Hello beautiful people! It’s Friday! Huzzah! That means the weekend is upon us. We just have to get through whatever today brings then we are free! To do what, that is entirely up to you. Me, I’m going to hang with some cool people and maybe read a book.

And seeing as how it’s Friday, it’s First Lines Friday!

First Lines Friday is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words, or, as her blog is going by now, Emma IRL. 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!

Today’s book came out five years ago, is the first in a series, and was picked by one of my book clubs as their pick for May!

The Lines:

Ragnvald danced on the oars, leaping from one to the next as the crew rowed. Some kept their oars just to make it easier on him; some tried to jostle Ragnvald off when he landed on them.

Intrigued?

The Book:

The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker

Ragnvald Eysteinsson, the son and grandson of kings, grew up believing that he would one day take his dead father’s place as chief of his family’s lands. But, sailing home from a raiding trip to Ireland, the young warrior is betrayed and left for dead by men in the pay of his greedy stepfather, Olaf. Rescued by a fisherman, Ragnvald is determined to have revenge for his stepfather’s betrayal, claim his birthright and the woman he loves, and rescue his beloved sister Svanhild. Opportunity may lie with Harald of Vestfold, the strong young Norse warrior rumored to be the prophesied king. Ragnvald pledges his sword to King Harald, a choice that will hold enormous consequences in the years to come.

While Ragnvald’s duty is to fight—and even die—for his honor, Svanhild must make an advantageous marriage, though her adventurous spirit yearns to see the world. Her stepfather, Olaf, has arranged a husband for her—a hard old man she neither loves nor desires. When the chance to escape Olaf’s cruelty comes at the hands of her brother’s arch-rival, the shrewd young woman is forced to make a heartbreaking choice: family or freedom.