The Blended Quilt by Wanda E. Brunstetter and Jean Brunstetter is a lovely story. It is a continues the story of the four girls who took a cruise to the Hawaiian Island four and a half years ago in The Hawaiian Quilt. The Hawaiian Discovery is the sequel to The Hawaiian Quilt, and it tells Ellen’s story. While The Blended Quilt could be read as a standalone, I believe it is best to read the books in order. It will allow you to have a better understanding of the characters and their situations. I thought this was a unique Amish book with our main character having an unusual occupation. Sadie Kuhns is the only one of the four friends who is still unmarried. She would love to marry beau, Wyman Kaufman, but he cannot seem to settle into a permanent job. Wyman gets bored with a job, quits, and then moves onto another one. Sadie worries that Wyman could not provide a steady life for a wife and family. Sadie is a gifted quilter who sometimes creates her own patterns. She decides to commemorate her trip to Hawaii with a quilted wall hanging that blends Amish and Hawaiian patterns. The quilt sounded lovely when finished and unique. This quilt leads to the suggestion that Sadie write a book. I thought Sadie and Wyman were developed characters. I liked Sadie who is a sweet, compassionate woman. I was not fond of Wyman was immature and selfish. I kept hoping that a new love interest would appear for Sadie. I liked that we got updates on Mandy, Barbara, and Ellen. We get to spend time with Mandy and Ken in Kauai as they suffer life’s ups and downs. The point-of-view alternates between Sadie, Wyman, and several other characters. I like getting a female and male perspective on situations. We get to see the characters face a series of challenges. Life is not smooth sailing even in fiction. I did wonder, though, why the author chose not to have the bishop or elders help the characters in their time of need. It would have added another touch of realism to the story. There were times when the Kuhnses and Kaufman families could have used some expert guidance and advice. I did feel the ending was a little rushed. I felt the changes were too sudden. I appreciated the epilogue that nicely wrapped up this sweet story. I enjoyed reading The Blended Quilt. It provided me with a lovely break from reality which I desperately needed. The Blended Quilt is a heartwarming Amish tale with quaint quilts, ennui employment, an astonishing abundance, faithful friends, a bored beau, and an unforeseen opportunity. ( )

The Blended Quilt by the writing team of Wanda and Jean Brunstetter, is part of The Hawaiian Quilt series. This book centers around Sadie Kuhns, who was one of four friends in the first book (The Hawaiin Quilt), to take a trip to Hawaii. Now, four years later, Sadie is the only one left of the original group who is still unmarried, although she is being courted by Wyman Kaufman. Trouble brews for the young couple when Wyman decides to quit his job working for his father, because he is bored with the work. Not only does he not have another job lined up, he also neglects to tell Sadie that he quit his job. Sadie finds out three weeks later after a conversation with Wyman’s brother. Feeling betrayed by Wyman, Sadie breaks up with him. She decides to focus her energy on creating a quilting design that will incorporate the Amish culture with that of Hawaii. She makes a beautiful wall hanging, and one of her friends encourages her to self publish a book of Amish and Hawaiian quilt patterns. This idea is too costly for Sadie to even consider…until the unexpected happens. When she is left a large sum of money by a relative, her life is turned upside down. Sadie’s family has feelings of jealousy and envy over Sadie’s unexpected windfall. Sadie now has the chance to publish her book, travel a bit, and attend book signings for her book. Now that she’s a published author and a wealthy young woman, will she remain in the Amish faith, or, like her namesake, live English? With Wyman and Sadie spending even less time together, Wyman makes the difficult decision to break up with Sadie. Will Wyman and Sadie find their way back to each other? Or is Sadie content to continue writing books and meeting her fans? This story offers readers interesting insight into the lives of the Amish and the struggles that arise as Sadie attempts to live with one foot in each world.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review.

The last story in the Quilt series by Wanda and Jean Brunstetter. An Amish romance inspired by a quilt. Sadie pursues her dream of writing a quilt book and finding romance. An easy read and a page turner. Enjoyed the series. ( )

This book has several themes that are unusual in Amish fiction. Sadie Kuhns is a young Amish woman who took a cruise to the Hawaiian Islands with her Amish friends and Wyman Kaufmann is her easily bored boyfriend who doesn't keep a job very long. Yes, these seem foreign to the hardworking Amish culture that we're familiar with, but authors Wanda E. Brunstetter and Jean Brunstetter make them work in this entertaining story that shows the conflicts they both face. Sadie would like to write a book and it appears that she can pursue this goal when her aunt leaves her a substantial amount of money. Will this inheritance and her ambition drive Wyman away? Are her dreams of being a wife and mother completely destroyed?

It becomes obvious that Sadie and Wyman are both guilty of allowing worldly influences to affect their relationships with each other and with God. They appear to have forgotten the simple life that is the backbone of Amish culture. Will they learn to once again be content with the simple things of life?

The Blended Quilt is an intriguing story that shows the importance of faith, family, and friends, while subtly reminding us that following God's direction is the key to happiness and contentment.

I received a copy of this book from the authors. A favorable review wasn't required and no monetary compensation was given. These are my own thoughts. ( )

I have loved every book in this series. Each one fills me with joy and comfort. I feel as if Sadie and her family have invited me into their home to visit. The author has a way that makes me wish this was a real family and we could be friends. I would love to sit and eat dinner with them, join them at church services and be part of their nightly Devotionals.

Sadie is not content with her relationship with Wyman. He flitters from job to job and that makes her have doubts . How can she marry someone who doesn’t have a steady job? I enjoyed reading how they try to work things out but they do not see eye to eye on things.

When an unexpected inheritance comes to Sadie, her dream of writing a book seems possible to achieve now. I loved reading how she incorporates Hawaiian designs with Amish designs to make beautiful quilts. The book offers a variety of styles along with facts about Hawaii. I would definitely purchase her book. Not everyone in the family is happy that Sadie inherited so much money. After all her sisters didn’t get anywhere near the amount Sadie did. The author examines how jealousy can cause friction among friends and families.

I really enjoyed how the family realizes they need to be happy for Sadie and encourage her as she publishes her book. There is a little conflict in the story between a married couple that I found to be quite interesting, The Amish deal with similar issues as we do and money seemed to be one of the big problems between this husband and wife. I liked how the author had them seek a Christian counselor for help. At times I though the wife was bitter and allowed her anger to push her husband away.

One of my favorite parts of the book was the turmoil Sadie had as she started to become famous due to her book. She has less time to help with chores and her relationship with Wyman suffers as well. Is pride getting in her way? The author demonstrates how important prayer is and supporting each other in time of need. Sadie is surrounded by Godly people who along with God’s guidance make decisions that will honor Him. Do Sadie and Wyman reconcile and get married? You have to read the book to find out.

I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher. The review is my own opinion. ( )