Bookish, Historical Fiction, Review, Spotlight

First Line Friday: Claiming Mariah

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Hello, reader friends!!! I was flying high after our first camping trip of the season a few weeks ago which was possibly our best trip yet. While this is our first season in our own camper, we’ve been campers for 15 years! (Yes, even when the kids were babies!)

I have to say I really hope we got our worst camping trip of the season out of the way last weekend! Between the miserable humidity, constant mowing, swarming gnats and mosquitoes, shirtless “neighbors,” and teeny-tiny freckle-sized ticks (which we are still finding! *gag*), our youngest went so far as to declare the entire trip “horrible!”

Despite all of the negative aspects of the trip, we got to spend an uninterrupted weekend together and that is a rare and priceless gift (but the wonderfully steamy, high-powered campground shower beating away all the tension in my neck and shoulders sure didn’t hurt)!

I’m hoping for a longer trip in the early fall but can’t decide whether we should try a new campground within a few hours of home, head to the Appalachians near the North Carolina-Tennessee border, or hit the Gulf shores of Florida’s panhandle. Which would you pick for a quiet yet refreshing getaway?

 

First Line Fridays hosted by Hoarding Books

Claiming Mariah by Pam Hillman

 goodreads | amazon | bookdepository | christianbook

 

Dust swirled as the two riders approached the house. They stopped a few feet shy of the steps, and Mariah Malone eyed the men from the shadowy recesses of the porch.

 

I borrowed this title through a trial membership of the Kindle Unlimited program. It was so good that I immediately located additional books by this author… purchased Stealing Jake and rescued The Promise of Breeze Hill from my tbr shelf (don’t be alarmed, these things occasionally happen. no books were harmed by my hungry, somewhat frantic shuffling).

Claiming Mariah is a simply delicious western romance with loads of conflict, tension, and attraction. Mariah and Slade are formidable foes, equally matched in their stubbornness and determination to do whatever it takes to provide for their loved ones.

Don’t y’all know, sometimes God turns our little world upside down and inside out just to bless us beyond our wildest dreams?! I love it! I highly recommend this story and it’s on my paperback wishlist so I can properly place it on my all-time favorites shelf!

 

also available

 The Promise of Breeze Hill by Pam Hillman

First Line Fridays on Faithfully Bookish hosted by Hoarding Books

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19 thoughts on “First Line Friday: Claiming Mariah”

  1. This and Stealing Jake have both been on my to-read pile forever – I love the titles, and the covers. I enjoy a good western 🙂

    Today on my blog I’m sharing from Enchanting Nicholette by Dawn Crandall, which is part of the Timeless Love collection. I’ll share the first line from another story in the collection here, Teach Me to Love by Kari Trumbo:

    “It wasn’t right to pray he would just die.”

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  2. Caroline Marsh wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand and sat down on a bench outside, taking a moment to compose herself.
    KILLER COUNTRY REUNION
    By Jenna Night

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  3. Sounds like your camping was quite the adventure! Without a second thought I’d go to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina!!! (I grew up there, and It’s still home to me!) Plus as a bonus we both know an author who lives there, who I’m pretty sure you could pop by to see!! Also, you could take a tour of The Biltmore House. And if those reasons aren’t enough… Fall in WNC just can’t be beat! The colors are amazing! Do let me know where you end up going! 🙂
    My first line this week is from Tricia Goyer’s A Daring Escape. I don’t have a bonus line to share, this week because I borrowed it from my local library and had to take it back yesterday. So, you’ll just have to stop by my blog to see the first line! ❤

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  4. This looks like a great read. All of those places sounds absolutely gorgeous. I think you’d want the North Carolina choice so you can have a real-life Pepper Basham expereince. Hehe. Although Florida is great too! I haven’t been to the Panhandle yet, but I’ve heard their beaches are wonderful.

    My first line is from Laura Ingall Wilder’s, “Little House on the Prairie” which I am sharing on the blog today. I’m still currently reading “Just Let Go” so I don’t have an actual first line to share today that isn’t from the blog. ????

    Happy reading!

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  5. Happy Friday, Beth!

    February 1909

    Isabella Grayson’s shoes sank into the plush red carpet of Broadlands’ south hall, and she released a soft sigh. Across the Blue by Carrie Turansky

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  6. Happy Friday!???? I vote for NC……the views are amazing!????

    My First Line Friday comes from a book I will be reading soon, The Life Lucy Knew by Karma Brown.

    I have a complicated relationship with my memory. Most of us, me included, believe our memories are fairly accurate.

    Have a great weekend and happy reading!????????????

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  7. Happy Friday! First, I would choose the Appalachians which promise some shade. Something that is difficult to find at the beach. However, the ocean breezes are tempting, too. I guess I’m no help. 🙂 I read Stealing Jake a while back and enjoyed it. Will have to check out this latest novel.

    The book I’m sharing this week on my blog is “Before the Apocalypse” by Taylor Jaxon. This is a Young Adult Christian Suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end. Here, I will share the first line in Chapter Fourteen of that same book: “Sam extended his hand through the doorway of the ivy-covered mansion. An appendage the size of a catcher’s mitt engulfed his palm.” Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

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  8. Looks awesome! I love the cover art too!
    The book I’m sharing on my blog today is Cold Shot by Dani Pettrey but it’s also the book I’m currently reading so I’ll share the first line of my current chapter (12): “‘Do you think he followed you there?’ Parker asked, taking a bit of kung pao chicken.” Hope you have a great weekend! Happy Reading! 🙂

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  9. Happy Friday!

    Today’s first lines come from Finding Wicked by Kathryn L. James

    “The day started out like any other, but then I received an email from Cordelia Irwin, the human resources director, and it was tagged urgent.”

    Sounds ominous, doesn’t it!

    I’m featuring lines from Nina Lane’s The Secret Thief on my blog today. I hope you can stop by!

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  10. The Promise of Breeze Hill was one of my favorite reads last year 😀

    I’m reading a novella today, The Treasured Book by Kathleen Fuller. Here are the first lines:

    “Lucy Fisher had never been so drenched in her entire life. Still, she managed a smile as her bus drove away.”

    Have a great weekend!

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  11. We’ve had a few of those camping trips, but eventually we all look back and laugh at how terrible it is. I always recommend the Appalachian Mountains. Home of my heart. If ever you head to KY to Camp let me know, we’ve got a list of fantastic spots. You’ve intrigued me with this book so it is going on my find it at the library pile. (I just busted my budget on book spending a couple days ago… oops, don’t tell hubby.) thanks for sharing Beth.

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  12. This week, I’m showcasing the first line from The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Here, I will share the first line from the book I just started reading, More Than Meets the Eye by Karen Witemeyer.

    July 1894 — Pecan Gap, TX
    Logan Fowler dismounted outside the Lucky Lady Saloon, anticipation thrumming in his veins.

    I hope you have a great weekend filled with lots of reading time!

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  13. I would say Happy Friday Beth, only it is now Tuesday! 😉

    My first line Friday (now Tuesday) is from Waves of Mercy by Lynn Austin.

    Lake Michigan
    1897
    I am living my nightmare.

    Blessings, Tina

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