Sewn with Joy

Welcome one and all!  After two days of frantically and searching my neighborhood, I found Lil' Dickens.  I have yet to figure out how he snuck out of the house.  He was there for dinner, but after dinner he was gone. The neighbor across the street (the people that have band practice every Wednesday night) was able to catch him (he was purring away) and bring him home.  I was so grateful.  In between searching, I had been praying for his safe return.  Dickens had a very big dinner and then lay down to sleep. I bet his adventures wore him out.  Doozy just about sniffed the fur off him. I bet Dickens had some interesting smells on him.

Sewn with Joy by Tricia Goyer and Sherry Gore is the third book in The Pinecraft Pie Shop series.  Joy Miller lives in Pinecraft, Florida (eight square blocks in Sarasota, Florida) with her family.  Joy works at the local quilt shop and is also a seamstress.  She makes items that are sold in local shops (aprons for Lovina’s pie shop).  Joy has been seeing Matthew Slagel, the bishop’s son.  Matthew is very picky and opinionated (wants things done a certain way).  Then a television company comes to town to film a show based on the Amish.  Joy notices them driving around one night, and they seem to be lost.  She goes outside to provide them with directions.  The Bishop decides that no one in the community will associate with the television crew. Then a large order is placed at the quilt shop (Joy gets a percentage of the sale).  Joy goes to deliver the quilts and sees some glaring problems with the costumes being used in the production.  Joy is asked to sew the costumes for the cast.  Joy sees the extra income as a way to help pay for her father’s experimental medical treatments.  They are costly and the family needs every cent.  Then Joy is asked to become a consultant on the show.  Joy debates taking the job, but she feels that God is directing her to help these people.  Joy feels that she is there to help direct them towards God.  The downside is Matthew is upset with Joy and does not understand her decisions.   Can Joy make Matthew understand her choices?  Will Joy’s work make a difference in the lives of the cast and crew of the production?  Read Sewn with Joy to find out!

Sewn with Joy is my favorite book in the series.  I liked Joy and her determination.  She knew what she was doing was going against the Bishop, but she felt compelled to help these people (God was telling her to help them).  How many of us follow our instincts or do what we feel is right?  The novel is well-written and has a good pace that makes it easy to read.  There is the predictable romance (of course).  We also get to catch up with the characters from the first two books in The Pinecraft Pie Shop series who are planning a double wedding (Hope, Lovina and their fiances).  While Sewn with Joy is the third book in the series, it can be read alone.  The author does a good job of bringing the reader up to date on the Miller family.  I give Sewn with Joy 4 out of 5 stars (which mean I liked it).  I found the ending to be especially heartwarming and uplifting.  I hope there will be more books in The Pinecraft Pie Shop series.

The first two books in The Pinecraft Pie Shop series are Made with Love and Planted with Hope.  I received a complimentary copy of Sewn with Joy in exchange for an honest review.  The comments and opinions expressed are my own.

I appreciate you taking the time to read my review.  I will be reviewing My Sister's Prayer by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould tomorrow.  I am going to go cook dinner and then get ready for some new shows (Notorious, How to Get Away with Murder). May all of you have an enjoyable evening.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader