Lynette Sowell

Kelly Frost is a textile conservator who has been hired to restore a quilt at Grey House, a home to one of New England's early whalers. Tom Pereira is a veteran who was severely injured and is now keeping the grounds at the home. Both have issues with which they are dealing. Tom's is health-related; Kelly's is something that happened in a relationship in the recent past. Tom is also working other jobs. It's a romance that is growing, particularly when both discover they are both Christians. show more Of course, the issues from the past can always create problems in a relationship. I enjoyed the characters of Tom and Kelly. The author did a great job portraying them. The setting was interesting as well. Although it is a Christian book, the characters deal with genuine issues, including moral ones, and the book is not preachy in its presentation. The characters simply live out their faith. There is, however, one major flaw in the book. The owner of one place Tom is helping traces Tom's genealogy back about 150 years using census records. The problem is that the gentleman claims to have used both the 1950 and 2010 censuses in his research and that they included names and other information. Any genealogist knows that the latest available census for this type of research is the 1940 census which was released on April 1, 2012. The 1950 census will not be available under current laws until April 1, 2022. The 2010 census would not be available until April 1, 2082. There is a 72-year waiting period. Only demographic/statistical type of information is available for censuses more recent than 1940. I am certain that every genealogist, including me, would love to get our hands on those censuses ahead of schedule, but it isn't going to be happening and should not be depicted as such in a book. Since I read an advance e-galley of this book via NetGalley, I sincerely hope that the author and publishers of this book will correct this very big error prior to publication. It was quite enjoyable otherwise. As mentioned, this review is based on an advance e-galley of the book provided by the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes. show less

Quilts often have a story to tell — from the hands that made them to those who used them. I had a simple patchwork quilt made by my grandmother that I took to college. It was a comforting reminder of home as well as a great coverup in my dorm room. It became so tattered that I could not use it, yet I could not bear to toss it out. My husband had it made into a teddy bear that now sits on the armoire in our bedroom – a reminder of my grandmother’s skill and the times I snuggled beneath show more it. In the Quilt of Love series, various authors tell the stories behind the quilts featured in each book. Tempest’s Course by Lynette Sowell tells a tale of loneliness and betrayal and the promise of fresh starts and new love.

Kelly Frost is a textile conservator who is desperate for a job after mistakes she made keep her from working. Bidding on the restoration of a mariner’s compass quilt is a chance to get her life and career back on track. She begins her task at the Gray house, home to a whaling captain and his wife in the 1850s. It is Mary Gray’s quilt she is charged to restore. Yet the secrets of the house pull at Kelly’s heart, along with the groundskeeper who she is definitely attracted to.

Tempest’s Course tells two tales – the tragic tale of the quilt’s maker, Mary Gray, and the very modern love story of Kelly and Tom. There are a lot of mysterious goings on as well that will appeal to those who like a good mystery along with their romance. I really liked this book. It had just the right combination of genres — romance, suspense and historical drama. It is also a very quick read, yet I never felt that the plot or the characters were underdeveloped at all. All in all I highly recommend Tempest’s Course.

Highly Recommended.

(Thanks to LitFuse for a review copy. The opinions expressed are mine alone.) show less

Her heart broken after the man she loves Jacob Miller marries someone else, Betsy Yoder puts her heart into starting and running her own bakery. It is taking everything she has to make the bakery of success - not only financially but in the eyes of the other Amish who aren’t sure the bakery is a good idea. She is not looking for any distractions, especially in terms of romance, but she can't help but notice Thaddeus Zook who is ex-Amish with no intention of rejoining the Amish community. show more Thaddeus only intends to stay in Pinecraft for a short time while he hides out from some trouble but he soon realizes that his heart is also in danger.

“A Path Made Plain” is the second book in Lynette Sowell’s Seasons in Pinecraft series and while I liked “A Season of Change”, the first book in the series, I like this book even better - I like the mixture of mystery and romance. While I wasn't all that fond of Betsy in “A Season of Change”, I really liked her in this book. Yes, she still hasn't gotten over Jacob at the beginning of the book, but she is a strong heroine, determined to open her own bakery and fighting not only her family's opinion but the preconceived notion of the English as to how smart an Amish woman is. Thaddeus is an equally strong hero, perceived as being a bit of a bad boy even though he really isn’t, and haunted by both the distant past when he left the Amish but the more recent past involving a murder. The romance between the two is sweet and nicely written. I continue to like the Pinecraft Florida setting where the Amish live just a bit differently there than they do in other Amish communities. The mystery aspects are nicely done and, while there is no guessing as to who the bad guy in the book is, there is just the right amount of tension that makes the book suspenseful but not scary.

I loved the “A Path Made Plain” and am already looking forward to “A Promise of Grace”, the next book in the series. show less

Gwynn Michaud is a widow with a family waiting for her back in New Hampshire. She's only in New York to see the lighting of her honored Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. And her widowered host, Professor Theophilus Stellakis, has no intention of growing attached to this house guest his daughter invited over. But Gwynn and Theo may be in for some surprises in Comfort and Joy by author Lynette Sowell.

I found this novella to be warm, down to earth, and engaging, the story moving at a nice show more clip without rushing. The romance is well-developed, balancing attraction with the ease of Gwynn and Theo's dialogue. It also raises realistic points about finding new love later in life. The reading was like sitting down to watch a cozy Hallmark Christmas movie without commercials.

This was my first time ever reading this author, and this romantic and, well, comforting holiday tale has certainly put her writing on my radar. show less