"Love in the Seams"

By Jodie Wolfe

About the Book:

Mae Stafford longs for the companionship and unconditional love her sister has found in her new husband. But after years of refusing potential suitors because of a pact they made as children, Mae no longer has any choices left once their agreement is broken. She has no hope that God will give her what she desires most, a family of her own. Instead of dwelling on what she doesn’t have, she throws herself into her work as the recent sole owner of the local dress shop.

As a promise made to his late wife, Johannes Mueller agrees to travel west to be a school teacher in Calder Springs, Texas, away from the bigotry associated with being an immigrant in New York City. He hopes to improve his life and forget his loss. Johannes isn’t counting on his five-year-old daughter’s search for a new mother when they arrive. His little LillyAnn finds ways to bring the seamstress and him together…often. Can he learn to embrace his German heritage and unlock his heart to love again?

My Thoughts:

I am always a bit apprehensive when given a book by an author new to me. Will I enjoy it? Or, will I find it hard to read?? Thankfully, I can honestly say that Jodie Wolfe is an author to watch. This second book in her "Twins and Needles " series is a great read. It is a sweet romance that at times, has you wishing that you could knock a couple of heads together, enabling them both to see what they are resisting!!

The characters are realistically and well described. As my husband is a twin, I easily identified with Mae. Her kindness and Christian values shone through as she struggled with decisions and challenges. Johannes is a fine man, a devoted father, who often is so wrapped up in his busy, daily life, taking care of his little daughter, that he forgets that he, himself, has needs and feelings. I often wanted to jump into the book and shake these two characters!! Did they not see what was right in front of them?!! Mae and Johannes, as well as the child, LillyAnn were such lovable characters! The idea of including little prayers in the story was unique and meaningful.

The plot was interesting and well developed, with just enough twists and turns to keep the reader engrossed from beginning to end of the book. A perfect amount of humor was included that added to the story. I was often giggling as I read LillyAnn's statements, arguments and questions. The underlying them of keeping one's faith in all situations was present throughout the book. God's plan is always the best, but unfortunately, we often don't take the time to listen or wait for it.

Jodie has won me over!! I now have to go back and read Book One of the series! Eagerly awaiting her next creation!!

This book was received as a gift from CelebrateLit. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Author:

Jodie Wolfe creates novels where hope and quirky meet. She’s been a semi-finalist and finalist in various writing contests and is a member of ACFW. When not writing she enjoys spending time with her husband in Pennsylvania, reading, walking, and being a Grammie. Learn more at www.jodiewolfe.com.

Guest Blog from Jodie Wolfe:

I’m so excited to be a part of a Celebrate Lit tour. Thank you for the opportunity to give a small peek into my world. J Love in the Seams is book two in my Twins & Needles series. Mae Stafford’s journey to believe and have hope that God will give her the desires of her heart echo the ups and downs of my writing adventure.

I wrote my first novel as a teen quite a number of years ago. Ahem. We won’t say how many years that have passed since then. J Let’s just say it’s quite a few. My next novel didn’t get written until my early twenties…and then soon after I had children. Fiction writing took a back seat as I raised my sons and home schooled them all the way through high school.

Over seven years ago I felt God nudging me back to writing. I still had a son at home, so the progress was a little slow at first. Since then I’ve written four novels, three novellas, and have pitched a half dozen other ideas at various conferences or through my amazing agent.

God dropped my agent, Linda S. Glaz of Hartline Literary Agency, into my lap when I least expected it, but that’s a different story. I’ve had quite a number of rejections over the past few years as she’s tried to drum up interest for my books. We’ve had some nibbles and times when an editor or two was interested, but things didn’t progress any further than that.

I’ve entered contests and have experienced mixed results. I semi-finaled in American Christian Fiction Writer’s Genesis contest a few years ago, and this past summer I found out I’m a finalist in three different contests. But there also have been quite a few where the responses weren’t so great.

Earlier this year I decided to put out a novella independently and Hearts Tightly Knit was the result. It told the tale of Mae’s twin sister, Ellie, and their pact to always stay together and never marry. When Ellie ended up with her happily-ever-after, I knew that Mae needed one too. The only thing is Mae isn’t sure if her hopes for a family will ever come to fruition.

Highs and lows are part of a writer’s life. Well, actually for all of us. J Sometimes it’s easy to get bogged down in the negatives, the ‘rejections’ and not be able to see past them. Believe me, at times I wallow there for a little bit, but my aim is to write books that share about the hope we have in Christ. How can I convey that if I don’t believe and experience it myself?

One of my favorite verses is Hebrews 11:1 (HCSB) which says, “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” One of the things I have hoped for many years was a writing contract. That finally happened in September when I signed for a novelette with Celebrate Lit that will be coming out in the spring. In the process of waiting, I’ve found God has refined and honed me in this journey of hope.

My prayer is that my books will touch your heart and give you a glimmer of the hope we have in Christ. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity into your world.

Make sure that you enter the giveaway!!

In honor of her tour, Jodie is giving away a wooden decorated basket, a 24 thread spools with needles and threader, a pack of 30 needles, a tape measure, a tomato pin cushion, embroidery scissors, a thimble, 15 piece sewing kit, and a $10 Amazon gift card0! Click the link below to enter; be sure to comment on this post to claim your nine bonus entries for this giveaway! https://promosimple.com/ps/a88d