Love on the Line

Good to the last page!

In 1904 Texas Ranger Luke Palmer arrives in Brenham, Texas, with one goal--to capture the gang of outlaws led by Frank Comer. Undercover as a telephone repairman, he uses his days on the range to search, not realizing there's another pair of eyes watching him.
Georgie Gail, switchboard operator and birder, heads out on a birding expedition, but instead of sighting a painted bunting, her opera glasses capture her telephone man, armed and far away from telephone lines. Palmer is forced to take this alluring troublemaker into his confidence and unwittingly puts her in harm's way. The closer he comes to the gang, the further she works her way into his heart--and into trouble. Soon it's more than just love that's on the line.

What a terrific book! Loved the suspense, the humor and the all around story. I would recommend this to anyone who likes to read. Deeanne Gist is one of my favorite authors and she did not disappoint in this book. Well written and one I would definitely read again.

Bethany House Publishers sent me this complimentary copy to review for them. All opinions expressed are mine alone

Will the hero and heroine find love in the wild west?

Love on the Line Deanne Gist ©2011 Bethany House Publishers ISBN 978-7642-0409-8 (pbk) 361 pp. plus author’s note Georgie Gail, switchboard operator, is considered an old maid at twenty-one, but too independent to snare a husband. Lucious Landrum, a Texas Ranger, doesn’t ever want to settle down in one place. However, Lucious is ordered to secretly become the telephone line-man, doing sales and reparis, under the name of Luke Palmer, in Georgie’s area of Brenham, Texas. He’s been ordered to ingratiate himself with the gang of the notorious outlaw and train robber, Frank Comer. To her disgust, he also tells Georgie he is now in charge of the telephone office. Outlaw Frank Comer has regularly escaped Landrum’s attempts to capture him and has impressed folks with his supposed kindness to poor people. Georgie thinks Comer is a hero and tells ‘Luke’ how she much dislikes Lucious Landrum. Naturally, Georgie and ‘Luke’ initially dislike each other. They gradually change their views, but are afraid to admit they’re in love. And serious complications set in, threatening to destroy their relationship. How ‘Luke’ discovers and relates to the gang members without blowing his cover leaves readers anxiously holding their breaths. Readers also wonder how he’ll reveal his true name and role to Georgie. The ending, like in all good novels is a huge surprise.

Deeanne does it again!

If you like historical romance you will love ANYTHING Deeanne Gist wrights. She has a fun and qwirky style that just keeps me coming back for more."Love on the Line" is no exception. It has a little bit of everything. Action, drama, comedy, and yes it has some intence romantic moments. But what I love about Deeanne's style... she toes the line.
Her books are romantic and fun- NOT DIRTY.

TELEPHONE OPERATOR,TELEPHONE LINES,GANGS AND LOVE!

LOVE ON THE LINE by Deeanee Gist is an inspirational historical fiction.I couldn't quite understand the first half of "Love On The Line",but the last half I enjoyed. I enjoyed the romance between Georgie and Luke. What a novel idea,telephone lines,switchboard operators and train robbers,while love is on the line. "Love on the Line" is a good story, with an interesting cast of characters. A good story for anyone who enjoys historical fiction,Americana,Inspirational reads. Received for an honest review. Details can be found at Bethany House and My Book Addiction and More/My Book Addiction Reviews.

RATING: 4

HEAT RATING: SWEET

REVIEWED BY: DorothyA,My Book Addiction and More/My Book Addiction Reviews

Deeanne did her research!

Another good book and as a telephone worker, it was fun to see the history of the service embedded in the story.

A MUST read!

I loved this book, I read the 362 pages in about four days, that was over the holidays so there wasn't a lot of reading time. Needless to say I read until the wee hours of the morning so I could finish it.

Georgie Gail finds herself right in the middle of a train robbery, then Lucious Landrum, a Texas Ranger arrives and captures six members of the gang but fails to get the leader Frank Comer. Even though Frank Comer is the thief, he's the one that everyone admires not Lucious. Frank never does the actual robbing, just comes in treats the victims nicely, even giving them some of the stolen money sometimes and lets them keep their own money., he only takes the money bags that are on the train.

The rangers are tired of Frank getting away and give Lucious one last chance to capture him. They send him to Brenham, TX as Luke Palmer posing as a Telephone salesman/repairman, including bill collection, books and accounting for the Southwestern Telegraph and Telephone Company, better known as the SWT&T. Unbeknownst to him, this is where Georgie Gail was headed, when the train robbery occurred and he first saw her, to be the switchboard operator.

When he arrives she is not pleased to have someone working with her looking over her shoulder, not to mention that the 'office' is in her one bedroom house that is supplied by SWT&T, he stays in the local hotel. Luke doesn't like doing undercover work and doesn't like Georgie's views on things either, so sparks do fly on and off in this book.

Then there's little Bettina , known as Bettina Hyena by the locals, the daughter of the town drunk. Since he mother died they live in a shanty outside of town and she takes care of her father the best she can, cooks his supper every night, makes sure he gets home every night and is the wage earner for them, she delivers messages for Miss Gail to the residents that don't have a phone line. Bettina is a major character in this book and in the end could cause both Luke and Georgie to lose their lives.

That's it, go get the book, I guarantee you'll enjoy it if this is the genre you like. I've read several of Deeanna's book and have liked every one.

Another satisfying read from Gist

As with all books I've read by Deeanne Gist, I really liked Love on the Line. I will admit, I wasn't so sure about the name Lucious alias Luke Palmer. BUT it did grow on me as the book progressed. :) I loved the lessons learned by Georgie and Luke, even if I somewhat questioned Luke's tactics in order to catch the infamous Frank Comer. Gist writes so well, one character in particular, Duane, really grew on me, and I loved him by the book's end. Speaking of the book's ending: it was brilliant how it all tied together. I absolutely loved the ending that followed the intriguing pages of the book.

This book is terrible

Bullies at their greatest. Donot waste your time or money.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Texas Ranger and the Switchboard Operator

Top Texas Ranger, Lucious Landrum, hasn¿t been able to apprehend Frank Comer, a Texan train robber who has mustered together Brenham¿s citizens¿ silence about where he lived by compensating them with goods from the robberies. So the Ranger headquarters¿ captain decided to enlist Landrum¿s services disguised as an undercover agent disguised as the telephone repairman, Luke Palmer. Luke, however, was worried about his Ranger reputation and being able to follow all the ¿rules¿ a of a salesman.

Georgie Gail is the new, twenty-year-old, unmarried, female switchboard operator in Brenham who was given a home to live in, where the switchboard was located. Besides her job, her delight was her garden with a sanctuary for birds. As one of Nellie Bly¿s followers, she is proud of her independence in a man¿s world.

The switchboard was a party line where others could listen in, ¿rubbernecking¿ as it was called back in my day, and I could easily hear the gossip flowing through the town. Where everybody knows your name, and more! Yet the community friendships and social gatherings held the town together, helping on another out.

It¿s when Luke Palmer arrives at the home office and takes over part of Georgie¿s space, watching over her, that the sparks fly, and not necessarily romantic! The humor of Georgie¿s initial relationship with Luke was so clearly male chauvinistic! Oh, how I could relate! But a Mai tree does appear at Georgie¿s door!

Deeanne did a fabulous job relating to and keeping me interested and engrossed in the story, ending it with a shocking twist! Her meticulous research payed off in being well-versed in the times and intricately written details of the different circumstances, such as hitching a horse to a cart, setting up the wiring for the telephones, or hunting down the elusive train robber and his cronies.

Not only was this a fun read, it also includes a lot of history, suspense as to the identity of the train robber, scouting him out, and Georgie¿s interactions during her mysterious and dangerous encounters. Get a copy and enjoy a little fun down time!

This book was provided by Amy Lathrop of the Litfuse Group in exchange for my honest review. No monetary compensation was exchanged.

Love on the Line - Fun Read

Georgia Gail was a rural switchboard operator in Brenham, Texas. She was a rare woman living on her own supporting herself. Back in those days a man ran everything. This woman is adventurous and very out spoken.

The telephone company hires Luke Palmer to take over all operations but the switchboard. He is to be a lineman, sales and bookkeeper. Her being so independent she bucks everything he does. Luke is much more than an employee of the phone company and has to keep it a secret.

The author has added humor, mystery, suspense and love in this very entertaining book. This was such a cute book and fun read. I told the author my Dad was from Brenham and his last name Przyborski. It was an odd coincidence. I am a Texan and have spent a lot of time in the Brenham area so this book held my interest to say the least.

I highly recommend this book.

I rate this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure:
I received a copy of this book for review from Bethany House. I was in no way compensated for my review. I is my very own opinion.

Not really Christian fiction

Georgie is a telephone operator. She's proud of the fact that she has a job and a home and doesn't have to be married. She can do ANYTHING a man can do.
A local gang is getting out of hand and Luke is sent in to act as a telephone man while he tries to infiltrate the gang.
Georgie doesn't take well to being told what to do and doesn't appreciate a man in her business.

The book was well written and had quite a few interesting details about the job of a telephone operator during that era. The characters were well developed and the story line flowed smoothly.
I think my main complaint would be a personal opinion. I didn't care for the way Georgie's obsession with birds seemed to color her view of literally everything. She was unthinking and unkind at times in defense of her birds. It was a bit of a surprise to dislike the main characters. I would have thought the author would want everyone to like them and I was left with a bad first impression of Luke and never really cared for Georgie. The story changed a bit towards the end. The pace sped up and became more interesting and the main characters lost a bit of their obsessions.
I think the other thing that surprised me was that this book was labeled as Christian fiction. I saw very little to make me think it was Christian. A few things were mentioned, but nothing like I would expect from a Christian author.

I received this book free of charge from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

Another fun read from Deeanne Gist!

You're an independent woman working as a switchboard operator and spending your off time studying birds. Then, the phone company sends a man to check in things. Would that get your back up? What about when you find out he really isn't a phone repairman, but rather a Texas marshal? Come meet Georgia Gail, the switchboard operator who is proud of what she has accomplished, and Luke Palmer, a Texas Ranger posing as the phone repair guy. The chemistry is fiery and the confrontations between the two electric. Can each see through their individual worlds to find love? Will Luke "get his man"? This entertaining story will keep your attention all the way to the end.

I really enjoy Ms. Gist's books. Her writing is realistic and shows just how much time she spends researching. In this book you can not only enjoy the story, but learn about being a switchboard operator and doing some birdwatching. The story comes to life as each character enters, bringing their own special charm to the book. I recommend this to a very broad base of readers including discussion groups. I received my free review copy from Bethany House and thank them very much!

Funny, mysterious, and very entertaining!

I especially liked this book because I am from East Texas. The story was set in this area and it was interesting to see some very small towns in this story. The author did a great with the little twist also within the story. I found myself very much relating to the main woman

Pick Up the Phone Because There's "Love on the Line"

Now, say I told you, "Let's mix together one Texas Ranger, one Robin Hood-style train bandit, one independent telephone operator and toss the whole thing together with the Audubon Society. What do you think?" Well, I shudder to consider your answer but if you voted against it, you'd be wrong! Deeanne Gist takes those elements and weaves them together into a "don't-want-to-put-it-down" story with terrific elements of history, drama, suspense and just enough love story.

Georgie Gail is a small town switchboard operator (which is fascinating in itself and Gist really shows she's done her research in the details) who ends up crossing paths with a famous outlaw and a famous lawman...the problem is knowing which man is really on the right side.

Georgie is an adorable character. She's an independent, strong-minded young woman with passionate opinions and an agenda of her own. Watching her clash with the Texas lawman is one of the highlights of this story.

Love is on the Line" is peopled with terrific small town characters and a wonderful sense of place. I found that Gist's town comes to life vividly without being overdone. Her descriptive prose is delightful like this description of a group of boys listening in on a party line. "To his right, a group of boys between the ages of five and twelves faced the wall. They'd pressed themselves together so tightly, their bums looked like a cluster of oversized grapes."

I wouldn't say that the plot was a shocker as I spotted the outcome way in the distance but it was a bit like watching a train go by - just because you see the caboose in the distance doesn't mean you're not enjoying the view!

Put this book on your reading list, you'll be glad you did!

This book was provided to me by Bethany House for this review.

More like 4.5 stars. Great story!

More like 4.5 stars.

One of the things I adore about Gist's books is the fact that I always learn something about history while enjoying the story. This novel was no different. I learned more about bird watching, the style of hats in the days when it was fashionable to wear hats with bird parts, The Plummage League, and telephone operating than I ever thought possible. And it was all very interesting, too. As is typical with Gist's books, there was great chemistry between the hero and heroine. I loved the many awkward situations they put themselves in and how many times they had to deal with their unexpected, yet burgeoning feelings for each other.

I absolutely adored Luke. He did such a great job as an undercover ranger posing as a telephone "Troubleman." The situation with the splinters was a great way to get things started between Luke and Georgie. I thought the story was brilliant that way. Georgie was a heroine with spunk, but at the same time she was a good person and always trying to do the right thing, which made her a bit vulnerable, too.

It was sweet how Luke and Georgie always got a bit fuzzy in the head when they were together. The Maiday celebration with the May poles was cute, too. Luke's unanticipated adoration of Georgie and his desire to protect her was heart-warming, to say the least. There were clever twists in this story and plenty of surprises and laughs to hold my attention. I enjoyed it thoroughly and can't wait to read Gist's next book. To date, I believe I've read them all.

Great book.

Who can't help loving a heroine named Georgie??

Some novels I just don't want to ever end. But at the same time, I am practically screaming to find out how. In. the. World. This is going to end!
Do you see my dilemma? But I'm not going to complain, it's a good..and fun one to have.
"Love on the Line" is a masterfully written tale with excellent wordsmithing, characters that I just fell in love with and sizzling moments of romantic tension. The writing of a Deeanne Gist novel always pulls me by the throat into the story. It's descriptive, sometimes even funny, charming, beautiful, paints a picture in your mind's eyes with so few words needed.
I loved the switchboard setting for Georgie. I looked over her shoulder the entire novel watching her take those calls and defend her birds. And when she pulled the splinters from Luke's hands and arms.oh my. I loved, loved, loved the romance and restraint Georgie and Luke must walk through. I did have to chuckle a few times though when Luke was.ahem, especially thick.
The twist at the end! I literally gasped at a conclusion I never saw coming. Talk about a surprise; I bet you will be too.
This novel has so much going for it. A bit of humor, fascinating history, charming characters (who can't love a heroine who can pull off the name Georgie?) heart-thumping romance. All.oh my. I want to go read the book one more time now.
This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers through Litfuse for my copy to review.

Excellent and fun Read

"Love on the Line" by Deeanne Gist, is not your usual historical romance and that made,"Love on the Line" all the more a fun read! The story of a strong, independent woman and a Texas Ranger, undercover, set in the not so wild frontier of Texas,"Love on the Line" had all the elements of a perfect Friday night reading, to cozy up with, next to the fire, with a rich, hot chocolate on the table beside you.

The characters are well developed, the background for the story, well researched, and just even the backstory, of the main character, Georgie Gail, will have the reader, caught up till the very end of this wildly, funny, filled with charm, reading.

What makes,"Love on the Line" just a sweet and fun read, is that this is not your usual, sugary love story, but a story about standing up for what you believe in, about honesty, about the strength of character, that makes this book stand out as a Christian based story, historical fiction with a perfect touch of romance that is really more touching then ever, that will leave the reader, swooning for a "Luke Palmer" who is dashing though at the same time, charming as he meets his match with headstrong, Georgie Gail.

"Love on the Line" is very original and fun at the same time and this is not a "girly" book, but a solid read, that is both smart and very endearing and, if you're like me, find it so hard to put down and have to keep reading till the end.

I'm normally not a big fan of romance novels, so with "Love on the Line", instead I find a very smartly written book that has the element of romance, that is sweet and endearing, yet at the same time,the characters are strong in their own right and hold out as characters, on their own, that you will find yourself just growing close with and silently cheering out when you realize, "Wait..this has romance in it too".

What I really enjoyed as well about,"Love on the Line" is that Georgie Gail is not a helpless damsel in distress; She is a strong, well rounded character who can hold her own but at the same time, not afraid to let her femininity show through, and even though she proves she can hold her own in a man's world, at the same time, allows herself to be vulnerable and open when love finds her heart.

Deeanne Gist, perfectly writes a story that you will find yourself recommending to friends to read, placing it in your purse or backpack to bring on vacation, or if you have a Nook or Kindle, downloading it to read, while the fire is going or by the pool in the summertime.

Either way, "Love on the Line" left me feeling, for a historical fiction, it captured the time period wonderfully and had enough romance, for the romantic in me to indulge in a little, "That is so sweet".

Ms. Gist, really brings the characters to life and writes the story in such detail that its not overwhelming, but helps the reader, just have a mental image of what they think the characters are thinking, feeling and must look that I fear if a movie was made, I could only hope it would match up to how delightful the book, itself is.

With the holidays around the corner, and you're looking for a book to take with you on vacation, or just to read while warming up by the fire, drop by Georgie Gail's, small hometown, and discover,"Love on the Line".

A wonderful love story if only they didn't get their lines crossed!

"Hello, Central."

That is how Georgie Gail begins her day until 5pm, making connections for people all over the small town of Brenham. She is the telephone switchboard operator for Southwestern Telegraph and Telephone company and knows just about everything about everyone in town. Not that she listens in when she shouldn't be, but often the calls she gets is what is playing in town at the theater, what is the current time, and someone has lost their cow again, can the town be on the lookout for it, among other calls.

Georgie is proud of being an independent woman and her only other hobby is the love she has for all the birds that frequent her yard, from hummingbirds to the family of blue birds she is hoping will nest in her starch box this year.

Luke Palmer is a man on a mission, actually more than one mission, a Texas Ranger working undercover as a telephone repair/salesman, he is hoping to learn more about a notorious and legendary outlaw known as Frank Comer and his gang. He's avoided capture since he is the most gentlemanly outlaw around, providing for the poor and the weak, most of his victims would likely allow him to stay under their roofs rather than turn them over to the law. Therefore, Luke is hoping to find out just where Frank Comer is staying and finally put him behind bars, by posing as a telephone repair man, whose job would be to visit the residents and either sell their phone service or fix their existing lines.

However what Luke doesn't plan on is interference from Georgie, who has no plans to turn over her phone operations to Luke, even though he is more than a handsome man to look at. However when he is willing to assist her in helping to save the birds a local milliner is paying to have killed, she isn't ready to place her own love on the line waiting.

In the latest novel, Love On The Line by Deeanne Gist, we are thrown into a mixture of oil and water as the characters of Luke Palmer and Georgie Gail are forced to interact with one another. A heartwarming and wonderfully fun love story soon develops between the two if only they could avoid getting their own lines crossed. I just know my readers will enjoy this fun adventure of the old fashioned version of telephone romance and therefore rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars.

I received this book compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and LOVED it from the very first page.

Fun twist on a forgotten period of time

Oh my goodness, what a fun book! Talk about a time in our history that people just don't think about anymore - the days when a telephone operator had to actually connect to the house you wanted to talk to and most people were on party lines and anyone could listen in. I loved stepping back in time and seeing the innerworkings of a telephone operator who just happened to have been the victim of a train robbery where the good guy was more despised than the train robber. So the good guy goes undercover in the little town and works for the phone company while he tries to discover who the train robber is and who is in his gang. Georgie (the telephone operator) ends up in danger, she happens to be an activist out to save the birds in her area (no, really, she is...) and not everybody wants to save the birds. It is kind of a crazy series of events that are tons of fun and I really enjoyed this book as it all played out and I loved the twist at the end. One of Deeanne's best!