Reviews

Holding the Line by Jennifer Delamere

english_lady03's review

4.0

Confession time: I liked this series a lot more than Mrs Delamere’s first series. I don’t know what it is that made me like it more, perhaps it was the non-traditional approach: emphasizing the fact that love is not all sunshine and roses. People hurt and get hurt, and that impacts relationships in the future. The woman (and men) in the series have very realistic concerns about getting married which aren’t normally reflected in this genre.

With this last instalment, I also liked the fact the protagonist was similar in age to me. Older protagonists tend to get discounted and side-lined, and I don’t think that should be the case. Rose had much more experience and was more sensible and level-headed than many of the other heroines in the series. We need more like her. Rose’s concerns about her charge are legitimate, but the theme is realistic as well. All too often we’re concerned about people’s reactions and what they do as a result of our advice, but at the end of the day we can’t *force* people to do the right thing or take the wise course of action and we’re not responsible if they don’t.

I got a bit lost towards the end of the novel, so I might give it a re-read (hopefully the publisher will put the eBook on sale soon), but it was well worth the read. I would recommend starting this series at the beginning though and not diving straight in with this one, as there’s some important context missed otherwise.

Thanks to Bethany House for approving my request for an ARC of this title via Netgalley. This did not influence my review and all opinions expressed are my own.

thistlereads's review

emotional informative inspiring tense medium-paced

4.0

farmfreshlisa's review

4.0

Squeaked in another of my Want-To-Read books today! Finished ANOTHER series today that was a satisfying conclusion. I must say, about half way through the book I was warning the lead characters "she's not gonna do it. He's gonna sweet talk her!" LOL. What can I say?

It wasn't my favorite in the series, but I have to say I enjoyed learning Rose's story!

A solid 4.

cinz_12's review

emotional informative inspiring

4.5

clents's review

hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

christianbooksandcoffee's review

adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

 Third book in a series. I recommend reading the other two first for more information about reoccurring characters. However that being said, I really enjoyed this book. Rose and John are both great characters. Rose is a widow. John takes care of his sister(who is a widow) and her family and also his sister-in-law’s family(because she is also a widow) His niece gets involved with a man who has a bit of reputation for being a ladies man. Rose sees them together at a Tea shop and eavesdrops over concern for the young lady. John also finds out about his niece through a note. Eventually Rose and John end up in the same place doing the same thing keeping an eye on the couple. John notices Rose and they team up and work together. I love the working together as a team to keep John’s niece safe element. I Like their common interest in Dickens which they bond over. Overall great story and definitely recommend!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. 

amelia990's review

4.0

This book was on a display in my library so I picked it up and read it on a Saturday morning.  I enjoyed it and thought it was well written and engaging.  This was shelved as "inspirational" in my library but I felt it was more "historical clean romance."  (The characters are religious, but in a way that is normal for the time and I did not find religion to be a main driver of the story).  The heroine tries to stop a teenage girl from pulling a Lydia Bennet and ends up falling for the girl's uncle (who is also trying to prevent the same problem).  I enjoyed the story and liked how, despite this being a series, the couples from the prior entries do not take up a lot of page time in this novel.  Instead, the feature characters are given time to have their own stories on their own terms (something that is rare in these series-type things).  I also liked that the author was provided enough pages to tell the story she wanted to tell.  There was a point where I assumed we were getting near the end because of how these types of stories have patterns, and when I checked and saw I still had 100 pages left, I was pleasantly surprised.  The author also made good use of those 100 pages to continue to develop the story.  The one thing I'd have liked to see that was missing was the conversation between the heroine and her mother in law where the truth about the heroine's first husband could be discussed; it happens off page and I think it would have helped both women to have that conversation on page to find resolution about some of the things that were causing them problems.  Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and I'll be checking out her other books.

bellesmoma2021's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

I loved every minute of Holding the Line by Jennifer Delamere. This story is fantastic! I have enjoyed each novel in Delamere’s Love Along the Wires series, but this final installment is, hands down, my favorite. I loved so many aspects to this excellently crafted story. The pacing is superb, and the engagement — oh my goodness was I hooked from the very first page. I was furiously turning pages well into the night. As far as characters go, they’re all excellent, but Rose is simply amazing. She’s so poised, confident in herself as an individual, and positive in her mindset. Even with all the bad from her past — and her past is a doozy — Rose refuses to let it ruin her present. She works hard to make a good life for herself, she has a lovely mothering tendency, and she is unwavering in doing what is right even if what is right causes her a bit of discomfort and turmoil. Rose has real, deep personal struggles, struggles that had me tearing up for her a couple of times, but she’s so comfortable in her own skin. She is able to take constructive advice, pray on it, and evolve into an even better version of herself. Rose is actually quite inspiring to me.

My most favorite aspect to this story is not the friendship between Rose and John that builds into a sweet romance, although that part of the story is really good, but rather Rose’s many interactions with a very self-focused, self-centered teenager named Sophie. Perhaps it is because I’m a high school teacher and spend my whole day with teens like Sophie, but I really enjoyed Rose’s time mentoring this young woman. Sophie is so frustrating, but she’s also not. She has a good heart deep down and her vulnerable moments are genuine and so sweet you want to hug her, but Sophie’s a teen AND the product of her higher-class Society, so there are moments that make the reader want to smack her a little. I very much enjoyed watching Rose take on this character. She is a strong, confident adult in Sophie’s life who consistently illustrates what it means to be a good, moral adult navigating a very icky, self-pleasing world. Of all the many excellent aspects to this really good story, this illustration of a compassionate mentoring relationship between a lovely mother-figure and a child who desperately needs guidance is, in my humble opinion, the absolute best part of this delightful story.

Holding the Line is a well-written, well-crafted Historical Romance and a superb conclusion to a really enjoyable series. Purchase yourself a copy today! You won’t be disappointed you did.

I received a copy of this novel in eBook form from Bethany House Publishers via NetGalley in order to review. I also received a paperback copy of this novel from the author, Jennifer Delamere, as part of her Street Team. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.