Thank you to Giselle from Xpresso Blog Tours for my post on the blog tour for this fascinating book. With two aunts and a sister-in-law working in engineering, I was immediately drawn to the description. There is a need for this kind of realistic romance and it is my pleasure to present this novel in today's post. Synopsis: Andrea is an ordinary girl in an extraordinary situation. She left her comfortable home and family to take a job building a pipeline with her estranged grandpa, Buck. She’s curious about his job, and why her mother dislikes the man. She didn’t expect to uncover buried family secrets, or for the job to be so difficult. Rooster isn’t a bad guy. He respects women; he was raised by one of the best. But that new girl on the job is too small and feminine. She’s a distraction, plain and simple, and she doesn’t belong on a pipeline. This job is his chance to impress Buck Brennan, a pipeline legend, and no girly greenhorn is going to ruin it for him. Will Andrea prove herself to her grandfather and forge a relationship with the old man, or will continuous disagreements and unexpected sexual tension between Andrea and Rooster derail their hard work? Title: Love on the Line Author: Kirsten Fullmer Series: Women at Work #1 Publication date: June 14th 2017 Genres: Coming of Age, New Adult, Romance, Young Adult Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35440465-love-on-the-line Purchase: Amazon: https://amzn.to/2x8yECu Review: Andrea, a recent graduate in Communications, is offered a job as an engineering assistant on a pipeline. Here is her chance to work with and get to know her estranged grandfather Buck Brennan. At first, Andy feels very much out of place on the site. Everything is new and strange: the protective clothing which doesn't come in any size smaller than extra large, engineering equipment, cold, mud, miles and miles to walk, and above all, the attitude of her male co-workers, who seem to mostly ignore her. The work is gruelling, but quiet and introverted Andy perseveres and gradually discovers its liberating beauty, the beauty of doing something hard and worthwhile successfully. She also learns more about her kind, supportive and patient grandfather, and makes up her own mind about what really happened to create the long-standing conflict between him and her mother. Kirsten Fullmer doesn't tell, she shows. Starting from Andy's too new boots and hunched shoulders through the hardened blisters and 'the reverse racoon' tan of her workmates who have to wear protective googles, we experience Andy's feelings, her curiosity, tiredness, irritation, joy and satisfaction of a well-done job. When we meet a pipe tie-in foreman Rooster, we know by the way he cares about punctuality and his attention to safety that he is a strong and dependable man. He is confident enough not to shun the 'cute engineering girl ', but to speak to her as he would to any 'greenhorn'. Unfortunately, he also thinks Andy is too small for most jobs, won't last long and is a distraction for his men workers, which may cause accidents. Sexist? Undoubtfully. Gradually, Andy's hard work, determination and ability to stand up for herself make him see things in a different light. Yes, giving her a pipe tailing job was a mistake as she is too short (it's not about her gender), but the way she is there to help when necessary shows that she is a team worker and good engineer and Rooster gives credit where it is due. Both Andy and Rooster change and develop and their growing attraction isn't that surprising. They have a shared experience and deeper understanding of what it's really like to work on the pipeline. Their romance is slow-slow-slow-unbearably slow burn, so be prepared to wait. There are pros and cons of having a relationship with somebody you work. On one hand, yes, it can be difficult and tiring to guard yourself mentally against possible distractions. On the other hand, there is a deep connection when work is that consuming. They also come from very different backgrounds: Andy's always led a sheltered, priveleged life, while Rooster grew up with the constant fear of being homeless, which explains his need to prove himself to Buck and secure better jobs in this uncertain career. I was amazed by the level of realistic detail in describing the pipelining world. I learnt a lot: from profiling, throwing skids, building cribs and tie-ins to the final stages of closing the site. The book made me think hard about what it is like to work in a field that is so dominated by one gender. Pressures to prove yourself, do your best and avoid doing anything that can be misconstrued or seen as a weakness. Love on the Line is a mix of romance and coming of age genres. Andy does a lot of growing up and coming into herself in this book. I would have loved to see an epilogue for a number of reasons. Firstly, the resolution of grandfather-mother conflict seemed a bit too quick, and, secondly, a die-hard romantic in me wants to see how Andy and Rooster's relationship works out. Thank you to the author and Xpresso Book Tours for my copy and an opportunity to participate in this tour. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way. About the author: Kirsten is a dreamer with an eye for art and design. She worked in the engineering field, taught college, and consulted free lance. Due to health problems, she retired in 2012 to travel with her husband. They live and work full time in a 40' travel trailer with their little dog Bingo. Besides writing romance novels, she enjoys selling art on Etsy and spoiling their three grandchildren.
As a writer, Kirsten's goal is to create strong female characters who face challenging, painful, and sometimes comical situations. She believes that the best way to deal with struggle, is through friendship and women helping women. She knows good stories are based on interesting and relatable characters. Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Goodreads Comments are closed.
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