What! Where has the year gone!

A Reluctant Bride

 

A Reluctant Bride by Jody Hedlund is her best historical fiction novel yet. I absolutely loved this story. It was one I could not put down.

Mercy Wilkins is a poor waif from the slums of London in the 1800's.With no hope of a job, she finds that she is just another mouth to feed in her family. In spite of being poor, she gives of herself to help others.

Lord Joseph Coville is an amazing character in the story. He never let his wealth affect his desire to help people. He became a doctor following the tragic loss of his family..

Mercy, adamant about not marrying, finds herself on a ship heading to British Columbia, not aware that it is a bride-ship. Joseph, the ship's doctor, seeks Mercy's help, and as such they form a friendship. This turns into a fabulous romance, leaving both Mercy and Joseph unsure of any future. Mercy feels the weight of their social differences, and Joseph is filled with fear of loving and losing any one else in his life.

 Ms. Hedlund did a remarkable job of research about the bride-ships. And many of the stories within the story are a true recount. An absolute 5 star book.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are my honest opinion.

Springville

Getting started!

Finished!

Getting ready to celebrate the 4th of July! Finished this table topper.

And here it is on the table.

Oh and one more thing. A pincushion made from scraps.

Can I get a Whoop Whoop! 

 Finished or Not Friday 
Brag About your Beauties
Free Motion Mavericks

Traveling along

Finally making progress on my 25+ pillowcases. But in the mean time I made this decorated kitchen towel to gift a friend.

I had to get a  picture of it with the Airstream in the backdrop :-)

Can I get a Whoop Whoop! 

 Finished or Not Friday 
Brag About your Beauties

Springville

You know, sometimes a pattern just captures you. When I saw this pattern on Thimble Blossoms Instagram, I was in love.

I dug around and found this Thimble Blossoms fat quarter bundle.

Perfect!

And you  know, while I was at it, I had to go ahead and order these two patterns also.

Whoop! I think I hear my quilting buddies knocking on my door :-)

Happy Quilting

The Number of Love

The number of Love, a new series by author Roseanna White, comprises of intrigue and complex characters as the Codebreakers first introduces us to Margot DeWilde, an extremely intelligent young lady. Margot's world revolves around numbers. During WWI she thrives in Room 40, decoding German messages during a time when women were expected to be nothing more than a secretary.

When Drake Elton meets Margot, he is captivated by how different she is from every other woman he has met. He pursues her by learning her numbers language, and over time, gets to know her and her quirky sense of humor.

I found the book to be engaging with a different twist in teaching us a little bit more about the intelligence operations of the British during the War. The mystery and adventure were well played, adding a bit of romance to the mix.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Shop Hopping Day 2

So here we are again, shop hopping. We move now to the south side of our county for these shops.

This was a very nice shop. Sewing machines and lots of pretty fabric.

Our final destination was to Inspire in Plant City.

This is a very nice shop but has a lot of modern fabric and Florida theme fabric.

I did love the patriotic quilts they had on display.  

We enjoyed our shop hop and will probably find other fun places to go this summer.

Happy Quilting!

Shop Hopping

One day last week, my quilting buddies and I went on our own personal shop hop. 

First on the list was The Quilted Twins.

This is a fabric warehouse that is only open three days a  week. They are mostly an online fabric store, but wow! what a selection.

I believe they said they have 13,000 bolts of fabric. And a few samples made up.

The amazing thing about this shop is all the fabric is $3.99 and $4.99 a yard! The wide back is $8.49. The shop is located in Dade City Florida, so if you are ever in the Tampa area, it's just a 30 minute drive north and very easy to find.

Next was Quilts on Plum Lane. And old favorite of ours. 

It is also in Dade City so you could hit two shops on the same day.

I'll share the rest tomorrow, as this is pretty picture heavy. Isn't it fun to visit these quilt shops?

Happy Quilting!

Driftwood Bay

Irene Hannon is an exceptional author. Each one of her books have held great interest in my opinion. Driftwood Bay is one of those novels that keeps you in the heart of the story.

Jeanette and Logan cross paths in Hope Harbor. They each have walked through pain and sorrow, but each one tries to start a new life after great loss. Ms. Hannon beautifully weaves a story of love, forgiveness and second chances. I loved the little bit of humor that lightens throughout the story. Hannon's characters are well developed and interesting, including the adventures with the dog named Toby. Good story, well worth the read.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.