Member Reviews

Loved this book of three romances involving quilts. Each story was a quick read that left you feeling good.

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The Wishing Quilt is a trilogy of novellas by authors Jodi Thomas, Lori Wilde, and Patience Griffin. These are second chance stories: second chance at life, second chance at love, second chance at trust. All stories are in some way connected to quilts, especially to the people who make the beautiful designs and the people whose lives they have touched.

I very much enjoyed these stories and I do recommend it!

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The Wishing Quilt in all three books doesn't necessarily make your wishes come true, it can be even better. For Avery Cleveland, her life as a dancer is over. Can she start over making her grandmothers quilting store successful again? It seems the town is there to help her, especially a hot, hot sheriff. It was a little girl looking in the window that showed her the way. Ellie Winter in Lori Wilde's book is the maid of honor. As a way of honoring their aunt, they are making her a memory quilt. In the process, she is back where she started. On the ranch with the new owner, her first love. Can forgiveness lead to a happy tomorrow? Paige Holiday in Patience Griffin's book is a quilt teacher and designer. She believes the women in her family are cursed to never find true love. When she is fleeced out of her grandma's designs, she no longer trust men. It takes a reluctant cowboy, who is sweet to elderly ladies, to break through her wall. It takes friends to help her see that not all men are evil. Love that mom thinks an elderly cowboy might be in the cards!

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The Wishing Quilt is a compilation of 3 novellas, each about women who find their way through quilting. Each story can stand alone and does have a HEA ending. I loved the way the quilting was almost a character with the sheer love you can hear in the stories for quilting and quilts. Each story is located in Texas.

THE SECRET WISH was by Jodi Thomas and located in the small town While-a-Way, Texas. Avery Cleveland is struggling but has an opportunity if she is willing to try to take over her Great grandmother’s quilt shop. Along the way we have a handsome sheriff and mafia types and a shoot out.

WISH UPON A WEDDING by Lori Wilde is located on a wedding destination ranch. Ellie Winter throws a bachelorette party for her sister to make a memory quilt for their grandmother. Ellie however is not expecting the hot cowboy from her past to be the owner and is certainly not expecting the past to be resurrected.

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A QUILT by Patience Griffin happens in Houston at The International Quilting Festival. Paige Holiday is looking for fabrics for her friend's shop, but also trying to screw up the courage to show her fabric designs. Her uber driver turns out to be a hot cowboy who is hanging out and driving to help his sister. Both of them seriously spark, but trust is a factor. The Wishing Quilt is a great book to read, especially if you like quilts and fabrics.

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I will admit, I choose this book for the story by Jodi Thomas. I love anything she writes and this was no exception. This book contains three novellas revolving around the theme of a wishing quilt. I enjoyed all three stories and have found some new authors.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for review.

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The Wishing Quilt by Jodi Thomas, Patience Griffin and Lori Wilde is a lovely anthology of three wonderful stories each one revolving around quilting while finding love with a cowboy. Each story centers on each heroine needing a change, or shake-up, in their lives, helping them find what they were missing, not just the love of a good man, and setting them on a new path for their futures. The men they encounter, whether new or old, respected and fell in love with these ladies, providing exactly what they needed to become more confidence, secure, and to feel loved. I loved reading each of these sweet, cozy, small-town romances by three amazing authors who wrote wonderful stories for this anthology. Their stories brought the magic of quilting and how it leaves memories for future generations. I highly recommend the A Little Country Christmas anthology to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

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Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book. I haven't normally loved these anthologies that have three short stories in one book, however I enjoyed all three of these stories. Anyone who loves quilting should enjoy this book as it has lots of quilting info and references in it. That being said, the quilting is enough of a backdrop to the plots that non quilters will enjoy this book as well. This would be a great summer read at the beach as it has three great stories that you can put down in between when things come up, yet pick the book back up and immediately immerse yourself in the next story. Lots of angst, fun, family relationships and love in these three stories, definitely worth the read!!

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The Wishing Quilt
Three quilt-based romance novellas

Easy to read romances with the theme of quilts in common though the stories are not connected. Quick little romances that included love at first sight, second chance romance, and a bit of a trust issue based romances.

THE SECRET WISH BY JODI THOMAS
My favorite of the three stories. Avery is down on her luck with much to overcome as she finally arrives at her great-grandmother’s abandoned quilt shop. With the goal of putting one foot in front of the other after shattered career dreams, she finds a safe haven, a loving man, and a bit of danger in a place that soon feels like home. I really liked Avery and Dan together and wouldn’t mind hearing more about “Cousin Mikey” in a future story.

WISH UPON A WEDDING BY LORI WILDE
Ellie and holt were one another’s first loves but what didn’t work out thirteen years ago becomes a second chance at getting it right at a quilting bachelorette weekend held for Ellie’s sister. This novella includes family, trust issues to overcome, and a happy ending for more than one couple in the story.

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A QUILT BY PATIENCE GRIFFIN
Paige comes from a string of women that seem to have a habit of falling for charming conmen rather than salt of the earth types. Paige has at least one such conniving scoundrel in her background so is not as trusting as she once was. I liked thinking about her job as a traveling quilter sharing her knowledge in workshops and seminars and was rooting for her to find her happily ever after.

The stories ranged from a 3-star to a 5-star rating for me so will round off to 4 stars for the collection. That said, I am sure that what I might have liked best might not be the same for every reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Zebra for the ARC – this is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

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I enjoyed these three, unique and different stories that revolved around wishing quilts, family, and love.  I am so glad they were all put together in this anthology.

The Secret Wish by Jodi Thomas
This was a fun, romantic suspense that was in one of my favorite tropes, small towns.  The characters, the tall black shadow, AKA, cousin Mikkey all added to the story but it was definitely the characters, Avery and Daniel that stole the show in this book as Avery tried to restore her aunt's quilt shop and make a new life in the small town of While-a-Way, Texas as her ballet career had ended and she did not know what else to do.

Wish Upon a Wedding by Lori Wilde
I really liked how the characters in this story were making a memory quilt for Ellie and Camille's grandmother who is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's disease.  It was a touching story of family and a second chance at love if all worked out.

When You Wish Upon a Quilt by Patience Griffin
It was fun to learn about Paige, who designed quilts and had not always been lucky in love.  I liked how she had a piece of the Wishing Quilt that her Grandma Doris made.  It seemed like the quilt made her dreams come true in this fun story full of wonderful quilters.

I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.

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This is a collection of three novellas. They are all set in small towns and center around quilting. I enjoyed all the stories

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I was attracted to this book by the title, as I have just started quilting myself. I love Lori Wilde’s books so I was hoping the other author’s wrote in in a similar style. All the novellas are set in Texas, with a small western town feel. I would describe them as sweet romances, though there was a sex scene in one. I liked all three stories though was less keen on the hero in the last story as he seemed a little too tentative. They are relaxing, uplifting stories which are just perfect for winding down after a long day!

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I want to Thank Netgalley, the authors and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this book...

This is the sweet homey small-town type romances you will need in your life. All of these authors are wonderful in their own right - and all three put forward great stories here

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Three different novellas, by three different authors, but all with a central theme of quilting. In each one, lives were changed in amazing ways, new outlooks and romances too.
The Secret Wish by Jodi Thomas finds a former professional ballerina finding a new purpose in her life and a little bit of mystery added to her current surroundings. Local sheriff Daniel Solis is taken by her beauty and her spirit and adds that love interest to the story.
Wish Upon a Wedding by Lori Wilde had an unusual bachelorette party theme with a sentimental idea within. Also a proven fact that you’re never too old to find love. My biggest complaint with this story was one scene that included non-imaginative sex. Too much descriptive detail for my liking but otherwise good characters that I enjoyed getting to know.
When You Wish Upon A Quilt by Patience Griffin was my favorite of the three. A very clean, heartwarming story that had some familial conflict, you know, the kind where one person thinks they know what’s best for another. This centered around an International Quilt Festival and I learned some things about quilts that I did not know. When you thought a romance could not possibly happen in this story because of distance and circumstances…think again. I’ve tried quilting but was never good at it. However, I do have quilts made by grandmothers and great grandmothers that I cherish.
A nice little passing of time for me and new friends to get to know.
I received a complimentary copy of this ebook but was not required to write a review positive or otherwise. All opinions are my own.

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I’m going to start by thanking NetGalley and Kensington books for this gifted copy for my honest review. And boy is it honest.

The Wishing Quilt

First this book was NOTHING like I expected. I definitely didn’t realize that it was a compilation of multiple stories.

First story of the book was rushed. It felt like it dragged and then went rapid fire. The twist with the shooting was not what I expected so dramatically thrown in the story out of nowhere and then it was all magically fixed and they decided to get married after one date and some encounters in town and at the shop. Felt like the wishing quilt was randomly thrown in and didn’t make sense. It was also awkwardly sexual and the sexual comments came at weird times. 1.5/5 stars

The second story was not tied to the first one at all. The main character and her sister text in the beginning and they text so immaturely using “U” instead of “you” and “R” instead of “are”. That really turned me off. Seemed juvenile for a doctor to do. Kaddy was the saving Grace in this second story. She was witty and when she was talking to Ellie at the pre-wedding BBQ it had me laughing. The ending, well I have some thoughts. After Ellie professed her love and says “please tell me you feel the same” and he says he can’t and she runs off it is another oddly juvenile move. She’s a doctor not a teenage girl who runs away and doesn’t hear the guy out on why. If she hadn’t ran she would have heard in the next sentence why which obviously was that he loved her more… 2/5 stars

The third story
Though this one isn’t much better, it’s still better than the last two stories. As much as it has redeeming qualities like a better story line and more likable characters, the one thing I can’t unsee is Holt calling Paige when he’s thinking about her. Not to mention talking about the Wishing Quilt tote at least 15 times a chapter. One scene that weirded me out was when Holt was at the ranch talking to his sister when he talks about spanking his sister over his knee like their dad did for interfering in his love life.. just like any old third act misunderstanding break-up Paige doesn’t read the room and has a fit over thinking her designs were stolen again but doesn’t ask any questions and runs away only for it to not be that at all. I’m sorry but this book just felt way too far to be “country” or “Texan”. 2/5 stars

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This is a sweet collection of romance novellas. Each story is the perfect length to curl up with after a long day.
I really enjoyed reading this collection.
I received a complimentary copy from Kensington Books, Zebra via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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A marvelous collection of three novellas that revolve around quilts and romance. Thomas, Wilde, and Griffin were excellent choices to offer in one book.
Each story is unique and encompasses quilting, fabrics, and design a,one with two people falling for each other.
They’re such soothing reads and wistful too.
My favorite was Dan. He was so shy and unsure and absolutely charming, I was floored by Dalton’s show of love and understanding for Ellie with what he made for her. Holt is molten hunkiness behind the wheel.
These stories combine two of my favorite things: cowboys and quilts.

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These were such great reads from 3 amazing women. Each story had their own uniqueness, and wonderful characters to fall in love with. I found myself getting lost in the pages, and so wrapped in each story. Each author had a way of having their characters fall in love that was just heart warming. I love that quilting was at the center of each story in some way. It gave the stories a real down home feel that I have such a fondness for.

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The Secret Wish by Jodi Thomas has all her trademark story ways. Texas, sheriffs, small dusty towns and a young woman in search of a new start. And I loved that she's taking up the call from her great grandma to reopen and old broken down quilt store, plus keep her love of ballet. It's a heart warming, romantic fun read. It has plenty of action and humor in it, and a just beautiful ending.

Wish Upon a Wedding  by Lori Wilde brings Ellie and Dalton back together after a number of years. They did love each other but for unknown reasons Dalton sent Ellie on her way. Now they have the opportunity to reconnect as Ellie and her sister and wedding party get together to make a quilt top for their Grandmother who has early alzheimers. Here at the ranch Ellie learns what is really important in life and her choices then match that.  A romantic story.

When You Wish Upon a Quilt was a story I enjoyed because it involved Quilt Market and Quilt Festival and a young woman with hopes of becoming a fabric designer. Of course there is a handsome cowboy, a very cautious sister of the cowboy and an ex girlfriend. It all adds to the story and I found myself sitting down and reading this one right through in one sitting.

As they are all novellas there is insta love, there isn't so long to develop the relationship so a reader just has to go with it!  And I did and they were all very readable. I will add that the quilt factor in each of them was a much appreciated bonus.

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This book featured three short stories about quilting, cowboys, and love. 

Each story was unique with its own hero and heroine that fall in love. The stories were simple and easy to read, however, they were also extremely romantic and fulfilling. 

As someone who only wishes she knew how to quilt, I was charmed by the quilting theme in each story. They made me feel very cozy and comfortable. 

All-in-all, the stories were well-written romances for someone not looking for too much depth. Just what I was in the mood for!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. My review will be live, at the link given, on 9/2/22.

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I really enjoyed this anthology! I thought all three stories were really good, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would probably be Patience Griffin's story, which is the last in the book. Overall, I would definitely recommend!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

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