Hook, Line, and Sinker: That Great Opening Line of a Book

Like most of you, I enjoy a few self-indulgences every now and again: Starbucks coffee with lots of whipped cream, recently watching Travis Fimmel (Ragnar Lothbrok) from the History Channel's new amazing series VIKINGS, shopping at Hobby Lobby, and sitting down to read a great romance.

I especially can't resist a book when I open the first page (or cue forward on my kindle) and come across a great first line or paragraph. You know the kind...the one that grabs your attention and forces you to keep your nose buried until the last word is read.

We all know how "first impressions" are so important when meeting someone, whether it's for a job interview, a book signing, or even a blind date. For me, making a good first impression with a person is equivalent to making a smashing entrance with an attention-grabbing sentence in a romance novel. It's the difference between losing a reader to boredom or disinterest and holding them prisoner with a few carefully well thought-out lines.

Here are a few of my favorites:

 As an adolescent girl, I voraciously read V.C. Andrews. Her Dollanganger Series was a serious page turner, but the one line I remembered so vividly is from the second book in the series, PETALS ON THE WIND:

 How young we were the day we escaped. 

It kept me reading well into the wee hours when I should have been in bed sleeping.

If you open the book CONTENTMENT by humorously witty author Margaret Ethridge, the first lines read:

The cursor blinked, the little bastard. The flashing line taunted her, all but double-dog daring her to click the link.

At that moment, even I was rooting for the heroine to just click the damn thing!

Another favorite of mine is by Elizabeth Lowell in her book FORBIDDEN:

He will come to you in shades of darkness. The words of the dire prophecy rang in Amber’s mind as she looked at the naked, powerful man whom Sir Erik had dumped senseless at her feet.

How can anyone read that a powerful, naked man was just thrown at the heroine’s feet and not find out why? (and of course, why the man is nude) Ingenious!

And who could forget the notorious line from TWILIGHT by Stephenie Meyer:

I’d never given much thought to how I would die—though I’d had reason enough in the last few months—but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this.

That darn line sucked me in (even though for three months prior I had refused to read a YA vampire story in first person POV.) After reading that line and exasperatingly sighing (because I knew I’d been defeated by my own curiosity) I read the whole four-book series in about a month.

When I asked my friend what great first line she still remembers from all the books she's read over the years, she quoted the opening sentences from my contemporary romance, SILENT PARTNER:

There he was. Shaking his cute little ass on the dance floor of Gyrations, the hippest night club in downtown Boston, amid a flock of beautiful women.

Of course, I had to laugh. But for her, I went ahead and featured it because she gave me such a humbling, yet humorous compliment. "How can you not want to read more about this guy and his cute little ass?"

Posing the question to myself, if I had to choose an attention-grabbing paragraph from one of my books, I'd have to go with THE START OF SOMETHING GOOD by my alter ego, Gracie Lee Rose:

“You’re such a jerk!” The malicious tone and volume of a woman’s complaint caused my head to turn in the direction of the chaos a few doors down the hall of my apartment complex. After whipping her scarf around her neck in finality, the angered woman trudged down the corridor. A man, who I assume was the jerk in question, pursued her. At this moment, I realized their argument was not meant for my eyes or ears. The guy showed up for the fight in nothing but a towel. His weapons of choice were bare hands, bare feet, and dripping-wet, wavy brown hair. His muscled chest and arms boasted the remnants of a golden summer tan, even in late November.

But the all-time favorite of mine is still from my "first born" historical romance, RÆLIKSEN:

I shall marry this woman, Dægan Ræliksen decided. It had been over a fortnight since he first followed her through the green meadows to the waters of the River Shannon, watching her with intent. Observing her gave him great pleasure, and every day he anticipated her arrival, secretly longing to hold her in his arms. Only lately did he grow impatient with his desire for her, and this day, he settled on, would finally be the day he’d put his suffering to an end and make her his wife.

I still get chills reading that. (rolls eyes)

Today, I featured a few gripping lines that have stood out for me over the years and I'd love to hear what great first lines yanked you into a book and held you there until it was finished. Don't forget to name the author too so I can check them out. (As if I really need more books to add to my TBR list -- ha!)

Renee Vincent
http://www.reneevincent.com/

Oh, and by the way, I just remodeled my website so if you haven't checked it out, I'd love for you to hop on over and see the work I've done.

Have a great week!