Review and Giveaway: A Grand Design by Amber Stockton

Don’t miss this month’s Quilts of Love book, A Grand Design by Amber Stockton. Who hasn't struggled to let painful memories go and move into God's healing? You’ll be sure to love this heartfelt and encouraging tale set on historic Mackinac Island.

Celebrate August’s release by entering to win a Kindle from Quilts of Love and RSVPing for the "Fall into Fall" Facebook author chat party.

One winner will receive:

• A Kindle HDX
• A Grand Design by Amber Stockton
• Hidden in the Stars by Robin Caroll

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on September 16th. Winner will be announced on the Quilts of Love blog. Plus make sure you RSVP to the October 7th author chat party with Amber Stockton and Robin Caroll for an evening of book chat, quilting tips and tricks, prizes, and more!

RSVP today and spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on October 7th!

My Review: Underwhelming

Alyssa Denham has won a romantic trip for two to the Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island. She’s taken her childhood best friend back to the island where her grandmother lives, and which she hasn’t visited since she was a teen. The holiday gives her the chance to help her grandmother complete a quilting project, and to meet handsome local Scott Whitman.

It sounded good, but there were a couple of plot questions which left me puzzled, and detracted from what could have been an enjoyable romance.

The romance between Alyssa and Scott was nice but not compelling, and I didn’t find it realistic. The story felt as though part of Scott’s story (especially his faith journey) had been cut to make room for the quilt subplot, which seemed contrived. Alyssa spends her holiday touring around the island picking up quilt squares for her grandmother (which is the first puzzle: it’s never explained why grandma can’t do this herself).

The second puzzle was how Scott always seemed to have time to transport Alyssa around (it seems a stretch to believe his hotel shifts never clashed with when Alyssa or other clients needed transport). There were hints of a secret about Scott’s family that were never explained (and certainly didn’t explain why he held down two jobs on the island), and the overall effect was unsatisfying.

The writing was solid, but I found it difficult to connect with either of the main characters, which makes it difficult to rate this book as anything better than okay.

Thanks to Litfuse Publicity, Abingdon Press, and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Amber Stockton at her website, and you can read more reviews on the blog tour landing page here: A Grand Design Blog Tour.