Thursday, November 13, 2014

Quilted by Christmas by Jodie Bailey (Review and Giveaway)

About the book: A grandmother's last wish is to communicate God's love through an Irish chain quilt.

Taryn McKenna believes she's easy to forget. Abandoned by her parents and left behind when her high school sweetheart joined the army, she vows to never love again and throws herself into her love for the outdoors and the pursuit of a college degree---something no one else in her family has ever accomplished. Her goal, as a young teacher in the hills of North Carolina, is to leave a legacy in the lives of the middle-schoolers she teaches. When Taryn's grandmother Jemma, the only other person who ever held her close, has a heart attack that reveals a fatal medical condition, Taryn is corralled into helping Grandma work on a final project---an Irish chain quilt that tells the story of her history and the love Jemma knows is out there for Taryn. As the pieces of the quilt come together, Taryn begins to see her value. Can she learn to believe that God will never leave her behind even though others have?

My thoughts:  A small mountain town in North Carolina. What a perfect setting for a North Carolina gal to read a book about and it is also a charming Christmas read. Gotta be good! So let’s see…..

High school sweethearts Taryn McKenna and Justin Callahan don’t quite make it to the altar. They go their separate ways – Taryn to college and Justin into the military. Twelve years pass. During that period of time the two have lived full lives.  Taryn is a school teacher, loved, respected. Justin has returned from honorable military service to take over his father’s construction business.


Into the mix is a beloved grandmother – Jemma. Feisty, hard and robust as mountaineers go, beloved by granddaughter Taryn and Justin as well. But an accident looms and it brings down Jemma and lands her in the hospital. It brings Taryn and Justin back together again because of their love for her. And then the fun begins.


Now how in the world does a quilt come into play in a Christmas story, a story about an injured grandmother, and boy meets girl after twelve years? Well, it all comes down to tradition – mountain and family tradition.


We get a bit of romance (sweet), a bunch of anger, a heaping of secrets, and a bit of sewing by……. well, you’ll just have to read it yourself to find out.


a Rafflecopter giveaway Jodie Bailey is Tarheel born and bred. After 15 years as a military spouse, she settled with her family back in North Carolina. She is the author of the military suspense novel Freefall and is a contributor to Edie Melson's devotional for military families, Fighting Fear: Winning the War at Home. While not working on her next novel, she teaches middle-schoolers to love writing as much as she does (if she's lucky that day and they're actually listening...). Jodie loves to bake, ride the Harley with her husband, and fish the Outer Banks with their daughter.  Connect with Jodie: websiteFacebookTwitter

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy from Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for this review. Opinions expressed are solely my own. I received no compensation for the review.

17 comments:

  1. No one in my family sews. I so wish I knew how

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  2. No, I haven't read any of Jodie's books. She's a new author to me' Her books look great. I'm looking forward to reading her books.
    Barbara Thompson
    barbmaci61(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  3. I haven't yet read any of her books.

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  4. I don't really know if I have, I need to start a diary of books read. not just TBR :)
    would enjoy reading this one. I am a quilter & it sounds like a good one!

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  5. https://www.blogger.com/blog-this-done.g?blogID=7158108995687550975&isPublished=true I shared on my blog and I used to sew but just don't have time. But I love home made things, quilts, etc. sonja dot nishimoto at gmail dot com

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  6. I haven't read any of her books yet. sonja dot nishimoto at gmail.com

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  7. I haven't read any of her books yet. sonja dot nishimoto at gmail.com

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  8. I haven't had the pleasure of reading one of Jodie's books yet.

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  9. I have not read any of her books yet. I really, really want to read this one.

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  10. Good luck, everyone! My grandmother was quite the seamstress, and I had to draw on what I knew from her as well as watching a few other quilters in order to get the sewing down right! Enjoy!

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  11. We have a quilt we've had since we got married.

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  12. I have not yet been privileged to read any of Jodie Bailey's books.

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  13. I haven't read any of this author's books, but you are the second person to recommend this one today so I will definitely have to check it out! It looks really sweet! Thanks so much for sharing this at Booknificent Thursday this week! Happy Thanksgiving!
    Tina

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  14. My mother in law made beautiful quilts. But I cannot sew.

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  15. Yes, we have a beautiful throw that my husbands grandmother made for him. It gets kept in a safe place and gets pulled out every winter. Every year it brings her back to mind and conversation.
    Samantha (samdaleo)
    jamesmadison1974@gmail.com

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