Thimbles and Threads: 4 Love Stories Are Quilted into Broken Lives

Mary Davis · Grace Hitchcock · Suzanne Norquist · Liz Tolsma

Jul 2019 · Barbour Publishing

About this ebook

Love Stitched into Four Women’s Lives
Enjoy four historical romances that celebrate the arts of sewing and quilting. When four women put needle and thread to fabric, will their talents lead to love?

Bygones by Mary Davis
Texas, 1884
Drawn to the new orphan boy in town, Tilly Rockford soon became the unfortunate victim of a lot of Orion Dunbar’s mischievous deeds in school. Can Tilly figure out how to truly forgive the one who made her childhood unbearable? Now she doesn’t even know she holds his heart. Can this deviant orphan-train boy turned man make up for the misdeeds of his youth and win Tilly’s heart before another man steals her away?
 
The Bridal Shop by Grace Hitchcock
Charleston, South Carolina, June 1886
Alice Turner, the owner of one of Charleston’s finest bridal shops, is determined never to be dependent on a man for anything after the disgrace of her father’s prison time. When her best friend requests Alice to be her maid of honor, she reluctantly sets aside her feelings on marriage and dons a stylish bridesmaid’s gown, never intending to catch the eye of the handsome groomsman. Will he be able to convince her to open her heart again and finish the quilt once intended for her father?
 
Mending Sarah’s Heart by Suzanne Norquist
Rockledge, Colorado, 1884
Sarah doesn’t need anyone, especially her dead husband’s partner. With four brothers to mentor her boys and income as a seamstress, she seeks a quiet life. If only the Emporium of Fashion would stop stealing her customers and the local hoodlums would leave her sons alone. When she rejects her husband’s share of the mine, his partner Jack seeks to serve her through other means. But will his efforts only push her further away?
 
Binding Up Wounds by Liz Tolsma
Regent, Wisconsin, 1865
Melissa Bainbridge is a quirky designer of rag dolls who raises raccoons and never really fit into the small farming town. When Lance Witherspoon arrives in town to thank her for the Sanitary Commission quilt she made that saved his life, she is shocked to learn Lance is a Confederate. Can she and Lance confront the town’s prejudices – along with their own?
 

Ratings and reviews

Sweet little stories to pass the time. *** 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) •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. 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) •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. 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) •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) * 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.

I love this collections. Four really interesting well written stories by three different authors. One of the things I enjoy, I get to try a new author and find a new favorite. I often will go back and read more novels by these authors. Each story has a sewing theme. Since I am an avid quilter, I found them especially enjoyable. The novels were all a delightful story to lose yourself in. There is a faith thread throughout each of these books. Fans of Christian historical romance will not be disappointed with these stories. I received a complementary copy of this book from Barbour Books through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

About the author

MARY DAVIS is a bestselling, award-winning author of over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. She has been in numerous compilations and collections. Stories and characters have been running around in her head for as long as she can remember. Her published works have been on Publisher’s Weekly bestselling lists several times. Some of her works include her award-winning Quilting Circle series and Newlywed Games. An empty-nester, Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of over thirty-seven years and a black Norwegian Forest cat. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. She enjoys playing board and card games, rain, and cats. She would enjoy gardening if she didn’t have a black thumb. Her hobbies include quilting, porcelain doll making, sewing, crafts, crocheting, knitting, and papercrafts.

Grace Hitchcock is the author of three novellas in The Second Chance Brides, The Southern Belle Brides, and the Thimbles and Threads collections with Barbour Publishing. The White City is her debut novel and releases March 2019 with Barbour Publishing. She holds a Masters in Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History. Grace lives in southern Louisiana with her husband, Dakota, and son. Visit Grace online at GraceHitchcock.com.

Suzanne Norquist serves as the treasurer to her local ACFW chapter and co-leads the chapter’s critique group. She completed the Christian Writers’ Guild’s Apprentice Class and has attended and helped organize numerous writers’ conferences. She holds a doctorate in economics and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. As a result, she has worked at many jobs that sound interesting. Her work frequently involves technical writing, where the attorneys insist on two spaces after every period. Her husband and adult children make sure she doesn’t take herself too seriously. In her free time (what little there is), she participates in kickboxing fitness and mountain climbing in Colorado.

Liz Tolsma is the author of several WWII novels, romantic suspense novels, prairie romance novellas, and an Amish romance. She is a popular speaker and an editor and resides next to a Wisconsin farm field with her husband and their youngest daughter. Her son is a US Marine, and her oldest daughter is a college student. Liz enjoys reading, walking, working in her large perennial garden, kayaking, and camping. Please visit her website at www.liztolsma.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter (@LizTolsma), Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. She is also the host of the Christian Historical Fiction Talk podcast.