Monday, July 3, 2017

HEART ON THE LINE by Karen Witemeyer #BookReview #Giveaway







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.


*This review includes a giveaway. Please read giveaway rules carefully.


My Review Summary:
This tale includes two breathtakingly sweet romances, touches of mystery and suspense, and the kind of characters that stand romance stereotypes on their heads!


The Characters:
Karen’s Harper’s Station characters tend to burrow into a readers heart and stay there. Grace, Amos, Lee, and Helen are no different. Not to forget Amos’ glasses-grabbing nephew. So adorable. Grace was relatable for me in her occasional shyness and her deep love of friends and family. Amos surprised me. I love that Karen chose the opposite of the usual “broad shouldered, square jawed” type as her hero, a character who beautifully embodies the theme. She took an insecure, bookish telegraph operator and put him into conflicts that exposed, grew, and eventually showcased his heart of deep integrity. Bravo, Karen!


The Romance:
Amos’ candid interactions with Grace brought plenty of swoon-worthy moments, especially since he always let her know up front where he stood concerning her. His tact, his honesty, his commitment, courage, faith, and kindness wooed her in ways other suave “ladykiller” types couldn’t. Grace appreciates him as a man of character and values his friendship, as well as his attentions and valorous offer of protection and assistance. The romance develops organically over the course of the story and has a gentle, natural feel. Lee and Helen’s story held my curiosity as much as the main storyline, and I loved watching them overcome past wounds with God’s and one another’s help.


The History:
I found the telegraph operating bits fascinating, from the terminology about telegraph blanks and call signatures to the heroine's referring to the hero's fine hand at the key. The velocipede thread was certainly fun, too! Karen's stories always immerse me in the era so much that I don't want to leave. Can't wait to dive into her next story!

The Faith Element:
Amos, Grace, Lee, and Helen all rely on their faith to see them through difficult and even life-threatening circumstances. Grace’s scripture memory comes to her aid in a particularly charged moment, and the strength she gains from the Bible verses brought fresh thankfulness to my heart for the Word of God.


The Stakes:
All the characters stand to lose something in this story: the safety of Harper’s Station, Amos’ heart, Grace’s father’s life’s work, her friends’ safety, and later her own life. For Lee, his life and mission. For Helen, her wounded heart and the life of the only man she’s ever trusted. The other two couples from Harper’s Station books Malachi and Emma and Tori and Ben, also face danger in this story and play a part in the resolution.


The Theme:
Inner character matters more than outer appearance.


The Villain:
I'm including a special section for this baddie. Karen has crafted a brilliant and chilling villain in Heart on the Line, who incarnates the theme in the most despicable way. This was a villain I loved to hate, and I think you will, too. :)


The Overall Impression:
I loved seeing old friends from the ladies' colony work together with new characters. After all they endure as a community, at the end of the book I definitely wanted to spend more time with them. But the happy ending drew things to a satisfying conclusion. I look forward to more stories from Harper’s Station!

 Up Next From The Author:
The Love Knot 
 (novella, 2018)
 Claire Nevin has identified herself in many ways during her brief eighteen years: Irish immigrant; professional embroiderer; jilted fiancĂ©; runaway mail-order bride; and most recently, apprentice healer for the ladies of Harper's Station. The one role she treasures above all, however, is sister. When her troubled younger sibling sends her an unexpected package by rail, the gift, and the man who delivers it, threaten to redefine her life once again. Fighting to hold on to all she has built, will she lose what matters most?



I’m giving away a copy of the FIRST book set in Harper’s Station, No Other Will Do (Pictured Below). This is Malachi and Emma’s story that kicks off the whole series with a bang. :) Leave a comment with your email to put your name in the drawing. Giveaway ends July 7, 2017.

For Bonus Entries: 

  1. Subscribe to my E-newsletter and let me know in the comments. (New subscribers must click "confirm subscription" in email to qualify for entry.)
  2. Subscribe to Karen's E-newsletter and let me know in the comments. 
  3. Tweet about this giveaway and leave your tweet URL in your comment.
  4. Share this giveaway on Facebook, Google+ or/and other social sites and leave the post URL/s in your comment.
  5. Add Heart on the Line to your Goodreads "Want to Read" shelf and let me know in your comment.
  6.  Add Heart on the Line to a Goodreads Listopia list and leave the list URL in your comment.
  7. Add Of Rags and Riches Romance Collection to your Goodreads "Want to Read" shelf and let me know in your comment.
  8. Add Of Rags and Riches Romance Collection to a Goodreads Listopia list and leave the list URL in your comment.
  9. Like Karen's Facebook Page. 
  10. Like my Facebook Page.



Comment Fodder:
  • Have you read any of Karen's books before?
  • Which of Karen's books is your favorite? Favorite scene?
  • Can you think of any movie characters who turned out to be far different than they first appeared?

14 comments:

  1. I have enjoyed every one of Karen's books and look forward to her latest ones. So far my favorites are probably Stealing the Preacher and To Win Her Heart. I love all the historical research tidbits and the passionate, but tasteful romance in Karen's novels.

    nina4sm at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have subscribed to your newsletter.

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  3. I have subscribed to Karen Witemeyer's newsletter.

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  4. You wrote a terrific review. I really loved this book (the whole series, actually). I'm happy that the novella will feature Claire. I was hoping she'd get her own story.

    You don't need to add me in the book drawing since I already have a copy.

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  5. I've never read any of Karen Witemeyer's books, but I've really been looking forward to doing so!
    1. Subscribed to your newsletter
    2. Subscribed to Ms. Witemeyer's newsletter
    3. Tweeted https://mobile.twitter.com/Eberandom/status/881926402001514496
    4. Posted to Facebook https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1895563904101438&id=100009435392209&ref=bookmarks
    5. Added Heart on the Line to my Goodreads Want-To-Read shelf
    6. Added Of Rags and Riches Romance Collection to my Goodreads Want-To-Read shelf
    7. Liked Ms. Witemeyer's Facebook page
    8. Liked your Facebook page

    Elly -Indiana-
    jcservantslaveATicloudDOTcom

    ReplyDelete
  6. I would absolutely LOVE to win Karen's book "No Other Will Do", thanks for the chance!

    1. I signed up for both newsletters.
    2. Tweeted: https://twitter.com/sea_tea04/status/881993072124481536
    3. Shared on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trixi.oberembt/posts/1531048416913722
    4. Added "Heart on the Line" to my Goodreads want to read list: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/36944112-trixi?utf8=%E2%9C%93&search%5Bquery%5D=karen+Witemeyer
    5. Added "Heart on the Line" to a Listopia list (#17): https://www.goodreads.com/list/user_vote/5448429
    6. Added "Of Rags and Riches Romance Collection to my Goodreads want to read list: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/36944112-trixi?utf8=%E2%9C%93&search%5Bquery%5D=Of+Rags+and+Riches+romance+collection
    7. Added "Of Rags and Riches to a Listopia list (#1): https://www.goodreads.com/list/user_vote/6010470
    8. Liked both Karen's and your Facebook Page

    I hope the links I have are the correct URL links as I wasn't sure how to do it from the Goodreads lists. Anyway, thanks for the review really enjoyed reading it!

    teamob4 (at) gmail (dot) com

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  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. I've read all of Karen's Archer Brother series books. I think what I love the most is her wit and humor in them, she is one author who can make me laugh out loud! I think if I had to choose which one was my favorite out of those, it would be the first one "Short Straw Bride"...so funny! Though I'd be hard pressed to say it's a "favorite" because really they all are :-)
    I've read many myriads of books where the characters changed. Especially when the author has God redeem them & they do a complete 180 degree turn! I've read series books where I didn't like one particular character at all throughout but somewhere along the line, the author tells that characters story. We usually find out WHY that character is like that and can understand more what motivated them to be that way. I love when God gets a hold of them! :-)

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  9. This is a new author for me. When you asked about characters who turned out to be different than what they appear, my first thought was Mr. Willoughby from Sense and Sensibility.

    Tweeted: https://twitter.com/DedeZoomsalot/status/882059843628040192

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  10. SYLVIA, isn't Karen the greatest? Love all her books!!! They're all clean, but so romantic and swoon-worthy! Thank you so much for joining the newsletters!

    I think my favorite Witemeyer books are To Win Her Heart and The Husband Maneuver at a tie. A close third is Head In the Clouds! Oh, when I start naming favorites, I keep adding. They're all good! I particularly love how tender these tough heroes are in Karen's books!

    Thank you, PAM! :) Same here about Claire! I loved her colorful personality and lingo in Heart on the Line and hoped she would have her own story! Thank you for commenting!!! <3

    Oh, ELLY! You'll love Karen's work! Thank you for all your work to get the extra entries! Best wishes in the giveaway!

    TRIXI! Thank you for all the hard work for those extra entries! You're like superwoman, haha! I love what you said about most characters undergoing change and especially so when God gets a hold of them! And you're so right. When we begin to know another person's point of view, we may not agree with everything they say or do, but we can better understand them when we know where they're coming from. And God does make all the difference, doesn't He? He's just good like that. :) Thank you so much for your interest and support!!! Best wishes in the giveaway!!

    Hello, DIANNA! Oh, yes! Dear, dashing, charming, selfish, pitiful, tortured Willoughby! There is a character who kept me guessing. Thank you for tweeting about the giveaway! Best wishes in the contest!

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  11. It's been a while sincerely I have read any of Karen's books!

    1) Heart in the Line is on my Goodreads shelf

    2) Of Rags and Riches Romance Collection
    Has been added to my Goodreads list also

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  12. I subscribe to both newsletters. Would love to read this!

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  13. this looks like a fabulous read.
    1. newsletter - yes
    2. newsletter - yes
    3. tweet - yes - https://twitter.com/ladysmanski/status/882383926559477760
    4. pinterest - yes - https://www.pinterest.com/pin/546131892303672805/
    5. goodreads - "want to read" - yes
    6. Goodreads listopia - yes
    7. Rags to riches - yes
    8.
    9. liked Karen on FB
    10 liked you on FB
    quilting dash lady at Comcast dot net

    ReplyDelete
  14. Have read all of Karen's books and always look forward to new releases. I think my overall favorites were those set in Corsicana.

    A. Am Karen subscriber with secondary email address - previously.
    B. Already had book on my want to read at Goodreads.


    Thanks! dixiedobie at yahoo dot com

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