I ask a question: Does it bother you that I pick books that aren’t very well known, or known at all?  First Lines Friday is a weekly feature for book lovers, 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:

Rhys frowned as he looked out the front window of Frost + Foam. He’d spent years perfecting the shop until everything from the polished concrete floor to the marble counter to his expert saturation of pour-over coffee was up to his exacting standards.

It had taken time to convince the residents of Frostwick Harbor that the sludge they usually drank could barely be considered coffee. And even longer for him to be comfortable behind the counter, greeting customers and making small talk. At least he could mostly talk about coffee, the one subject where he always knew what to say.

But now, Caleb, a newcomer to town, one who somehow managed to smile and talk to everyone like he already knew them, had opened a coffee shop just down the street, Cloud Nine Coffee. Rhys was sick of hearing about it. “Caleb’s going to have so many flavors.” “He’s going to make smoothies too.” “He’s going to have cinnamon rolls from the bakery.” If one more customer tried to tell Rhys about things Cloud Nine would have that his shop didn’t, he was going to start throwing things.

Goodreads Blurb:

Rhys likes his life controlled, quiet, and predictable. At Frost + Foam, every espresso shot is measured to perfection and every routine carefully maintained. The last thing Rhys wants is a distraction, especially not the annoyingly cheerful owner of the new coffee shop down the block.

Caleb arrives in Frostwick Harbor determined to make Cloud Nine Coffee a success. His café is full of seasonal drinks, mismatched tables, and chatty customers. Caleb gets along with everyone, and he can’t understand why the gorgeous, sharp-tongued man at Frost + Foam refuses to speak to him.

When the Harvest Festival committee pressures them into collaborating on a signature fall drink, Rhys reluctantly agrees. He knows working side by side with Caleb will be torture. Not because they disagree on everything about coffee, but because Rhys finds Caleb far too hot and intriguing. Caleb’s warmth slips past Rhys’s defenses, and Rhys gives up control of more than just lattes.

But Caleb wants a relationship lived openly, while Rhys has spent his whole life avoiding scrutiny and small-town gossip. Falling for Caleb means embracing attention, vulnerability, and the terrifying possibility of being truly seen.

As autumn settles over Frostwick Harbor, Rhys must choose between protecting the ordered life he’s always known and taking a chance on the man who makes him want more

Goodreads Link Here

The StoryGraph Link Here