Historical Fiction Book Review: Heart on the Line

Publisher's Description:

"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:

Having read nearly all of her books, I have been a huge fan of Karen Witemeyer’s historical fiction novels for several years now. Her novels are always well-written, humorous, romantic, and uplifting. I will read anything Ms. Witemeyer writes, because I am confident that I will not be disappointed, and that I will enjoy the reading experience immensely. The only disappointment I have ever felt while reading a Karen Witemeyer novel is in the knowledge that the book will eventually come to an end, and then I will be left impatiently waiting for her to write and publish another.

Her newest novel, Heart on the Line, the second book in the Ladies of Harper Station series, is no exception. I enjoyed every bit of this novel from the first sentence to the last. Once I started reading this novel, I didn’t want to put it down, because I simply loved being in the fictional world that Ms. Witemeyer created. Her writing style seems to flow so effortlessly that I could not help but be swept up into the story. I was quickly invested in the plot of the novel, because it was clearly well-researched and well-developed. I also had a swift emotional connection to the characters. Their struggles and successes kept me intrigued and entertained page after page. 

Once again, Karen Witemeyer has crafted an historical fiction novel that is anything but old and predictable. Heart on the Line is fresh and relevant. It is creative, captivating, and clever. It is the kind of story readers long to find. It is the kind of novel that readers honor by re-reading it again and again. I am certain that I will be re-reading it and enjoying it again after I have recommended it to all of my friends of course.

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*I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher. All opinions in this review, whether positive or negative, are entirely my own.