Texas Book-aholic

Friday, May 11, 2018

Book Synopsis:

In this quaint mountain town, things aren't always what they seem.

World War II widow Alice Brighton returns to the safety of her home town to open a fabric shop. She decides to start a barn quilt tour to bring business to the shop and the town, but what she doesn't know is sinister forces are using the tour for their own nefarious reasons

Between her mysterious landlord, her German immigrant employee, her neighbors who are acting strange, and a dreamboat security expert who is trying to romance her, Alice doesn't know who she can trust.

Purchase Link:

http://amzn.to/2EZ0GTT

Oh how I like stories set during World War II. The author has vividly described what it was like during Hitlers reign. Alice is a wonderful character and I admired her determination to return home after losing her husband. She is a little bitter about the war and Germans in general. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose a loved one due to war. Returning to Burning Bush isn't exactly what she expected. What has happened to the town? Some of the townspeople are against her opening her quilt shop. They have the mind set that men should be opening businesses and not women. I sure am glad that idea is almost obsolete today.

I did not like the sheriff at all. I don't know what he has against Alice, but he is downright rude to her. Every chance he gets, he makes rude comments to her and is not respectful at all. I was shocked at how he handled the situation when someone very lose to Alice turns up missing. When the person is found it raises a lot of questions about people in the town.

Greta is a charming person but some don't trust her because she is German. I think she is a godsend for Alice and is a wonderful helper and cook. She wants to fit in, but will the town accept her? Alice seems to warm up to her and I liked how their friendship developed. It reminds me how we sometimes judge others because they are different from us. Greta yearned to be welcomed and with Alice as a friend she may find a reason to hope for more friendly people to like her. I liked when Greta said, " Prejudice is hard to control. It caused great harm in my country when powerful men were allowed to have their way."

The big talk in town is about the Quilt Tour being planned. Don't you hate it when you are in charge of something and suddenly someone else steps in and takes over? Alice has her hands full with Mrs. Toliver. She insists on planning everything and gives Alice almost no say. The bickering is in full force at the next meeting. Why is it so difficult for the ladies to agree on the quilting tour route? The author provides a good picture of women sitting in a group all a fluster trying to get their point across. I love the romance throughout the book with several characters. It is nicely written and adds depth to the characters. The historical facts in the story are intriguing. I loved how the author brought a time in history to the story and let readers explore the horrors of what the people went through.

The story is full of surprises including double agents and danger surrounding the people of the town. What has Alice gotten herself into? She is determined to find out the truth behind rumors about certain people in the town. It is a wonderful story that keeps you guessing till the end. Who is the spy? Why does the quilt tour seem to bother people so much? What is hiding among the route that would cause danger ? This is one book you won't be able to put down. I was very surprised at who the spy's were and it made for a great ending.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Author information:

Tamera Lynn Kraft has always loved adventures. She loves to write historical fiction set in the United States because there are so many stories in American history. There are strong elements of faith, romance, suspense and adventure in her stories. She has received 2^nd place in the NOCW contest, 3^rd place TARA writer’s contest, and is a finalist in the Frasier Writing Contest and has other novels and novellas in print. She’s been married for 39 years to the love of her life, Rick, and has two married adult children and three grandchildren.

Tamera has been a children’s pastor for over 20 years. She is the leader of a ministry called Revival Fire for Kids where she mentors other children’s leaders, teaches workshops, and is a children’s ministry consultant and children’s evangelist and has written children’s church curriculum. She is a recipient of the 2007 National Children’s Leaders Association Shepherd’s Cup for lifetime achievement in children’s ministry.

You can contact Tamera on her website at http://tameralynnkraft.net.