LOVER'S KNOT

Author: Emilie Richards ISBN: 0778323226 7/2006 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: MIRA

In a cave in the Shenandoah National Park, two bodies are discovered, wrapped in the tattered remains of a lover's knot quilt. In Washington, D. C., Isaac Taylor inherits a nearly identical quilt from a grandmother whose name he never even knew. After narrowly escaping death, newspaper journalist Kendra Taylor retreats to a cabin nestled in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley to heal and sort out her feelings about her troubled marriage. The land was bequeathed to her husband by a maternal grandmother he never knew, and the cabin has been abandoned for years. As she is welcomed into the rural community of Toms Brook, Kendra becomes curious about an heirloom lover's knot quilt that is another piece of Isaac's unexplored past. The unusual quilt clearly has a story to tell, and Kendra is convinced that helping her husband connect with his roots might help him reconnect with her, as well. At first Isaac's reluctant visits to the cabin only underscore the difficulties in their marriage. But as circumstances force them to piece together a new relationship, Isaac discovers that the history of a family he's never known might hold the key to his future. As a passionate story of strength, loss and desperation unfolds, the secrets of two quilts are revealed and the threads of an unraveling marriage are secured.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

This long, leisurely read is a perfect accompaniment to a hot summer's day and a cold glass of sweet tea. While it is the third book in a series, the book stands alone very well.

Wealthy journalist Kendra Taylor needs to recover from a horrible injury. After being nearly murdered in Washington D.C., she leaves her husband and their too-busy life to head into the Shenandoah Valley, where her husband has inherited a small cabin and some land from family he never knew. Kendra needs to heal both physically and mentally, and also figure out what has gone wrong with her marriage. What she finds is information that her husband needs to be healed as well. Given up for adoption, he never knew his birth family. Kendra's journalistic instincts allow her to ferret out the truth of what happened to her husband's family in the Depression.

Richards did a wonderful job with characterization here, and adds just enough of a mystery to keep us interested in the stories of the characters' ancestors as well. Life can throw all kinds of curve balls at us, as this story demonstrates, but we can get through anything with courage and friendship. There is also a strong message here about human displacement, animal stewardship and land use politics. The main characters in this novel have the convictions and financial stability to stand up for what they believe, and wouldn't it be nice if we all found a way to do the same?

Heather Hiestand