Book Review: A Patchwork Christmas

If you're looking for a quick read that will warm your heart and put you in the Christmas spirit, look no further!  A Patchwork Christmas is actually three novellas in one.  The stories aren't fast-paced or complicated, but are just simple stories about people who find love at Christmas time.  They are all set in the late 1800s and bring a hint of nostalgia to the season.
The first book is Seams Like Love by Judith Miller.  I have long been a fan of Ms. Miller and I thoroughly enjoyed this story about Karla Stuke and Frank Lehner.  Karla has been jilted by her fiance and doesn't believe she deserves to be loved.  Frank has cared for Karla for many years and he hopes to win her heart before Christmas Day.  But Karla cannot trust any man-even the one she loves-with her heart. Frank will do anything to prove that he loves her, even if it means risking his own life.
The second book is A Patchwork Love by Stephanie Grace Whitson.  Once again, I was not disappointed in this novella.  Jane McClure spends the last of her money to pay for a ride to the train station.  She and her daughter are traveling west in the hopes that she will marry Mr. Higgins, a man she met through a newspaper advertisement.  When her daughter becomes ill and the train is stopped by a snowdrift, she is thrown into the lives of Peter and his mother, Anna.  As Jane begins to fall in love with Peter, she worries what will happen if he doesn't return her love.  Can she continue on and marry Mr. Higgins?  Peter must try to see past his scars and painful memories to the life that lies ahead of him.
In the third novella, The Bridal Quilt by Nancy Moser, Ada and Samuel are in love, and everyone is expecting a proposal on Christmas Day.  However, a chance encounter with an orphan in the slums of New York City will change everything.  Samuel feels a call to go to work in the foundling home, taking care of the orphans.  He doesn't believe that Ada is capable of such work, and so he breaks off their relationship, leaving her heartbroken and spurned by society.  A year passes and Ada has seemingly moved on, and is in fact about to be engaged to another young man.  But Ada hasn't forgotten Samuel, and he hasn't forgotten her. Another chance encounter in the slums may change everything for Samuel and Ada again.
This book has really put me in the Christmas spirit!  At the end of each novella, there is a recipe that was referred to in the story, as well as some kind of stitching pattern.  I think that is the perfect way to wrap up the short stories. 
So grab a cozy throw and a cup of cocoa, snuggle up in your favorite chair, and enjoy these three great heartwarming stories.

Happy Reading!
Lyndsie