Review: Book Two needs book one and three to get the feel of the overall story line
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 21, 2014
Mona Hodgson writes a heartwarming tale where community means giving each other a helping hand when needed. The setting for this book is a small town in Missouri just a few months after the end of the Civil War. Nearly every family in the area was touched by the war in some way. Some had lost family members; some had family return either wounded physically or emotionally.Corporal Quaid McFarland was one of the fortunate sons who returned intact. He was happy to be back, working in the family's business, hauling freight. He had served in the same regiment as Rutherford Wainwright, known to his friends as Wooly. On the harvest day at the Brantenberg's farm, Wooly introduced Quaid to his fiance, Maren. Much of the local community had turned out to help with the widow's harvest including a former schoolmate whom Quaid remembered--Emilie Heinrich. Book two of the Quilted Heart trilogy is Quaid and Emilie's story.Emilie's father owned Heinrich's Dry Goods and Grocery in town. He was known for his kindness toward many of the struggling families in the area. Emilie was all the family he had left, and he wanted the best for his little girl. He encouraged her to attend the university for women and frowned on her association with Quaid because he was only a teamster. Emilie was surprised and dismayed at her father's attitude.Johann Heinrich noticed Quaid's interest in his daughter, so one day he confronted him and asked him not to encourage Emilie's affections. Quaid respected the elderly man's request, to Emilie's distress. All she could do was pray for her father's change of heart because she cared for Quaid.This second novella also continues to develop the life stories of the other members of the quilting club which met every Thursday, hosted by Mrs. Brantenberg in her home. The club was the social event for women in the area to get together and share news and gossip. It also doubled as a Bible study where hearts that were raw and bruised found solace in the widow's kindness and spiritual wisdom. The members supported and prayed for one another.Besides being a charming romance, this book showcases the author's skill in creating a feeling of community and closeness. I found it easy to care for its members. The relationships were warm and realistic. I could easily imagine them as friends. If you enjoy a cozy read where friendship is a central theme, then I think you will enjoy this novella.Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from Blogging for Books on behalf of Waterbrook Press. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”