Aloha Rose by Lisa Carter

Quilts of Love (Book 12)

When Laney Carrigan sets out to find her birth family, her only clue is the Hawaiian quilt—a red rose snowflake appliquéd on a white background—in which she was found wrapped as an infant. Centering her search on the Big Island and battling fears of rejection, Laney begins a painstaking journey toward her true heritage. 

Kai Barnes, however, is determined to protect the people he’s come to regard as family. He thinks Laney is nothing more than a gold digger and blocks every move she makes toward her Hawaiian family. 

As their conflict escalates, it puts at risk the one thing that Kai and Laney both want most—a family.

 My Review:
I 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.

If you would like to read the first chapter, click here.

If you would like to buy a copy, click here.