Dislciamer: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Have you ever been to a place where the historical significance was so thick you could smell it? Or so beautiful, you considered moving there? For whatever reason, Mackinaw City & Mackinac Island do that to me. As a child, a trip there was always at the top of my birthday wish list and I dreamt of working there in the summers as a teen. When I had the opportunity to review A Grand Design, a new Quilts of Love novel set in my favorite place in Michigan, I had to ignore my self-imposed fiction embargo, and share it with you.
A Grand Design is a Christian romance set in modern times. It does, however, take place on Mackinac Island. If you are unfamiliar with it, it’s an island that has left time behind–there are no motor vehicles of any kind. You either use horses, bikes or walk. And a busy career gal from Grand Rapids has just won a “honeymoon” package on the island. That she entered on a dare. It’s a total God thing because her grandmother lives there and she used to be there all the time. Until. Until what? You’ll have to read to find out, but it comes back to haunt her.
While she is there with her BFF, she goes on a quest to all her grandmothers old friends collecting quilt blocks for a friendship quilt. And the driver her grandmother hires is pretty special ;). But special enough to stay? Hmmmm.
LOL! As you can tell, A Grand Design was a fun story. The island culture and background were pretty spot on. The author did take liberty with a few things I’m not sure I liked. Like to Grand Rapids to Mackinaw train. I’m sure it existed at one time, but not in my lifetime. I’m also not sure how I feel about the part of her past coming in. Would he really care 15 years later? Maybe. That end of backstory was tied up fairly quickly. I read it 3 times and I’m still not sure I fully understood how the brooch thing played out. I think she did several things on purpose though, because they were mentioned in the discussion questions at the end.
Overall, though, I did enjoy reading A Grand Design. I love Christian fiction but HATE when it feels like an after thought; it wasn’t. The characters were interesting, the setting fabulous. The romance at the end was pretty awesome, too ;). If you are still in need of a beach read, go it out!
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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!
Good luck!!
