Aloha Rose Book Review

Quilts of Love

Every Quilt Has A Story

SUMMARY:  Will conflict with one man keep Laney from her dream of a loving family?

     When Laney Carrigan sets out to find her birth family, her only clue is the Hawai'ian quilt - a red rose snowflake applique on a white background - in which she was found wrapped as an infant.  Centering her search on the Big Island and battling fears of rejection, Laney begins a painstaking journey toward her true heritage.

     Kai Barnes, however, is determined to protect the people he loves.  He thinks Laney is nothing more than a gold-digger and blocks every move she makes.  As their conflict escalates, it puts at risk the one thing that Kai and Laney both want most - a family.

REVIEW:  This was an interesting book.  Laney has always felt a little out of place because of many different things:  her darker coloring, being adopted, moving a lot as an Army brat, and now with her dad's remarriage after her mother's passing some years earlier.  Something that stood out to me was the sacrifices made by both Laney's birth mom and adopted mom.  Her birth mother, Rose, knew she could not care for her child like she needed so she finds a family to take the baby, even though the family is unsuspecting.  Laney's adopted mom, Gisela, gives up her family in Germany because they would not accept Laney as hers because of her dark coloring.  She often heard rude comments that the child was the product of an affair her husband had while serving in Asia. 
     As Laney struggles to feel like she fits in with her birth family, I like how her grandmother, in the early stages of dementia, loves and accepts her without any hesitation or reservation.  I also like how Aunt Teah, who has a huge heart, adopted Kai, a young boy who came from a very difficult home life, and loved him just like he was her own.
     This is a good book that has enough twists to keep you guessing on how things will work out in the end.

This book was provided by Litfuse for review without compensation.

Lisa Carter has taught at the university, high school, and middle school levels and currently teaches music at a preschool.  She is a member of the ACFW, RWA and several online writers' forums and has been published in MomSense and Christian Parenting Today.  Lisa and her husband, David, live in North Carolina and have two beautiful daughters.