"A Stitch in Crime"

Cathy Elliot

Thea James runs an antique store in Larkindale, so she thought co-sharing the town's first quilt show would be easy.  But she didn't foresee the many unpredictable events.  Such as someone attacking one of the judges and stealing her diamond brooch.  An antique heirloom quilt is stolen from under a locked glass display case.  Another judge is missing and those supposed to be helping Thea are no help at all.

Plus Thea's best friend from childhood has suddenly turned against her.  What more can go wrong?  Can Thea pull everything thing back together?  

*****************************************

An interesting book, but hard to get into at first.  A first rate mystery with only a touch of romance.

Read more about the book here.

I RECEIVED THIS FREE COMPLIMENTARY BOOK FROM LITFUSE FOR REVIEW PURPOSES.

 

"Masterpiece Marriage"

Gina Welborn

Mary has always had a problem standing up for herself.  She wants to be a research assistant for the Virginia Agricultural Extension Office.  But she is a woman.  The time is 1891, when a woman doesn't do that.  She needs drawings to illustrate her research on tomatoes, which she hope will enable her to obtain the position.  But she doesn't draw.   

While house-sitting, she discovers her neighbor draws.  So she works a trade, the drawings in exchange for Mary working on a bridal quilt.  Maris is okay with the trade, until her neighbor's nephew comes in to the picture.  He wants to take away his aunt's time to work on a quilt pattern, which he hopes will save his textile business.  His aunt compromises and agrees to work on both projects.  What she really might be up to is matchmaking.  But not between Mary and her nephew Zenus.  

What will happen when Mary's father gives the position to someone else?  What do Mary and Zenus do about the feelings that have developed between them?  Aunt Priscilla pulls some strings and gets Mary accepted to John Hopkins doctorate program.  But what happens to Zenus.  Will they ever see each other again?

**************************************

This book contained some unusual twists and turns, which were sometimes hard to follow.  On the other hand, when you think you had a plot figured out, such as Aunt Priscilla's matchmaking, things don't turn out how you expected.  The plot twists and turns make this book interesting and keeps you guessing.

I liked the fact that the scripture was taken from the King James Bible.  

Read more about the book here.

I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY BOOK FROM LITFUSE FOR REVIEW PURPOSES.

 

"Swept Away"

Laura V. Hilton & Cindy Loven

Sara Jane Morgan has her hands full trying to keep track of her feisty grandmother.  Her grandmother has a mind of her own including trying to get Sara Jane married.  She tries to set her up with a rugged looking handyman, who also makes brooms. But Sara Jane doesn't like the looks of the unkempt man, who needs both a haircut and a shave.  So she is very rude to him.  Drew takes one look at Sara Jane and takes her for a stuck up snob.  Both have a lot to learn.

They both learn that the other is not what they seem.  Sara also learns that her grandmother is having some health issues which frighten her.  When Sara begins to fall for Drew, she can't understand why he doesn't respond to her flirting.  Also, Sara and her grandmother think that attending Church is all you need to do to get to Heaven.  But when a life threatening accident occurs will Sara and Grandma realize that Jesus is the only way?   What happens to Drew and Sara?  Does Sara finally get Drew's attention?

***********************************************

I enjoyed this book.  It could have been better if the King James Bible had been used instead of what was used, some book that I never heard of.  The salvation verse was correct and that is important.

Read more about this book here.

I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY BOOK FROM LITFUSE FOR REVIEW PURPOSES.

 

"Quilted by Christmas"

Jodie Bailey

High school sweethearts Taryn and Justin, at one time were inseparable.  They had this big argument in which Justin claims Taryn was a manipulator, only wanting what pleased her.  Justin leaves to join the army and Taryn vows to never love again.

Taryn decides to become completely independent and pours herself into teaching high school and helping her Grandma Jemma.  Then Justin returns home to help his father and Grandma Jemma's health takes a turn for the worse.  Taryn needs help.  Justin is there to help shoulder the burden.  But Taryn can't forget their last words that they had with each other.  What would Justin do if he knew Taryn's closely guarded secret?  

Can Justin forgive Taryn for what she has done?  More importantly can Taryn accept the fact that God has forgiven her and accept this unconditional love?

*********************************************

The thing I enjoyed the most about this book was being reminded of God's forgiveness.  No matter what we do we can always seek His love and forgiveness, and know He is ready and waiting to give it.

Read more about the book here. 

I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY BOOK FROM LITFUSE FOR REVIEW PURPOSES.

 

"Hidden In The Stars"

Robin Caroll

Sophia Montgomery has just made the Olympic Gymnastics team.   But while visiting her mother, they are attacked.  Sophia loses her mother and her ability to speak.  She can identify the attackers, but she doesn't know what they were after.

While in the hospital, Sophia gets an unexpected visitor, her grandmother.  The grandmother she thought was dead.

Detective Julian Frazier, is determined to solve the case.  But he's distracted by the pull Sophia has on his heart and his own questions about why God would allow this senseless violence.  Because of this, Julian misses an important clue right in front of him.

Will he be able to save Sophia or will the murderer silence her forever?

*********************************************

A good mystery read without all of the gory details.  This book was written with just a hint of romance to keep it interesting.

Read more about the book here. 

I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY BOOK FROM LITFUSE FOR REVIEW PURPOSES. 

 

"A Grand Design"

Amber Stockton

Alyssa Denham enters a contest in a bridal magazine on a dare & wins an ideal honeymoon trip, except she's not even dating anyone.  So she takes her best friend, Libby.  The trip is to Mackinac Island.  Alyssa is no stranger to the island for that is where her grandmother resides and she had been spending her vacation their until her father passed away.  But that is not the real reason she stopped going to the island.  Her grandmother also has plans for her & Libby to help her finish a friendship quilt started years ago.  Grandma also has ulterior motives & hires handsome Scott Whitman to be her carriage driver.  But can Alyssa forget the past so she can embrace the future?  Can she trust God to heal her fractured heart? 

*****************************************************

I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of Mackinac Island as I have always wanted to visit there.  Very well written.

Read more about the book here.

I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY BOOK FROM LITFUSE ONLINE FREE.

 

"Rival Hearts"

Tara Randel

Molly Henderson and Ben Weaver are rival magazine editors, but they work for the same publisher.  Molly is in charge of a magazine she designed called, "Quilter's Hearts".  Ben is responsible for "Outdoor Adventures.  Their boss, who possesses an unorthodox style of management, comes up with a competition between Molly and Ben.  The winner will be the editor of his newest magazine called, "American Legend".  The competition is to have Molly and Ben enter each others world.  Molly must learn to kayak and Ben to quilt.  Ben has to produce a well-made finished product and Molly a kayaking competition.  Molly is not the outdoorsy type and believes her seniority at the magazine should speak for itself.  Things get a little sneaky and underhanded as the competition heats up.  

Who will come out as the winner?  And will they give in to their attraction and fall in love?  Or is a position more important? 

**************************************************

"Rival Hearts is a different kind of book, but a different good.  It tells us a great deal of Molly's adventures when she was kayaking, but leaves us in the dark about Ben's try at quilting.  I was pleased with the unusual twist at the end.

Read more about the book here. 

I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY BOOK FROM LITFUSE FOR REVIEW PURPOSES.

 

"A Stitch and a Prayer"

Eva Gibson

A young bride finds herself alone in the Oregon mountains.  Her husband left her a not saying that he would return and that she needed to trust him.  But how is she going face being alone with a mountain lion stalking about and strangers on the mountain?   In addition, she is exception and things aren't going well, so she is confined to bed.  To keep her occupied, her aunt decides to teach her to quilt.  Each stitch becomes a prayer for her husband to return and her unborn baby to be healthy.

*****************************************

There was not much attention-getting episodes. Sometimes I had to read a passage again to try to understand what was being said.  

Read more about the book here.

 I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY BOOK FROM LITFUSE FOR REVIEW PURPOSES.

 

"A Promise in Pieces"

Emily T. Wierenga

This book goes back in time to WWII as Clara remembers her past.   She share with her grandchildren how  she ran away from her strict Pastor father's home to join the WAC's and care for the wounded soldiers.

After the war is over she returned home to talk to a young wisdom whose husband she nursed as a he lay dying.  The grief stricken wife gives her a quilt as a thank you for taking care of her husband.  The quilt becomes a healing quilt with many promises stitched into it and the young widow becomes her best friend.  

But can she make her own family understand the significance of the quilt?

*******************************************************

This was a very sad & poignant story which would switch back & forth between 1943 & 2000. I believe it made a very good point that grandchildren should listen to their grandparents and even their parents, of their part they had in history.

I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY BOOK FROM LITFUSE FOR REVIEW PURPOSES.

Read more about the book here.

 

"Maybelle In Stitches"

Joyce Magnin

Maybelle has a lot on her.  Her newlywed husband is overseas fighting in WWII.  She is staying with her mother, who runs a boarding house while, Maybelle works as a welder building warships.  But when her mom unexpectedly passes away, the boarding house becomes her responsibility.

While cleaning out her mother's closet, she finds her Christmas present, a quilt her mother is making using scraps from days gone by.  The quilt becomes a life line for Maybelle, as she struggles to finish it, her husband is reported missing in action. 

Will he come back and if he does will be a whole person?

 *************************************************************

I enjoyed this book very much, as my Mother is learning to quilt herself.  Quilts tell a story of a family and it's heritage.


I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY BOOK FROM LITFUSE FOR REVIEW PURPOSES.

 

"A Sky Without Stars"

Linda S. Clare

This story tells how hard it is for a single mother to raise a boy into a man.  But this task is even harder for Frankie because she has to raise her son to also revere her Indian heritage, in a white man's world.

The local authorities seem to have it in for Frankie and her son because they are Indian.  Frankie's pride and determination carry her through.  She just needs to instill these characteristics into her young son.  She tries to do this through a quilt, which tells the story of their Lakota heritage.  Herald, her son, doesn't seem to be getting the lesson and runs away.  Frankie refuses to call the police because of her pride.

Will she ever see Harold again?

***********************************************

I enjoyed this book very much.  It taught the lesson that you can't convict people of wrong doing, just because of who they are.  The part that frustrated me was Frankie's failure to do every thing she could to find her 11-year old son.  It came across as if pride was more important to her then Herald.

I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY BOOK FROM LITFUSE FOR REVIEW PURPOSES.

Read more about the book here.

 

"Scraps of Evidence"

Barbara Cameron

Tess' Aunt Susan is her only living relative.  Her mother passed away several years ago.  Susan, having taught Tess how to quilt, has instilled in her a love for the craft, but Tess has another interest besides quilting.  She is a police detective.  She became interested in being a detective when her best friend was killed the night of their senior prom.  

Tess is working with a new partner from Chicago when they are called to investigate a homicide.  There are many striking similarities between this case and her friends' death, including a mark on the nape of the neck.  But that's not all of Tess' concerns.  Her aunt seems to be having a lot of "accidents" lately.  Aunt Susan says she's just clumsy, but Tess is concerned about her uncle's lack of concern.  Susan's husband also happens to be the assistant to the Chief of Police.

****************************************************

I enjoyed the mystery part of the story and it was unique how the author used the quilt to solve the mystery.  I didn't enjoy the precise details of the murders.  

This story has a surprising twist.

Read more about this book here.

I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY BOOK FROM LITFUSE FOR REVIEW PURPOSES.