A Stitch in Time: No Man's Land Blossoms with Love in Four Novellas

by Victoria Bateman, Cathy Marie Hake, Carol Cox

In this brand-new novella collection, lives are sewn together in love at the Stafford family ranch, settled deep in the treacherous western area called "No Man's Land." Readers will see God's hand stitching faith, hope, and love in to the lives of these memorable characters: an all-frills, educated woman who falls for a diehard cowboy; a tomboy who hides her adventurous side behind ribbons and bows; a young woman masquerading as a boy to survive a trek across a dangerous frontier; and a clumsy family friend who suddenly embodies an unexpected style of grace. One by one the Stafford siblings fight love--and then find it--in the pioneer territory of No Man's Land.

Basket Stitch;
Double Cross;
Spider Web Rose;
Double Running

Genres: Christian Fiction, Romance, Christian, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Historical, Christian Romance

350 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2004

About the author

also published under the name Tracey Bateman

Reviews

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The four Stafford siblings and their grandmother have done what's necessary to survive in the wilds of 'No Man's Land' in 1886. Strong believers in God, each is surprised when love catches them off guard in these four novellas.

Cathy Marie Hake's Basket Stitch introduces Deborah, who has just arrived in the small town of Petunia to meet Dustin Travis, the man her father arranged for her to marry. But Dustin has been killed, and one of the Testament brothers (who believe wives should be kidnapped rather than courted) sets his sights on her. Louisa Stafford rescues Deborah and takes her home to meet the rest of the family. Lou's brother, Micah, is smitten, but he knows the harsh country is no place for the genteel Deborah. When Deborah digs her heels in to stay, Micah must decide if love is worth the risk. In Tracey Bateman's Double Cross, Grandma Stafford decides that it's time for Louisa to drop her tomboy ways and learn to be a lady. Though traveling pastor Trent Chamberlain is instantly attracted, he doesn't know how Lou will be accepted by others as a minister's wife. She likes to get in the thick of work and isn't afraid to get dirty. Trent prays for God's direction for his heart and life. Is Lou the one for him, or should he choose the more refined Cynthia?

Vickie McDonough's Spider Web Rose brings Rachel Donovan and Josh Stafford together. They first meet after Rachel and her grandfather Ian have escaped from Kansas and the men who want to kill them. Ian's leg is badly broken and they've lost everything. Rachel is dressed as a boy to avoid detection, so that when Josh comes to their rescue, he has no idea that she's not a young man. Will he be able to forgive her deception? Will Rachel decide to settle in Petunia or continue on with her grandfather? Carol Cox's Double Running concludes the series. Sam Stafford has absolutely no interest in getting married. He's tired of his family shoving women at him right and left. Hope Masterson, the clumsy daughter of a Petunia family, has been back East for three years while her aunt attempted to find her a husband without success. Now she's returned home, determined to be happy alone. When Sam and Hope are thrown together to plan the town's Fourth of July festival, will love blossom?

These four stories carry the theme of love stitched together by God's hand. Although written by different authors, the tales build upon each other and seamlessly flow from one to the next. The romance is especially heartwarming, and tense moments add to the quick pace. The particularly suspenseful ending of Spider Web Rose makes it my favorite of the four. Sewing is part of each story, the descriptions of specific stitches helping to tell about the relationships. A steady faith message is not overly preachy but reminds readers of relying on God's lead in our lives. A Stitch in Time is a delightful anthology, sure to uplift and encourage.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

To explain, I'm going to rate and review each individual novella in this set. But let me just say, as a whole, this book was pretty fun to read. It was a nice diversion for an autumn afternoon and in terms of the length of each novella, it was nice to read full stories without needing to spend hours poured over a book. I could just read one novella in the afternoon and be done by the time dinner was ready. Now, for reviews of each novella...

Basket Stitch by: Cathy Marie Hake
rating: five stars

I was prepared to hate this novella. I read Hake's book “Fancy Pants” a few years back and didn't care for it at all. But I figured, this wasn't another “girl masquerading as a boy” story so I'd give her writing another try. I'm glad I did because I loved this story of Widowed Deborah Preston. Her gumption in trying to make the best of her circumstances, however poor they were, was admirable and I loved that she was willing to learn despite her city-girl upbringing.

Micah Stafford was easily likable as well. Stubborn as any ranch owner would be at having another female underfoot putting flowers and pink soap in his bathroom, his character made me smile. I liked reading as one after another of his barriers were broken down for the sake of common sense and how love formed between him and Deborah. In the end, Basket Stitch won me over. In fact, I'm pretty sure it was my favorite of all the novellas. I liked it enough that I'm interested in trying out another of Hake's books. I'm still not sure I'll like her writing but I'm willing to give it another go.

Double Cross by: Tracey V. Bateman
rating: three stars

I liked this novella but I found it just a touch confusing. On the back cover of the book, Louisa and Trent's story is described as follows - “Louisa, a tomboy, almost loses a chance at love by trading her holster for ribbons and bows.” It sounds appealing, right? Yeah well, there was nothing really in the novella that mentioned Lou trying to change herself so much that Trent was no longer interested. Lou did change. She tried to be more ladylike and feminine at times but in the end, she always ended up being the same old rambunctious tomboy. I was expecting to have a scene where Trent said that he liked her better when she was being herself but that scene never came. In fact, Trent was as much captivated by Louisa's ability to dress up and be feminine as he was by the tomboy Lou who wore a gun holstered to her hip. To Trent, both sides of Louisa's personality were equally mysterious and desirable. Louisa never traded in her holster for ribbons, she just added on to her personality and had both in her arsenal to try and capture Trent's heart.

Also, I didn't understand the title until I reached the end of the novella where Trent and Louisa get locked in the barn and “double crossed” by Trent's adopted sons. The title made it more confusing as a whole because I half expected Lou to do something so outlandish in an attempt to catch Trent's eye that it came off as a double cross.
So, on the whole, this novella was good but a tad confusing at times. I didn't hate this novella, but I felt mislead and sort of tricked by the back cover description. It was cute but not what I expected.

Spider Web Rose by: Vickie McDonough
rating: three stars

Okay, so I was skeptical of this novella. I'm not a fan of the whole “girls masquerading as boy's to hide their identity” stories. To me, the lie always drags on for far too long to the point of ridiculous and what originally was a ploy used to protect a girls virtue quickly becomes a mask warn to protect a guy they've fallen in love with and to keep him from feeling betrayed. The problem is, in the end, the guy always finds out and feels betrayed no matter what. A lot of times, books with this storyline take the masquerading too far to the point where the girl is involved in or witnesses things between men that should really stay between men. I hate it and it drives me nuts.

It's all about trust. Once the girl sees the guy is godly and trustworthy, she should tell the truth. That is the only reason I actually liked this novella. Josh Stafford helps Lee/Ray (AKA Rachel Lee Donovan) take care of her sick grandfather by bringing her and the old man back to his family's ranch. Soon after they arrive, Josh invites “Lee” to sleep in the bunk house with the rest of the ranch hands. But Rachel can't do that because it isn't proper for a young lady. So, within seconds, she tells Josh's sister, Louisa, the truth of her identity and by supper time, she's had a bath and is wearing a dress so that every guy there, including Josh, knows she's a girl. Yippee!

After that, the story got so much better. It was cute and fun and full of adventure. I loved seeing Josh and his brother's rescue the girls from the bad guys and bring them all home safe and sound. In the end, despite all of my misgivings about this novella, I really, really enjoyed it. This is the first “girl masquerading as a boy” story I've liked, ever!

Double Running by: Carol Cox
rating: four stars

I liked this novella about Sam Stafford and the klutzy and awkward Miss Hope Masterson. It was fun to read about Sam's continued defiance to ever fall in love and get married. I also loved Hope's side of the story and how she went through so many emotions of both liking Sam and at the same time, not wanting people to pressure him into liking her. Her tale of both her mother and aunt trying to find her a husband was comical and endearing and I loved that she stood up for herself and Sam to the people that constantly tried to push them together. It was also fun to see all the messes Hope got into because of her klutzy nature. The only complaint I have is that this last novella felt a bit rushed, especially the ending. I wished for just a teensy bit more. But, overall, this was a pretty cute novella and a nice end to the four story set within the whole book.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Each story in this collection gets 2 stars. All 4 novellas are connected by location and family, which is what I liked about these stories. The location was Oklahoma territory. I thought that was interesting. I didn't like the characters or the stories, though, which made it a struggle for me to finish this book.

[Dragondreamsjen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cross-stitch designer in me loved how each of these four novellas featured a different embroidery stitch and the Western setting for these Christian romances reminded me of my Little House On The Prairie TV show obsession. Pa really could cry at the drop of a hat and these charming stories brought a lump to my throat on several occasions.

[Dorothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three single brothers and one single sister live on a ranch in No Man's Land between Dodge City and Texas. There are few eligible women and the eligible men are not to Lou's liking. Then they find one in the middle of their pasture, another returns from back East, the third one coming west to marry her future husband, and the other is the traveling preacher. Things start hopping as each makes their appearance.

[Mauri Baumann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This followed the Stafford brothers and sister in 1887, and how they met and married their spouses. I love pioneer/westward ho books. This was a novella, written by four different authors and the characters were intertwined...so you ran into them time and again and found out how they were doing in their new marriages. Generally, I don't like novellas/stories....but this was a fast read and I enjoyed the charcters.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read, flows nicely. I think the first 3 novelletes were written with a deeper plot than the last one.

[Terry Yaceyko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an unexpected delight to read. Again, don't judge a book by its cover! Smile
I really enjoyed every one of the 4 stories in this book and would like to read it again in the future.

[Summer Nolte · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good book for just comfort. I don't find it super well written or in depth though.

[Amy Reed · Rating 1 out of 5]

So slow and boring to read. Read about 70 pages and then stopped.

[Sara ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology a lot like the last one I read, but this one... I dunno. The stories were cute, but I didn't like them as much as the others. I think the last story, about Sam and Hope was my favorite. I liked the idea that love can sometimes sneak up on you when you're not looking for it or expecting it. That was cute. :)

[Katy Glover · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel covers the romances of four siblings. The sewing theme is mostly insignificant throughout the novel, but it does add some cute details. By the end, as with many Heartsong books, the last novella seemed like a rehash of the previous 3. Overall it was enjoyable with good reminders about how we need to look past our initial reactions to really see what is in people's hearts.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book pretty much because it was cheap and I liked the cover. It's definately an easy read and quite predictable. But it was cute and fun and I loved it.
Perfect for some light Sunday afternoon reading : )

[Kristyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four short novellas about siblings finding love in No Man's Land of Texas. Pretty cute stories, and very quick reads. I wish some of them would have been a little longer to develop the stories a little more before they abruptly wrapped up.

[Lauri · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 novellas - short romances about 4 siblings on the frontier. Good, clean, fun.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tracey Bateman pulls at your heart strings and it's always clean!

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, wholesome stories... basic romance and fun.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good story. The authors blended the storylines well and keeps you interested on what's going to happen next.

[Bertina · Rating 5 out of 5]

What A Great Read - Enjoyed this book - 4 Novellas intertwined

[TaQuanda Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out my review here: https://niume.com/post/244710

[Susan Welch]

It was a fun read. Each Novella is written by different author but the stories have a connection.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four lovely stories that are like a visit with wise old relatives.

[Marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read 4 love stories from the Oklahoma territory in the 1880's -- too predictable.

[Stacy Hawley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this novella collection. I found it really fun to continue the story line with different authors speaking for different characters. I did find it to be a bit predictable but lovely just the same.