Ellen is getting older and wondering how long she and her husband, Ben, can stay on their beloved ranch, when her granddaughter, June, gets cold feet and runs from her wedding. Ellen is working on June’s wedding quilt, which contains pieces of the wedding dresses from the women of the family. As the two women sit together, Ellen tells June the stories of one woman, named Nell, and how it took her 3 tries to find the man she would marry. The story of Nell’s first beau, Buddy, is full of cowboy swagger, the second story, about James, is a bit of a shocker, and the story of predictable, solid Wade has a not-so-predictable twist in the end.

The strengths of this book are the depictions of the relationships between the women characters, and the easygoing voice the story is told in. Readers who liked The Persian Pickle Club (which is referred to in this story) are sure to enjoy this latest novel.

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When her granddaughter comes to her with uncertainties about her coming marriage, Ellen sits down with her to tell her a story. This story is about Nell, who ran from 3 fiances in search of the marriage she wanted.

The twist to this book is rather obvious, but I will keep mum about it. The plot of this book was interesting. Seeing the three men that Nell comes across and how different they were was an interesting way of exploring Nell growing up and realizing what she really wanted from a partner in life.

That said, I was unimpressed by all three men. I was annoyed by the first, suspicious of the second, and bored with the third. While I did understand why Nell fell for the second and tolerated the third, I had no idea what attracted her to the first. I found my rolling my eyes several times during the story.

Overall, it is an interesting tale (although there is a sex scene, though not described in great detail) but nothing extraordinary. I would recommend this to readers looking for a light tale about a young woman's rather desperate search for love.

Ellen is putting the finishing touches on a wedding quilt made from scraps of old dresses when the bride-to-be—her granddaughter June—unexpectedly arrives and announces she’s calling off the marriage. With the tending of June’s uncertain heart in mind, Ellen tells her the story of Nell, a Kansas-born woman who goes to the High Plains of New Mexico Territory in 1898 in search of a husband.
Working as a biscuit-shooter, Nell falls for a cowboy named Buddy. She hopes for a future together,but unfortunately they are both stubborn, with an argument that leaves her in doubt, running away, heartbroken.
Nell will run away from marriage twice more before finding the love of her life. It’s a tale filled with sweet anticipation, heartbreak, disappointment, and self-discovery. In a sense it is somewhat historical in nature, as you can definitely see the difference between society then and now!

This book was sweet in its story line and well written., so much so as I was reading it I could picture the characters in my mind. My thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ellen and Ben have shared their love for half a century but his worsening dementia threatens to bring major changes to their life on the family ranch. When their granddaughter runs away to the ranch to avoid her own pending nuptials, Ellen shares the story of a woman who ran away from marriage three times before finding lifelong love. Sandra Dallas spins an enjoyable tale that confirms you are never too old to be amazed by life's twists and turns.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced digital copy. This started as 3 and finished as a 2.5. I enjoyed the first of Nellie’s relationship stories. I liked the ranch outdoors west setting of the early part of the book and Nellie’s sense of independence and adventure but then there were some aspects of her character I found annoying. As the book continued, there was nothing interesting about the last two relationships and then it just seemed about Nellie trying to find a husband. I started to skip a lot. Further, and it may have been an edit mistake, but a name reference to a character was a spoiler that gave the story away. All in all this books just wasn’t for me.

The Patchwork Bride by Sandra Dallas would probably be better suited to young readers for the most part.  I love all of Sandra Dallas' previous books and was glad to be given the chance to read this one but was disappointed. I do look forward to her next book.

When June tells her grandmother, Ellen, that she’s canceling her upcoming wedding, Ellen shares a story about Nell, a woman looking for love in the late nineteenth century American West. Nell falls head over heels for a cowboy who breaks her heart. Nell, believing she will never find love again, turns tail and runs. Not wanting to have her heart broken again, Nell refuses to allow herself the luxury of falling in love and turns away several offers of marriage. But life still has a few surprises for the stubborn Nell and she finally finds her forever love. Dallas, who always includes a quilting theme in her stories, tells a story of love, forgiveness and taking a leap of faith