Grow Old With Me

The Quilt Trail #1

by Melinda Evaul, Phil Evaul (Photographer), Lynn Dean (Illustrator)

Grow Old With Me
Novel # 1
The Quilt Trail Series


A modern day Beauty and the Beast meet in their fifties when a disfigured carpenter becomes a long-term guest in the western-style tourist town of Love Valley, NC.


Benjamin Pruitt plans to repair the church before retiring to a solitary life. Sarah Campbell longs for freedom since her task as caregiver has ended.


Can they piece the tattered remnants of their lives into a beautiful design?


Author Biography


Melinda Evaul is a North Carolina native transplanted to Tennessee. Her contemporary Christian romances give readers a unique view of rural life in both states. Not afraid to tackle tough questions, she writes about people who grow spiritually through the difficulties life tosses in their paths.


Melinda is a pastor’s wife, mother of two, and grandmother of three. She’s a registered nurse and water aerobics instructor. She is an award winning article writer. Grow Old With Me is a Dan Poynter 2011 Global eBook Award Finalist.


Avid photographers, Melinda and her husband enjoy traveling America’s back roads where rural culture and history are preserved through a unique art form—quilt barn squares. Each book in the Quilt Trail Series deals with some aspect of quilting and its influence in the Appalachian region.


Proceeds from her husband’s note cards, post cards, and prints contribute to the preservation of quilting and rural American culture. Melinda also donates money from her book sales to support various charities or quilting related projects.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Romance, Contemporary

ebook

First published December 1, 2010

Reviews

[Debbie Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book very much. It was a good read and kept me very interested. As you can see I finished it in a week.... and I am back to homeschooling my son so that takes up a bunch of my day.

It is very much a relationship book. Relationship with God, a small town, relationship of the owner of the inn with a few of her regular/long term boarders, especially the relationship between Benjamin and Sarah. Sarah owns the Inn. Benjamin comes to stay at the Inn while he does some construction work on the church and a few other places in town. Benjamin has many issues, the greatest of which is his anger at God. During the book Sarah develops some physical problems and must deal with some things from her past as well.

Why is Benjamin angry with God?
Can Sarah help him?
Will he and Sarah develop a relationship?
The name of the book is Grow Old With Me.
Will Sarah and Benjamin promise to grow old together at the end of the book? or will their struggles keep them apart?

Here is a quote from the book that really hit my yesterday.

"The magnitude of His sacrifice wrenched her soul. In that garden, the Son of God wrestled with painful choices, burdens far greater than any she'd ever face. He'd chosen to become the escape for mankind from the bondage of sin. Certainly, she could trust Him to meet her meager needs."

I am struggling because of our 9 years of serious financial troubles. Can I trust God yet again to intervene in our lives and work a miracle where there seems to be NO HOPE? Can I trust him to meet my needs??? It depends on the moment. I admit. I have times of doubt. I am sure my Abba Father understands my humanness. I am trying to trust. It is hard some days.

[Trinity Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grow Old With Me is such a wonderful book, heartwarming, uplifting and touching. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and it will be one of my top ten for 2011. I felt like I was staying at this special Inn. The name of the Inn is just fantastic, it’s called Mosey Inn. Also all of the rooms in the Inn have names of quilts, and the description of the Inn and surrounding areas were so well done. The characters feel like old friends now and I hated to finish the book and leave my friends behind.
I always love book covers and titles of books and this one by Melinda Evaul is just perfect. You can just imagine the inside of the Inn after seeing what it looks like on the outside.
Benjamin and Sarah are an older couple who at first didn’t have any thoughts of doing anything but just living and surviving life. They didn’t have an easy life and didn’t expect things to change, but change they did.
It seemed like one disaster or hardship just got worked out and another popped up, but it wasn’t to much. You will never be bored with the happenings in this book. I just loved all of the sweet, loving people of this town, but you will also find a couple of mean-spirited people.
I really love stories about older couples and Grow Old With Me is about the best I’ve read.
I really recommend this book. It is one that you will love to read over and over again.


This book was given to me by the author to read and review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Penny Zeller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Melinda Evaul has done a fantastic job in her debut novel "Grow Old With Me" of bringing to life two hurting people - Sarah Campbell and Benjamin Pruitt. When Sarah's and Benjamin's paths cross, will they be able to push fear aside and find true love?

I love the themes throughout this book, such as that found in 1 Samuel 16:7 "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." So often, people are judged for their appearance and treated poorly merely for not fitting the mold of society's idea of outer perfection. Such is the case for Benjamin. The pain, sadness, and rejection he had faced stayed with me long after I finished reading the last page.

So, too, Sarah was forgotten for the self-sacrifices she made throughout her life caring for her mother. As the years had passed, she had all but lost hope. Lonliness and chronic physical pain had also found their way into Sarah's life. Melinda did a great job of illustrating both Sarah's and Benjamin's characters. They were realistic enough to be a next door neighbor or someone we might meet at the grocery store.

This is an uplifting book of faith, hope, and love. "Grow Old With Me" is a well-written novel with characters that capture the reader's heart. I would highly recommend it and have placed it on my keeper shelf.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first time reading this author. It was nice to read a novel without explicit sexual details throughout. A story of relationships, restoration, and how people work out their personal and interpersonal relationships relying on God.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Grow Old With Me. It was like a breath of fresh air after a rough day of work. Melinda Evaul's characters came to life as I read and had a wonderful depth and reality to them.

[Pat Dyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The setting for this novel is, appropriately, Love Valley, N.C. Sarah Campbell greets Benjamin Pruitt, newest visitor to the quaint bed and breakfast, Mosey Inn. At first, she's a little taken aback because of his scars. He is very self-conscious due to his deformities caused by a fire many years ago, which prompt people to stare and make remarks about his appearance. Consequently, he's given up on forming any relationships, and he avoids people at all cost. He's also given up on God.

Sarah struggles with health issues, financial difficulties, and the feeling that a life of her own apart from taking care of others is a dream she will never be able to fulfill. She wrestles with her own faith, which seems to have declined as her problems escalate.

Can Benjamin believe he is lovable in spite of his grotesque appearance? Can Sarah let go of her dogged independence and allow Benjamin care for her? Will she realize that the care shown by her community is because they love her and not because they feel sorry for her? Will they be reconciled with the God who has loved them throughout their lives, even when they thought He didn't?

The reality of the characters and situations throughout this story are what makes this novel stand out among romance novels and I highly recommend it to readers of all ages.

[Roonie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Grow old with me" - four words that imply commitment, a future spent with someone special, a life filled with love. All of these and more are promised in the title of Melinda Evaul's first book in the Quilt Trail series, and the reader will not be disappointed in the story she tells.

When Benjamin Pruitt arrives at the bed and breakfast owned by Sarah Campbell, the last thing he is looking for is a relationship and all that comes with it. As for Sarah, she must force herself to see beyond the scarred face and hands of her newest guest and help him find the peace and acceptance he so desperately needs. Much to her surprise, Sarah finds that Benjamin helps her face her own personal struggles, both physical and emotional; and their lives will be changed in ways they could never have foreseen. In addition to Benjamin and Sarah, there are others in Love Valley who bring this story to life as they live day to day. Melinda's charcters are neighbors, friends, even family members whom readers will remember long after the last page is finished.

This is a story that will touch the reader's heart in a very special way. It's a story of pain, hope, love, and faith. I highly recommend Grow Old With Me. Reading it will be time well spent.

[Pegg · Rating 4 out of 5]

The opening of this book is an instant attention getter. The entire first half was a page turner for me. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and the unlikely hero of this story. Melinda Evaul does a great job of creating the characters and peeling back the layers to let us see who they are. She allows them to be exceedingly human, which I find makes them all the more interesting and real. The second half dragged a bit, the ending was obvious and obstacles expected. However, it's still a good "Hallmark" type story with great characters and well worth reading. What I liked best about this story is that it illustrates the value of a person disassociated completely from physical attractiveness or physical abilities. In our culture, we tend to value the physical over the spiritual. Shame on us.

Benjamin carries his scars on his body while Sarah's scars are emotional. Neither are young anymore and change is hard. They both need to learn to trust in each other but more importantly - on God. They struggle with their own demons as they learn and grow. This really would make a good Hallmark movie. Hallmark? Are you listening?

[Michelle McGill-Vargas · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Grow Old With Me is Christian Fiction, which I do read, the main characters are from an older generation, mid-fifties with issues I couldn't relate to. But that didn't mean I didn't like the book. Grow Old With Me is about an innkeeper who'd spent her entire adult life caring for an invalid mother and ends up renting a room to an emotionally and physically scarred man. They fall for each other, but must navigate through health, trust and spiritual issues. I liked how the author used the setting and the characters professions to add more depth and layers to the storyline. I also appreciated that the author didn't feel the need to rush the relationship between the MCs. I thought the story thread with the missing children and the person the town was accusing could have been developed more and added more suspense, but overall, I thought it was a very cozy novel.

[Nelene · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started reading "Grow Old With Me" I thought it was just another Christian Romance novel. Which I love to read, and totally enjoy, however...by the time I got to the end of the book I wanted to keep reading on with Benjamin and Sarah. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and can't wait to read Melinda Evaul's next book! I won't say too much about the book, don't want to spoil it for anyone, but I will say...it's real life substance, feelings, down to earth and enriching. Finding true love at a later age, with all the scars of youth. It will change how you view things and some people, and maybe yourself.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five Star Book

This is a Wonderful story of two lonely people craving love. Sarah and Ben had challenges that made the book hard to put down.

It was a nice change to read about people in theirs 50's instead of someone 20 to 30 years old.

Noah's acceptance of Ben's disfigurement from his burns could humble the hardest heart. It teaches you, do not judge a person by their appearance.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book, I felt like I really knew the characters! It made me laugh and cry. I love stories that evoke emotions in me. I liked the fact that this was about people in their 50's, instead of the perfect 20-something couple with near perfect lives. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read about what happens in life, health, financial concerns. It was a 'real' story.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this simple read about a woman who gave up her life to care for her mother and then later met a wonderful man scarred by life and how she helped him find God and he helped her find love. A good reminder of how intertwined our lives are with others.

[Barbara Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this story... it is not your typical romance.. read my review here: http://bookaholicconfessions.blogspot...

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just right for my season of life...

[Peg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good easy read from a Christian perspective. Very clean with some great moral and ethical lessons.

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice easy ready that worked through severa issues from a Christian perspective: disapoinment, family expectations and growing older.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

well this book was quite a surprise, all the way through, really liked this one.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Based in Love Valley -- good story but a little too long and predictable.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another "feel good" book but I liked it. Theme is "Love can overcome all things - age, health, disabilities,- all things.

[Lisa Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those books I didn't want to put down!

[Barbara Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the novel Grow Old With Me by Melinda Evaul, Sarah Campbell runs a bed and breakfast in the small NC town of Love Valley. She spent all of her adult life caring for her mother, who had an accident leaving her with the mind of an eight-year-old. Sarah gave up a chance at marriage and a family of her own to care for her parents. Now her parents have passed on, and she is in her 50s, barely making ends meet, and trying to ignore symptoms that indicate something worse than just the aches and pains of getting older because she doesn’t have the money to see a doctor. She has a good church and set of friends, but she doesn’t let anyone know the depth of her problems.

One day a client, Benjamin Pruitt, comes to her establishment to do some carpentry work in the town. He is horribly disfigured from a fire years ago that killed his best friend. He keeps to himself to avoid people’s stares and carries a lot of bitterness, especially toward God for allowing such a thing to happen. He plans to mostly stay in his room after work, but the first night, when Sarah has dinner set out for him and another client, he doesn’t feel he can back out without being terrible rude. She extends friendship and grace towards him, and eventually he responds.

Friendship turns to something more, but there are so many issues in the way. Both had expected to spend the rest of their lives single. Sarah is a believer and Benjamin is not. As Sarah’s symptoms escalate, so do her fears of becoming dependent on someone and being a burden to them, and her physical and financial situation seem like too much to ask someone to take on. Benjamin is still in the process of opening himself up to others and trusting.

My thoughts:

It was nice to see a romance between ordinary older people rather than the main characters being young/beautiful/handsome/muscular/at the top of their profession. I thought the fears of aging were handled realistically. Both characters were realistically flawed: Sarah admits to having a bad temper and is fiercely independent; Benjamin struggles the way many people would who had undergone what he had. I liked what both characters learned along the way about themselves, God, and each other.

I did find the writing a bit choppy in places and awkward in others. There were some sentences that seemed a bit overly…sentimental, maybe, almost silly (“Dust motes danced to the Christmas music playing on the CD”; “Fervent pleas leapt from his dark eyes.”) I thought Sarah went way too far in the relationship without knowing that Benjamin was a Christian and knowing that would be an obstacle for her.

But overall it was a good story. It’s supposed to be the first in a Quilt Trail series, but it was written in 2010, and apparently there are no sequels yet. The author’s web site tells how she and her husband like to travel the back roads of TN and NC seeking out Quilt Barn Squares on buildings, so evidently she originally planned a series of books along those lines. I don’t know if she still plans to write more. This one has pretty consistently been 99 cents for the Kindle, making it easy to give it a try.

[Kay Crouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely & Inspiring Story

I loved this story. Not only did it recall memories of my mother's quilts, it inspired me to renew and straighten my Christian walk with God. Any story that can do that deserves a 5+ star rating. I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

[Carmen Redding · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a “just ok” read. A sweet story with not much going on. Most of the book centered on the main character’s indecision regarding her relationship with Benjamin. I liked the characters, the setting and issues brought forth. It would have made a good short story. There wasn’t enough substance for a novel, and the plot took too long to reach a resolution.

[Linda Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Christian romance.

Such a lovely story of a budding romance and of faith and grace through hard struggles. Characters were believable and relatable. A wonderful story that I would recommend to my Christian friends.

[Anna Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Touching

It was so nice to see a little mystery and a lot of love...all wrapped up in extra. Vulnerable and unique characters.

Throw in a spiritual journey and a great book us what you have!!

[JanetW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I've read this year. I see myself in both of the two main characters ... a true eye opener for any one dealing with disfigurement & honest loving acceptance by the so called "normal" folks who can see into the soul rather than surface characteristics.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sara’s latest guest at the B&B is a man so scarred she can scarcely help staring at him. But soon Sara, Benjamin, and another long-time boarder are sharing meals and enjoying time together. After all, it’s who a person is that matters, not how they look.

In the village people stare and gossip. No wonder Benjamin doesn’t like to be seen. But Sara’s hiding secrets too. And in Melinda Evaul’s first Quilt Trail novel, Grow Old with Me, the reader learns how admitting we’re vulnerable is sometimes the first step to being free.

A gentle romance, low-key mystery, and small-town drama rolled into one, Grow Old with Me introduces a large cast of characters, builds relationships, and reminds readers that it’s never too late to change or to turn to God—not even when we’re growing old.



Disclosure: I read this book in the Christian eBook section of the Dan Poynter Global eBook Awards.

[Linda Christie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very excited to read a story about a 50-something woman who would finally discover love for herself. I was taken aback that she wound up with someone not visually perfect as is usually the case in nearly every romance novel I have read in the past 35 years. Believe me - there have been many!

I, too, am a 50-something woman who has never been married. Why is it that there is rarely a woman or man, portrayed in novels, who is less-than-perfect. It reminds me a lot of many TV ads that show a middle aged couple where the woman is attractive and slim where the husband is bald and chubby. Is that really the best this beautiful woman can do? Where does that leave the rest of us who are barely average?

Disappointed that this heroine didn't end up with her perfect mate... he was a knight on the inside, certainly, but a beast on the outside (even according to the synopsis on the cover).

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

This is a can not put down book. It is a moving on book that just keeps going. The characters are true to real life. I feel in love with all of them. Can not wait to read more by this author!