Love on the Line Paperback – October 1, 2011

I read some reviews before starting this one. I have come to the conclusion that if you are as passionate about birds as I am, if not please do not read this book! I do not want to read a review about how the abundance of birds spoiled this book for you.I loved and totally identified with the main character, Georgie Gail. She was smart, educated,independent and witty. She had her own house, as a perk from her job as the switchboard operator of the town. An advid reader of s publications about birds, she fought against the town milliner who used bird parts on the hats that he and his family created. I was paricurly horrified at the description of one dress! The woman wore an owl's on her hat, had swallow wings adorning the cape and the worst was the hem which was encircled by the tiny heads of pretty yellow birds. I reacted the same as Georgie! I had to lay down my book and try to get the vision out of my head before continuing to read the book.Eventually the Migratory Bird Act of 1918 came about. Many birds were becoming extinct because they were killed for the feathers, heads and sometimes whole bodies. I remember seeing women with mink stole with the heads hanging down in them in the 1950s. I remember cringing that a woman would want to buy anything that was essentially a dead body!Back to the story, the love interest is Luke Palmer aka Lucious Landram, full of Clark Gable charm but married to the job that he loved.I must say that I adored the ending and was surprised by it. Please do read it if you love birds!

Texas Ranger Luke Palmer is going undercover to capture a gang of outlaws. He’s not thrilled about having to pretend to be a telephone repairman, but he will do whatever it takes to capture this gang. He just didn’t expect to be so distracted by the switchboard operator. Georgie Gail loves her job as a switchboard operator and all the birds that visit her garden. She didn’t think she’d like this new repairman, but he’s definitely growing one her. Luke and Georgie can’t deny they are falling for each other, but in Luke’s line of work love and marriage don’t fit in. But when Georgie’s life is in danger he might have to rethink everything.I really liked this book! I felt it had a good pace. You could get a little bogged down in some of the storyline about birds, but there was still some excitement in that. Georgie and Luke had a really sweet romance. Luke is a bit surly at the beginning, but very protective of her and doing the best he can to be with her, but also do his undercover job. Georgie’s a very independent woman with her little quirks and obsessions. There is quite a cast of characters and it could get confusing, but I think most show up enough that it’ s not too hard to remember everyone.This is a clean romance. Only kissing. A lot of kissing, but I found it very sweet. There is also a nice epilogue at the end.If you like a clean historical romance with a few of gunslinging outlaws and a bit of birdwatching than you will enjoy this book

I will preface this review by saying that I do not rate any book five stars unless I intend to read it so many times the binding is falling apart :) That being said a four-star review is a great read by my standards. I enjoy authors such as Lori Wick, Francine Rivers, and others. I recently discovered Deeanne Gist and fell in love with Maid for a Match. The research and character development in Mrs. Gist's books is wonderful and each time I buy a new book I can't wait to dive in.Love on the Line is no exception to my description of Mrs. Gist. The main characters are both believable and like-able. The plot line is complex enough to keep even the most avid romance reader interested while not being so complex that it must be read in one sitting. As in other books by Mrs. Gist the male and female leads are not the only characters and the sub-plots in this particular book are wonderful.My only negative comment to Love on the Line would be that it was hard to get into at first because of the amount of time that was spent on birds. Further into the book I realized that part of the bird sidebar would have come from Mrs. Gist's devotion to being accurate to the period and therefore the issue would have been an important issue at the time just as bicycling was important to Courting Trouble and Deep in the Heart of Trouble (two of my favorites by Deeanne Gist).A wonderful book overall and I look forward to the next book by Deeanne Gist.

If you shy away from inspirational romances - or even if you actively avoid them - get off your high horse and read some Deeanne Gist. Start with  Maid to Match , and then read this.THE HAPPY COUPLE: She's an independent working woman who's content with her quiet life and bird garden - until HE comes along. He's a vain, arrogant lawman who hates working undercover because he can't use his signature pistols (they're named Odysseus and Penelope) - and because he has to work side-by-side with HER.THE ROMANCE: The sexy times are "clean" as in all inspirationals, but whoo-whee, Gist can write some really good kissing scenes:..."Cupping her neck, he ran a thumb from the tip of her chin to the indentation between her collarbones. She opened her eyes. "'Now I know why cats purr.'"THE HISTORY: Fun mix of "old west meets new-fangled technology," with fascinating detail woven seamlessly into the action and dialogue. Every tidbit of historical fact and description serves a purpose in advancing the story (in other words, the opposite of info-dumping).THE STORYTELLING: In between the opening train robbery and the closing shoot-out, we get completely drawn into the entire community, which is more than just a setting - it's like a separate character.THE SPIRITUAL THEMES: This is why I love Gist's books so much. She never hits readers over the head with pulpit-pounding sermons. She just gives us characters who believe and trust and doubt and learn to trust again.

I really don't know which of Deeanne Gist's book is my favorite, but this is surely one of them. I found out about this author a couple of weeks back and I already read 5 or six of her books - I lost count.Love on The Line is a sweet story and very well written. What I specially like about this book - and the other books by this author - is that there is no love at first sight. The characters feel attracted to one another very soon, true, but real love comes with time and it takes months for them to come to really love one another, and not for their looks only but for their good qualities. I think that is a lot more realistic than other books of the genre I have read.Also, the book is not preachy. Love on the Line, and her other books, make clear that the main characters usually have standards and lines they wouldn't cross due to what they believe in and I think the author wrote that in really well. That's what real people are like - they have values and standards and they act in a certain way that show what their belief is, without having to explain to the audience why every single time.This is a great book. It's clean and sweet and the plot is very interesting. I look forward to reading more of Deanne Gist's books.

What a delightful book. I loved the main characters. Georgie was a wonderful strong lady that stood her ground, but did not loose her femininity. Our hero, what can I say, delicious... This book create all those feel good feelings if a good read. Not once do you have to wonder when does the story move forward. It doesn'tidle forever in one spot for to long.

Wer Deanne Gist kennt, weiß, wie sie schreibt. Alles nett und locker mit christlichem Hintergrund. Guter Schreibstil und von vorne bis hinten stimmt alles. Einen Punkt Abzug gibt es, weil in diesem Roman die Mode Vogelteile an Hüten zu drapieren Thema ist, Ich habe eine bildliche Vorstellungskraft und fand es etwas ekelig. Ich weiß nicht, ob ich das Buch noch ein zweites Mal lese.

enjoyed this