Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Love on the Line

Rate this book
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.

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

263 people are currently reading
3624 people want to read

About the author

Deeanne Gist

20 books1,955 followers
With over a million copies of her books sold, international bestselling, award-winning author Deeanne Gist has rocketed up bestseller lists and captured readers everywhere with her original, captivating historicals. Her latest release, Tiffany Girl, was touted as a “Must Year of the Year!” by USA Today, was one of the Top 10 Most Anticipated Books of 2015 by Huffington Post, and one of WikiEzvid's 10 Must-Read Novels That Take Place in the Past.

Not familiar with her work? Take a quiz to figure out which Deeanne Gist novel you'd like best.

Published by Simon & Schuster, Gist's awards include a RITA for Best Long Historical of the Year, National Readers’ Choice Award, Best Historical of the Year (RT Reviewers), Librarians’ Choice, Book Buyers’ Best, Golden Quill, Books*A*Million Pick of the Month, Seal of Excellent and Award of Excellence.

Her most recent series takes readers into the heart of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, where USA Today says …

The historical details are absorbing, never intrusive and always eye-opening ... The characterization is rich and authentic ... The narrative is a treat, the tempo impeccable.

Gist's credits including People Magazine, Parents, and Parenting. Her entertaining and informative presentations have been featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. Deeanne lives in South Carolina with her husband. When not writing, she enjoys boating and keeping up with her readers via www.IWantHerBook.com and her very active online community on her blog, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and on her YouTube channel.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
2,732 (39%)
4 stars
2,366 (34%)
3 stars
1,405 (20%)
2 stars
340 (4%)
1 star
101 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 468 reviews
Profile Image for Kelli.
1,385 reviews42 followers
October 27, 2011
This book started out really well. I liked the echoes of Texas ranger drama and Jesse James like outlaws. But by chapter 5, it gets a little odd. The main character is obsessed with birds. The male lead is mean to her without any reason other than that she is a woman. Their isn't much motivation in the storyline for what the author is writing about. I think that is a big mistake in novel writing now. Their needs to be clear motivation or reasons why a character does something or else it seems pointless.
I was weary of this book, since the last few books this author has written, I haven't liked. Her first book 'bride most begrudging' was the only one of hers I really did like.
I will say that the research shows up well in the first few chapters. The tone of the book is right on, for the time period.

But mostly this book bored me. At least, the in between stuff did. I don't want to read about a women's strange obsession with birds. The ranger research and undercover stuff was really the best part of the book, however Luke was hard to be believed as being Lucius--the man described at the first of this book was not the undercover 'Luke'. It was as if the author wrote two different men. If the book had been what the first chapter seemed to be, it would have been excellent. Their were a few thrilling parts of the book, and most were predictable..like Frank Comer and Luke's long lost brother. That was sorta soap opera-ish. I just found a lot of things very unbelievable and silly. Making the book less that what it could have been.
Profile Image for Robin.
31 reviews10 followers
March 19, 2013
Deanne Gist is always lots of clean fun and I enjoy reading her books but this was not my favorite. As my sister perfectly summed up, "Took me six months to read the first half, two days to read the second half."

I didn't find Georgie to be likeable at all and simply could not get into all the bird stuff. It was too reminiscent of Essie Sprekelmeyer and the bicycle club for me. I felt like I had been there, done that.

Luke, on the other hand, was very well written, complicated, likeable, the kind of guy you want to get the girl. But, why, why, WHY did Gist write him out of law enforcement in the epilogue?!? He was born for that job, excelled at it, rid the world of so much bad by doing it...how could he possibly have been fulfilled as she wrote him? Maybe my point of view is skewed because I married a former cop who is now a soldier and I so admire what makes a guy who has that gift want to put himself in harm's way when the other guys are running away from it.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the story once it started picking up and Luke was on to the bad guys. LOVED the surprise at the end. I liked Bettina's character as well but where Gist paused the story to compare Bettina with Georgie's birds seemed a little forced to me. I love when a good story intertwines with faith but dropping it in here and there didn't do it for me.

Gist really shined with Duane's character. His dialogue was humorous and well done and that's part of what makes her books so fun. I almost wanted to find out what became of him more than I did Luke and Georgie!

Profile Image for Casey.
431 reviews114 followers
October 22, 2011
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.
Profile Image for Hannah Linder.
Author 11 books802 followers
August 2, 2016
This book definitely kept me interested. I read it in maybe . . . I don't know. Two days? But that was entirely due to the fact that I was on my way home from a thirteen hour trip, with nothing else to do. The story-line was great, and there were several things in the story I found to be very intriguing. I loved the characters for the most part, and also adored some of the names chosen.
I have to mention this, however. The romance was entirely too geared towards the physical. The kisses were too . . . passionate. The attention was all centered around their appearance, the way they felt, their touches. I felt all of it to be a little inappropriate.
Overall, enjoyable read. Beautiful cover.
Profile Image for Lori.
Author 4 books16 followers
August 17, 2013
I'm not sure what it was about this book that had me kind of yawning through most of it. It may be that I've read too many early frontier books as of late, or maybe it was the weirdness of a bird watching telephone operator and a rough undercover Texas ranger falling in love - two people who have absolutely nothing in common. Really? I guess weirder things have happened. Maybe it was just the stress of real life that made this not so much of the escape I was looking for. Regardless, I found the plot to be a bit out there. This book also claims to be christian lit - but I found no evidence of that. There was a slight historical side with the installation of the telephone and how that changed the west as it was slowly installed across the country. Hard to believe how far we have come with technology.

Worth my time or yours? I'd say no not really. It was a clean read just missing the good part.
Profile Image for Bekie.
147 reviews5 followers
June 26, 2017
I usually really love Dee's books, but this one was not a hit for me. All I could think when I was reading it was enough with the birds already. I was totally siding with the wrong side. It did not endear me to birds it made me want to get rid of them so I didn't have to read about them anymore. Also, I just didn't think that the same chemistry was there between the couple. Sigh. Disappointed.
Profile Image for Courtney.
4,297 reviews
July 17, 2017
Can I just say how much I absolutely LOVE Deeanne Gist?!
She has not written a book yet that I haven't absolutely loved! Favorite author by far, and I am so happy that I have stumbled alone and found her books!

Love on the Line is not typically the type of book I would read; however, it was so GOOD!! Oh my, I could not put it down once I picked it up (even though I was currently already reading two different books)! Everything has taken a back burner to this story until I could finish it! You will not be disappointed if you decide to give this novel a try, I promise!
Profile Image for Loraine.
3,447 reviews
February 6, 2018
Rural switchboard operator Georgie Gail is proud of her independence in a man's world ... which makes it twice as vexing when the telephone company sends a man to look over her shoulder.
Dashing Luke Palmer is more than he appears though. He's a Texas Ranger working undercover to infiltrate a notorious gang of train robbers. Repairing telephones and tangling with this tempestuous woman is the last thing he wants to do. But when his stakeout puts Georgie in peril, he realizes more than his job is on the line.

There were so many things I liked or connected to in this book. Georgie is a switchboard operator in the late 1800's. My mom was a switchboard operator in the 1910's when she met my dad. Georgie is a bird lover, and my husband and I are both birders. Finally, the setting is in Brenham Texas which is the home of Blue Bell Ice Cream; and I lived about an hour away from Brenham and visited the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory several times.

Georgie was a unique mix in a character: independent, self-sufficient, caring, and sweet. Lucious Landrum aka Luke Palmer is a typical swoon worthy Texas Ranger. The give and take between Georgie and Luke was great, and their slow developing relationship was enjoyable. Bettina was adorable with her tomboy qualities and loved her role in the epilogue. The research and character development in this book were excellent, and the characters were likable and believable. The ending was definitely a surprise even though I started to wonder if it was a possibility.

The women of the town's support for the stoppage of adding real birds or bird parts to hats was a big issue during this time period. Their ideas for getting the milliner to refrain from using them in his hats were wonderful.

Another excellent novel by Deanne Gist.
Profile Image for Claire.
1,299 reviews22 followers
August 7, 2015
Borrowed this after hearing the author recommended on SBTB and picked this when other titles weren't available. A woman telephone operator and a Texas Ranger are new for me! Gist packs a lot of historical detail and it's clear she's done her research. I really liked learning more about how telephone service worked in its infancy, and it's always nice when people write about guns correctly and respectfully. I might not have realized that this is marketed as Christian romance if not for the tags here on GR and a friend making a comment about it when I mentioned I was reading this book. The character's faith seems both natural and very appropriate to the time period, and I never felt like I was being preached at.

I do admit that I nearly stopped reading 2/3rds of the way through, and here's why: Our heroine, Georgie, has been collecting hats for a benefit and is storing them all in her bedroom. The hero, Lucious/Luke, is tracking a gang of train robbers and hanging out with some not-so-nice men in an effort to get an invite into the gang.
Profile Image for Michelle.
Author 45 books419 followers
November 2, 2011
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.

Profile Image for Becky ♡The Bookworm♡.
681 reviews71 followers
October 14, 2016
This is a very interesting story about an independent Christian woman who went against the grain. She's far from the stereotypical "man-dependent" women of the times. Set in the late 1800's, Georgie is determined to support herself and live on her own by becoming the local switchboard operator for the (then) small town of Brenham, Texas.

This book had everything I enjoy in a Western Romance; humor, romance, train robberies, a handsome Robin Hood type outlaw, and a Texas Ranger determined to bring down the hoodlum and his gang! I thought the author's choice to gift Georgie with a passion for birds and weaving that birding knowledge into the main plot was great! Georgie's birding adventures and deep love for God's creatures eventually cause trouble with the local milliner and lead to big trouble in town.

Love On The Line was a lot of fun to read. The story itself felt very genuine with well placed gems of historical detail...a trait that I've come to expect of Ms. Gist's writing. She does exceptional research for her books and it certainly comes through. I love it when I learn something new from a good book! I highly recommend this one, especially considering the positive message of strength and self-respect that it sends to our young girls.
3,913 reviews1,763 followers
December 3, 2011
Catchy title for a fetching, light-hearted romance. The comedy was prevalent in nearly every scene. From subtle humour to out-loud belly laughs, I smiled my way through this one. (Which was a little embarrassing since I do most of my reading on the bus.)

Gist is meticulous in her characterization and that's what builds this into a memorable read. From Georgie's obsession with birds (there's a hysterical scene where she sums up Luke's appearance as if he were one of her bird sightings. So funny, I'm chuckling just thinking about it.) And Luke just happens to be the exact opposite to Georgie in all the wrong ways! They're a disaster waiting to happen. And it's that contrast that really sparks the humour over and over again.

That doesn't mean there isn't drama in Love on the Line. There are a few grim scenes (and one in particular that made me cringe and I didn't fully understand until the end.) Doesn't that just make you want to read this book more? :-) I hope so, because this is romantic comedy at it's best.

Profile Image for Candi Criddle.
357 reviews14 followers
February 16, 2012
I've gotten so I love a Deeane Gist book, I haven't met one I didn't like. Her research is remarkable and always serves to draw you further into whatever story she is telling. There is never a time that I think "oh that couldn't happen" it's all believable. Also she knows how to write a great romance that doesn't cross the line into salacious and is about realistic people.

I liked this particular story because it was set in Texas and the hero was a Texas ranger, I've just read True Grit and now I think that most rangers were pretty full of themselves. I've also recently become fascinated with natural soundscapes and how no one really knows what a bald eagle sounds like (that screech in your head is a red-tailed hawk). Anyway the heroine is a birder and spends all her time making her backyard a bird paradise which works it's way into Gist's story a lot with native Texan bird calls. I thought it was outstanding.
Profile Image for Jessica Moore.
Author 1 book60 followers
August 16, 2016
I was really hesitant to try Love on the Line after reading some of the reviews. People didn't like Georgie's character, Luke's character, or the general layout of the novel. I decided to try it anyway because I enjoyed It Happened at the Fair. All in all, I must say I am very pleased.

I LOVED Georgie Gale. Most reviewers seemed to dislike her obsession with birds—and that did get a bit old at times—I happened to love that quality. It made her well-rounded, though the interest was a bit extreme. Aside from the birds, she was brave and true to her beliefs.

I really enjoyed Luke because he felt different to me. He was a strong man who never fell into lovey-dovey speeches so typical of romantic heroes.

My only qualm with this novel is the faith aspect. As a writer and Christian myself, it's my opinion that you either include faith in your story or you don't. I felt like Gist just shoved faith in at the very end to appease herself, not her readers. It felt very disingenuous.
Profile Image for Margaret Chind.
3,210 reviews268 followers
hardcopy-review-to-read
September 8, 2014
In the first scene I immediately took a liking to Georgie and her personality and was not overly fond of Luke, but then as the chapters next progressed with Georgie back in her own environment and Luke Palmer riding into town as the new Telephone Troubleman I was reversed in my feelings and loved Luke, but found Georgie a bit frustrating. It took me a long while longer to get back to enjoying this book as there was a good portion of it where I was bored and annoyed by the birds topic that was never ceasing. However, as more details came out and Luke's story continued it was once again the great witty form that I enjoy so much from Deeanne. She always has such strong feminist (in a good way) characters and that is one of the things that always makes her reads unique.

*Thanks to Bethany House Publishers and Deeanne for a copy for review.*

Originally posted: http://creativemadnessmama.com/blog/2...
Profile Image for Alysha (For The Love of Christian Fiction).
481 reviews436 followers
January 7, 2018
I loved the storyline for this book. An undercover Texas Ranger, yes please!

I enjoyed the dialogue and voices of the characters. There were many scenes that made me smile!

That being said there were a few scenes that made me a bit uncomfortable. LOTS of touching and kissing...
It was a bit excessive for this romance lovin’ chickadee.

There were a few ends that wrapped up too fast, and some that were left hanging in the wind. So I’m kinda hoping there’s a companion novel.

Over all I liked the book. I give it a 3.75/5 stars. Id recommend it, but I’d definitely watch who I gave it to.
Profile Image for Tina.
131 reviews
October 6, 2014
I loved this book and these characters. Ms. Gist is a wonderful storyteller and I didn't want to put this book down. I look forward to more from this author.
Profile Image for Çok okuyan .
82 reviews4 followers
December 17, 2022
Kitaba kaç puan vermem konusunda aşırı kararsız kaldım. Kitabın başlangıcı çok heyecanlıydı azılı Comer çetesinin yaptığı soygunun bulunduğu yerde Georgie’nin olması ve çetenin başındaki Frank Comer ile konuşmaları ve onun yakalanmamasını istemesi ile sanki onlar çerçevesinde ilerleyecek gibi hissederken soygun sırasında Teksas Eyaleti polisi Lucious gelmesi çetenin kaçması ve çetenin efsaneliğinden dolayı bir ipucu yardım alamaması ile ilk bölüm farklı bir şekilde bitiyor. Polis lucious çeteyi yakalamak için kimliğini gizleyerek Georgie’nin yanında çalışmaya başlar. Georgi telefon operatörü ve lucious da telefon şirketine bağlı bir eleman olarak yan yana çalışmaya başlarlar. Georgie döneminin güçlü ve bağımsız biri kadın ve lucious geldiği gibi işini elinden alma ve küstah davranışları ile tartışmalı bir şekilde iletişimleri başlıyor. Georgie kuşlarla ilgileniyor ve kitapta kuşlarla ilgili çokça detay var. Bazı sahnelerle bağdaşsa da bazen aşırı kuşlarla ilgili detaylar verildiği sahneler beni sıktı. Çeteyi yakalama kısmını sevmedim, çetenin liderinin kim olduğu kitabın ortasında çok belli oldu. Tahmin edilir bir sondu. Birkaç altını çizdiğim yerler var mesela Georgie’nin sinir oldu diye Lucious gözünün içine baka baka telefonda dedikosunu yapması, Georgie’nin kuşlar konusunda sinirlenince Lucious yakasına yapışması güldüğüm sahnelerdi ve evlenme teklifi içeren itirafı çeteyi yakaladıkları sırada yapması hoştu. Sevdim mi sevmedim mi konusunda kararsızım ama dili akıcıydı ve uzun zamandır reading slumptaydım, beni reading slumptan çıkardı diyebilirim.
Profile Image for Abigail McKenna.
904 reviews150 followers
February 26, 2025
every year, since I have no valentine of my own, I pick an unread book from my shelves and spend the holiday reading about fictional romance. this typically ends up being one of my favorite books of the year, or one of the worst I've ever read, but this year, the TBR threw me a curveball of "this book is absolutely mediocre" and that's a fun change, lol!

this book technically didn't do anything wrong, it just wasn't as For Me as I'd hoped it would be. I ended up more annoyed by Lucious than anything else, and quite frankly, he's not good enough for Georgie and doesn't seem all that interested in becoming good enough. Georgie, though, was the highlight of the story for me. she's young and passionate and devoted to her feathered friends, and I felt almost like I wanted to be her big sister and tell this man to back off, lol.

it's very readable, not too exciting or crazy, but I don't regret having read it, so huzzah for that! 3 stars from me!
Profile Image for Karen Baney.
Author 42 books448 followers
March 7, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. The only thing that contributed to the four star rating instead of a five star rating was the very long descriptions of bird watching. I listened to the audio version and skipped ahead by thirty seconds in three different places where the description of bird watching was overdone in my opinion.

Other than that, this was a very satisifying read. I especially liked the complexity of Luke/Lucius's character and how he grew throughout the story. Georgie was a fun character.

A true western romance with a touch of faith-based beliefs.

I would recommend this to fans of Christian Western Romance.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
1,439 reviews98 followers
August 25, 2017
I just love to curl up to a good Deeanne Gist book, don't you? This one was sweet and soooo romantic. Deeanne writes some of the best chemistry between characters that I've ever read. Loved and swooned over Luke and just fell in love with the little town. This was good and worth every minute of my time.
Profile Image for Jacqueline Davis.
Author 6 books10 followers
April 7, 2025
I love Gist’s books! They never fail to offer worlds that readers can hop in and live for a while. Full of rich detail and engaging characters, readers fell a part of the story. This one was fun and adventurous and sweet.
Profile Image for Lin.Ette.
47 reviews2 followers
April 24, 2022
Idk meer. Vast en zeker iets met liefde hehe (heksenlach)
Profile Image for Sunflower.
268 reviews42 followers
October 20, 2011
"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".



Profile Image for Sara ♥.
1,375 reviews144 followers
November 3, 2011
This book was really interesting, and I quite enjoyed it. I was a bit confused by the lack of religion in the book. I don't recall the main characters ever going to church or mentioning God or her beliefs in any depth whatsoever. I read all sorts of books and am not dependent on those elements at all, so I wasn't disappointed or anything, but it was a bit strange from Deeanne Gist.

Georgie Gail is a telephone switchboard operator in Brenham, Texas (which is just down the road from where we used to live!), but before the Blue Bell Ice Cream company was founded (Brenham is their HQ), which is SUPER sad for all of the characters! She's proud to not be dependent on a man for her survival!

Right at the beginning of the book, when Georgie is on her way to Brenham, her train is held up by a band of train robbers headed by Frank Comer, a famous train robber known as a sort of Robin Hood... Frank Comer gave some money to a widow woman on the train and left Georgie's money with her during the robbery. She's had a sort of crush on him ever since.

Lucious (LOO-SHUS) Landrum is a Texas Ranger, and he WILL track down and catch Frank Comer if it's the LAST thing he does. He's trying to do the right thing, but because people really love Comer, he's kind of made fun of for never being able to catch the bad guy, dressing really fancy-schmancy, and having two really nice guns that he's named Penelope and Odysseus. *snort* Nerd. Anyway, Comer's gang is hanging out SOMEWHERE in Washington County, TX (county seat: Brenham), and so he goes undercover as Luke Palmer, a telephone "troubleman": installing new phone lines, repairing phone lines, and essentially peddling telephone service around the area.

Georgie is ticked off that the telephone company has essentially sent a man to watch look over her shoulder, and Luke (Lucious) is like, "Crap... I'm never going to be able to concentrate on the job with this pretty woman around ALL THE TIME!"

Oh, and then there are the birds. Georgie is obsessed with birds. I was a little afraid I was gonna hate that part... and it was a bit much for me... But I saw her points, even if I wasn't right there with her. (I mean, sure, don't kill birds to decorate hats. That's CREEPY and GROSS! I'm totally with her on that. But I wouldn't be CRYING over it...)

Anyway, the story line gets a bit complicated, but suffice it to say, they fall in love, Luke eventually has to tell her who he really is, and he has to catch some bad guys. It was cute.

I DID want to say that I'm not sure HOW I didn't see the twist at the end coming, but I really didn't. It BLINDSIDED me... I was like, "You have got to be kidding... are you serious? For real?" That part was great... and the epilogue was TOO cute!
Profile Image for Wendy.
525 reviews23 followers
January 2, 2012
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.
Profile Image for Tima.
1,678 reviews128 followers
July 3, 2016
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.
Profile Image for Laura.
Author 39 books655 followers
November 25, 2011
Title: LOVE ON THE LINE
Author: Deeanne Gist
Publisher: Bethany House
October 2011
ISBN: 978-0764204098
Genre: Inspirational/historical/romance

Georgie Gail is a rural switchboard operator, and proud of her independence. She may live in a man’s world, but she does a man’s job…or at least she did, until the telephone company sends out Luke Palmer to look over her shoulder.

Luke Palmer is more than just an employee of the telephone company. He is a Texas Ranger, sent there to apprehend a notorious gang of train robbers. Repairing telephones and tangling with the tempestuous telephone operator is the last thing he wants to do.

But when his stake-out puts Georgie in peril, he realizes more than his job is one the line.

LOVE ON THE LINE is the latest high-powered romance by bestselling author, Deeanne Gist. I have read almost all her books and have loved almost all of them, including this one. I absolutely love the tension between the hero and heroine.

Georgie and Luke don’t exactly make good impressions on each other on their first meeting…nor the second or the third. Readers will root for this unlikely hero and heroine. Be prepared for some unexpected surprises. The author’s note at the end of the book is interesting as well. $14.99. 368 pages.
Profile Image for Angela Bycroft.
148 reviews28 followers
July 1, 2012


I really enjoyed Love On The Line. Starting off with a great promise of a fun roller coster of a love tale with a telephone operator and a Texas Ranger. But it is so much more than that - Georgie is the aforementioned switchboard operator and Lucius Laudrum is the ranger but their first meeting isn't one to remember. It involves Gerogie being involved in a train heist and feeling more sympathy for the robber than that of the lawmaker.
Their next meeting is with Lucius posing as Luke Palmer - a linesman for the phone company or Troubleman.
The rest of the tale takes us on a fun ride of these two never really figuring each other out - especially Georgie. And it's a fun ride.
On a negative side -Geogie's personality can grate sometimes. Her almost obsessive compulsion around birds and understandably the use of those precious friends as decoration for ladies hats. While commendable it did become a little irritating as the story progressed.
Gladly the story does wind it up a gear as we neared the conclusion and it had just enough twists and turns to keep my attention. In the whole, a delightful story which will gladly full a dull afternoon with no trouble at all.
Profile Image for Anne Osterlund.
Author 5 books5,391 followers
March 9, 2012
Georgie is a “hello girl,” the sole switchboard telephone operator in a small Texas town circa 1900. She knows who’s sparking who, who’s playing what role in the local theater, and who’s listening in on party lines.

Luke (aka Lucious) Palmer is a Texas ranger with a giant chip on his shoulder. In the form of a local outlaw that keeps giving him the slip. Luke has no choice but to go undercover. As a telephone troubleman—a man hired to string wire and fix the phone lines in a town that already has an operator.

An operator who has made it very clear she doesn’t care for his help. An operator that chases cats with a broom, has a clear a passion for songbirds, and looks like pure sunshine in her yellow dress.

Life as a Texas ranger is about to get FAR more complicated.

Georgie is a classic Deeanne Gist heroine. Her crusade for the songbirds of the local town is at times quirky, laugh-out-loud hilarious, and absolutely genuine. And poor Luke—totally out of his element in the overalls of a telephone troubleman—is equally entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 468 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.