Review: The Sweetheart's Knitting Club

The Sweethearts' Knitting Club (Twilight Texas - Book 1) by Lori Wilde

Publication Date: November 2009
Publisher: Harper Collins
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN-13: 9780061808890
ISBN: 006180889X

(Received for review from Harper Collin's via the author)

Purchase: Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Borders, IndieBound

If you live in Morehead, KY or the surrounding area:

Purchase from our local independent bookseller: CoffeeTree Books
Borrow from our local library: The Rowan County Public Library

Lori Wilde on the Web: Website, Facebook, Twitter

Excerpt from The Sweethearts' Knitting Club

Synopsis (Book Blurb):

"Throw a penny in the fountain of the Twilight town square, and you'll be married to your first love..."

For ten years, pretty Flynn MacGregor has been turning down the same solid, upright man's marriage proposal. Her friends at the Sweethearts' Knitting Club tell her they're a match made in heaven, but Flynn knows there's only one dangerous reason why she keeps saying no: high school sweetheart Jesse Calloway. She was just sixteen when Jesse was forced'out of town under a cloud of suspicion... but he's never left her heart.

Now Jesse is back, and every-time she turns the corner he's there - gazing at her with his smoldering eyes and tempting her with his kisses. Jesse has never played by the rules, and he's made it clear that he's not going to now. And Flynn, who's always done just what her family, friends, and fellow knitters have told her to do, must finally break free and claim the love that binds Jesse to her heart.

Thoughts:

Author Lori Wilde introduces us to the town of Twilight, Texas in The Sweethearts Knitting Club. Wilde brings the reader back to their high school days when first love was in the air. Her excellent character development makes this book a heartwarming treasure for romance lovers.

Flynn MacGregor is the only member of the Sweethearts' Knitting Club who didn't marry her high school sweetheart. She's engaged to the town sheriff, Beau Trainer, a good man, but not the man of her dreams. Flynn's high school sweetheart and first love, Jesse Calloway didn't turn out quite the way she thought he would. Jesse has spent several years in prison and now he's back in Twilight, with one thing on his mind, getting Flynn back! Will Flynn follow the advice of her knitting buddies, her family and everyone else in Twilight or will she go with her heart?

Lori Wilde has not only created some wonderful characters in this novel, but a wonderful town as well. Twilight, Texas has a feel of a charming southern town, where anyone would want to live. Twilight gives the reader a great cast of characters as support for the hero and heroine and draws the reader in. It's a town that you'd want to visit, settle down in and stay awhile.

Wilde has a knack for creating really strong characters and I think Flynn MacGregor is one of her best. In the beginning we see Flynn as a sweet southern belle who always does what's expected of her. She never goes against the grain or challenges what others believe is best for her. Her family and friends and the Sweethearts' Knitters are at a loss when it comes to Flynn's engagement to the sheriff... Why doesn't she just marry him already? It's what they would do. It's what she should do... Flynn changes a lot throughout the story. It's almost as it she is discovering who she really is for the very first time. Making her own decisions and taking life on her own terms. Her growth is really a joy to read.

Wilde also gives us the consummate bad boy in Jesse Calloway. Jesse is the bad boy who actually learned his lesson. After spending a decade in prison he is ready to settle down, come home and try to move on with his life. But there are a lot of obstacles when it comes to a small town where everybody knows your business. Can he make them look beyond his past and see the man he's become? I loved his character. He had a lot of challenges but he stood up to them and he didn't give up. He was head strong and still his own man. He played by his own rules. Great character!

Wilde's style is very straightforward and simple. I really like that in a book. It gives some much clarity to the characters themselves. The plot was fast paced and I easily read this book in a day. It's very light and heartwarming and I would definitely recommend it to contemporary romance fans. There are no hidden agenda's or skeleton's waiting to jump out of the closet. The author does an excellent job of giving the reader a very sweet and refreshing romance, without a lot of hoopla...

The Sweetheart's Knitting Club is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!




Lori Wilde is the bestselling author of more than forty-five books. A former RITA finalist, Lori has received the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award, the Holt Medallion, the Booksellers Best, the National Readers' Choice, and numerous other honors. She lives in Weatherford, Texas , with her husband and a wide assortment of pets.