This is a delightful novel for women, especially those who might be set in their ways. It is a well crafted story exploring what might happen when control is relinquished and God is allowed to move freely. Lives are changed, both those prayed for and those praying. Deep hurts are brought to light and hearts are healed.

The characters are well crafted too. There are young people in desperate need of prayerful love and direction. There are elderly women filled with love ready to burst out. There are a couple of dragon ladies too. Hard nosed, controlling. It is amazing to see what God can do when allowed to penetrate a controlling personality. Forced to get out of her comfort zone, Margaret declares, “Our ministry used to be such a neat and tidy operation, but now we never know what will happen next.” (3284/3424)

This is an entertaining novel but is also an encouraging one. Read it if you are ready to allow God freedom to work. And read even if you're not because you'll see what God can do. And if you are interested in a prayer shawl ministry, lots of information is included at the end of the book.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Calling all knitters!
This is an interesting story about a group of praying knitters who make a difference in the community where they live. It’s a story about not knowing the people you associate with, until you do.

The Heavenly Hugs Prayer Shawl Ministry is ousted from their regular meeting space when the pastor of their church hires a volunteer to repaint the prayer chapel. Without a better idea of a place to go, the four women who have knitted together for years end up knitting, and praying while they knit, in the coffee shop in the mall.
The women are challenged by a cast of interesting characters who remind the women of the private challenges they face outside their Wednesday morning ministry time. Characters of all shapes, sizes, ages and hair colour, walk onto the page defying the traditional ministry goals of the staunchest member, and leader, of the group. As the women knit in the mall, they discover a way of ministering to people outside of the church building and realize how they can reach the community for Christ. Their table fills with prayer requests on napkins, and their lives become better for it.

As new characters enter with their own prayer requests, the ministry ladies eventually reveal secrets of their own to one another, tapping into the power of praying for each other.

There’s a lot of knitting lingo that knitters will find interesting. The descriptions of patterns are detailed enough, that even readers who don’t knit can imagine what the shawl turns out like.

This book is full of redemption stories as each Heavenly Hugs knitter faces her own heartache.

There are conversations with God and strangers comment on the force field surrounding the knitters that more conservative readers might wonder about. Similarly, some readers unfamiliar with prayer shawls may have more questions than are answered in the story (the author provides a list of resources at the end of the book on prayer shawl ministries).

I found the story moved at a slower pace than I am used to. By mid-point, it felt like the story was finished as it wrapped up nicely some plot points at Christmas. However, that’s when the story became interesting…
There are some surprises along the way, and each character receives her satisfactory ending.

If you love to knit and read a feel-good story, check out The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady.

I received an ecopy from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

What a great read, don't we all know a Margaret? This book pulls back the layers of not only Margaret but the other members of the knitting group. They are to meet in the chapel and pray as they knit prayer shawls and for the pastor to prayer over.

Margret we find out does not like change and she is very verbal about it, but why? We are blessed with several stories within one book, and we see the power of prayer here.

Will Margaret get her way and the group will leave the mall? Will the pastor be able to save his church? Answers are forthcoming, and we are gifted with a read you won't want to put down!

I am looking for more reads by Sharon Mondragon, wow!

I received this book through the Publisher Kregel, and was not required to give a positive review.

This precious story took me completely by surprise in a most wonderful way. When four ladies who meet every Wednesday morning to knit prayer shawls and pray in their church's prayer chapel are told by the pastor they need to knit elsewhere, they are thrown into a bit of a tizzy. One, especially, Margaret Benson, who needs to be in control at all times, bucks against the pastor's wishes. They all thought that knitting the prayer shawls at the church while praying over them was the place to do it. Each of the ladies, however, has an issue that needs to be addressed and it can't happen within the confines of the prayer chapel.

Sometimes God interrupts our plans with His own. Because He has something to accomplish in our lives and He uses His children to do it. The ladies move to the mall to do their knitting and praying and many lives end up being touched by their mission. And they themselves just might feel the hand of God in their own lives in a wonderful and totally unexpected way. This was a very precious and fulfilling read. Now I want a prayer shawl.

My thanks to Kregel Publications for a copy of this book via Net Galley. I was not pressured to leave a positive review and the opinion here is my own.

"The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady" is Christian women's fiction. There were a number of view point characters, but we mainly followed the lives of Margaret, Rose, Jane, and Fran. They knit prayer shawls in a peaceful chapel, but it's being painted. The pastor challenged them to knit in a public place and bring God's influence into those spaces. Only, that's loud, messy, and involves getting personally involved with non-church people. It's a big change for all of them, but it ultimately brings healing to their lives as well as those they pray for while knitting.

The main characters were complex, likable people that reacted realistically to events. I could relate to their struggles even though they're not things I've personally dealt with. Even the knitting dragon lady (who likes being in control of everything) was likable since we know her thoughts and struggles behind her actions. God was very much at work in people's lives and in bringing about emotional and relational healing. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this enjoyable novel.

The Unlikely Yarn Of The Dragon Lady by Sharon J Mondragon is a most charming and beautiful contemporary Christian novel. The love of God is infused throughout the whole book. His love extends beyond the pages to encompass the reader.
The building is not the church. The church is the people. The disciples were commissioned by Jesus to go into all the world and to tell others about Him. We were never meant to lock ourselves away in a building and keep the Good News to ourselves. “To reach others for God, we need to take the church out into everyday life.” People need to see and experience the love, the hope and the care of God.
Too often people stumble in the darkness. They do not realise their need for Jesus. People need us to show Jesus to them by the way we live, what we do and how we love. “They don’t know they can find peace and love and hope here.”
The main characters have a prayer shawl ministry. They knit together, weaving their prayers into the shawls as they knit. Age is no barrier to this ministry. “I may not be able to live alone now… but I can pray. I can pray and knit those prayers into a shawl.”
As the ladies knit outside the confines of a church building, the lost and the lonely are drawn to the peace and love of Christ that surrounds them.
Jesus went to the people. Jesus wants us to go to the people.
Regrets, hurt and pain make people prickly. We need to see beyond the hurt as to why the behaviour is as it is. We need to help to minister to the root problem.
Guilt weighs heavy. “Dragging her guilt behind her like a ball and chain.” We need to lay our guilt down at the foot of the cross and exchange it for forgiveness.
The characters are all wonderfully drawn. They are an eclectic mix such as one would meet in life. Therefore they are easy to relate to.
I adored The Unlikely Yarn Of The Dragon Lady. It was such a beautiful read. I cannot wait to read more from Sharon J Mondragon.
I received a free copy from a publicist via Net Galley. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

This is a sweetheart of a novel. If you're a knitter, you will love the details on knitting. But even if you have never picked up a knitting needle, it's a sweet read. There are very engaging characters grappling with real issues. It's a quick and endearing summer -- or any other season -- read. Definitely recommend it.