Stitches in Time

 While the previous book in the "trilogy" stood alone just fine, this one really requires you to read it after Ammie, Come Home and Shattered Silk to not spoil the story lines of both of those novels. Thus: Spoilers for the previous books in the series will follow. This was a decent read. It was more to form for Barbara Michaels in that it included all sorts of paranormal activity and weird magic, and it did bring back Ruth and Pat, whom I missed quite a bit in the previous book.  This takes up a few years after Shattered Silk ends, with the couples from the end of that book now married and, in Cheryl's case, with children. Karen is almost unrecognizable in her current state, however, and has changed what she goes by as well, so I almost didn't recognize her. I know I whined a bit about her being too much of a pushover, but wow, did she go a little too far in the other direction here. Her discomfort in her marriage appears immediately and is horrible to read about. I like my couples to be at least mostly happily-ever-after if I have to see them again, thank you. The solution to their marital problems is sort of steam-rolling and awkward as well, and I really don't like it. It doesn't seem to be a real solution and it doesn't bode well for the future of their relationship, personally. At any rate, for all that Karen and Cheryl are definitely important characters, this is Rachel's story in the end. Her weird crush on a married man gets stranger and stranger due to the paranormal activity in the house, and it is the sort of thing that is very uncomfortable to read about.  I enjoyed tracking the whole story about the quilt, and the idea behind what caused the problem was fascinating and creepy.  The romance didn't really work for me. I certainly liked<spoiler>Adam </spoiler>himself quite a bit, but he and Rachel just had no chemistry at all and I can't even imagine how things were going to work out between them.  Probably the most interesting character is the one we never truly see on-screen:<spoiler>the woman who is shadowing Rachel. I would love to have heard more about her and what she actually went through; while I feel like I got a handle on Ammie from Ammie, Come Home, I never really understood this woman. </spoiler>The denouement was a little underwhelming as well. I was expecting more than I got, there. Overall, this was a decent book, but not one of my favorites. It is a quick read and certainly worth it if you read the previous two, if only to see how things end up for some of our favorite characters (and to see more Pat! There can never be enough Pat!). It's a little bit "fluffy," but there is nothing wrong with that. It was a sick read for me, and I require fluffy in my sick reads, so I enjoyed re-visiting these characters quite a bit.