First Line Friday | In the Shadow of the River

Christian Fiction, First Line Friday, Historical Fiction, Novels, Revell, Writing Spot

Welcome to First Line Friday!
Today I’m featuring

In the Shadow of the River by Ann H. Gabhart.

About the Book

In 1881, Jacci Reed is only five years old when a man attempts to kidnap her from the steamboat her mother, Irena, works on. Badly wounded during the confrontation, Irena takes Jacci aboard the Kingston Floating Palace, a showboat tied up beside them. There, Jacci’s actor grandfather tends to her mother and Jacci gets a first taste of the life she will come to lead.

Fifteen years later, Jacci is an actress aboard the Kingston Floating Palace, and largely contented with her adopted family of actors, singers, and dancers. Especially Gabe, who has always supported her, and the gruff grandfather she has come to know and love. Jacci’s mother has been gone for years, but the memory of the altercation that ultimately took her life–and the cryptic things Jacci has overheard about her past–is always there, lurking in the back of her mind.

When someone on the showboat tries to kill Jacci, it’s clear her questions demand answers. But secrets have a way of staying in the shadows, and the answers she craves will not come easily. Gabe only hopes they come in time for him and Jacci to have a future together.

From Goodreads

The First Line is …

July 15, 1881
Jacci Reed’s mother shook her awake, then put her fingers lightly over Jacci’s lips.

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Now it’s your turn.
Pull out the book beside you and leave a comment with the first line.

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13 thoughts on “First Line Friday | In the Shadow of the River

  1. April 18, 1861 Washington D. C.
    Most days, I could pretend that my life was normal.
    From In This Moment by Gabrielle Meyer

  2. What a fantastic cover!!!

    I’m currently reading Murmur in the Mud Caves by Kathleen Denly. It’s a pretty good read!
    “Sweat soaked Biddie’s bodice and dripped down her face as she worked with Lucy and Virginia to fill their wheelbarrow with clay from the banks of the narrow creek bed.”
    I hope you have an excellent weekend! 😀❤️📚

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