After a broken engagement, Nell heads to her grandmother's home in small town Archers Rest, New York, for a little TLC. Her grandmother runs a quilt shop, and, although Nell is not a quilter, she soon gets caught up in the expansion of the business and the Friday night quilting club. The local handyman, who has a reputation as a lady's man, is working on projects at Nell's grandmother's house and shop. His attentions to Nell boost her wounded self-esteem, but it leads to trouble when her ex-fiance, Ryan, shows up. Soon the handyman is dead and Ryan is high on the list of suspects.

This series has been compared to Jennifer Chiaverini's Elm Creek Quilts series, and it's an apt comparison. The quilting theme and the casts of characters are similar, yet it doesn't read like the author is trying to copy Chiaverini's formula to recreate her success. O'Donohue's voice is different. I do think that this series will appeal to Chiaverini's readers, particularly those who are also cozy mystery fans. Nell demonstrated a tendency to interfere with the police investigation, but the young and handsome police chief has tolerated it reasonably well so far. I'll have to see if I can be as tolerant as the police chief. I'll probably lose interest if she keeps up this kind of behavior as the series progresses. ( )

First Line: "I'm fine," I said between sobs.

When Nell Fitzgerald's grandmother Eleanor asks what colors she wants for her wedding quilt, Nell is ecstatic. She's over the moon when the finished quilt arrives, but she comes crashing down when her fiance calls off the wedding. Heartbroken, Nell packs a bag and hurries to Archer's Rest, the small town on the banks of the Hudson River where her grandmother lives. There Nell can recuperate and make some sort of plans for the future.

Nell's grandmother's life has always revolved around her quilt shop, Someday Quilts, and the members of the shop's quilting circle. Eleanor is having repairs done to the building, and when the local handyman she hired is found stabbed to death in the shop, Nell finds herself drawn into the case-- primarily because her ex-fiance followed her to Archer's Rest and he's now a suspect in the murder. The women of the quilting circle may be piecing together their quilts, but Nell is piecing together the clues that will lead her to the killer.

This may sound strange, but I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. Don't get me wrong, I always expect to enjoy any book that I pick up to read, but some books have little extras that make them that much more pleasurable.

One of those little extras was the strength of O'Donohue's characterizations and the cast she introduced. Nell may be heartbroken, but she's also intelligent, determined, and has plenty of common sense. Her grandmother Eleanor is a strong woman who dearly loves her granddaughter, but she's also willing to let Nell live her own life and make her own mistakes. Of course this doesn't mean that Eleanor's not going to give her some sound advice from time to time. While Nell's getting interested in the local police chief, I'm looking forward to learning more about him in future books. Last but not least, the quilting circle is filled with interesting women. On the strength of the cast of characters alone, this is a very promising series.

I was also pleased to see how large a part quilting played in the book-- and not just piecing and sewing them together. O'Donohue includes quilt design as well as information on the set-up and running of a quilt shop. I could see all the colors, hear the scissors cutting through the fabric, and smell the cloth as I turned the pages.

A wealth of characters and artistry, a small town setting, and an interesting mystery to solve... all these pieces came together to create a fun reading experience. I'm definitely continuing with this series! ( )

I really enjoyed this first book in the Someday Quilt Mystery series. It's about Nell, a young New Yorker who comes to visit her grandmother after her relationship fails. In her grandmother's small town, she meets the members of a quilting circle, and then finds herself embroiled in a murder mystery. I thought this book had better writing and more depth than many mysteries, while still being light and entertaining. ( )

I am so glad I finally pulled this from drawer three, chest one of Mt Git'r'Read. Yes, that's how I store some (a lot) of my TBR books, but that's a blog for another day.
This turned out to be a 'danger book' for me. The kind of book that has you staying up later at night to read just one more page or so or ten or so....and realize that you really are getting up in four or so hours, so really should put the book down now. The chapters are short, the story is smooth, the characters are well drawn, and it's a really good mystery. I like how Nell gets drawn into helping with the investigation. You know how I am with that part of the amateur sleuth/cozy mystery...that part's gotta ring at least a good chunk true and this one is one of the chunkiest.
And, once again, I want to learn how to quilt. I do this after every Jennifer Chiaverini or Earlene Fowler, too....would that I had a creative bone in my bod...I don't so I will read about those who do.
Five quilting is murder beans..... ( )

Nell Fitzgerald is thrilled when she receives a gorgeous handmade quilt in a lover's knot pattern from her grandmother Eleanor as an engagement gift. Her joy is short-lived, however, when her fiance announces he's calling off the wedding. Heartbroken, 25-year-old Nell flees New York City for her grandmother's home in quaint Archers Rest. In this small town Eleanor's life revolves around her quilt shop, Someday Quilts, and the members of the shop's quilting circle." "When the body of a local handyman known for his flirting is found in the quilt shop, murdered with a pair of quilting scissors, Nell finds herself drawn into the case - and drawn to the handsome police chief. As a pattern of clues begins to emerge, one of the prime suspects is Nell's ex-fiance, whose arrival in Archers Rest seems suspicious. The ladies of the quilting circle continue to piece together their quilts as Nell unravels the mystery. For quilters and mystery lovers alike, The Lover's Knot is a delightful and promising debut. ( )