Crossed Lines

Delamere delivers a charming adaptation of the Cyrano de Bergerac story in the enjoyable second installment to her Love Along the Wires series (after Line by Line). In 1881 London, Mitchell Harris, his best friend Christopher Newman, and Emma Sutton all work at the Central Telegraph Office. Both men are enamored of Emma, and when it becomes clear Emma is interested in Christopher, Mitchell agrees to help him woo her. Mitchell, who has a prosthetic foot, figures she wouldn’t be interested in him anyway, but his romantic way with words helps Christopher win Emma’s heart via love letters. As Christopher struggles to keep up the facade in person, Mitchell and Emma become good friends, and after Emma develops feelings for Mitchell, she turns to God for direction. But when she discovers the truth about their ploy, will she be able to forgive the deception and have a future with the man she truly loves? Mitchell and Christopher’s friendship offers plenty of insightful conversations about the nature of authenticity and humorous moments of misunderstanding as they try to win Emma over. This delightful romance will appeal to fans of Julie Klassen. (Aug.)