Jennifer Delamere is an amazing author. She keeps you engaged in the story, inspires you, and even teaches you. This was a fantastic story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Telegraph was an important tool of business, opening up lines of communication that were impossible before. Businesses quickly took advantage of it to give them a competitive edge. Morse code was easy as long as you could memorize, listen and combine it correctly. Since Morse code was widely becoming known, they had to develop their own code words so that anyone who intercepted and listened in wouldn't know the message. Women were as good as men with this and entered the workplaces as telegraphers, alongside men. We all know what happens when you put men and women together in the same place all day. Lots of possibilities. Love issues and theft of information among them. When Alice comes into the office, she has a lot of experience, intelligence, and is highly efficient at her job. The guy who was already there was a slump but was related by marriage. Douglas was an intelligent and hard-working guy who had advanced himself from a poor life, becoming invaluable to the owner. Into this mix comes jealousy, social snubbing, social climbing, subterfuge moral code of the day and love. Mixed with a little humor to make it interesting. This is one of those fabulous authors who makes you forget the people aren't real. I found myself praying for them more than once. Excellent read that you don't want to see end.

I received this book free from the author, publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
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I couldn't finish it, I was just bored, it wasn't what I was expecting. I read "The Captain's Daughter" by Jennifer and I think that book it's better, I enjoyed that one more.

What a great story! I loved the strength Alice showed even when wrongly accused. Of course throw in the unexpected romance and I was all in! I can’t wait for the next book to come out!

Wonderfully researched and full of strong, dimensional characters, Delamere's latest proves once more how at home she is in exploring aspects of Victorian London that don't always find their way on the page.

A smart romance and a relatable heroine, not to mention a fascinating tenet of history kept the pages turning.


I always look forward to what this author has in store and was so glad to escape our world for a bit !

I received an ARC from Bethany House Publishers, via NetGalley. This review is my personal opinion.

In this new serie of Jennifer Delamere, she took an interesting and in my case an unknown topic. About the telegraph, from the first chapter, you can see that she did a thoughtful investigation. The historical elements of this story are so vivid that you can little by little understand more of the subject. We first meet Alice she had been working for the London Central Telegraph office as a first-class operator, she is good and in the world where men are majority she finds herself with many challenges. She has decided to focus her life on her achievement and has a clear mind about her goals. When she decided to start working at Henley’s because she is looking for a place where she can have a better payment and also opportunities to grow. Then we have Douglas, he is young, handsome, intelligent and he wants to know in the business world. He has the vision and desire to make it happen. While the story is developing Alice and Douglas start a friendship, we can see how they help each other and complement. What I like about this story is that it present two very interesting views of life, in the one hand we have Alice that since a young age has value and defend her singleness, and Douglas who wants a better life than he had while growing up.

I like the view and how Jennifer Delamare not only takes the story through a different stage, but we can see how the characters themselves change and evolve with a new and clear vision. I truly appreciate the lack of unnecessary dramatic situations, and we have a balance. I had a great time while reading this book and it makes me think about the perception of life and how necessary is to have God filter them according to His Word.

Well-written, interesting characters, vivid descriptions of the historical background, faith, family, and some funny situations. This book is a great choice if you like good Christian historical stories

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?

Line by Line has history, romance, and some great supporting characters. I was especially intrigued by Andrew Carnegie's appearance and appreciated that Delamere includes some of Carnegie's actual words as he urges Douglas not to put too much stock into wealth and prestige and to recognize the perils of idolizing money. I also enjoyed the conversations between Alice and Miss Templeton, the owner of Miss Templeton's School for Young Ladies. She had seen great potential in Alice and she continues to encourage her. "Don't waste a minute of your life when you could be doing something productive." Certainly words to live by but it is an eighteen word telegraph from Douglas that forever changes Alice's life. Eighteen words but "a ten-page letter couldn't have said more."

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.

I liked this story overall. The backdrop of the late Victorian/early Georgian telegraphy (forerunner of telephones or the internet) network was an interesting choice and worked quite well. In fact, I think this might have been better than the first novel in the author's first trilogy which come out a couple of years ago.

The story and some of the characters were quite normal for this genre but not uninteresting. The heroine's assortment of cats was an amusing touch.

There were a few Americanisms in the characters speech and mannerisms, but that's to be expected and I'm usually pleasantly surprised when there aren't.

Recommended.

Thanks to the publisher Bethany House for allowing me to read a copy of this title. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.

I started this book too many times to count, but couldn’t get past the technological stuff about the Telegraph system. I’ve read a lot of books recently about the telegraph that were maybe better written or quicker to get into. I really wanted to love this book. Maybe I’ll return to it eventually, but for now I’m giving three stars. My reason. It’s well written, but just not keeping my interest and I’ve had it for months so I can’t really pinpoint why. I’ll come back and update the review once I fully finish.

I loved this entertaining book from Jennifer Delamere. .I enjoyed learning more about the importance of the telegraph in conducting business during this period of history, and just how crucial Alice’s work was as a telegrapher. I admired Alice for her great work ethic and determination to advance in her career. She had some important decisions to make, and it would have been easy for her to make choices based on her immediate needs rather than searching her heart and trusting God to open the best doors for her life. I enjoyed the sweet romance that grew between Alice and Douglas and thought they made a terrific couple. They discovered that the reasons for marrying for love far outweighs marrying for convenience or advancement.

The appearance in this book by Andrew Carnegie comes at the perfect time in this story. His role in history as a philanthropist has been well documented, and his influence has Douglas taking a different view of life. I enjoyed seeing the characters grow and change throughout this story, and look forward to reading the next book in the series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Jennifer Delamere's books have been a delight in the past and this is no exception!

Alice is a telegrapher, determined to live a single life. She makes her life as a telegrapher in a world where men are prized and women are seen as inferior in business. An angry male coworker makes Alice's job harder, even going so far (view spoiler)

Douglas is a business man, vice president of the company, who wants to rise above his humble roots. Defending Alice might ruin his prospects.

I enjoyed it so much. Alice and Douglas were really fleshed out as characters, with vices and values. They were likable, with tics and flaws, ambitions and motivations outside of just driving the romance. The romance wasn't overpowering the plot, but wasn't pushed off to the side and brought into the end to tie up loose ends; it was balanced and well paced.

4.7 Stars - Would reread

Line by Line is the beginning of Jennifer Delamere's series Love Along the Wires. I loved this book and is now my new favorite by this author. I can not wait to read the next installment of the series.

I've read and enjoyed Jennifer Delamere in the past. So I knew that there was a high probability that I would also enjoy Line by Line, yet something about the description kept me from racing to pick this one up once it was in my possession. I think it has more to do with the time period of women entering the workforce perhaps. I can't really nail it down. I do remember that Douglas would have to rescue Alice's reputation from the book description. However, I wrongly assumed this would mean they'd been seen or found in a compromising position and would have to marry...not that Douglas would have to rescue her work reputation.

The first chapter starts off with discussion about Alice's desire to remain unmarried and work a career. This is unconventional for the time period, and I always struggle with female characters that are staunchly against marriage. This is because I can't relate. One of my deepest desires from an early age was to find love and get married. I've also had the other dream of being a stay at home mom, which I now am. So while I know and understand that many women (today and in the past) haven't shared my dreams, but rather, want quite the opposite, I always find these characters a little more difficult to read.

I was also under the impression for some reason that this book would have a slow start. I'm not exactly sure what gave me that idea except for me reading the first page and not immediately being hooked. But come on! Sometimes you've got to give a little bit more than that. And in this case, I did have to read several pages to feel well and truly invested. But not terribly many.

Now that I've discussed what was hindering me from diving into this book, I'd like to take a look at the pieces I enjoyed. I can't say that I enjoy the same topics that Alice does when it comes to reading, hobbies, etc. But I can appreciate someone who is constantly in search of bettering their minds, exploring new ideas, and seeking to understand the world around them. I appreciated that she and Douglas shared so many topics of common interests.

I was also worried when the "spinster book" came upon the scene. I wasn't sure which direction that would go or how much of the book would be wrapped up in the messages from the book. I ended up enjoying this piece of the story and how it played into Alice finding herself in some comical situations. Yet it wasn't really used in the main romance storyline. I give props to Jennifer Delamere for how she worked this into the plot in a way that I could appreciate rather than roll my eyes at.

As I've already mentioned, I was expecting Douglas and Alice to be forced into some kind of premature marriage relationship due to the mention of her reputation needing to be rescued. So when there was one scene in particular, I began to wonder if that would be the catalyst. Yet it turned out not to be. That scene did in fact spur me into a reading frenzy to see where the story would go from there. At first I was disappointed to find things weren't as I assumed they would be because I find myself typically enjoying arranged or forced marriage books often. However, I was happy that Jennifer Delamere went into a different direction than I was thinking. And it makes much more sense that Alice's career reputation would need salvaging more than her personal one as it seems her career reputation was probably of a higher value to her.

Favorite quote:
-Alice could not fathom why someone would deliberately try to poison their workplace environment.

Me either Alice! Me either! Yet it happens all the time. Some people are just well and truly miserable. And we all know that misery loves company.

Line by Line was so much more enjoyable than I was expecting it to be for some reason. I have no real idea why I kept putting this book off or why I was convinced it would be a struggle for me to read. Alice and Douglas were both easy to root for through each stage of this book. I look forward to continuing this series. Line by Line gets 4 Stars. Have you read Line by Line? What did you think? Let me know!

This is a series that I want to continue reading. Of course, I'll have to wait for the next book for a while...

Alice McNeil is a forward-thinking young woman. She is positive that the way she wants to live her life is as an independent spinster. She has goals in her career as a telegrapher. She is quick and smart. The future is waiting for her until she meets Douglas Shaw.

Douglas has decided that the way to get ahead in life is to marry money. He began his career as a telegrapher and now is the right-hand man to the owner of the company. Now, he has set his sights on woman of society! Too bad that she's not everything he thought she would be and not as intelligent as Alice.

This book is well-paced and a fantastic read. I loved the relationships built between the characters. There is chemistry, both the good and the kind that rubs you raw. That is evident between Alice and her co-telegrapher, Clapper. He is the kind of man that doesn't like to be proven wrong or have another employee excel at their position. Alice quickly makes him an enemy and the story gets very interesting from that point.

I enjoyed reading this book. I'm just sorry that I have to wait for the next one to come out.

Source: I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Such a fun novel! I literally lol with all the mayhems surrounding a spinsters guidebook, read by a woman trying to survive in her telegraph career in a man's world. This historical romance is one of the best comical, light-hearted, novels I've read this year. I can't wait for the rest of the series!

I love it when historical fiction gives me a glimpse into an area of history I had previously thought much about. Jennifer Delamere does that with Line by Line. In the late 1800’s the business world was a man’s world although there were many women who served as telegraph operators – an important service to the business community. Delamere educates her readers about the Telegraph throughout the story in an interesting way. She also shares about what was necessary in many cases to climb the social ladder in England at the time. While Alice is a very likeable character there are also characters for the reader to be upset with – but that makes it a great story as every story needs a villain. The ending of the story was what I hoped for.

As always, I appreciated the historical notes from the author at the end. Knowing the historical information the book is based upon makes me appreciate the story even more.

Line by Line is part of Jennifer Delamere’s series Love Along the Wires. I look forward to reading more in this series.

While this is a book written for the adult audience, I would not hesitate to add Line by Line to a k-12 Christian school library. It is appropriate for middle school and up.

I received a complimentary copy of Line by Line. This is my honest review.

Another great book by Jennifer Delamere! I so enjoyed reading this story this month. It was engaging, and it was set in England, which is always a good thing! The characters were interesting and relatable--in fact, there were moments in the text that seemed to mirror events in my own life.

Alice McNeil is the main protagonist in this story, and this novel explains her plight to succeed in a male-oriented business. She loves telegraphy, and she is good at it, but unlike other women, Alice wants to be independent and support herself. Most ladies of this time period want to marry and have their husband support their livelihood--but not Alice. It is her one goal in life--never to marry. She prefers to spend her days free from such troubles, yet she never thinks of the future. But what will happen if her plans go wrong? Will she be able to easily move forward in the life she planned for herself, or will unforeseen difficulties cost her more than she thought possible?

Douglas Shaw desires nothing more than to rise higher and higher in his field of expertise--telegraphy and communication. He thinks of nothing else. Coming from meager beginnings, he hopes to never live in such a situation again, yet there are so many obstacles in his way. It seems he must constantly overcome some hurdle in order to achieve his goal. His best plans are challenged by others, and he begins to wonder if he will be able to go as far as he would like--such as, how can he deny the feelings of his heart? Especially when he knows it might cost him everything. What other choice does he have but to climb the business ladder though?

Delamere's books are such a delight to read, and this one is no exception. Her story-telling draws you into the world of these time eras as you get to know those who live there. It is truly a sad moment when you turn the page and find the last paragraph. I look forward to more of her stories in the future. I recommend checking out this book as well as her other novels. Happy reading friends!


This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the author for my copy.

Line by Line by Jennifer Delamere is the first book in Love along the Wires series. Alice McNeil overhears two bachelors perusing the spinster's guide to romance in a bookstore and makes an impulse purchase to buy the book after the gentlemen leave. One of the gentlemen, Douglas Shaw, returns to purchase the book and learns Alice has bought it. The lives intersect when Douglas arrives at Henley and Company where Alice is the lone female telegraph operator. Sparks fly and Delamere adds in business scandal to fuel the romance. Great quick romantic read!

I really enjoyed Line by Line, the first book in Jennifer Delamere's new series, Love Along the Wires. If the rest of the series is as fun as this first book was, then I can't wait for the rest of the series! It had so many fun aspects to it-humorous incidents, romance, historical information about telegraphs, and just a little bit of drama. I think my favorite parts take place in a bookshop. The characters are really fun to get to know, and I hope to see them again in the later books of the series. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to those who enjoy historical romances. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Alice was a true modern woman who thought she could have it all by working at a special career and being fully independent. All was gong well until she happened on the "spinster book" and began to implement some of the suggestions therein. Alas, the best laid plans can backfire. Douglas, too, had a glimpse of the book and began to doubt his goal of marrying well and furthering his career. The two collided, so to speak and as the story unfolded, this reader began to look at all the players and see just how amusing human nature can be when tampered with in the name of

success.

I enjoyed this book and learned a bit about the early days of the telegraph industry in the bargain. It seemed to make the world smaller when deals could be struck by the mere stroke of a telegraph key. Good characters made this book fun to read and although I did shake my head a time or two at the foibles of Alice and Douglas, I can say without spoiling the ending that people often struggle when pursuing the wrong goals. It is when one leaps out in faith that pieces fall into perspective. I recommend this book for those who are looking for lighthearted reading!