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Lisa CarterAbingdon Press / 2013 / Trade PaperbackOur Price$15.294.4 out of 5 stars for Aloha Rose, Quilts of Love Series #12. View reviews of this product. 20 Reviews
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Heart2HeartVictorville, CAAge: 45-54Gender: female4 Stars Out Of 5Discover the meaning of Ohana!November 24, 2013Heart2HeartVictorville, CAAge: 45-54Gender: femaleQuality: 4Value: 4Meets Expectations: 4I couldn't imagine not knowing anything at all about my family. That is just what Laney Carrigan is dealing with after learning that her entire family roots are tied quite literally up in a quilt she was wrapped up in the day she was given to her birth mother. That is the only clue linking her to knowing more about who she is and where she comes from. The beautiful pink and white red rose snowflake appliqued on the quilt will point her to a family that has been waiting for decades to know more about her. This search takes her to the Big Island of Hawaii after discovering a response to a picture she posted on the internet searching for answers. But all isn't quite as welcoming on the island as Laney had hoped.
Upon arriving at the airport she is immediately met with apprehension by Kai Barnes, a man who has been trying to figure out just who Laney Carrigan really is. Seems like all the usual ways of discovering some clues about who someone is are coming up with a solid brick wall. Kai truly believes that Laney is just someone who is looking for money by coming to Hawaii. He doesn't believe that she has any place within his Ohana and will set out to prove to his family just what she is really hiding, if he can only find it.
Lisa Carter is the latest author to take her turn at the Quilts of Love Series, with her novel Aloha Rose. Perfect warm tropical waters and the smell of plumeria fill the readers senses as you begin this mystery into who Laney Carrigan really is and what her link is to family she finds on Hawaii. This is simply perfect to immerse yourself in right in the middle of winter to give yourself a bit of a virtual tropical vacation. My only downside to this novel was the difficulty at the beginning where I felt the author tried to introduce too many characters for the reader to take in. I would have liked to have seen a slower progression to allow the reader to understand where Laney was coming from as well as all the family she is introduced right off the bat upon arriving on the Big Island. With that being said, I give this one a 4 out of 5 stars in my opinion. There is a discussion guide included that makes this a great novel to introduce to book clubs and a sneak peek into the upcoming addition to the Quilts of Love Series, Tempest's Course by Lynette Sowell.
I received Aloha Rose by Lisa Carter compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and Abingdon Press for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. This is the 12th book in the Quilts of Love Series. -
MaureenTSyracuse NYGender: female4 Stars Out Of 5Finding A FamilyNovember 23, 2013MaureenTSyracuse NYGender: femaleQuality: 4Value: 4Meets Expectations: 3I'll admit I had a hard time getting into this book. It took me awhile to get interested. I stuck it out, and was not disappointed.
Lanny Carrigan, feels completely abandoned when she arrives in Hawaii to maybe meet her birth mother's family. Her adopted mother has died and her dad has remarried and now has a new wife and step-son.
She is greeted...or met at the airport by a rather cute, but not very nice Kai Barnes. He is worried she is a gold digger. You begin to wonder if she has made a big mistake coming here.
There are many twists and turns in this story, and the final chapters will really have you on the edge of your seat. We also deal with Alzheimers, which her Grandmother is suffering from. Now having dealt with dementia of a loved one, I know how she ended up in tears, when she was ordered out of the house. What a horrible disease.
We also experience the beauty of this lava built Island, and it made me want to get out of the cold of the North and go there. Guess the best I can recommend is cozy up with a blanket and grab this book...hang on you won't be dissatisfied.
I received this book through the Litfuse Publicity Book Tours, and was not required to give a positive review. -
Carole JarvisJonesboro, GeorgiaAge: 55-65Gender: female3 Stars Out Of 5A Quilts of Love story set in HawaiiNovember 20, 2013Carole JarvisJonesboro, GeorgiaAge: 55-65Gender: femaleA strength of the Quilts of Love series is the uniqueness of each quilt, the meaning behind it, and the love of family it symbolizes. In Aloha Rose, Lisa Carter uses the beautiful Lokelani quilt to guide Laney to her birth family in Hawaii, and blends exotic setting with appealing storyline to create an interesting read overall.
Lisa very effectively conveyed the setting and flavor of Hawaii through such images as erupting volcano, rain forest, rainbow, waterfalls, dancing the hula. I was also drawn to the secondary characters of Laney's family and they way they supported each other - welcoming Laney unreservedly, making a memory book of major events and people for Laney's grandmother who had Alzheimers, Teah passing on a family tradition by teaching Laney to quilt.
Several characters are introduced at the beginning, which was a little confusing, but they quickly become familiar and the narrative really picks up about halfway through, along with a couple of surprise twists that readers will love.
Kai suffers from PTSD, and both he and Laney have emotional issues that they have worked to hide. Teah points out to Laney: "You and Kai are a lot alike. High walls. Self-protective barriers between you and the rest of the world."
The main negative for me was that, while Laney and Kai have great chemistry from the very beginning, their romance was my least favorite part, as I missed seeing their relationship move beyond surface attraction to a deeper level. And I'd like to see less character monologues where they keep mulling over their thoughts. Still, Aloha Rose is a good story overall and I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it. I loved the heartwarming ending and think this is a novel many inspirational romance fans will enjoy.
This book was provided by Litfuse Publicity and Abingdon Press in exchange for my honest review. -
IolaNew ZealandAge: 45-54Gender: female3 Stars Out Of 5Missing somethingNovember 19, 2013IolaNew ZealandAge: 45-54Gender: femaleQuality: 3Value: 4Meets Expectations: 2Laney Carrigan is visiting the Big Island of Hawaii to meet her birth family for the first time. She has come into contact with her Hawaiian family when they recognised a photograph of the quilt she was left wrapped in when she was abandoned as a baby. Her adoptive father was in the military and her adoptive mother is now dead, so she's never felt at home anywhere, and her career as a travel journalist hasn't given her the opportunity to set down roots.
Kai Barnes was raised by Laney's birth family as a foster child, after his mother was murdered. He forms an instant dislike of Laney–he's convinced she's simply out to get what she can, and is determined to protect his foster family from this interloper.
Aloha Rose didn't meet expectations for me. I'm not sure why. It's the second book I've read by Lisa Carter, and all I can say is that something doesn't gel between the way she writes and the way I read. The beginning was very fast, too many characters were introduced too quickly, and although I got the instant attraction between Laney and Kai, I didn't see their relationship progress beyond that attraction. I suspect there was too much focus on showing us the interaction between the couple, and too little on showing us their deeper feelings. Good characters and an interesting concept, but something about the writing just didn't work.
Thanks to Abingdon Press and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review -
SallyTampa, FL2 Stars Out Of 5Stilted WritingNovember 27, 2013SallyTampa, FLI appreciate the author's choice of Hawaii for the setting as it helped this reader better appreciate America's 50th state. Not only are fauna and volcanoes described, but many customs of the land are included. In addition, a liberal use of Hawaii's language allow the reader to better understand the ways of the island.
Scenes showing quilting techniques added interest to the storyline.
This Christian fiction handles adoption, cancer, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Alzheimer's disease. One of the characters wrestles with abandonment and trust.
Sadly, stilted writing runs throughout the story. Many of the sentences are awkward. For example, on page 90, "With Daniel, for safety's sake, encased in a florescent yellow life vest, Laney and Kai kept him between them." This makes reading difficult.
This is the third novel I've read in the Quilts of Love series. I thoroughly enjoyed the other two. (Each title is written by a different author and is a stand alone novel, connected only by the quilt theme.) I would encourage readers to continue enjoying others in the series.
Discussion Questions are included.
Thank you to Bonnie at Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and Abingdon Press for my copy.
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