For Love of Eli

Title: FOR LOVE OF ELI

Author: Loree Lough

Publisher: Abingdon Press

February 2013

ISBN: 978-1-4267-5250-6

Genre: Contemporary

Can pieces of the past bring healing and forgiveness?

When unspeakable tragedy leaves young Eli an orphan, two families are devastated. But Taylor, Eli’s aunt and legal guardian, vows to help him remember his parents by creating a Memory Quilt. As she begins piecing together the moments of his parents' lives, the story of the young family emerges and Taylor and Eli begin to heal.

But Eli’s uncle Reece is slow to let go of the past and still blames Taylor’s brother for his sister’s death. So, although he has long been attracted to Taylor, Reece keeps a safe distance away. Can their shared love for Eli pave the way to forgiveness or will Taylor and Reece be separated by pain?

FOR LOVE OF ELI is part of Abingdon Press’ Quilts of Love series. I’m not sure what number this book is in the collection, but they are all stand-alone, written by different authors.

The story is sweet—a romance between two unlikely people, a gypsy-ish heroine who does it all, and a pediatrician doctor who loves his nephew and tries to be active in his life. Both have baggage to work through. Taylor lost her husband to cancer, and Reece lost his wife to divorce, but they were brought together by the death of her brother and his sister—who were married—and the parents of Eli. 

The quilt is the main focus of this book, so we didn’t see much of the romance. But it is still a cute story.  Discussion questions are included at the end of the book. 4 stars. $12.99. 240 pages.