A Stitch and a Prayer by Eva Gibson

About Quilts of Love: Quilts tell stories of love and loss, hope and faith, tradition and new beginnings. The Quilts 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 quilt becomes a labor of love for a lonely wife mysteriously separated from her young husband.

After her fiancé returns from the Klondike gold rush in 1897, Florence Harms sets about building a new life in her new marriage---even though the lingering effects of illness have left her weak and vulnerable. She and her young husband, Will, work tirelessly to clear the land around their Northwest cabin, content with their modest life.

But then a stranger comes knocking and Florence suddenly senses a restlessness in Will's spirit that she had never seen before. When he leaves her with only a note that tells her he will return before their baby's birth, she is devastated, and the illness that stiffened her joints returns. Counting the days until Will walks back through her door, Florence busies herself with a Tree of Life quilt displaying a map of the farm they call home. Doubts claw at her heart as Florence struggles to believe Will's promise to return to her. Will her labor of love-and faith in God---sustain her as she waits to see her beloved once again?

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

Eva Gibson is the author of twenty books, including The Gift of Forgiveness and The Three Marys. She currently teaches "writing your life story" classes for Portland Community College and is an active member of Oregon Christian Writers. She has lived most of her life on the family farm in Wilsonville, Oregon, which is the setting for A Stitch and a Prayer.

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My Thoughts: 
I love quilts and the fact that each truly does tell a story intrigues me. Always has. This short novel, was a quick read. There were times I thought Florence seemed a little childish, but who isn't in their first year of marriage, right? I did like how her faith in God grew and how she started learning to trust Him to take care of her rather than focus solely on her husband for comfort. I was more than a little irritated that Will left her - pregnant and living alone - with just a note and no explanation. As a wife without an illness like Florence's, I'd be beside myself with worry and stress and probably less forgiving than she was at his return.

There were times I wondered if this was part of a series and I got the second book by mistake. I did have a hard time connecting with the characters. It felt the story was rushed and they weren't as developed as they could have been.

Overall, I did like the faith aspect of this story.
*My thanks to the publisher and LitFuse for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not required it be positive.*