Sew in Love is a collection of 4 novellas featuring women who sew for a living. The stories range in time period, with the first taking place in the 1800s and the last taking place during WWII. I’ve included my thoughts on each story below.
Hearts Sewn with Love by Darlene Panzera
This story was an okay start to the collection. Maggie McDermott has come to California to marry her father’s second cousin, but upon arrival, she discovers he’s dead. Ben Freethy is a gold miner saving up for a horse ranch. I liked Maggie and Ben, and the conflict of Maggie trying to start over in a mining town kept me interested. But at times, Ben got a bit on my nerves. He could come across as wishy washy. Then again, so could Maggie. I did like how resourceful Maggie is, however. And I liked some of the supporting characters. All in all, it was a nice story.
Woven Hearts by Jacquolyn McMurray
Millie Pulnik is a survivor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. Abe Skala is a union employee. This story had potential, but there were too many subplots for a novella. I think it would make a wonderful full-length novel. Especially since I would have loved to see Millie and Abe’s relationship grow. Millie does come off as a control freak, and sometimes I couldn’t follow why she was upset with Abe. I did like the subplot with the factory trial, and Abe’s father made an interesting subplot as well. I think the short length of a novella didn’t do the story justice.
A Language of Love by Kimberley Woodhouse
This was my favorite story of the collection. Jeni O’Brien and Philip March are taking linguistics lessons to get rid of their accents. I liked how Woodhouse tried to write in a way we could “hear” the voices. Not only did it add to my understanding of the characters but also made the story seem more alive. It was also really cool to get a glimpse of baseball in the early 1900s, and I loved that Woodhouse included a note with the history of the song, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
Tailored Sweethearts by Debby Lee
This story felt very rushed to me. Irving Morgenstern is an injured pilot convalescing in an Alaska army base hospital. Stella McGovern works in a factory sewing parachutes. While I did manage to form somewhat of a connection with Irvin, I had a harder time with Stella. I don’t know exactly what it was about her. And I didn’t find the romance realistic. The whole thing was rushed, although the quilt block was a nice touch. I did like the suspense and how Lee weaves the effects of the war into the novel, including shell shock.
Sew in Love is a light read, perfect for a Sunday evening of rest, especially for historical fiction lovers. Although I didn’t like everything about the stories, I still enjoyed reading the collection.
Sew in Love releases December 1. You can click the book image to pre-order it from Christianbook.com. If you like novella collections, check out my post The Oregon Trail Romance Collection.
(Note: I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.)
