Review & Giveaway!
Aloha Rose 

Quilts of Love Series

by Lisa Carter

4.0 out of 5 stars Lokelani Rose

Description

When Laney Carrigan’s adoptive parents encourage her as an adult to seek out her birth family, her only clue is the Lokelani quilt in which she was found wrapped as an infant. Centering her search on the Big Island, she battles fears of rejection from a family that abandoned her once before while her faith struggles to embrace God's love. 

Along the path to her true heritage, she meets Hawaiian cowboy/helicopter pilot, Kai Barnes. Kai is determined to protect the people he’s come to regard as family against a woman he suspects of being nothing more than a gold-digger, but he finds himself drawn to Laney in spite of his reservations. He's spent his entire life seeking forgiveness from past mistakes and longs for a second chance at happiness. Laney’s painstaking journey to find restoration and a place to belong among the breathtaking allure of the Big Island will lead her closer to her past and maybe even something more.

Purchase this book at the following locations:

http://www.amazon.com  $11.22

http://www.barnesandnoble.com  $10.99

http://www.christianbook.com  $9.99

http://www.deepershopping.com  $8.44

Biography

Lisa Carter was always the child who made up epic tales involving prairie schooners or interplanetary voyages for the neighborhood kids to re-enact during summer vacation. Now as a speaker, vocalist, teacher and writer, Lisa shares her own journey of faith regarding God's sufficiency for every need.

As a Southern romantic suspense writer--Sweet Tea with a Slice of Murder--she has definite opinions on serious issues like barbeque, ACC basketball and the whole Pepsi vs. Coke controversy. Carolina Reckoning, her debut novel, released August 2013.

She and her husband have two daughters and make their home in North Carolina. When she isn't writing, Lisa enjoys traveling to romantic locales such as the Big Island, Hawaii--the setting for her next novel, Aloha Rose, releasing November 2013. She also enjoys quilting and researching her next exotic adventure.

http://www.lisacarterauthor.com/index.html

https://www.facebook.com/lisa.carter.1272?fref=ts

My Review ~

Photographs of a Hawaiian baby quilt posted on the Internet brought results in Laney Carrigan's search for her biological family. Laney had been left with her adoptive family on the mainland as an infant, wrapped in the traditional Hawaiian appliqued quilt. Once the connection was made with Laney's biological family she traveled to Maui to meet the family she had never known. With issues of abandonment Laney was hesitant about the meeting. Her Aunti Teah's foster son, Kai Barnes had suspicious concerns about Laney's interest in the family, and made his point clear. Kai's pernicious mindset stemmed from a tour in Afghanistan as a search and rescue specialist suffering from PTSD. Consequently Laney's introduction to her family of origin was a bumpy ride filled with stress and vexation. How would she ever fit in with this mix of family members with whom she has nothing in common aside from Hawaiian roots? Will she and Kai be able to spend time on the same property with any sense of respect or friendliness? With endless questions and concerns Laney decided to give herself a day at a time to see which direction this relationship with her "family" would go, with the return plane ticket kept close if she felt the need to retreat back to the states and her career as a free lance writer. 

Aloha Rose is a multi-layered story with subplots paralleling the main plot. There is a lot of activity and a bit of chaos as the story begins, and I felt a bit like Laney, wondering if I had landed in the right place at the right time. Several characters are introduced into the story, Laney and her adoptive family, and on the island of Maui, her Hawaiian family. Descriptions of the beauty that is Hawaii were well done and educational. The diversity of the island was described in a way that I felt the atmosphere of the island without having been there. Lisa Carter's descriptive talents brought Maui to life. Numerous issues were broached through this book, such as abandonment, adoption, PTSD, Alzheimer's disease, dysfunctional family matters and issues of faith. The author imports numerous emotions throughout the book leading the reader from anguish to humor, hate to love, fear to faith. I enjoyed the story of the quilt, Hawaiian customs and terminology, the relationships that develop throughout, and surprises at the turn of a page. Not entirely believable, but who ever said that fiction has to be realistic? I found this to be an entertaining book! 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Wynn-Wynn Media in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.

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