Published by Amazon Publishing on November 2018
Genres: Fiction, Action & Adventure, Historical, General, Romance
Pages: 368
Format: eBook
Goodreads
"A moving tale of female solidarity and courage." --Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network
December 1917. As World War I rages in Europe, twenty-four-year-old Ruby Wagner, the jewel in a prominent Philadelphia family, prepares for her upcoming wedding to a society scion. Like her life so far, it's all been carefully arranged. But when her beloved older brother is killed in combat, Ruby follows her heart and answers the Army Signal Corps' call for women operators to help overseas.
As one of the trailblazing "Hello Girls" deployed to war-torn France, Ruby must find her place in the military strata, fight for authority and respect among the Allied soldiers, and work to secure a victory for the cause. But balancing service to country is complicated further by a burgeoning relationship with army medic Andrew Carrigan.
What begins as a friendship forged on the front lines soon blossoms into something more, forcing Ruby to choose between the conventions of a well-ordered life back home, and the risk of an unknown future.
I was lucky enough to win a copy of Aimie K. Runyan’s Girls on the Line from a Goodreads Giveaway. I am thrilled to say that I have found another favorite author in the historical fiction genre and I highly recommend reading this if you have an interest in the Hello Girls of WWI.
I only have a basic understanding of the role women played in World War I and after reading about the author’s desire to shine a spotlight on the bravery of women like the Hello Girls, I find myself wishing I had learned more about them during school.
Within the first few chapters, Ms. Runyan’s beautiful writing transports the reader back in time where we are introduced to Ruby Wagner, a young Philadelphia woman that belongs to a prominent family. After her brother dies, a devastated Ms. Wagner answers the Army Signal Corps’ call to duty and offers her skills as an operator overseas. The novel’s fast pace made it seem as though it was written to describe snapshots in a photo album. We follow Ruby and her fellow operators through their testing, training, and eventually to war-torn France where they work alongside Allied soldiers and adjust to life near the frontlines.
The friendships and relationships that were forged were a true delight to read. I adored Ruby and Margot. Their friendship was so heartwarming and their teasing made me laugh out loud several times.
“I’ve rarely seen someone so intimate with their thoughts.”
“What a lovely way of saying ‘brooding.’”
Still makes me chuckle when I think about it. Margot is a treasure. Additionally, I appreciated that the burgeoning relationship between Andrew and Ruby didn’t take over the story arc. In fact, as time went on it felt like their conversations and interactions really helped highlight the toll war has on both active participants and victims of circumstance and locality. Extending the story beyond the end of WWI gave us a glimpse at the efforts that go into restoring war-torn areas.
This book was so tough to put down and at the end, I decided that it will definitely be going on my list of favorite books! I will be keeping an eye on Runyan’s future work as well. I adore books that highlight realistic, strong female characters and it seems like Runyan plans to continue in this vein for a while yet.
About Aimie K Runyan
Aimie K. Runyan writes to celebrate history’s unsung heroines. She is the author of two previous historical novels: Promised to the Crown and Duty to the Crown. She is active as an educator and speaker in the writing community and beyond. She lives in Colorado with her wonderful husband and two (usually) adorable children.
