defaultToday I am reviewing a super fun book! Karen Witemeyer is one of my favorite authors for good reason and her newest release, Heart on the Line, reinforces that notion. One of my favorite things about this book is it’s geekiness. Not even sure if that’s a word (I’m sure a grammar geek will let me know). So many heroes and heroine seem to be all of the ideals manhood/womanhood wrapped up into one. You know, ruggedly hansom and the perfect mix between brooding and charming, or slender, but with curves in all the right places? Not for the focus of this story. Instead, they are both telegraph operators! And, they LOVE IT (Fun link of Karen’s about “online” dating). It makes me think that if they were visiting my house, they’d hop right into a game of Settlers of Catan with the the hubs and I.

Grace Mallory is tired of running, of hiding. But when an old friend sends an after-hours telegraph transmission warning Grace that the man who has hunted her for nearly a year has discovered her location, she fears she has no choice. She can’t let the villain she believes responsible for her father’s death release his wrath in Harper’s Station, the town that has sheltered her and blessed her with the dearest friends she’s ever known.

Amos Bledsoe prefers bicycles to horses and private conversations over the telegraph wire to social gatherings with young ladies who see him as nothing more than an oddity. His telegraph companion, the mysterious Miss G, listens eagerly to his ramblings every night and delights him with tales all her own. For months, their friendship–dare he believe, courtship?–has fed his hope that he has finally found the woman God intended for him. Yet when he takes the next step to meet her in person, he discovers her life is in peril, and Amos must decide if he can shed the cocoon of his quiet nature to become the hero Grace requires.

My Review

There are so many good things about this book, I’m not sure were to start or that you’ll read long enough for me to list them. As I mentioned above, this book was very refreshing with it’s less than “ideal” hero in Amos Bledsoe with his glasses, bike riding, and self-described unmanly physique. But what Amos doesn’t have in appearance he makes up for in heart, and that ladies, is what we ultimately fall in love with. My husband is much closer to Amos then all the ruggedly handsome heroes I read about and I think that makes Amos all the more attractive to me; men with patient constant hearts. Amos proves himself worthy of Grace’s trust by being patient and sticking around no matter what.

My heart hurts for Grace and all she’s experienced. We’ve glimpsed Grace in two previous Harper’s Station stories and I knew her back story couldn’t be a pleasant one. She is slow to trust, but through Amos’ steadiness and God’s quiet prodding, Grace learns the true meaning of her name.

What’s not mentioned in the descriptions is the sub-story that happens throughout the book with Helen, which I found delightful. Helen struggles with very real fear, an emotion that I frequently battle that is sometimes overwhelming. I am super proud of this girl and she inspires me to also loose the chains fear holds over my life.

The geeky side of me wants to learn Morse Code so I can tell if all of the dashes and dots are correct, but I trust that Karen has done her homework. I also may want to sew up a pair of bicycle bloomers.

(…and…as regulations require… I have received a copy of this book from the Publisher for promotional purposes. All opinions are truthfully my own!)

There are many great quotes in this book, hence all of the photos included in this post, but I’ll close out with my favorite. I think it’s self explanatory.