Title: Swept Away by Laura V. Hilton & Cindy Loven
Quilts of Love Series Book 23
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Genre: Contemporary, Christian, Fiction
Length: 240 pages
Book Rating: B
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
Sara Jane Morgan is trying to balance teaching with caring for her ailing, stubborn grandmother. When school lets out for the summer, the plans are for Grandma to teach Sara Jane to quilt as they finish up the Appalachian Ballad quilt Grandma started as a teenager. But things don’t always go as planned. Andrew Stevenson is hiding from his past—and his future. He works as a handyman to pay the bills, but his heart is as an artisan, designing homemade brooms. When Sara Jane’s grandmother hires him to renovate her home, sparks fly between Drew and his new employer’s granddaughter. Still, it doesn’t take Sara Jane long to see Drew isn’t what he seems. Questions arise, and she starts researching him online. What she discovers could change her life—and her heart—forever.
The Review:
Swept Away by Laura V. Hilton & Cindy Loven is a lovely novel of faith, healing and love. It is an charming romance with a diverse cast of characters and a unique storyline. Although it is part of the Quilts of Love series, it can be read as a standalone.
Sari Morgan has decided to find her granddaughter Sara Jane a husband and she has picked out the perfect match-her new handyman Drew Stevenson. However, her matchmaking efforts are met with a great deal of resistance from both Sara Jane and Drew, but Grandma remains undeterred. Grandma conspires to frequently throw the young couple together and surprisingly, Sara Jane becomes more receptive to the idea but Drew takes a little longer to convince. A troubling health diagnosis, Sara Jane’s crisis of faith and a few misunderstandings are a few obstacles Drew and Sara Jane must overcome before they find their happily ever after.
While all of the characters are well-developed, Drew is the most likable. Grandma Sari’s behavior is a little unpredictable and her relationship with Sara Jane is a bit contentious. Sara Jane is judgmental and rather immature. She blames herself for a childhood tragedy that also caused her to lose her faith in God. Drew has also suffered a tragic loss and while he is a devoted Christian, he needs to repair his fractured relationship with his family.
Swept Away by Laura V. Hilton & Cindy Loven is an engaging novel that is well written but a little slow paced. The characters are three dimensional with easy to relate to flaws and imperfections. Once Drew and Sara Jane take time to get to know one another, their relationship gradually transforms from uneasy friendship to a sweet, believable romance. Sara Jane undergoes the most growth, both personally and spiritually and when it becomes necessary, she willingly makes a sacrifice out of love. All in all, it is a heartwarming story with a gentle undercurrent of faith that I recommend to fans of Christian fiction.
