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!

Breaking Dawn: Part One

Yes, I am one of the Twilight fanatics who just HAD to see Breaking Dawn. For a year, I had been looking so forward to this movie and the night had finally arrived this past Saturday evening.

Accompanied by about fifteen other Edward/Jacob fans, we began our night eating at the Claddagh and having a few drinks before the start of the show. I, of course, had my usual Irish Coffee, while chatting it up with some of my best friends about what we were anticipating from the movie. Most of us were excited about the honeymoon scene, but were not quite sure if the director would follow the book or blaze their own trail.

To my delight, the movie showed more than what I expected. When it came to Bella and Edward's honeymoon rendezvous, the book never went into detail about the amazing first night together as husband and wife. Being a YA romance, I could certainly understand why, only allowing us - as readers - to get a glimpse of the aftermath the next morning with pillow feathers floating about, a chunk of the headboard bitten, and the room torn asunder. However, the movie didn't have as much discretion, allowing us to be present during that special intimate affair. I was tickled pink.

But one of my favorite moments (in both the book and the movie, since being a mother myself,) was when Edward could finally hear the thoughts of the baby, finding that connection he so direly needed. For most of the time (after he'd been shocked by the revelation of her unexpected pregnancy), he could only think of the baby as a demon, something evil that was killing his delicate human wife. He resented the baby for what it was doing to her, and couldn't see it the way Bella saw it - an innocent life and a miracle.

In one special scene, Edward stopped what he was doing and placed his hand upon his wife's rounded belly. You could feel the excitement as he listened and foretold of how happy the baby was and how the baby loved his parents' voices. At that endearing moment, when he bowed his head in utter joy and put his face to Bella's stomach, he became the protective father who accepted the child as part of his family and not something that would tear them apart.

My heart leapt for joy, even though I knew it was coming. I've always been on team Edward, swooning countless times over his beautiful smile. But the smile he gave, when he recognized his own child's thoughts, was better than all the smiles from the past put together.

So, what was your favorite parts of the movie and/or book? Did you like the cinematic version of the Ms. Meyer's work or were you disappointed with their efforts to represent Part I of the final chapter of the Twilight Saga?

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