Masterpiece Marriage by Gina Welborn

About the book:

He wants to save his business. She wants to be a professor.

After flood damages the looms at Zenus Dane's Philadelphia textile mill and the bank demands loan payment, he turns to his aunt for help. Small pieces of his damaged textiles could be used for quilts, and his aunt designs unique ones. Zenus knows his aunt's name would be the key to selling his textile pieces.

But there is a problem. His aunt has already agreed to do a series of illustrations for Mary Varrs, a lovely yet secretive Englishwoman studying tomatoes. The illustrations are essential to Mary's report, necessary for her possibly being hired as a research assistant. There is also a quilting bee going on at his aunt's house. She demands both Zenus and Mary help with the quilting project if they want her to provide what they want in time. His aunt has plans to find Zenus a wife. It just may not be who she has planned.

My review:

The plot of this novel has a familiar theme: what is Mary willing to give up for love? Would she give up her dream? Or would she pursue her dream even if it meant working with a man she detests? Is love enough?

Mary wants to be a professor in a time when that was generally not allowed. Even her credible research could very well be discounted because it was done by a female. This is a good reminder that women have had to fight for their place in academia.

This is a pretty good romance. One learns a little bit about quilting and the textile industry. The end is quite abrupt and seems a bit unrealistic. Nonetheless, it was a pleasant reading experience.

I am taking part in a blog tour of this book and you can read other reviews here.

Gina Welborn is the author of several novels and novellas. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers; the president of Faith, Hope and Love; and a founding member of InkwellInspirations.com. She lives in Cache, Oklahoma, with her pastor husband and their five children. Find out more at http://ginawelborn.com.

Find out more about this book and the Quilts of Love series here.

Abingdon Press, 240 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this novel through Litfuse for the purpose of an independent and honest review.