Nina O'Malley wants to be a NYC magazine editor, especially after losing out on a promotion in her suburban publication and breaking up with her boyfriend. When her current editor hands her an assignment she considers to be more fluff than meat, Nina only redoubles her efforts and determination to get that New York job. Not much else in her life has worked out as she would have liked so in her heart, she doesn't expect this latest desire to either. But before she has a chance to convince her editor to give her something more meaty, Nina meets the local veterinarian— who happens to be the guy who made her feel her worst in high school—and his HIV positive daughter. Suddenly her assignment, to cover a gala benefiting the AIDS Memorial Quilt, is not so onerous, and it begins to seem as though her happiness won't require moving across country. Christa Allan is one of my favorite authors because she imbues her storytelling with humor and a gentleness of spirit that can make readers want to hug her characters, even those who are less than perfect. The story flows from the characters, from their strengths and foibles. At no time is there a sense of Allan crafting the plot. It's as if Allan's been given their story to tell, something she does with decided skill. Nina questions her faith and learns that, although she has plans for her life, sometimes God has other plans...and His plans often result in what we truly want and need.

THREADS OF HOPE is book five in the Quilts of Love series. In each story, a quilt or quilting is a focal point in the lives of the characters. I've not read any of the others, but I look forward to reading more of these unique stories.

Book Summary

Passed over for promotion and dumped by her boyfriend, Nina O’Malley is further frustrated when her editor assigns her one of the “soft” stories she despises—covering a gala benefit supporting the AIDS Memorial Quilt. More determined than ever to prove she deserves a promotion to the NY office, Nina decides to write a series featuring a local quilting group raising money for AIDs research.

At the event, she runs into her high school nemesis: Greg is a widower and the adoptive father of Jazarah, an HIV positive girl from Ethiopia. Unlike Nina, Greg has faith in a loving God, and he trusts in God’s plan for his life.

Greg and Nina grow closer, and as Nina interviews the quilt families, she begins to question the choices she has made and her lack of faith. Nina suddenly finds herself facing two possible dreams, two paths for her life.