For the Love of Quilts: Wine Country Quilts Series Book 1 of 5

Wine Country Quilts #1

by Ann Hazelwood

After quitting her boring editing job, aspiring writer Lily Rosenthal isn't sure what to do next. Her only joys in life are collecting antique quilts and frequenting the area's beautiful wine country. The murder of a friend results in her inheriting the inventory of a local antique store. She begins to consider opening her own shop, even though this will mean uprooting her life. With some help from her sisters, a ghost, and a handsome baseball fan, Lily embarks on a journey filled with laughs, loss, and red-and-white quilts. Now in its 2nd Printing.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Romance

416 pages, Paperback

Published February 3, 2018

About the author

Ann Hazelwood was the owner of a quilt shop for 30 years. She has always adored quilting and is a certified quilt appraiser. In addition to her cozy quilt fiction, she has written travel guides and quilting non-fiction.

Reviews

[Janet · Rating 1 out of 5]

I rarely, rarely give only one star. This is the first book I have read by the author. I expected it to be perhaps a cozy mystery or a feel-good Hallmark Movie version of a book, but the writing was not good and the book was absolutely filled with typos, including the title of the book misspelled at the top of each page, "Fore instead of For." Good grief! I stuck with it because in spite of the poor writing and the disjointed plot line and weird endings to paragraphs and chapters, I do enjoy reading about a fantasy version of moving to a pretty little town and opening an antiques and quilt shop. Never mind that her business plan was non-existent and that there was no explanation of how she could possibly afford to live the way she did. (How did the characters in Friends afford to live in that New York apartment?) As I got near the end, it became clear that there was no way the author could tie together all of her plot lines in the remaining few pages. And she didn't! Instead, she added another plot line, leaving us hanging as to what happens to our main character. It felt like watching "Who Shot J.R.?" back in 1980. It was a clear ploy to get us to buy the next book. This made me very angry. I LOVE books in a series. I LOVE reading them sequentially. I resent an author who forces the reader to either give up or read the next book to find out what happens. Bad form!

[Lauretta · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is so horrible on so many levels that it boggles the mind. The prose is truly lackluster; the characters are unidimensional and poorly described at that, with shopping and eating as their sole source of entertainment (you'd think the whole world revolved around visiting quilt and antique shops); and the overuse of "cute"--even if there is little in the way of description, must we rely upon this single descriptor? Furthermore and not that I believe that every story should be wrapped up in a neat package by the end, but the abrupt ending seems more of an attempt at crass commercialism than even the slightest attempt to resolve anything in the story line. And where was the copy editor?! I have *never* read anything with so many spelling and punctuation errors. By the last quarter of the book I believe there was an error every 1-2 pages. My fantasy was that the copy editor encountered a financial or romantic or existential crisis that left the person distracted and totally incapable of doing their job!

[Karen Zalewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story as all her other books have been. I'll definitely read the next one. However this book was not well edited. Many typos throughout the book

[Scilla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lily Rosenthal loves quilts and often drives to the wine country to shop. She has just left her job as an editor and isn't sure what she wants to do. When visiting a local shop, the owner Rosie tells her she should think about buying her shop. When Rosie is murdered, Lily is offered first refusal for the contents of Rosie's shop.

Lily decides to open her own shop in the wine country, and gets help from Carrie Mae, a shop owner who has befriended her. Lily is very close to her three sisters, one of whom is worried about her husband seeing someone on the side and another with a daughter who is pregnant but just decided not to follow through with her wedding. Lily's best friend has an abusive husband. Lily has a male friend, but does not want to get into dating. I didn't like the ending of the book.

[Claudia Cheyne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lily Rosenthal is at a crossroads in her life. She quit her job as an editor and is currently looking for a new way to earn a living Because of a friend's murder. Lily becomes the owner of the inventory of an antique shop bequeathed to her in the will of a friend who owned it.
I like to begin reading a series by starting with the very first book. However, I won't be looking for any more "Wine Country Quilts". There were lots of story lines that started but never finished here. The action went on like a snowball rolling downhill. Lily was so busy moving from one thing to the next, I don't know when she had time to think about what she was getting herself in to. The story was contrived. There was an abrupt ending to the book which was probably intended to make you run out and buy the next one in the series. But I'm not going to bother.

[Joy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking forward to reading this series. This first book was such a disappointment. There wasn't any proofreading of this book before publication as there were dozens of terrible typos, spelling mistakes in the text. These were easy to find and fix such as hse for the word she. That aside, the storyline was weak, the Main Character was a self-absorbed, spoiled young woman who ends up being given a wonderful opportunity and takes for granted. Even her relationships are one way. This book had so much potential that sadly, was never fulfilled.

[Julie Trapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lily quit a editing job and is enjoying her love of antique quilts [she, herself, does not quilt] and living in wine country. When a friend is killed, Lily has first dibs at the inventory. She moves it into a house owned by another antique shop owner. Good so far. Then - horrible editing, I do not believe in ghosts, and just how many guys can an older woman attract. Give me a break!! Her sisters are more interesting than she is. I will read one more in the series. More ghosts and I am done. Get real!

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book. The characters can have used a little bit more development sometimes I felt they were a little flat. I thought this is going to be a murder mystery but it wasn't. If you're looking for a very calm book this would be when I would recommend. I wasn't planning on reading the second part in the series but now I feel I have to because of the way this book ended. It did end on a cliffhanger and now I'm curious to see what is going to happen so I will be getting the next book in this series.

[Brandon Ryan]

For the Love of Quilts by Ann Hazelwood is a charming and heartwarming start to the Wine Country Quilt series. Set in the picturesque backdrop of Missouri's wine country, the story follows Lily Rosenthal, a quilt shop owner, as she navigates life, love, and mystery in her small town. Hazelwood beautifully captures the community spirit and the intricate art of quilting, making it an engaging read for craft lovers. With a blend of romance and light suspense, it's a cozy, feel-good novel perfect for readers who enjoy stories of friendship, creativity, and personal growth.

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like quilts, wine country, small towns, antiques, and a good murder mystery. This book promised them all. What a disappointment! The writing is poor and the copyediting abysmal—and the unfortunate copy editor is named in the credits. The plot was scattered and never wraps up. The cliffhanger ending is horrible. I felt cheated by my investment of money and time in this book. And it could have been so good....

[Judi Kraiza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confusing simplistic writing

I found it quite simplistic but what really bothered me was the mistakes that she made into writing . I found a whole paragraph that needed to be in another part of the book made it extremely confusing

[Judy Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed

I really loved the East Perry series so I had high expectations. The story was ok but what really bothers me is the bad spelling grammar & confusion of a character in at least one spot. Are there no longer editors?

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just another light book that needs editing…or just spell check. I use these books to fill in. I do like the settings, this one starts in the Hill area of St. Louis and moved out to Augusta, wine country. If only more care was taken in the production.

[Anita Lucia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was tough; the protagonist was an editor, but the book didn't seem to have had an editor. The story was pretty engaging, so I finished it and will try the next in the series. My quilting pals have loved this series!

[Penny R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

good story line

I liked the characters and the story was not bad. I was disappointed that there were numerous typos and errors and felt that the writing was sort of choppy. Am hoping the writing will improve as the writer gets more experience.

[Deb · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stuck with the book with all editing errors and the 5 different storylines hoping it had at least an okay ending. Nope, it continues in the next book in the series. Not only am I not going to read it but the author is on my do not read list.

[Charlotte Dudley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sophomoric

This book is not well written. I’m not even sure why I kept reading past the first couple chapters. It has several story lines that go nowhere…. The boyfriends, the ghost, the sisters….. The sentence structure and dialog is sophomoric. Don’t waste your time on this one.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like a travelogue


In ways it is an interesting read. But really don't care for series that end as cliffhangers. Can't believe anyone like the main character could be so naive. At this point I am not sure if I will continue on or not.

[Char Ferraro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book but not the ending...no resolve!

[Nancy L. Rigotti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stopped in middle of story????

Didn't like that one bit. Doubt I will read next book. Phooey, phooey, phooey. Don't like these kinds of books

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Won't be reading any more of this series, cannot stand the writing style. Very simple, almost junior high-ish. Story may have been interesting but I have no interest in following it.

[Rachel S. Herman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking forward to the next in the series! Suppose to receive this week. Loved all of Ann Hazelwood's Quilt series!

[loraknits · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of typos, misspelled words and even character names mixed up but still a fun read. WARNING of you are enjoying out bake sure book 2 is handy when you finish!

[Jo Heidtke · Rating 5 out of 5]

left you wanting to read the next book in the series. Like this series better than her first one.

[Rhonda · Rating 1 out of 5]

the book ends by leaving you hanging and honestly I don't care enough about the characters after reading 410 pages to find out if they live or die. will never pick up this author again.

[Judy Schulz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

Loved this book. I can't wait to read more of Lily's adventures. This one ended in a major cliffhanger, which I can't stand, but I'm willing to read The next one if.....

[Venita · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good book, especially for the times. It really made me feel better about the COVID-19 going around. Both charming and mysterious.

[Kresti Lyddon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful. I couldn’t finish it. So many mistakes, wrong spelling. Bad grammar. It was so distracting I couldn’t take it any more. I gave up.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast reading book. Great for a quilter who loves to read. Surprise suspenseful ending.

[Luanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Underdeveloped characters, scattered plot, choppy writing. Not an enjoyable read.