Bachelor's Puzzle

by Judith Pella

Book Overview

The Maintown church ladies society eagerly await the arrival of the new preacher, a bachelor. To welcome him, they make a quilt, and each woman tries to outdo the others by making a quilt block that... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0764201336
• ISBN13: 9780764201332
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
• Length: 351 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.1" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Bachelor's Puzzle

This story really held my interest, finished it in one day.........loved it! The authors writing style is so easy to visualize and really flows......

--

Bachelor's Puzzle By Judith Pella Review by Roseanna White Maintown is finally getting a new circuit preacher--and the women are all thrilled when they learn he's unmarried. Their eligible daughters would all make perfect pastor's wives, so to snag his attention, the womenfolk decide to make the good reverend a welcome quilt, everyone doing one square. Their hope is that whichever daughter makes the best square will also win the preacher's heart. There's only one problem with this plan: the Reverend isn't exactly what he seems. Zack Hartley knows a good plan when he schemes it, but the longer he's serving as pastor of Maintown and its neighboring villages, the more he gets to know the good people who welcome him with open arms, the less sure he is about the brilliance of this plan. Dodging the matchmaking attempts isn't all that difficult, really. And no matter how he bumbles, his new congregants love him. But what's he supposed to do about the compelling Newcomb sisters, who may just love him a little too much. . . and one of which is stealing his heart, too? Bachelor's Puzzle is a light and quick historical romance with a few unexpected twists up its sleeve--or perhaps, in its batting? Revolving around the antics of the quilting society, the growth of Zach, and the hearts of Maggie and Ellie Newcomb, this book is a pleasant way to pass a few hours. I admit it took me a little while to get into it, but once the plot twists started coming, I couldn't put it down. The story mixes old-fashioned, small-town values with a little bit of snake-oil savvy, which gives it a unique flavor. The characters struck an interesting balance, one I figured they would find but wasn't quite sure how. In spite of the shady dealings and lies that spur the book onward, all the characters were understandable and likeable and good-natured, even when doing something they knew they shouldn't. This is the first of Judith Pella's new Patchwork Circle Series, each book titled after the name of a quilting pattern, and Bethany House is sponsoring a quilt drive for those in need and a quilting contest, the winner of which will wind a quilt handmade by Judith Pella. You can visit [...] for details.

A Quilt with a Life of its' own!

Pella is headed for a huge success with this first book in the series. Quilting is the theme throughout, and very, very accurate for that time in history. Throughout, Pella strove to keep much history going, as well as several love stories and a strong Christian theme. Laughter and heartbreak, sometimes for the same family at the same time. A young man, Zack, is on the run. He is a man without a purpose except to try to stay alive. A small town is without a minister, and as he finally heads toward his first pastorate- there is a tragedy which changes the entire story. Zack meets the minister, William by happenstance. The next few pages began the heart of the story. The ladies of Maintown knew their coming preacher was a bachelor, and they made him a "welcome quilt" in part to welcome him, but mostly to woo him....hoping he would choose the best "block" and the lady who had made it. Several good smaller stories come from that quilt, but it is a strong cord throughout the story. One featured family has two eligible, beautiful daughters, as different as night and day. The are interested in the new minister for entirely different reasons. In fact, nearly the whole town seems to have their sites set on him. He is quickly drawn into their hearts because he is new and awkward, but willing to get his hands dirty and back breaking by helping the congregation on their farms. As Pella weaves the delicate love story, she also shows the best and the worst of a little country town that can become a raging inferno, or a haven of rest, or an old west shootout from the book's characters the reader already loves...or hates.... Judith wrote with such suspense, nothing could be guessed from one page to the next. Surprise after shock affected individuals, families and the whole town (as well as the readers) I would give this book 6 starts if that was possible. I started book 2 the same day I finished book 1. Thank you Judith.

Couldn't Put This One Down

I was hooked from the first page.The characters and plot are well developed, touched a cord in my heart and grabbed my attention. This town is in need of a preacher and welcomes Zack with open arms. He's not who he claims to be. The story is well executed and flows beautifully, as the relationship with the townspeople and Zack unfold. Maggie Newcomb, a tomboy spit-fire of a girl, and her family, are central in this wonderful story of suspense, friendship, trust and redemption.

Quilted With Love

The town of Maintown is all abuzz when there's news of the new minister arriving in town. Even better, he's young and single! The young women of the town (and their mothers) are gearing up to present with a quilt, showcasing the talent of potential wives. Sisters Maggie and Ellie are among those in the chase to make their mark of impression on the quilt for the new preacher. When he finally arrives in town, he's everything they wished for and more! However to Ellie, there's something not quite right about the new minister. What secrets are he hiding? What girl will win his heart? I learned tons about quilting while reading this book. Quilting bees were huge social events that many women in town looked forward too. This was a time to get together for talk and friendship. I didn't realize exactly how important it was to be able to make such intricate squares for the quilt. I'll never take a quilt for granted again! I liked reading about all the mothers who kept trying to set their daughters up with any potential bachelor who came to town. There seems to be a great deal more single young women in Maintown than in any other book I've read set during that time period. It seems all those men who wanted mail order brides should move there instead! The story reminded me of Patricia Hickman's Millwood Hollow series with a pretend preacher fooling everyone. I liked Zach a lot and I was glad that he had enough sense not to perform a marriage which would later bring shame to the couple. He seemed like a really nice guy and seemed very cool and collected and able to fit into the role of a pastor easily. Maybe there's hope for him yet? My only complaint about the book is that Maggie acts very childish for her age. She is only two years younger than Ellie and is at the age where many girls of that time would already be married and have kids. Yet she acts without thinking and I would cringe during her scenes with Zach because for the most part he saw her as still just a girl. Other than this, I really enjoyed this book. I love this time period and I really enjoyed all the characters. The writing was top notch and shows how Pella knows as much about quilting as she does about Russian history from her other books. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.