First Lines Fridays #17

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. I first saw this on Life of A Literary Nerd  and decided this would be fun to start adding to my blog. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

*Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page

*Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first

*Finally… reveal the book!

“The rumor is three black boys killed your parents. Is it true?”

Perched on the edge of his cot, Noah Charleston lifted his eyes to look at the four half-men standing before him.

FIND OUT THE BOOK BELOW

When keeping secrets doesn’t go as planned, people’s lives may change in this book about relationships and friendships.

Tell Me Lies by Michelle Lindo-Rice  

Back Cover  Copy

A broken heart…When Sydney Richardson meets Pastor Noah Charleston it was practically love at first sight. Sydney has battled so much deception in her personal life and in her work as an attorney, she is glad to have a perfect man she can depend on. But her Prince Charming has some secrets that are worse than Sydney could have ever imagined. What will she do when Noah’s past life come to light?

A broken truth… Pastor Noah Charleston has come a long way since his troubled youth. A respected Man-of-God, Noah’s long buried past emerges in the form of blackmail and threats. Noah not only fears for his safety but also for his newfound love. Will he take a chance on the truth before it’s too late?

A broken trust…Newly converted Christian, Belinda Santiago, harbors a secret that could end her friendship with Sydney. She’s in love with Lance Forbes, Sydney’s ex-fiancé. When Belinda and Lance’s relationship is exposed she may have to choose between her man and her best friend.

A broken man…Lance Forbes returns to Port Charlotte to make things right with Sydney, but his feelings for Belinda are in his way. Lance knows for him to become a do-right man, he must face his childhood pain. Will Lance get his act together and take a chance on love or run again?

Have you read any of Michelle Lindo-Rice’s books? Share in the comments below.

Book Review: Small Town Love by Michelle Stimpson and Michelle Lindo-Rice

Title: Small Town Love

Author: Michelle Stimpson and Michelle Lindo-Rice

Publication Date: November 19, 2019

Rating: 5 Stars= Non-Stop Page Turner

Purchase  at  Amazon.com

Small Town Love by Michelle Stimpson and Michelle Lindo-Rice is about family, friendship, loss love and faith.

Best friends are hard to come by and Jhavon and Sean cherish their friendship. When Jhavon is killed it changes not only Sean’s life but the lives of Jhavon’s sisters Jazzy and Niya.

This book captured my attention on page one. The plot is well thought, flowed and was easy to follow. The characters are well-developed and easy to invest in. Jazzy’s character annoyed meet the most because she acted like the constant victim. It was as if she was miserable and wanted everyone else to be as well. Niya was a little naive and shy at the beginning of the book, but I enjoy the start of her transformation and look forward to see how her story will end. Sean’s character was my favorite. He was loyal, caring and even sensitive, which is needed more in male characters.

Having read several books by each of the authors, I was very impressed with Small Town Love. The story flows as if one author wrote the book. It is evident these authors have a connection in their writing styles, which was perfect foe this story. I can’t wait to read book two in this series.

*This book was provided by the author for review purposes only.

My First Launch: Imagine my Surprise by Michelle Lindo-Rice

After twelve years of trying to break into the publishing world, my dreams were realized, Feb. 2013. I had attended the 2012 Faith and Fiction Retreat in Destin, Florida. I had learned how to pitch my work and rewrote the first chapter of Sing A New Song. I went on fasting that day and at about 2 pm in the afternoon, I prayerfully went before a panel of literary professionals to talk about my book. Imagine the joy that flooded my heart, when I heard, “Send me the first three chapters.”

Fast forward to almost six months later where after enduring a grueling editing process, I am standing in front of a group of about fifty people who had taken time out on a Sunday afternoon to attend my book launch.

The room I had rented in the Charlotte Harbor Center has an area for my signing and there are small tables for people to stand and enjoy a treat from the cookie and brownie tray. A special area with a podium and chairs is set-up for me to read the first chapter to the audience.

I surveyed the crowd, taking in the faces of many who had been with me through my journey to publication. Tears roll down my face as I begin thanking individual people. I remember becoming choked up as I spoke of how my boss had recognized me as a wounded bird and encouraged me to heal and to fly.

I took in the beaming faces of my sisters, parents and church family who had helped with the decorations and planning of my release party. I had small frames holding a signed picture of Sing A New Song on each table that would serve as a keepsake for attendees. Since the novel was about a singer, after talking about my journey to publication, I put one of my sisters on the spot to sing. She bellowed out, “Can’t even walk without You holding my hand.”

What a fitting song for how I felt. I knew I had gotten to that point because of God. He had steered and directed me on the right path so that I would not only feed my passion but also give Him glory.

I cleared my throat and began to read the first chapter. My heart hammered as I performed my first public performance. As I read, I questioned whether my voice held the right sentiment and I feared no one would like my work. I pushed through the butterflies until I ended the first chapter.

Thunderous applause broke out. People stood and cheered. My shoulders relaxed and I wiped away fresh tears. I had done it. I had overcome the crippling fear of sharing my work—a part of me—with others. And, guess what? For the first time I felt accepted. I felt understood.

Following the reading, there was a huge queue of people wanting to purchase my book. My book. A representative from Books-A-Million was present to handle all my book sales. I then began my first ever book signing with my special sharpie for the occasion. I wrote personal notes and autographed Sing A New Song about fifty times.

I’ve never had another official book launch. Eleven books later, I still look back at that day with fond memories. It is a day forever sealed in my heart. There is nothing like the first.

Michelle  Lindo-Rice is the award winning, bestselling author of the On The Right Path series among other awards. She enjoys crafting fiction centered about the four “F” words: Faith, Friendship, Family and Forgiveness. Learn more about Michelle by joining her mailing list at michellelindorice.com.

Book Review: Tell Me Lies by Michelle Lindo-Rice

Title: Tell Me Lies

Author: Michelle Lindo-Rice

Genre: Christian Fiction

Publication Date: January 12, 2016

Rating: 5 Stars-Non-Stop Page Turner

Tell Me Lies is a story about race, faith, and forgiveness. Author Michelle Lindo-Rice does not disappoint readers with this captivating novel representing the importance of forgiveness and love. After being left at the altar, Sydney Richardson has a hard time forgiving others. She is a tough nose lawyer who believes in loyalty, trust and honesty and will stand for nothing else. Sydney is not expecting her life to change once she encounters Noah Charleston.

Noah Charleston is a minister who has overcame many obstacles in his life. When he meets, Sydney, he realizes she is the woman God has chosen. Noah knows his past life may be hard to understand but he is determined to follow God’s lead. When his past comes back to cause problems, Noah will have to come clean to protect those he loves.

Tell Me lies has just enough drama and suspense to keep readers on their toes. The characters are well developed, it has a powerful storyline and unsuspected twists will keep readers turning the pages. The Nothing But The Truth series is one I will continue follow because I have to know if the secondary characters will get their own book. I recommend Tell Me Lies to others.

Reviewed by Teresa Beasley