Happy Friday! The book I’m featuring for First Line Friday this week is a great book to enjoy on a summer weekend. Beyond the Tides by Liz Johnson has beautiful summery cover, and a beautiful story inside to match!

“Morning had a terrible habit of arriving too early, at least as far as Meg Whitaker was concerned.”

Beyond the Tides by Liz Johnson

The Basics

Title: Beyond the Tides

Author: Liz Johnson

Series: Prince Edward Island Shores (Book 1)

Publication Date: August 3, 2021

Genre: Contemporary Romance

My Rating: 5 Stars

From the Back Cover:

When Meg Whitaker’s father decides to sell the family’s lobster fishing business to her high school nemesis, she sets out to prove she should take it over instead. Though she’s never had any interest in running the small fleet–or even getting on a boat due to her persistent seasickness–she can’t stand to see Oliver Ross in charge. Not when he ruined her dreams for a science scholarship and an Ivy League education ten years ago.

Oliver isn’t proud of what he did back then. Angry and broken by his father walking out on his family, he lashed out at Meg–an innocent bystander. But owning a respected fishing fleet on Prince Edward Island is the opportunity of a lifetime, as well as a way to provide for his mother, and he’s not about to walk away just because Meg wants him to.

Meg’s father has the perfect solution: Oliver and Meg will work the business together, and at the end of the season, he’ll decide who gets it. Along the way, they may discover that their stories are more similar than they thought . . . and their dreams aren’t what they expected.

My Review

Beyond the Tides is a charming start to Liz Johnson’s new series! I have never been to Prince Edward Island, but being from Maine, I could relate to the cool summer mornings, Tim Horton’s coffee, and descriptions of the lobstering industry. Meg is a strong heroine, a hard worker who is willing to give up her dreams to preserve her family’s legacy. Although she and Oliver were enemies in high school, he has transformed into a strong, gentle hero, keeping the lobster business afloat while supporting Meg and her family through some difficult days.

This powerful story of forgiveness and sacrificial love will have you rooting for Meg, Oliver, and the Whitaker family all the way through. I can’t wait to travel back to Prince Edward Island with the next book in the series! Fans of Courtney Walsh, Melissa Tagg, and Becky Wade will especially enjoy this book.

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. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Happy Friday! This was a great week, because the next book in the True Lies of Rembrandt Stone series is finally here 🙂 Set in Stone by David James Warren is the perfect book to get lost in this weekend (start with Cast the First Stone if you haven’t read the rest of the series yet!).

“What is happiness? Is it a place? A time? A choice?

I am afraid of the answer. Because if it is either of the former two, it’s lost to me.”

Set in Stone by David James Warren

The Basics

Title: Set in Stone

Author: David James Warren (Susan May Warren, James L. Rubart, and David C. Warren)

Series: The True Lies of Rembrandt Stone (Book 4 of 6)

Publication Date: August 10, 2021

Genre: Time Travel Thriller

My Rating: 5 Stars

From the Back Cover:

Trapped in time, he’ll have to use the past to fix the present.

Thirty-eight women. Dead. All the in the past. All because Detective Rembrandt Stone played with fate, and somewhere in time unleashed a serial killer. He can’t undo their deaths, not anymore, but the serial killer is still at large, twenty-four years later, and now it’s personal. Especially when the evidence points to the last person on anyone’s radar: Rembrandt himself.
Now he’ll have to use the clues from his pasts to track down the killer in the present.

But the killer is onto him and puts the one person Rembrandt loves in his crosshairs. Now, Rembrandt must outwit time to save the people he loves.

Because time is playing for keeps.

The fourth installment of the True Lies of Rembrandt Stone will have you holding your breath and leave you gasping for more.

The continuing adventures of Rembrandt Stone from the creative minds of James L. Rubart, Susan May Warren and newcomer David Curtis Warren, writing as DAVID JAMES WARREN.

My Review

For every question each new installment of this series answers, it seems like five more pop up! In Set in Stone, Rem has made it back to a timeline he thinks he can live with. He has Eve back, and he is at the top of his game in his career, on the cusp of finally finding the serial killer who has been haunting him through time. The action doesn’t let up as his search takes him from the streets of Minneapolis to the beaches of Miami, delving into his wife’s unknown (to him) past. Of course, nothing is that easy when you’re dealing with time travel, and things quickly unravel in ways he could never have imagined.

Rem’s story is a powerful reminder to stop and enjoy the happy ending you have, instead of wishing away your what-ifs and regrets. You never know how good you have it until you change the past and find out your happy life is gone! The plotting and pacing of this book (and series) are incredible, with so many interconnected timelines to bring together. Each installment provides plenty of suspense and action but leaves more to be discovered in the next book. The last two books in the series are going to be a wild ride, and I can’t wait to see how these brilliant authors tie it all together!

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. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Happy Friday! It’s hard to believe it’s August already! Today I’m linking up with Hoarding Books for First Line Friday and sharing the first line from Love and the Silver Lining by Tammy L. Gray.

“I’m supposed to be on an airplane, flying to Central America to teach children to speak English. Instead, I’m sitting on the couch and nursing my third pint of Rocky Road ice cream, watching a Telemundo soap opera in Spanish.”

Love and the Silver Lining by Tammy L. Gray

The Basics

Title: Love and the Silver Lining

Author: Tammy L. Gray

Series: State of Grace (Book 2)

Publication Date: August 3, 2021

Genre: Contemporary

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

From the Back Cover:

This disaster may be just what she needed.

Darcy Malone’s dreams of mission work are dashed on the eve of fulfilling them: The Guatemalan school she was going to teach at has closed, and she’s already quit her job and given up her apartment. Stuck in her worst-case scenario, Darcy accepts an unexpected offer to move in with Bryson Katsaros’s little sister, despite the years of distrust between her and Bryson, the lead singer in her best friend Cameron’s band. But as she meets those close to Bryson, Darcy quickly discovers there is more to him than just his bad-boy persona.

Needing to find a purpose for all her sudden free time, Darcy jumps at the chance to care for and train a group of unruly dogs, with the aim of finding each a home before their bereaved owner returns them to animal control. But it’s Darcy herself who will encounter a surprising rescue in the form of love, forgiveness, and learning to let go.

My Review

In Love and the Silver Lining, we catch up with characters we first met in Love and a Little White Lie, but this one can be read as a stand-alone. Ms. Gray does a great job portraying difficult situations with redemption and grace, and this book is no exception.

When Darcy’s long-held plans fall apart, she is thrust into a season of questioning God and having to reframe her dreams and expectations – I think we can all relate to that struggle! The friendship between Bryce, Darcy, and Cam got tense and a little frustrating at times, but it was handled well. One of my favorite parts of the story was how Bryce’s friendship pushed Darcy to make some much needed changes in her life and in her relationships. His steady, faithful love for her provided a contrast to her tumultuous relationship with Cam and made him an easy hero to root for. This story full of heart, depth, and a little humor will be a hit with fans of 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 publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.