Happy Friday, friends! I’m so glad it’s time for another First Line Friday linkup, hosted by Hoarding Books, and I’m so excited about the book I’m featuring today! Rachel Hauck is one of my favorite authors, and she has a new book coming out on August 11. It’s available for preorder now – you won’t want to miss it!

1938

Dalholm, Northon, Lauchtenland

“It’s said in the north country of Lauchtenland that the sea has a song, and love blooms from the earth the same as flora and fauna. It perfumes the air and touches lives in ways no one quite understands.”

To Love a Prince by Rachel Hauck

The Basics

Title: To Love a Prince

Author: Rachel Hauck

Series: True Blue Royal (Book 1)

Publication Date: August 11, 2020

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

From the Back Cover: Daffodil Caron is not a princess, even though she once dreamed of being one. After all, she grew up as a playmate to royal princes, running through the halls of Perrigwynn Palace in the North Sea’s Lauchtenland. But the day she stumbled upon a royal secret, everything changed.

Flash forward eighteen years, and Daffy’s living a sweet, non-royal life. A skilled art curator for the Royal Trust, she has friends, a flat in the heart of the capital city, and a handsome, successful boyfriend. The last person on her mind is Gus, the prince she once called her best mate.

HRH Prince Augustus is no longer “Prince Pudgy,” as caricatured by the press—he’s charming and gorgeous, possessing a world-famous smile. But after he’s jilted at the altar, then dumped by his second fianceé, the spare heir to Lauchtenland’s ancient House of Blue finds solace on a Florida beach.

A year as a regular bloke allows him to rethink his purpose. He’s half decided his calling is to pour pints at a tiki bar rather than serve his country and the Family.

But a wild Frisbee toss down the beach changes his destiny.

Despite his long hair and beard, Daffy recognizes her prince. She reminds Gus of his heritage and assures him that he’s needed in Lauchtenland.

When Daffy and Gus find themselves on assignment at Hadsby Castle in preparation for his brother’s wedding ball, their friendship blooms into affection.

Then secrets are exposed, and Gus must choose between his past hurts and his future hope. And Daffy must trust her heart to forever love a prince.

My Thoughts

To Love a Prince is another enchanting royal story by Rachel Hauck! She has such a beautiful way of telling stories that draw you in and tug on your heartstrings. All of her characters, whether royal or not, are so relatable, I feel like I could step through the pages and instantly be friends.

I absolutely loved Gus and Daffy’s story and the way their relationship grew from a childhood friendship into a beautiful love story. The threads through both of their stories about discovering their value and worth were so powerful. I really enjoyed the glimpses of characters from past books too, especially Coral Winthrop from The Fifth Avenue Story Society! The finishing touch on the story is the glimmer of the divine, found in the mysterious, angelic characters that make Rachel Hauck’s books unique. I highly recommend this book for any fan of royal stories or contemporary romance!

Now it’s your turn! Please share the first line of the book you’re reading in the comments below. Don’t forget to head to Hoarding Books to see what first lines other bloggers are sharing, or to share your own!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Happy Friday, friends! I’m so glad it’s Friday – for so many reasons, but one is that it’s time for another First Line Friday linkup hosted by Hoarding Books! Today I’m featuring a book that just came out this week, by a new-to-me author: Fragments of Light by Michèle Phoenix.

Aubry-en-Douve

June 6, 1944

“I was dreaming about carousels the night the sky got loud.”

Fragments of Light by Michèle Phoenix

The Basics

Title: Fragments of Light

Author: Michèle Phoenix

Genre: Christian historical fiction (split-time)

My Rating: 5 Stars

From the Back Cover: An impossible decision in the chaos of D-Day. Ripples that cascade seventy-five years into the present. And two lives transformed by the tenuous resolve to reach out of the darkness toward fragments of light.

Cancer stole everything from Ceelie—her peace of mind, her self-image, perhaps even her twenty-three-year marriage to her college sweetheart, Nate. Without the support of Darlene, her quirky elderly friend, she may not have been able to endure so much loss.

So when Darlene’s prognosis turns dire, Ceelie can’t refuse her seemingly impossible request—to find a WWII paratrooper named Cal, the father who disappeared when Darlene was an infant, leaving a lifetime of desolation in his wake.

The search that begins in the farmlands of Missouri eventually leads Ceelie to a small town in Normandy, where she uncovers the harrowing tale of the hero who dropped off-target into occupied France.

Alternating between Cal’s D-Day rescue by two young French sisters and Ceelie’s present-day journey through trial and heartbreak, Fragments of Light poses a timeless question: When life becomes unbearable, will you press toward the light or let the darkness win?

My Thoughts

This was my first book by Michèle Phoenix, and what a great introduction to her writing! I loved this split-time story that took us through the events of D-Day, both through the eyes of a paratrooper who landed in Normandy that day and the discovery of his daughter and her friend 76 years later. Both storylines were equally engaging, with compelling characters and similar themes woven throughout.

This is a story that shows the true cost of war through the heartbreak and sacrifice it required of Cal, but it is not a story without hope. Darlene, Ceelie, and Nate were all faced with difficult circumstances and presented with the opportunity to choose between anger or forgiveness, bitterness or grace, betrayal or faithfulness. Those are choices we can all relate to, whether we have lived through a war or not. This is a thought-provoking, heart-wrenching, beautiful story that will stick with you long after the last page!

Now it’s your turn! Please share the first line of the book you’re reading in the comments below. Don’t forget to head to Hoarding Books to see what first lines other bloggers are sharing, or to share your own!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Happy Friday! I hope you can enjoy a long holiday weekend celebrating Independence Day, with plenty of time for reading and spending time with family and friends 🙂

Today for First Line Friday, a linkup hosted by Hoarding Books, I’m featuring a book that’s not one I would typically read – These Nameless Things by Shawn Smucker. Here’s the first line, and keep reading for my review below!

“We move in a loose group, winding through the trees.”

These Nameless Things by Shawn Smucker

The Basics

Title: These Nameless Things

Author: Shawn Smucker

Genre: Speculative

My Rating: 3 Stars

From the Back Cover: Once held captive and tortured on a mysterious mountain, Dan was lucky to have made it out alive. But freedom comes at a cost. Left with little memory of the horrific ordeal, Dan can recall one thing–his escape meant leaving his brother behind.

With each day that passes, Dan waits with the other survivors in hope of his brother’s escape. But just as long-forgotten memories start rising to the surface, the sudden appearance of a wounded woman throws everything into question. As Dan struggles to know who to trust, he is caught once again in a paralyzing moral dilemma:

How far will he go to save the people he loves?

My Thoughts

This isn’t the type of book I’m typically drawn to – speculative, allegorical, almost dystopian – but I’m glad I decided to read it! I think it’s important to expand your reading horizons, to see life from different perspectives, and These Nameless Things definitely provides a different perspective. The writing is haunting and poetic, leaving things open to your imagination and interpretation. The story explores themes of guilt, forgiveness, and redemption in a compelling, thought-provoking way. It will make you consider how the choices we make have effects that reach farther than we can imagine. The questions it raises will stay with you after the final page!

Now it’s your turn! Please share the first line of the book you’re reading in the comments below. Don’t forget to head to Hoarding Books to see what first lines other bloggers are sharing, or to share your own!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and the Revell Reads program. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.