Tempest's Course by Lynette Sowell

Quilts of Love Series #13

Kelly Frost, a textiles conservator, is invited to the Massachusetts coastal city of New Bedford to restore a 150-year-old Mariner's Compass quilt. But there is one stipulation: she must live and work in Gray House, a former whaling captain's home, where the quilt is stored. There she meets Army veteran Tom Pereira, the caretaker of Gray House, whose heart seems as hard as the rocky Massachusetts coastline. Over the long-lit months as Kelly works to restore the quilt, she and Tom grow closer.

And as she reads stories in a daily journal penned by Mary Gray, she learns the secrets of the quilt and Mary's own sad tale of regret. Then Tom learns secrets of his own family's past, and both Tom and Kelly learn they are tied to Gray House in ways they never imagined.

My Review:
New Bedford, Massachusetts, a historical whaling town is the setting of this romance novel. Gray House, a captain's home with its tiny observation room, which overlooks the city harbor is itself a character, with its creaks and groans and hidden secrets. It's has been empty for some time and Kelly Frost is hired to restore a Mariner's Compass quilt while living in the home.

I especially appreciated finding out how a person would go about restoring a fraying, old quilt. While Kelly works on the quilt, she pieces together the mystery behind how it came to be. She discovers a hidden journal written by Mary Gray, wife of the whaling captain. It reveals long-held secrets from the 1850's.

Kelly is a loner, having been raised in foster homes. However, her experiences were good with Lottie, her final foster mother, who remains someone Kelly can rely upon. Tom has had an opposite childhood experience: a warm, loving family, who live close by. However, he and his father's relationship is stiff as Tom has disappointed his father by never attending college.

A few surprises help to solve any questions. I enjoyed this whispering mystery/romance.

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.