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staceylovestoread's review against another edition
5.0
Line by Line had been on my want to read list for some time so when I found out I had been accepted to the launch team for the second book in the series, I knew I had to read this one first. And I'm so glad I did. I just wish I hadn't waited so long! I enjoyed it so much! I loved the setting and the characters. I found myself laughing out loud more than once while reading. The story flew by so fast I read it in one sitting. I read it through Kindle Unlimited but immediately purchased a paperback for my keeper shelves.
lawnchairbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this first book of the new series Love Along the Wires. Not only did we get a great romance with a charming couple but I found all the history about the telegraph quite interesting. I really liked Alice’s strong and independent character and the way Doug respected her for who she was.
Their were also some great side characters and I look forward to seeing that happens with the rest of the series.
Their were also some great side characters and I look forward to seeing that happens with the rest of the series.
mmjollymimi's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
cmareads's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to Bethany House for the free review copy. All opinions are my own.
This historical fiction novel focuses on telegraphy, with Alice, the main character being a telegrapher in 1881. She has to manager her goal of being a spinster and a career woman during a time when this was less common. She also must deal with her new coworker, Douglas Shaw, and the friendship that blossoms there. I liked how this story focused on women in a career that I didn't know much about. I definitely learned about telegraphy while reading this book.
I also liked the different relationships between Alice and her friends in the book, overall. Emma and Rose were great friends throughout. However, I wished the relationship between Lucy and Alice had been handled differently. It felt too easy at the end, especially after some of the things Lucy said to Alice.
Douglas also grows a lot in this book, and I liked reading about his progression. The addition of Carnegie and his advice was very interesting and I liked the direction that it took the story.
This historical fiction novel focuses on telegraphy, with Alice, the main character being a telegrapher in 1881. She has to manager her goal of being a spinster and a career woman during a time when this was less common. She also must deal with her new coworker, Douglas Shaw, and the friendship that blossoms there. I liked how this story focused on women in a career that I didn't know much about. I definitely learned about telegraphy while reading this book.
I also liked the different relationships between Alice and her friends in the book, overall. Emma and Rose were great friends throughout. However, I wished the relationship between Lucy and Alice had been handled differently. It felt too easy at the end, especially after some of the things Lucy said to Alice.
Douglas also grows a lot in this book, and I liked reading about his progression. The addition of Carnegie and his advice was very interesting and I liked the direction that it took the story.
books_n_blossoms's review against another edition
4.0
I have to admit Line by Line was a great introduction to Jennifer Delamere's writing.
We start off by meeting Alice who is fine with the idea of becoming a spinster. Her new job seems like a perfect fit for her. She's got a quick wit and is incredibly smart. Alice certainly seems satisfied with where she is in life.
Then we meet Douglas who is very self assured and knows he's a good looking man! Unlike Alice, he's got big plans to make it rich. He's got his eye set on a banker's daughter... one he's never met, but he seems unaffected by it.
Unfortunately both of them have to work with Archie Clapper. What a cad. he's a crabby man who does nothing but sneer and make snide remarks. He can't stand the fact that a woman works as his "equal". He was a very well written villain! It's rather funny (at least for a time) when Alice uses what she learns from a spinster book she finds at a book store on Archie. The amusement doesn't last long.
I really enjoyed watching Alice and Douglas grow as individuals throughout this story. They certainly came to know themselves better as well as each other. One of the best elements to this story was the addition of Andrew Carnegie. He had quite the impact on Douglas' outlook on life. What was interesting was the teacher who impacted Alice and the direction her life had taken, gave her instruction a bit of a spin, which Alice hadn't expected.
What I enjoyed the most was the tension of both Alice and Douglas to stay true to their courses they'd set from the start of the story. It was great to watch Douglas be so impressed with Alice's insights into the business world. My favorite scene is when Alice teaches Douglas how to dance. It was an ingenious way to do on Jennifer Delamere's part!
I'm hoping we'll get to know Rose and Ellen more in the rest of the series. They're both friends of Alice's. Lucy is also one of Alice's friends, but she rather annoys me. lol I'm not sure what book 2 will be about, but since Rose sends telegrams for the post office, maybe her? I guess we'll just have to wait and see!
*I received this book for review and this is my opinion.
We start off by meeting Alice who is fine with the idea of becoming a spinster. Her new job seems like a perfect fit for her. She's got a quick wit and is incredibly smart. Alice certainly seems satisfied with where she is in life.
Then we meet Douglas who is very self assured and knows he's a good looking man! Unlike Alice, he's got big plans to make it rich. He's got his eye set on a banker's daughter... one he's never met, but he seems unaffected by it.
Unfortunately both of them have to work with Archie Clapper. What a cad. he's a crabby man who does nothing but sneer and make snide remarks. He can't stand the fact that a woman works as his "equal". He was a very well written villain! It's rather funny (at least for a time) when Alice uses what she learns from a spinster book she finds at a book store on Archie. The amusement doesn't last long.
I really enjoyed watching Alice and Douglas grow as individuals throughout this story. They certainly came to know themselves better as well as each other. One of the best elements to this story was the addition of Andrew Carnegie. He had quite the impact on Douglas' outlook on life. What was interesting was the teacher who impacted Alice and the direction her life had taken, gave her instruction a bit of a spin, which Alice hadn't expected.
What I enjoyed the most was the tension of both Alice and Douglas to stay true to their courses they'd set from the start of the story. It was great to watch Douglas be so impressed with Alice's insights into the business world. My favorite scene is when Alice teaches Douglas how to dance. It was an ingenious way to do on Jennifer Delamere's part!
I'm hoping we'll get to know Rose and Ellen more in the rest of the series. They're both friends of Alice's. Lucy is also one of Alice's friends, but she rather annoys me. lol I'm not sure what book 2 will be about, but since Rose sends telegrams for the post office, maybe her? I guess we'll just have to wait and see!
*I received this book for review and this is my opinion.
cctblog's review against another edition
4.0
Line by Line is an enjoyable Victorian romance. Though it did take me a bit to get into the novel (probably 50 pages or so), I soon began really enjoying my reading. I especially appreciated the dash of humor brought by both the banter and the frequent references to The Spinster's Guide to Love and Romance (a guide book that should make reappearances in future novels!).
I enjoyed the romance (especially Alice and Douglas's first kiss!), but I think what I liked the most was just viewing Alice's daily life. I also loved her spunk and that she could go toe-to-toe with any man. And I appreciated how both Alice and Douglas grew throughout the novel—they were not static characters.
Those who enjoy historical romance featuring strong women will find much to like in this novel!
Disclosure of material connection: I received this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and the opinions expressed are my own.
I enjoyed the romance (especially Alice and Douglas's first kiss!), but I think what I liked the most was just viewing Alice's daily life. I also loved her spunk and that she could go toe-to-toe with any man. And I appreciated how both Alice and Douglas grew throughout the novel—they were not static characters.
Those who enjoy historical romance featuring strong women will find much to like in this novel!
Disclosure of material connection: I received this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and the opinions expressed are my own.
bookwormjourney's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely adored this story! I'm a huge reader of romance novels, both historical and contemporary, and I really enjoyed the uniqueness of the plot behind this book. The story focuses on Alice who is determined to make her own way in the world as a telegrapher. Obviously, I know that telegraphs existed and the basics of how they worked, but I found myself really drawn in to a story where this played such an important role. It make for an interesting change of pace.
I loved Alice's independent nature, but also that she experienced growth. She learned along the way that she could be ambitious, but still find love with the right man. Douglas also underwent a fantastic transformation as he learned that his goals needed to be about so much more than just acquiring money.
When Douglas tapped out thank you in Morse code after Alice helped him to feel more confident with dancing, I think I fell for him right then and there. That moment just really stood out to me as so sweet. There is enough tension in the book to keep you reading, but not so much that it's overwhelming. I was able to see possible routes for more of the series (which I assume there will be more since this was labeled as book #1?). I really hope there's more because I want more of these characters!
I received a complimentary copy of this book and I am leaving an honest and voluntary review.
I loved Alice's independent nature, but also that she experienced growth. She learned along the way that she could be ambitious, but still find love with the right man. Douglas also underwent a fantastic transformation as he learned that his goals needed to be about so much more than just acquiring money.
When Douglas tapped out thank you in Morse code after Alice helped him to feel more confident with dancing, I think I fell for him right then and there. That moment just really stood out to me as so sweet. There is enough tension in the book to keep you reading, but not so much that it's overwhelming. I was able to see possible routes for more of the series (which I assume there will be more since this was labeled as book #1?). I really hope there's more because I want more of these characters!
I received a complimentary copy of this book and I am leaving an honest and voluntary review.
eressea's review against another edition
4.0
Line by line is a historical romance novel by Jennifer Delamere. It is centered around Alice, a self declared spinster who is loving her career as a telegraph operator and can’t wait to make a life for herself. That starts when she gets hired at a private company, as she can now afford her own house, and with it comes the most adorable cat ever, which she names Mrs. T, after her old school teacher who believed in her. She is very happy with her life, and she hates it when her family and friends seem to think she’s missing something, but she’s not as she choose this path deliberately.
Life at the office is quite different from the huge station she was used to, but she really likes it. Most of the people are nice, except for Mr. Clapper (a fellow telegraph operator), and I loved reading about the work place in that time period! You can see some things will always be the same... Thankfully Alice is not above giving Mr. Clapper a piece of her mind and I admire her professionalism and wit. But, of course, another very attractive employee walks in after months away on business, and she suddenly feels things she’s never felt before. But bend on her own career and spinsterhood, she’ll do everything to keep it that way.
Douglas, the man that causes the sparks, has plans of his own. His career is very important, and in line with that he wants to make an advantageous match to further business. But he gets distracted by his new coworker... especially how he can effortlessly talk to her and how intelligent she is.
So, there are sparks flying from the moment they meet. I personally prefer it to take a bit longer, growing as they know each other this felt like instalove, though the growth was definitely there. I loved all the banter, and to get to know the inner workings of the office! This book was seriously so much fun to read! There is this spinster book to help find love, you know, we now chuckle over those books now. Well, Alice chuckles too, but in the name of science she decides to try a few tricks and well... the outcome is quite unexpected! There are also friends with their own stories and I can’t wait to read more about them in the sequels! And of course, we’re here for the romance. It is very well done, loved all of it! I even wasn’t sure if it would work out as the obstacles are quite high and very diverse, but it is handled in unexpected ways, and the characters experience a lot of growth. I love the antagonist in this story, as we all know someone like him in real life, it’s very realistic.
The only downside, beside the instalove, is that for me sometimes the scenes didn’t flow, the changes of POV or setting sometimes took me out of the story instead of drawing me in. But halfway it got a lot better and I didn’t notice it anymore. All in all, can really recommend this one! It’s a fun and addictive read, but also has some bigger Christian themes on love, friendship, and what’s valuable in life, what do you live for.
I received a free e-copy in exchange for my honest opinions.
Life at the office is quite different from the huge station she was used to, but she really likes it. Most of the people are nice, except for Mr. Clapper (a fellow telegraph operator), and I loved reading about the work place in that time period! You can see some things will always be the same... Thankfully Alice is not above giving Mr. Clapper a piece of her mind and I admire her professionalism and wit. But, of course, another very attractive employee walks in after months away on business, and she suddenly feels things she’s never felt before. But bend on her own career and spinsterhood, she’ll do everything to keep it that way.
Douglas, the man that causes the sparks, has plans of his own. His career is very important, and in line with that he wants to make an advantageous match to further business. But he gets distracted by his new coworker... especially how he can effortlessly talk to her and how intelligent she is.
So, there are sparks flying from the moment they meet. I personally prefer it to take a bit longer, growing as they know each other this felt like instalove, though the growth was definitely there. I loved all the banter, and to get to know the inner workings of the office! This book was seriously so much fun to read! There is this spinster book to help find love, you know, we now chuckle over those books now. Well, Alice chuckles too, but in the name of science she decides to try a few tricks and well... the outcome is quite unexpected! There are also friends with their own stories and I can’t wait to read more about them in the sequels! And of course, we’re here for the romance. It is very well done, loved all of it! I even wasn’t sure if it would work out as the obstacles are quite high and very diverse, but it is handled in unexpected ways, and the characters experience a lot of growth. I love the antagonist in this story, as we all know someone like him in real life, it’s very realistic.
The only downside, beside the instalove, is that for me sometimes the scenes didn’t flow, the changes of POV or setting sometimes took me out of the story instead of drawing me in. But halfway it got a lot better and I didn’t notice it anymore. All in all, can really recommend this one! It’s a fun and addictive read, but also has some bigger Christian themes on love, friendship, and what’s valuable in life, what do you live for.
I received a free e-copy in exchange for my honest opinions.
daniellesshelves12's review against another edition
2.0
I was sadly disappointed with this story. Not the story itself, I guess, but the predictability. I felt like I knew what was going to happen before it happened. I give books four chapters to hook me. In this book, I gave it four chapters and was aching to end it.
I liked the characters well enough. Alice was someone I could relate to. She had big dreams and didn't want to conform to what others thought she should do. Getting married and just staying home wasn't something she was interested in. This I loved about her. I've always believed in living the life you want to live, or more like letting God direct when things will happen, not forcing it like it seems others in her life had.
Douglas Shaw was likeable, and I didn't really find too much fault with him. Just the overall attraction between characters was bleh.
I felt like it was inevitable that Shaw would fall for Alice and while it's a love story, I would have liked for there to have been some kind of suspense. She went from not caring what men thought to blushing at the mere thought of Shaw's face? No. Nope. Not how real life works. Again, I know its a story but come on. Just a little bit of *surprise* would have been much appreciated. I guess that I just feel this book is too sappy for me. It had too much instant attraction, not enough back story to focus on.
Sadly, I won't request to review another book by this author. Maybe someone else that requests it will like the extreme predictable romance aspects.
I liked the characters well enough. Alice was someone I could relate to. She had big dreams and didn't want to conform to what others thought she should do. Getting married and just staying home wasn't something she was interested in. This I loved about her. I've always believed in living the life you want to live, or more like letting God direct when things will happen, not forcing it like it seems others in her life had.
Douglas Shaw was likeable, and I didn't really find too much fault with him. Just the overall attraction between characters was bleh.
I felt like it was inevitable that Shaw would fall for Alice and while it's a love story, I would have liked for there to have been some kind of suspense. She went from not caring what men thought to blushing at the mere thought of Shaw's face? No. Nope. Not how real life works. Again, I know its a story but come on. Just a little bit of *surprise* would have been much appreciated. I guess that I just feel this book is too sappy for me. It had too much instant attraction, not enough back story to focus on.
Sadly, I won't request to review another book by this author. Maybe someone else that requests it will like the extreme predictable romance aspects.
cakt1991's review against another edition
5.0
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I love how Jennifer Delamere consistently incorporates fun nuggets of history into her books and weaves compelling plots from them, and Line by Line is no exception. I didn’t know much about the telegraph beyond its association with Edison, so it was cool to get some insight into the actual inner workings of the device and what a big technological advancement it was at the time, with Delamere even drawing comparisons in her note at the end to the Internet for us today.
The characters are also incredible and well drawn. It was cool to see in Alice a heroine who not only prefers to work instead of pursuing the traditional “marriage and children” route, but also that she works as a telegrapher, something I saw as a stereotypically male career in my limited experience.
I also rooted for Douglas to come to his senses about what he really wanted out of life. I could empathize with his having come from nothing and wanting to use marriage as a tool to rise higher, but also love how his arc conveyed that life doesn’t always go the way you plan.
This is another winner from Jennifer Delamere, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next in this series! I recommend this to anyone who likes sweet historical romance.
I love how Jennifer Delamere consistently incorporates fun nuggets of history into her books and weaves compelling plots from them, and Line by Line is no exception. I didn’t know much about the telegraph beyond its association with Edison, so it was cool to get some insight into the actual inner workings of the device and what a big technological advancement it was at the time, with Delamere even drawing comparisons in her note at the end to the Internet for us today.
The characters are also incredible and well drawn. It was cool to see in Alice a heroine who not only prefers to work instead of pursuing the traditional “marriage and children” route, but also that she works as a telegrapher, something I saw as a stereotypically male career in my limited experience.
I also rooted for Douglas to come to his senses about what he really wanted out of life. I could empathize with his having come from nothing and wanting to use marriage as a tool to rise higher, but also love how his arc conveyed that life doesn’t always go the way you plan.
This is another winner from Jennifer Delamere, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next in this series! I recommend this to anyone who likes sweet historical romance.