Friendship at heart of ‘Ties That Bind’

Margot Matthews loves her job at the Cobbled Court Quilt Shop and the life and friendships she's made in New Bern, Conn. She just never thought she'd still be single on her 40th birthday. Despite her friends' attempts at matchmaking, Margot has all but given up on romance.

But Margot’s search for love must take a back seat when her sister is killed and her niece Olivia seriously injured in an automobile accident on Christmas Day. Life is further turned upside down when Margot finds out her sister has left a note asking her to be the guardian of her daughter, plunging Margot into instant parenthood.

And if the shock of losing her sister and becoming a mother isn’t enough, Margot is overwhelmed when her parents decide to take her to court to fight for custody of Olivia. Margot turns to her friends for support and guidance, including the new pastor in town, Philippa Clarkson.

Philippa is having her own period of readjustment as she has come into New Bern to be the interim pastor at the Community Church. The congregation is somewhat shocked to find out she is not quite what they expected.

Despite a rocky start, Philippa begins to settle in — finding ways to ease the townspeople's burdens, joining the quilting circle and forging a fast friendship with Margot. When the custody battle threatens to tear Margot's family apart, Philippa's friendship — and the help of the quilting sisterhood — will prove to be a saving grace.

Best-selling author Marie Bostwick once again takes her readers back to the warm and comfortable town of New Bern with her latest novel, “Ties That Bind: A Cobbled Court Quilt Novel.” Bostwick pulls her readers into the heart of her stories and presents her characters with realism and obvious affection.

Bostwick continues the stories of past characters, which adds depth to the current tale, much as the extra stitches add depth to a quilt. While this is the fifth book in the series, new readers can quickly catch up with previous happenings with relative ease.

Quilting fans will enjoy this book, as will fans of well-written Christian fiction.