Tuesday, November 26, 2013

The Christmas Quilt {a LitFuse Book Review}

I've recently had the chance to read The Christmas Quilt, by Vannetta Chapman. This book is part of the Quilts of Love series.  I reviewed another book from that series, Aloha Rose recently, and Tempest's Course arrived in the mail today, so that review will be coming in December.

The idea behind this series is that quilts have stories to tell, and the various authors are bringing together a variety of stories, whether women's fiction, historical romance, mystery, or (as in the case of this book) a contemporary romance.

I love quilts, though I've never spent a lot of time thinking about the story that any of ours tell.  So a chance to do some light reading this fall, with stories that have quilts as key parts of the story, well, that intrigued me.

From the publisher:
Annie's life is deliciously full as the Christmas season approaches. She helps her husband, Samuel, attend to the community's minor medical needs. She occasionally assists Belinda, the local midwife, and most days, she finds herself delivering the buggy to her brother Adam. Annie's sister-in-law Leah is due to deliver their first child before Christmas morning, and Annie is determined to finish a crib quilt before the boppli arrives. With six weeks to go, she should have no problem . . . but God may have a different plan. Leah is rushed to the English hospital when the infant arrives early, and Annie discovers the Christmas quilt may hold a far greater significance than she ever imagined.
My thoughts:  Honestly, I'm a bit tired of Amish fiction, and I hadn't quite grasped that was what I was getting here.  That meant I went into this book with not-the-best-attitude. 

Then I had a hard time keeping all of the people straight in the first 3-4 chapters.  This story involves a lot of different people, more than just the five mentioned in the blurb above.  I was wishing I had jotted down notes.

Once I got a bit further, and especially once I got into some of the pregnancy problems, pre-term labor, and preemie issues, I was a lot more interested in the story line.  Itty-bitty babies have a special place in my heart.  I have to add that some of the medical stuff felt a little off to me, but wow, did Chapman nail some of the conflicting anxiety that is a part of trying to make that baby (or those babies, in Leah's case) stay put, and then the roller-coaster of NICU.

It was really a nice read, especially the way faith was woven into all the various storylines.  Once I reached a point around the fifth chapter, I did not want to put it down.



In honor of their new Quilts of Love releases, The Christmas Quilt and Aloha Rose, authors Vannetta Chapman and Lisa Carter are gearing up to ring in the Christmas season with a Kindle Fire HDX giveaway and a "Christmas Bee" Facebook Party on December 10th with fellow Quilts of Love author Lynette Sowell!

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One winner will receive:
  • A Kindle Fire HDX
  • The Christmas Quilt by Vannetta Chapman
  • Aloha Rose by Lisa Carter
Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on November 30th. Winner will be announced at the "Christmas Bee" Facebook Party on December 10th. Connect with the authors from the Quilts of Love series, Vannetta Chapman, Lisa Carter, and Lynette Sowell, for an evening of book chat, quilt trivia, Christmas traditions and gifts, PLUS get an exclusive look at January's Quilts of Love book!

So grab your copies of The Christmas Quilt and Aloha Rose and join Vannetta, Lisa, and Lynette on the evening of December 10th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the books, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today by clicking JOIN at the event page. Spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway and party via FACEBOOK or TWITTER. Hope to see you on December 10th!

 


Disclaimer:  I received this book through LitFuse Blog Tour.  No other compensation was received.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own.   


1 comment:

Vannetta Chapman said...

Thank you for your review! So glad you enjoyed it!