Alice McNeil resolved at a young age to travel through life unencumbered by love or marriage, free to make her own decisions. A seasoned telegrapher, she’s recently acquired a coveted position at an important trading firm, but when the company’s ambitious junior director returns to London, things begin to change in ways Alice could never have imagined.
For Douglas Shaw, years of hard work and ingenuity enabled him to escape a life of grinding poverty. He’s also determined to marry into high society–a step that will ensure he never returns to the conditions of his past.
He and Alice form a friendly relationship based on mutual respect, but anything deeper is not in their plans. However, when Alice accidentally raises the ire of a jealous and vindictive coworker who’s intent on ruining her life, Alice and Douglas are forced to confront what is truly important in their lives. Will their growing bond give them the courage to risk finding a better way?
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Sexual Content - 1/5
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Violence - 0/5
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Language - 0/5
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Drugs and Alcohol - 0/5
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Summary
From: Rebecca Maney
Book Title: Line by Line
Book Author: Jennifer Delamere
What do you like about this book:
4.5 stars
" . . he was pretty sure she wasn't the sort of woman who would stab a man with a joiner's chisel."
Alice McNeil was a self-made woman, way ahead of her time one might say, with no inclination to add a husband into her carefully constructed lifestyle; going to work, coming home, visiting with friends, enjoying all the perks that a large city like London had to offer. It was that one random stroll to the bookstore one evening that tripped her up; after eavesdropping on a conversation between three bachelors, she made a totally out of character purchase; "The Spinster's Guide to Love and Romance" changed everything.
Douglas Shaw is a rising star at Henley and Company, taking advantage of every opportunity to better himself so that he might secure a future far beyond his humble beginnings. Arriving back in England after an extended trip to America, he becomes acquainted with the exceptionally skilled Miss McNeil, one of the company's telegraphers. Her quick wit and attention to detail serves her well in the workplace and makes her an interesting conversationalist when their paths happen to cross outside of their work environment. But she's not the daughter of a prominent London banker, so those out-of-the-office conversations need to remain few and far between. . . . or not.
This book has so much to offer. The author navigates beautifully through the time period by writing in pertinent details while including a wonderful cameo appearance by none other than Andrew Carnegie. Cleverly coupling self evident hilarity with heart tugging interludes, she ultimately leads Alice and Douglas down a life path that neither of them expected . . . line by line by line.