Heart on the Line by Karen Witemeyer

Published by Bethany House Publishers June 06, 2017

Genre: Christian, Drama

Pages: 210

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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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.

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Story Notes

Karen Witemeyer’s latest story in her Harper’s Station “series” brings a different look at strength and love – one that will show the value of brains over brawn and honest love over expectations.

This was one of those stories that I was loath to finish, it had so many good elements included in it that it was a real pleasure to read. Ms. Witemeyer begins her story with a heroine named Grace Mallory who has gone into hiding after seeing her father killed right in front of her. She carries with her the proof that Chaucer Haversham is not the true heir to a multi-million dollar fortune – proof that threatens not only her life but the lives of those in the town in which she is hiding. Grace has found momentary peace in the town of Harper’s Station, a mostly all women’s community for which she is the telegraph operator. She has formed an solid friendship with another operator she knows only as Mr. A and she hopes one day to meet in person the man who has been so kind and attentive. But when Grace receives an urgent message that Haversham has discovered her whereabouts, she will have to decide if she can stay in Harper’s Station or should go on the run again. Her new friends will not hear of her leaving and rally together to keep both her and the town safe. Amos Bledsoe, Denison, Texas’ telegraph operator, is the unmet Mr. A, who has enjoyed getting to know Miss G and believes he has fallen in love with her even without having seen her. Given his slight build and glasses, Amos finds it difficult to make favorable impressions on the young ladies of his town; making his relationship with Miss G all the more important to him. When their telegraph conversation is interrupted one evening by the news of danger for Grace, Amos quickly packs a bag and heads to Harper Station to make sure Grace is safe. What he meets is a town that is most ready and willing to defend one of their own, even at gunpoint. Amos gradually proves himself trustworthy to the town and sets out to help Grace see that she would be safe, and loved, with him. I loved the telegraph elements that Ms. Witemeyer included in her story as it gave the story a unique feel. So few jobs were open to women of good reputation outside large cities and I loved that Ms. Witemeyer gave Grace the independence she needed to have while also giving her a vulnerability to keep her from appearing bitter because of her circumstances. I was further glad to see that Ms. Witemeyer showed Grace’s reluctance to form a stronger relationship with Amos because he was not what she had always imagined in a mate. He was not the tall, dark and strong man she had always pictured but Ms. Witemeyer showed that those are not the most important features of a person. Grace learned that strength is different in each person and height gives no indication of a person’s heart. How our imaginations can deceive us into thinking that only one type of person is capable of care and strength! Amos was exactly what she needed and the one that God had brought into her life to make it better than she believed possible. Amos also learned that his lack of bulk or height was nothing to be ashamed of as he was precisely the person he needed to be to serve God and protect Grace. God gave him the abilities and intelligence he would use to help Grace outwit Haversham and his multiple accomplices and God will use Amos to be the protector and mate Grace desires. Ms. Witemeyer had a secondary story running alongside the main plot and I loved this one as much as the other. Helen Potter has lived for over a year at Harper’s Station and has found it the blessing she needed. A town with no men was the perfect solution to her quest to get away from men who would seek gain through her pain. Helen is very wary of any man and is still uncomfortable with the two that her friends have married recently ( their stories are told in previous books). She is seeking peace and a closer relationship with God and does not find it amusing in the least when her path crosses an injured man who turns out to be Pinkerton Agent on the trail of one of Haversham’s accomplices. But her compassionate nature will not allow her to leave Detective Lee Dunbar to die regardless of the fact that he is male. Managing to get him to her home and secreting her friend home to treat his wounds helps ease her fear slightly but Lee will have his hands full trying to prove himself trustworthy to Helen. They are both attracted to the other but Helen is not ready to let go of her well-deserved fear of men. Given the very harsh upbringing she had with her father, Helen has not allowed any man nearer her than a very casual acquaintance. Lee knows she likes him and finding himself falling in love with Helen surprisingly fast, he determines show her that REAL MEN care well for those in their charge – sacrificing anything to keep them safe. It will take a truly dangerous situation for Helen to see Lee as a honorable and loving man. Ms. Witemeyer showed the fear we all hold close after going through deep hurt in Helen and further showed that true freedom from that fear only comes when we give it to God to redeem the hurt for His glory. Additionally Ms. Witemeyer demonstrated the love of Jesus through Lee who was willing to sacrifice all for those he loves. I have quickly become a great fan of Ms. Witemeyer’s stories because she always has a lesson to teach through her writing. She does not shy away from telling the whole and real truth and pulls no punches when it comes to what the Bible says about trust, fear and love. I eagerly look forward to her next works and will certainly be recommending and buying this book for my friends and family. Thank you Ms. Witemeyer for sharing such good and challenging stories, they always make me think of what I would do in the same situation and seek truth from the Source of all Truth.

I received this E-book free of charge from Bethany House Publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation from either company for this review.