As June's wedding approaches, she becomes more and more uncertain of her future.  Trying to escape, she runs away to her grandparents house, into the arms of her Grandmother Ellen.  Ellen tells June the story of Nell, a woman who ran away from the alter three times and the doubts and fears that Nell had.

I found the stories about Nell way more interesting than the present day saga with June.  I think the book would have been much better if the author skipped the present day entirely.  Despite this, it was well written and engaging.  3 out of 4 stars.

The Patchwork Bride

A Novel

Sandra Dallas

St. Martin’s Press

Release date June 5, 2018

304 pages, Kindle, Hardcover, Audiobook

Historical Romance, Women’s Lit, Fiction

✭✭✭✭✭

ARC provided by publisher, NetGalley

The cover is simple and lovely. So suitable for this heartwarming story and its many moments that pull at the heartstrings. It tells you that the story is about love, not just once but more than once. And that the love or loves don’t have a smooth path to tread, but that there is a coming together at some point for someone, a mending of the heart. That’s what that simple embroidered heart tells you.

The story is complex and engaging. It’s a story within a story told by a grandmother to her upset, almost-a-bride granddaughter. A story of several loves, of several almost weddings, and of the final mending of hearts, of love.

The characters are so well written that you feel like you know them all. Nell sitting on her porch waiting for Buddy to return, June who’s just called off her wedding, and all the people in her stories like Ellen, Ben, and Emily. Ellen’s argument with Ben was so real, just as two really upset people would fight it out from the heart. And the weird conversation with Emily, the other wife, before the chickens got into the poisoned cake and died. Then the ending when she reveals the rest of the story to June and why it was so important to have a wedding for this bride.

The pace was perfect. The author went with the events and let them set the pace. Falling in love was slower than running out and off to the next place or the breakup fights. Each part had its own sort of tension, but it all built a bit as each story was another canceled wedding, and it really didn’t release until the whole story was shared at the end. Then June’s plans sort of tied things up for a nice ending. It also sets it up for a sequel!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will reread it. It’s perfect for a hot summer day or a cool fall weekend or even a snowed-in winter day! This is one of those books that you could read anytime and really enjoy it. I can’t recommend it to homey historical romance readers enough.

Highly recommended.

I have always been a fan of Sandra Dallas’s books, and The Patchwork Bride didn’t disappoint. The flashbacks to Nell’s stories were engaging, and I loved the parallels to her granddaughter’s situation. Throw in a quilting theme, and I was more than pleased. All in all, a satisfying read.

Very charming, beautifully written, historical romance, I very much enjoyed it. Thank you publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

Sadly this was a DNF for me.  I have read and enjoyed other books by Sandra Dallas but this one was just so slow moving and to be honest I grew bored with the story. I tried several times to finish it but it just wasn't for me.

Since I did not finish the book I will not post a review publicly as this would not be fair to the author, there may be a bang up ending that I didn't get to.

Thanks for the opportunity to review this novel, I'm sure it will find it's audience

Very much a book of time and place, a lighter, quiet read. Stories within a story as a grandmother tells her granddaughter of times past. Times when women had little choice but to marry, a journey of the heart spanning over fifty years. I have liked this authors books in the past, but this one wasn't as commandeering of my attention as some of her others. Interesting enough not to decide to put it down, but one that did not call to me either. The prose sometimes seemed too simplistic, and the tone seldom varied, with the end result of seeming flat. Although there were highs and lows in the story itself, reading I seldom felt them. So I finished thinking this was just a nice story, but not much else. Still, for a lighter read it served its purpose. 

ARC from Netgalley

I've read most of Sandra Dallas's novels and put the newest one, the Patchwork Bride. to the top of my list.  I was instantly immersed in ranch life in the Midwest.  Ellen, in her 60's, is worrying about her husband who wants to continue managing his ranch, but seems to be suffering the memory loss associated with dementia or Alzheimer's.  She desperately wants to remain on the ranch but is doubtful her ailing heart, and her husband's health will allow it.  Ellen is sitting on the porch, working on a wedding quilt and mulling over her problems, when her granddaughter, June, shows up suddenly - fleeing from her upcoming wedding.  Ellen calms her by telling her the tales of Nell and the three stalled marriages that took place in Nell's life.  Nell lived with her grandparents in Kansas, but took off to New Mexico to work as a cook on a cattle ranch and to find a husband.  The story is filled with the language of the times and the area as well as the vocabulary typical to cowboy life...and quilting.  Through the stories, Ellen convinces June that things don't always work out as you'd like, but they usually work out as they should.  Nell was born at a time when women didn't have many choices, yet she held out for true love and a way of life she yearned for.  June is in a situation where she has many choices - Ellen's stories help her figure out which ones work best for June.  
This was a great read and left me feeling satisfied, and good about myself and my own choices.  I highly recommend The Patchwork Bride to anyone who enjoys a good tale on the front porch with needlework in your lap and a glass of iced tea on the table.

A very readable historical fiction book.   Interesting to read about what women from that time period thought, felt, and did.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the free review copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.
Right away, I was drawn into this book by the wonderful descriptions Dallas gives of the people and place. I wanted to know what was going on with Ben, Ellen, and June.
The grandma/granddaughter relationship in this novel was so fantastic. I thought about my grandma the whole time and about the stories that she tells. Ellen doesn't tell June what to do, she lets her think through the decisions by telling the stories of Nell running away from three different men. I really loved how when Nell's story was being told, the reader was completely immersed in that place, but still knew that she was going to run. I think that knowing that information, in this case, helped add suspense to see how Nell ended up later in life. I loved that Nell was a strong woman.
I did figure out one of the surprises, but that didn't take away from the novel. The only complaint I have is that the last big surprise, which I didn't figure out, was a little harder to put into the plot. If you read it, you may understand what I mean.
This is a historical fiction novel that shows how everything will work out how it's supposed to.

The Patchwork Bride by Sandra Dallas is a heartfelt historical romance.

 In the present, Ellen is nearing completion on a quilt that she is giving to her granddaughter, June, as a wedding present. However, June is visiting her grandparents’ ranch after calling off her upcoming marriage to her fiancé Dave Proctor. As June wonders if she has made the right choice, Ellen seizes the opportunity to tell her the story of Nell, a young woman who journeyed to the New Mexico territory in 1898. Nell also struggled with her marriage choices and Ellen hopes her story will help June as she wrestles with her decision.

 Nell is an independent young woman with very few marriage prospects since she lives on her grandparents’ farm in Kansas.  She has grown weary of her teaching career and she quickly seizes the chance to join her Aunt Lucy on the ranch in New Mexico Territory where she works. Not long after her arrival, Nell meets Buddy, a handsome young cowboy that quickly steals her heart. Their romance is a bit of a rocky one since both are incredibly stubborn and after one particularly heartbreaking argument, Nell leaves the ranch to return to Kansas.

 A year later, Nell is still looking to settle down so she travels to Colorado where she hopes to find the man of her dreams. Working as a waitress, she meets James Hamilton, a traveling salesman whom she gradually falls for. With their wedding date within reach, an unexpected discovery sends Nell once again fleeing back to Kansas.

 Nell’s third engagement is to a much older gentleman in Kansas City. He is a gentle soul and although she is not in love with him, she decides that friendship might be a better basis for marriage.  But alas, their nuptials are not to be although the reason for this break up are not revealed until very late in the story.

 Throughout her recounting of Nell’s heartache, Ellen is faced with some difficult choices as the love of her life, Ben, continues to decline due to his worsening dementia. She is also dealing with some health issues of her own but Ellen is very reluctant to leave the ranch they so dearly love.

Then there is June’s dilemma about what to do about her own future. She left Dave without telling him why she is uncertain about marrying him.  Is there any chance the couple can work through their differences? Or will June’s life continue to follow the same unhappy path as Nell’s?

 The Patchwork Bride  is a captivating novel with wonderful settings and a cast of fantastic characters. Nell is certainly a sympathetic character whose search for a soulmate will resonate with readers. Sandra Dallas brings the novel to a heartwarming conclusion that will delight fans of wholesome, homespun romances.

The Patchwork Bride
Sandra Dallas
Dallas’s latest is a step back in time, a touching tale about love, loss and second chances. The novel is suitably paced moving adroitly between the mid twentieth and late nineteenth centuries with vivid depictions that will invite the reader right into the tale and period perfect dialogue that will have them googling terms from a bygone era. The characters are intriguing and real especially Ellen and the twists and turns lead to some secrets being outed and a big reveal at the end. This heartwarming piece of historical fiction will appeal to Dallas’s fans and fans of this genre.
SYNOPSIS:
Ellen and Ben have lived a good life and raised their family on their Colorado cattle ranch. And even though Ben’s memory is slipping and her heart isn’t so good anymore and even though the doctor thinks they should move to town Ellen is determined to keep them on the ranch as long as possible. But now she’s got another problem. Right in the middle of making her youngest granddaughter, June’s wedding quilt June shows up unexpectedly at the ranch and confesses to her grandmother that she’s come to the ranch to hide out after calling off her wedding not wanting to face her mother or her fiancé. Ellen understands more than June can possibly understand and tells her about a woman named Nell who fifty years ago ran away three times from three different men and three different weddings.

“He might look like the hottest thing since Texas chili, but he’s awful high and mighty. Too much ambition for a cowboy. He reads books, that one. He’s a knowin’ man. Don’t mind him.” 
                                                                                     --Warning from Aunt Lucy

This delightful tale begins as a recounting of a story to Ellen’s granddaughter, June, who has run off from her fiancé to rethink her wedding plans. As Ellen stitches on a quilt for June’s wedding, she recounts various tales of a young woman who once ran away from marriage three times. The recounting of the vivacious Nell’s journey toward matrimony begins in 1898 as she meets the charming cowboy described in the opening quote above. How could Nell bring herself to leave Buddy, a man who looks like “the hottest thing since Texas chili?” But move on, she did!

Ellen continues the story over the course of her granddaughter’s visit regaling her with Nell’s other trips toward marriage that never quite materialized. The story is an interesting, enjoyable read with vivid characters that take you right back in time. Nell journeys to the country and back to the city as she struggles to find a husband and a life that will fulfill her. 

The story spans decades as Ellen recounts and stitches along on the wedding quilt. Each piece tells a story that unfolds for the reader as it progresses. The similarity in generations becomes apparent by the end of the book and a poignant tale comes to a pleasant ending. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the ranch talk and the salty characters that were part of Nell’s life. The book highlights families, expectations, and the true meaning of love and marriage. A truly enjoyable read!

This ARC copy was received from St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The above thoughts and opinions are wholly my own.

Classic Sandra Dallas...an enjoyable, light, easy read.  Pick it up and treat yourself for an afternoon.

I've had to wait impatiently for over two years for Sandra Dallas to write another book. I look forward to hers every year. This one is classic Sandra Dallas. A grandmother tells her granddaughter a story of a woman who ran from marriage three times. It's not too difficult to discern who the story is really about, but the ending has a pleasant twist. Dallas weaves a wonderful story, replete with rich fabrics and details.

The good: each story was tied to a location in a way that was entertaining and (at least from my side) believable. Each episode felt well-grounded in time and place, and I particularly enjoyed reading about northern New Mexico.

The rest: I really did not enjoy this book. The writing style was overly simplistic - telling and telling and never showing - and the plot ranged from boring to implausible to downright baffling at times. I caught on early to several of the big reveals but the biggest of them all just came out of nowhere for me and added very little to the story.

I love Sandra Dallas and her books.  I will read almost anything she writes.   This one was no exception, for me they are a light read and an escape.  I could have read this in one sitting but I had life things to do so it took me two sittings to read it.  

Ellen tells her granddaughter the story of Nell and the 3 weddings she ran away from and the one she didn't.  It didn't take much to figure out that Nell was Ellen or who she would eventually marry, but that is ok because Nell/Ellen was so loveable and the journey to get there was fun.  

Keep em coming Sandra!  I will continue to read them.  Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC.

I love Sandra Dallas and was not disappointed with her new book. 
A very touching,sweet Historical Romance, it is very well written, 
has an interesting plot and endearing characters. 
Fans of Sandra Dallas will not be disappointed!

Fans of Sandra Dallas will find comfort in the characters and settings of this book. It has a strong main character, Nell who at times, reminded me of Mattie Spencer from The Diary of Mattie Spencer (one of my favorite Dallas books).

I would like to thank NetGalley for a copy of this book.

June is visiting her grandparents, Ellen and Ben. June has just run away from her fiancé, knowing that she was not ready to marry him. Ellen begins to tell June the story of a young woman and the three “runaway”engagements that she had in her lifetime. The first story begins in 1898 on a ranch in the New Mexico Territory of the U. S. This historical romance is a beautiful love story that is absolutely delightful and heartwarming. I was as eager as June, wanting to hear every detail of each story until the surprising ending. A big four and a half stars to to sweet tale of love and self-discovery! 

The Patchwork Bride by Sandra Dallas will be available June 5, 2018 from St. Martin's Press. An egalley of this book was made available from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

The Patchwork Bride is an awesome read! Probably one of my favorites I have read by this author. 5 plus stars.