First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intros (3)

 

 

First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intros is a weekly meme hosted at Bibliophile by the Sea, where you get to share the first paragraph (or so) of a book you’re currently reading or thinking of reading soon.

 

 

Friends without Benefits by Penny Reid

This week I’m featuring the second installment in Penny Reid’s Knitting in the City series. I’ve only read the first few chapters but I’m already invested in the dynamics of the relationship between our two protagonists. This is a second-chance at love type of story and I really, really love this particular type of plot.

 

Here are the first few lines of Chapter 1:

 

I recognized him instantly even though the last time I had seen him in person he was seventeen, naked, and asleep. I was sixteen, haphazardly dressed, and sneaking out his window.

Niccolò (aka Nico) Manganiello.

Nico.

Freaking Nico Manganiello.

Rooted in place—one hand holding the informed consent forms and patient brochures, the other hand clutching my chest—I could only gape in abject horror. Paired with the horror was also wonder and, much to my infinite frustration, feminine appreciation.

I was entirely unprepared.

 

I just love reading scenes like this when the characters meet again for the first time after such a long time apart. If you’re interested, here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

There are three things you need to know about Elizabeth Finney: 1) She suffers from severe sarcastic syndrome, especially when she’s unnerved, 2) No one unnerves her like Nico Manganiello, and 3) She knows how to knit.

Elizabeth Finney is almost always right about everything: the musical merits of boy bands are undervalued by society, “benefits” with human Ken dolls are better without friendship, and the sun has set on her once-in-a-lifetime chance for true love. But when Elizabeth’s plans for benefits without friendship are disarmed by the irritatingly charismatic and chauvinistic Nico Manganiello- her former nemesis- she finds herself struggling to maintain the electric fence around her heart while avoiding electrocution or, worse, falling in love.

 

 

What do you guys think? Will you keep on reading?

 

 

 

First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intros (2)

 

 

First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intros is a weekly meme hosted at Bibliophile by the Sea, where you get to share the first paragraph (or so) of a book you’re currently reading or thinking of reading soon.

 

This week I’m featuring The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back by Sariah Wilson. I read a review of this book by Jennifer @ Feminist Fairy Tale Reviews and when I combined that with the interesting premise, I decided to give this one a try. Here’s the first paragraph (or so) of the book.

 

My stepsister Ella was ruining my life. She was blonde, petite, beautiful, talented, popular, and worst of all, she was nice.

My dad married Ella’s mom, Rose, when we were both two. It was the year after my mother left me. After Ella’s mom divorced my dad, Ella still came and lived with us every summer, and every other Christmas.

We never went to the same school until Ella’s mom died from breast cancer at the end of our sophomore year. Ella moved in immediately. Nobody knew where her biological dad was (he bailed before Ella was even born). She belonged with us.

At first I was glad to have her. It was fun having a stepsister. Or, it was fun up until the beginning of our junior year. Over that summer, Ella changed everything. Her hairstyle, her makeup, and her clothes. She exercised every day. Ate carrots and crap like that. She got unbelievably gorgeous (and it probably didn’t hurt that her mom had been an actual Swedish Bikini Team model).

And she was new. The boys went crazy.

That was the first thing in my List of Grievances where Ella was concerned.

 

 

Here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

Everyone knows how all those fairy tales go. The princess gets beautiful, nabs her prince, falls instantly in love, lives happily ever after and leaves her evil stepsisters in the dust.

But what happens when you’re the ugly stepsister and your obnoxiously perfect—read pretty, smart, and, worst of all, sickeningly nice—stepsister is dating the charming, tall, devastatingly handsome guy you’ve had a thing for since you were nine years old?

Quirky, artistic and snarky Mattie Lowe does not lead a charmed life. Her mother is constantly belittling her on Skype. Mercedes, the school mean girl, has made it her personal mission to torment Mattie. But worst of all? Her stepsister Ella is the most beautiful, popular girl in school and is dating Mattie’s secret longtime crush, Jake Kingston.

Tired of being left out and done with waiting for her own stupid fairy godmother to show up, Mattie decides to change her life. She’ll start by running for senior class president against wildly popular Jake.

Ella can keep her Prince Annoying. Mattie’s going to rule the school.

And no one, not even a cute and suddenly flirty Jake, is going to stop her.

 

 

What do you guys think? Will you keep reading?

 

 

 

First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intros: Snowfall by Mary Ann Rivers

 

First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intros is a weekly meme hosted at Bibliophile by the Sea, where you get to share the first paragraph (or so) of a book you’re currently reading or thinking of reading soon.

 

For my first entry for this meme, I’m featuring the latest novella from Mary Ann Rivers. Her debut novella, The Story Guy, won my heart and total devotion over. It’s a novella, for crying out loud, it shouldn’t hit you so hard. But as Courtney Milan has previously shown me and now Mary Ann Rivers, novellas do have the capacity to kick you in the gut with all these intense emotions and great characterizations. And it’s great! Here’s the first paragraph (or so) of the book.

 

     This is the time of year we want most to tell the people we love that we’re okay.

      I think that’s why we get on ladders and hang lights from the tallest eaves of our houses, from the very tops of trees.

       It’s to get some light in front of the darkness, to tell the whole world that we’ve made it, and that these lights, way up here? That’s what we think of the New Year, what’s coming—it’s all going to be light and joy and flame in the blackness and non of us have any reason to be afraid.

       All those carols we loved as kids?

       Now, they make us cry, because to sing them, to hear them, to pass a flame candle to candle while the lyrics come easy, is to acknowledge everything that has come since childhood.

      The darkness and the light.

 

Prior to starting this novella, I could not help but think if it will be just as mind-blowing in greatness as her debut and wondering if she will be a keeper author or just one of those one-time deals. I’m happy to report that she does deliver. I’m just halfway through but I’m glad that her writing is as steady as in her first novella and the poignancy and slight humor, not to mention the intense emotions (I believe I said that already) are still very present in her new story.

 

Here’s the blurb from her Goodreads:

Jenny Wright can’t get enough of her erotic conversations with someone she knows only as “C.” Flirting online helps Jenny temporarily escape confronting the changes to her life as she slowly loses her vision. Jenny’s occupational therapist, Evan Carlisle-Ford, is helping her prepare for the challenges ahead, but the forthright, trustworthy man can no longer ignore his growing attraction to his fiercely intelligent client. Now Jenny must choose between the safe, anonymous “C”—or the flesh-and-blood Evan, whose heated kisses can melt snow faster than it can fall.

 

This novella is part of a three-book bundle featuring two other writers, Lisa Renee Jones and Serena Bell, entitled Heating up the Holidays.

 

Check out Mary Ann Rivers’ website for more details on her books.