First Line of Second in a Series

I'm in a "series" mood. For a while I was in a "committment book" mood. I was reading huge tomes like Les Miserables, any Charles Dickens book, Dune, etc etc. Right now I'm hungry for series. I started with Harry Potter, then The Sacketts, and right now I'm reading WEB Griffen's Corps Series. I'm on book 2. I just started book two, and I have to say the first line is not incredibly intriguing. 

It's a fun series, and in fact I like most series because you get to know the characters so well. 

This is why I read WEB Griffens' Brotherhood of War series. Call to Arms is the second in the series. Is it sometimes silly? Yes. Is it sometimes historically inaccurate? You betcha. Is it fun to watch the characters through the years? Hell yeah. 

I enjoyed Ken Follet's series both the Kingsbridge series and the Century of War series. The Flashman series I love for different reasons. This series, the characters are fun to follow as well. As are the The Sacketts. 

When I was looking for an agent, years ago, I was told this often . . . find a way to make your novels a series about the same characters. I never did. I plan to in the future. I have several of those planned. Just need to find the time to write.