Carole J. (PianoLady357) reviewed on 7/25/2014 + 157 more book reviews

Rival Hearts, part of the Quilts of Love series, is a fairly quick and easy read, but with an interesting premise. Molly and Ben are invited to leave their comfort zones in order to compete for the same job - for Molly, that involves learning to kayak; for Ben, learning to quilt. Their boss, Mr. Masterson, informs them: "You both have a knack for finding in-depth human-interest stories to touch your particular readers. . . . You'll be given a chance to shine as an editor as well as moving up in the company."

Molly felt that she had been proving herself all her life, that her accomplishments were always secondary compared to a brother who excelled at everything. Ben had grown tired of traveling and was looking for a sense of permanence by putting down roots. My favorite parts were Nora and her quilting circle, a group of older women that had become Mollys second family, and also the way Molly and her brother reconnected.

And of course I love the quilts, which are the foundation of this series. Molly explains: "Every year I make a quilt and auction it off at the local Charity Expo. I got an idea to have my readers send in a piece of fabric holding emotional significance to them, along with the story to go with it."

But for some reason, I couldn't get emotionally caught up in this story. Molly wasn't a character I enjoyed, although I did admire her commitment and work with Second Chances. Ben comes across as over confident and arrogant at first, but his character improved as the story progressed. What I really wanted to see, though, was his spiritual journey, and that was lacking.

Many fans of the Quilts of Love series will probably enjoy this story, although it was a weaker addition for me.

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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