Saturday, November 8, 2014

Quilted by Christmas


Quilts of Love Quilted by Christmas Jodie Bailey


Book Info and Review
About Quilts of Love: Quilts tell stories of love and loss, hope and faith, tradition and new beginnings. TheQuilts of Love series focuses on the women who quilted all of these things into their family histories. A new book releases each month and features contemporary and historical romances as well as women's fiction and the occasional light mystery. You will be drawn into the endearing characters of this series and be touched by their stories.

About the book: 

A grandmother's last wish is to communicate God's love through an Irish chain quilt.

Taryn McKenna believes she's easy to forget. Abandoned by her parents and left behind when her high school sweetheart joined the army, she vows to never love again and throws herself into her love for the outdoors and the pursuit of a college degree---something no one else in her family has ever accomplished. Her goal, as a young teacher in the hills of North Carolina, is to leave a legacy in the lives of the middle-schoolers she teaches.

When Taryn's grandmother Jemma, the only other person who ever held her close, has a heart attack that reveals a fatal medical condition, Taryn is corralled into helping Grandma work on a final project---an Irish chain quilt that tells the story of her history and the love Jemma knows is out there for Taryn. As the pieces of the quilt come together, Taryn begins to see her value. Can she learn to believe that God will never leave her behind even though others have?

My thoughts: QUILTED BY CHRISTMAS is the first book I've read by Ms Bailey. Taryn deals with a lot of issues, fed by lies, and even though her grandma loves her, she has fed the lies, keeping them alive. The story is well-written, engaging, even though I never fully connected with the characters.

When the quilt planned for Taryn’s cousin is destroyed, Taryn finds another quilt started and unfinished in the attic. Taryn starts it, helped by her ex-boyfriend, Justin, who is getting acquainted with his feminine side. I could see the end coming full speed right at the broadside of the barn, and sure enough, it hit. Head on. The issues are not resolved to this reader’s satisfaction by the end of the book, leaving me sad. However, there is a hint, that maybe, with some time, tender-loving care, and God’s grace things might work out.


If you are looking for a Christmas romance with a quilt in the story line, pick up QUILTED BY CHRISTMAS. It was a good, quick read.  There were some laugh out loud moments, lots of humor. Available in ebook and in paperback. 240 pages. 


Learn more about this book and the series at the Quilts of Love website.

About the Author: 

Jodie Bailey is Tarheel born and bred. After 15 years as a military spouse, she settled with her family back in North Carolina. She is the author of the military suspense novel Freefall and is a contributor to a devotional for military families, Fighting Fear: Winning the War at Home. While not working on her next novel, she teaches middle-schoolers to love writing as much as she does.

Connect with Jodie: websiteFacebookTwitter

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1 comment:

Judy said...

Great review Laura! I have this book and I can't wait to read it!

Blessings!
Judy B

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