Review of Mending Sarah’s Heart by Suzanne Norquist: Set in Rockledge, Colorado, in the 1880s this story is a sweet story of redemption that I highly recommend for readers of historical romances.

Bygones

Where do I start with this story! I loved every single second of it and could literally see it play out in my head as I read! I love when a book does that! Tilly was such a beautiful lady, and I mean lady, she was kind but struggled with forgiveness. Something we all can relate to at times. I loved how spunky she was. Orion was an orphan just trying to make amends for past mistakes. He was a gentleman without putting on heirs. I did not want this story to end it could have gone on and on for me. I highly recommend it.

The Bridal Shop

Grace Hitchcock is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. This story is simply amazing! Alice is an amazing seamstress who wants to leave her mark on the world with her wedding dresses. She is such a beautiful character. I loved her spunk and how she deals with things that all of us do. Giles is quite simply the most handsome man ever! He is strong, compassionate and willing to sacrifice to make his family loved & happy. I loved the setting of this book and all the details described. A beautiful and well wrote story. It needs a series on just Giles & Alice.

Mending Sarah's Heart

This story was really good. Full of what normal life back in the 1800's would have been like. Sarah was hurt and still in pain from her dead husband's escapades. She had to learn to trust again. Jack was a drifter trying to make amends, desperately in need of God. I liked Sarah & Jack's story.

Binding Up Wounds

Oh this was such a sweet story! It dealt with all kinds of issues...not fitting in, death, loneliness, hurts, war, prejudice and love. Lance dealt with all kinds of prejudice for being from the South after the War. He also dealt with all he had seen in the war, but he didn't let that harden him or make him bitter. Melissa was an orphan who had never fit in, she had been made to feel like an outsider all her life. Melissa was so beautiful on the outside but more importantly on the inside. I really liked this story and enjoyed every moment of it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thimbles and Threads is a new novella collection by Barbour Publishing that centers around women engaged in some sewing or quilting. I enjoy these novella collections, and there is always a story or two that I find particularly engaging.

Bygones by Mary Davis, was my favorite of the four novellas, which featured quilter Tilly and her childhood nemesis Orion who comes to help out her family when her father is injured. Believed to have been slighted by Orion's childhood misdeeds, she finds it difficult to let this go when Orion seems to have a romantic interest in her.

The novellas portray themes of forgiveness, healing, and trusting God. I recommend this collection and thank the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC for this my honest review.

What a fun book full of talented characters!
I loved how this book followed seamstresses from different places but at the same time set. It connected their stories in a way and made it special.
You are sure to get your heart sewed up with this collection ;-)

All the stories were so good. I read each one quickly and hated to see them end but I do love happy endings. There is some history and faith woven into each story. I love reading this time period because romance was so innocent. You could just see the relationships blossoming. I would definitely recommend this book.

I received an ARC of this book from Barbour Publishing, Inc. via NetGalley, this review is my personal opinion.

Beautiful story. All do we may be familiar with the collection, so what makes this one in particular especial?. That since the main subject is about forgiveness I think it will speak to each person who read it. All do we know that we need to forgive, is not easy. On this collection, we have four women that on her own way have been wounded and need to forgive, forget and let go. With a touch of romance, faith, and second chances. Each author did a wonderful work with each story, this book is the type that after you start reading it will be hard not to finish it. If you like not only read a great story, but also be edified this book is a great choice.

For all the obstacles placed in the 'couples' way, I loved how each novella worked out.
I loved this collection!
I would recommend this book to fans of Historical Christian Fiction with happy endings.

Oh my!
I loved all these stories! Each one had a unique story and happy ending. I loved going home at the end of the day knowing that this was waiting for me to finish! Now I have some new authors to read :)

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a collection of novellas all historical fiction with sewing/quilts as the common bond for this collection. I enjoyed the second story the most partly because the setting was a bit different than the other three and the writing style appealed to me more. All were clean romances and were enjoyable.

Thimbles and Threads is a collection of stories all related to quilting and sewing. Each story has a different location and the characters are believable. Being hurt, forgiveness and a happy ending are the common factor in each. The stories are short but perfect for a quick weekend read. I am new to each of these authors and I throughly enjoyed this read.

My grandmother was an avid seamstress and taught me her love for quilting and sewing. These sweet stories brought back memories of her in her little shop, doing what she loved.

I received a copy of this book from Barbour Books and NetGalley for a review.

I enjoyed these gentle stories set in the late 1800s. I'm fascinated with the art of sewing, and love that the women in the stories own businesses. Each author writes a beautiful story, giving the heroin strong faith and determination. The novellas are threaded together by stitches, yet each one is unique. I especially enjoyed Binding Up Wounds. Liz Tolsma did a beautiful job writing about the prejudice that remained after the Civil War and the hurt caused by people who judge. If you enjoy historical fiction, pick up a copy of Thimbles and Threads. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Books via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thimbles and Threads is a charming collection of historical short stories. I loved the quilting themes in each of the 4 stories. I really liked the stories. I often have a few minutes to rest and read and often thus is the type book I pick up. Each novella is a sweet and clean christian story. I am delighted to recommend this book to everyone. Thank you Barbour Books for the gift of the arc. The review is my personal opinion.

Of course I had to read these short stories as I am a quilter and fan of short stories!

I really liked the stories as they were very entertaining, but unfortunately for me it fell a little flat, they didn’t stand out to me plotwise.

I did like how a special quilt featured every story. The characters were likable and I was rooting for their romances, and all in all I did enjoy myself. I liked The Bridal Shop best, it made me chuckle, especially when Alice wielded scissors as a most formidable weapon.

Special thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an e-copy! My opinions are my own.

All 4 stories share the wonderful Christian themes of forgiveness, reparation & reconciliation. However, a couple of them seem to be mistaking the fact that because we can never make full reparations to atone for our sins, only Jesus can, we shouldn't even be trying.

In fact, we SHOULD be doing acts of atonement & reparation, anyway, (as Jesus said WHEN you fast, give alms, etc, rather than IF) but doing them for the right reasons.

Because it's part of following Jesus - our imitation of Christ

And because it shows the Lord (as well as our own selves) the sincerity of our contrition for how we've hurt & offended Him.

If you broke a window with a baseball as a kid, you couldn't afford to replace it, but your parents would, & then have you work or do something to help pay for it. Well, God is certainly a good parent & knows that we are better for participating in those reparations than sitting back waiting for Him to do everything for us.. [Colossians 1:24 - "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church" ].
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(1) Bygones by Mary Davis

This very sweet story of forgiveness is probably my favorite of the four. Tilly is a bit slow to recognize & then accept what Orion is trying to do; and Orion isn't very good at communicating his intentions, but by the end of the story, they both have grown & developed. It's very heart-warming (though I couldn't buy the banker guy's final scene at all)
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(2) The Bridal Shop by Grace Hitchcock

I liked how refreshingly different several of the details were in this one. Alice & Giles were a great couple. Constance & friends are a little over the top. An unexpected but good ending. I was left wondering what happened when evidence of Eustace's fight was seen by Constance & family since he wasn't injured in the quake
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(3) Mending Sarah’s Heart by Suzanne Norquist

Sarah's rather negative character is understandable, but not quite as likeable as the others. I think her bitterness & hurt ended up being too much of her description to leave room for much else.
Jack's character is more sympathetic as well as being likeable. I do like the way this story ends.
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(4) Binding Up Wounds by Liz Tolsma

The premise of this story is a good one, but unfortunately, I feel this one was the weakest of the group. There's a scene of reproach & almost immediate remorse, at one point, that was just not at all credible.

Typically, there would be a speech that makes the recipients feel guilty, the speaker leaves while the recipients stew, & remorse gradually hits, & then they show up contritely to help. As clichéd as that is, at least it has some psychological plausibility.
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*Clean romance level: sweet kisses
*Religion: generic Christian

A fantastic collection of four historical novellas. I enjoyed each selection. They were each well written. I recommend to fans of historical fiction. My thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

Sweet little stories to pass the time.
The quilt graphics at the beginning of the chapters are charming. 3 stars overall
Netgalley and the publisher kindly sent me a review eBook in the hopes of a favorable review, with no further compensation or expectation. All opinions are my own. I cannot say I would go out of my way to recommend this collection, but as an add-on to fill your online cart, sure. However, I would recommend Grace Hitchcock as a stand-alone author.

(1) Bygone by Mary Davis (4 stars)•*• Heartwarming •*•1884 Texas – Matilda (aka Tilly) Rockford has returned home from Baltimore, all grown up. She never expected Orion Dunbar to be the person meeting her at the station. “Would he squeeze her hand until she cried like when she was a child? No, he held it gently, helping her into the buggy. He laid a quilt across her lap to keep her warm on the ride.” Orion had arrived on the orphan train, a broken and angry little boy. He acted out and hurt people, especially little Tilly who was always kind to him. Now grown, he only wants to make up for his past mistakes. “His heart sped up at having her so close. She smelled of lavender and vanilla.” However, there is another man who also wishes to pay Matilda special attentions.
I enjoyed this sweet story, yet there are several incomplete sentences: e.g. 1. “Show her she could trust him.” 2. “The same place that had always hungered for her attention.” 3. “And smiled.”

(2) The Bridal Shop, a Novella by Grace Hitchcok (5 stars) •*• Sweet Story of learning to trust in others•*•
1886 Charleston, South Carolina – Alice has been so hurt by men that she has resigned herself to a life without them and she now runs an up-and-coming bridal shop. “Giles lifted his faced heavenward and groaned. A bridal shop, Lord? Not to sound ungrateful, but You couldn’t have made it a tailor shop? And not some place full of women?” I enjoyed Giles very much. Clearly a good and Godly man with a sense of humor. Eustace is a total cad! And he deserves the brat of a wife he married.
TEA MOMENT: “Alice couldn’t bring herself to go to bed quite yet. She decided to treat herself to a pot of herbal tea and the last of the oatmeal cookies from the bakery over a Harper’s Bazaar.”
“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. Psalm 147:3?”
I like Grace Hitchcock’s writing style. This is the second of her books that I have read.

(3) Mending Sarah’s Heart, a Novella by Suzanne Norquist (3 stars) •*•Learning to Trust God Again •*•
1884 Rockledge, CO – Sarah Anderson is a widow. She and her sons live in a CO mining town near family. She believes God has let her down and now she is forced to earn a living in her dress shop. Jack Taylor has a mission to accomplish. Turn over funds to his deceased partner’s widow and skedaddle. He does not expect to find a woman in desperate need of help with sons in need of guidance.
This was a sweet story of learning to trust God again, and feeling unworthy of God’s love, or anyone else’s. Not a lot of depth, but an easy afternoon read. I liked how Jack stepped in to guide the boys, even though he didn’t know them. However, the immediate desire for him to protect the widow did not click for me.

(4) Binding Up Wounds, a Novella by Liz Tolsma (3 stars) •*•A Decent Story of Acceptance•*•
1865 Regent, WI, - Lance Witherspoon fought for “the other side”. He carries a multihued patchwork quilt that saved his life. With nowhere left to go, he sets out from VA to find the woman who created it and thank her. Melissa Bainbridge is quiet, shy, private. She lives with her grandparents and creates dolls. Her town does not understand her. The young women either torment or shun her. “The three girls burst into a fresh round of laughter. Now would be the perfect time for the Second Coming. Anything to deliver Melissa from this misery. But no trumpets sounded from heaven.” Her grandparents adore her and strive to love all, including strangers considered by most to be “the enemy”. The two main characters spend weeks together, getting to know each other in the process. I appreciated that the author did not have them tripping into each other’s arms after a few days. Overall, I liked the idea of this story and what pulls Lance to Melissa. It is such a harsh thing he has to go through, being an outsider in his own country. Melissa was rather immature and for far longer than necessary, i.e. multiple times during the same day, which was nerve-wracking. Lance had such a pure heart. A decent enough story.

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A real page turner these stories revolve around seamstresses and sewing whether it may be fine dresses or quilts. These are the new Barbour collections that have less stories but longer stories with the same quality that I've come to expect from reading them over the years.
Sewing reminds me of my grandmother , she always had her wooden sewing box my grandfather made for her and sewing in hand. I give this a solid five stars and thumbs up!
Published July 1st 2019 by Barbour Books.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Thimbles and Threads by four different authors is an entertaining book of stories. Each stories connection in the book has to do with sewing and quilting. Read several new to me authors and enjoy each one. My favorite story was by Mary Davis. Tilly first meets an orphan train boy named Orion, when he first comes to Texas. She befriends him until he teases her so much that she is finally done with him. Now she is grow and returning back home from school. Now he is trying to make it up to her with kindness. This is a sweet and fun story along with the other novellas in this book.

I received this e-book from NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

This is a collection of four historical novellas tied together by the theme of sewing and quilts. Set in various location throughout the United States during the time period of 1865 - 1886. Although each novella is stand alone, they all contain the theme of letting go of the past and moving forward.
I have always enjoyed books of novellas, because you are given a chance to try new authors.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of the book for review.

I really enjoy these collections! I love that we get the opportunity to try new authors through this! I really enjoyed each story! My favorites were Bygones and The Bridal Shop. I’m looking forward to reading more from these authors!





I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.