Alice's Notions by Tamera Lynn Kraft

Book Synopsis:

In this quaint mountain town, things aren't always what they seem.

World War II widow Alice Brighton returns to the safety of her home town to open a fabric shop. She decides to start a barn quilt tour to bring business to the shop and the town, but what she doesn't know is sinister forces are using the tour for their own nefarious reasons.

Between her mysterious landlord, her German immigrant employee, her neighbors who are acting strange, and a dreamboat security expert who is trying to romance her, Alice doesn't know who she can trust.

You can purchase a copy here.

My Review:

I enjoyed this novel set in a small town in post WW II America. We are familiar with the concept of terrorist cells in the U. S. after 9/11 but I had never thought of the same concern after WW II. Kraft has done a good job of creating a plot that highlights that very issue with communists infiltrating small town life with an aim for a national disaster.

Another issue in the novel was postwar prejudice. Alice sponsored a displaced European and was dismayed to find out when the woman arrived that she was German. Alice's husband had died in the war and Alice struggled with the thought of having a German under her roof.

The characters were rather well drawn and fit the era. I was a little disappointed that Alice wasn't quite as tough as I like in a suspense novel with a woman at the center. Greta, the German immigrant, was my favorite. She was smart and had good survival skills. I thought the male characters were a little over drawn, especially the nefarious one. I did enjoy the period dialog. I mean, who would call a woman a “doll” today?

I do recommend this novel to readers who enjoy historical fiction. Those familiar with quilt designs might find it especially interesting.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Tamera Lynn Kraft has always loved adventures. She loves to write historical

fiction set in the United States because there are so many stories in American history. There are strong elements of faith, romance, suspense and adventure in her stories. She has received 2^nd place in the NOCW contest, 3^rd place TARA writer's contest, and is a finalist in the Frasier Writing Contest. She has other novels and novellas in print. She's been married for 39 years to the love of her life, Rick. They have two married adult children and three grandchildren.

Tamera has been a children's pastor for over 20 years. She is the leaders of a ministry called Revival Fire for Kids where she mentors other children's leaders, teaches workshops, and is a children's ministry consultant and children's evangelist and has also written children's church curriculum. She is a recipient of the 2007 National Children's Leaders Association Shepherd's Cup for lifetime achievement in children's ministry. You can find out more about her at http://tameralynnkraft.net. You can read her newsletter at http://eepurl.com/cdybpb, find her on Goodreads, Facebook and Twitter.

Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc., 220 pages.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Celebrate Lit. My comments are an independent and honest review. The rest of the copy of this post was provided by Celebrate Lit.