Line by Line

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Average customer rating 4.3 (3 comments)

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I don't recall a book with a telegraphist as the main character and this story reminded of the importance of the telegraph in the nineteenth century. Alice McNeil is an accomplished telegraphist because of her desire to be more than just a wife and mother and she has been rewarded with a rewarding job in a prestigious trading firm in London. But is it possible that her close working relationship with fellow employee Douglas Shaw may interfere with her previous plans? Will Alice decide that devoting her life to a career isn't all that she thought it would be? Is it possible that Douglas will change his mind about finding a wealthy, affluent wife? I love it when a book entertains and teaches at the same time and this is what author Jennifer Delamere has accomplished in Line by Line. It is a well-written, well-researched story and I recommend it to all who enjoy historical Christian romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author but there was no obligation to write a positive review. These are my own thoughts.

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Line by Line takes place in London, England in 1881 and centers around the life of career woman Alice McNeil. Alice long since dismissed the idea of marriage and family and embraced the idea of independence. She strove to make her way in the world of business as a telegrapher. At twenty-eight she believed her trek to spinsterhood was well on course, and was proud of her accomplishments, feeling as if she had been set upon this course of life at the age of twelve by her schoolmistress, Miss Templeton, also a lady of independence. Never had Alice felt like anything or anyone could derail her from the path she had chosen to travel, especially not after receiving a position at Henley and Company, a prospering shipping firm. That was before an unexpected book purchase began to have equally unexpected results! Delamere entertains her readers with humor, but also challenges them to examine their priorities. Fans of Jen Turano's and Lorna Seilstad's historical fiction are likely to be fans of Delemere's new series, Love Along the Wires.  I am grateful to have received a copy of this book from Bethany House via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review and received no monetary compensation.

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Line by Line kicks off Jennifer Delamere's newest series Love along the Wires set in Victorian England during the boom of telegram usage. Her attention to detail will envelope the reader in 1881 London as international commerce and trading is rapidly expanding. The leaps made in technology during that time are fascinating and how the business world used encoded telegram/Morse code messages is quite intriguing to learn about. The two main characters, Alice and Douglas, are like two peas in a pod - both ambitious, intelligent, and devoted to work life without much need for romantic love. They both come from quite humble backgrounds and are proud of what they have achieved so far - she a telegraph operator at a prestigious company and he an assistant to the owner at the said prestigious company. Neither likes returning home but going back to their roots points them toward a more fulfilling direction in life. There is definitely humor in the plot as Alice employs a book touted as "the spinster's guide" to love and romance but her experiment backfires and puts her in a bit of conundrum as she re-evaluates what she really wants out of life. Alice and Douglas' friendship is natural and fun since they have so many things in common; their romance is fraught with hurdles but they do overcome each one. I received a copy of the book from Bethany House Publishers and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.