For Love of Eli

In another of the publisher’s multi-author Quilts of Love series, Lough (From Ashes to Honor) pens a simple romance steeped in heavy issues of loss and regret. When tragedy strikes, Eli is left with only extended family to look after him. Taylor, the sister of Eli’s father, may have been given sole legal custody by the four-year-old’s mother, but she charitably shares custodial time with the child’s bachelor uncle Reece. Haunted by the premature death of her own parents and realizing that Eli will have scant memories of his mother and father, Taylor decides to piece together a memory quilt for the child. The assembly of the quilt keeps Taylor rooted in the past, as Reece struggles with his own painful childhood. Meanwhile Eli experiences new heartbreaks. Both Taylor and Reece must overcome anger and resentment if they are to steer the young boy through the difficulties of the present. If they can come together for the sake of Eli, they may find a way to relieve their own pain. Lough pushes the limits of plausibility a few times, but, in general, she keeps the tragedies balanced, moving the story along with the hope of forgiveness and restoration. Agent: Steve Laube, the Steve Laube Agency. (Feb.)