Book Review: Scrapping Plans

This is the third book in the Sisters, Ink series by Rebecca Seitz. Seitz writes about four sisters who enjoy scrapbooking together. I won the first book back in March 2008. I was immediately drawn to the Sinclair sisters on many levels. Their Daddy is a preacher who lost his wife to cancer. They live in a small town in Tennessee (one of my favorite places). They are all adopted to the Sinclairs and are from four different ethnic backgrounds...yet they are bound to each other as only siblings can be.

Each of the first three books has centered around one of the sisters. In book one, Tandy deals with her past as she is forced to reconnect with Clay Kelner (her high school sweetheart). The second book centers around Kendra who also deals with the past and betrayal in very real and powerful ways.

This book, Scrapping Plans, centers around Joy, the youngest and quietest of the Sinclair sisters. She is a perfectionist by all accounts. A woman who strives for and achieves Martha Stewart status in so many ways. However, Joy, who was adopted from China, has one burning desire: to be a mother.

This is the story of the very real struggle of infertility for a young couple. Joy feels overshadowed in many ways as the family plans for Kendra's wedding and deals with their father's new romance with Zelda. As with so many women, the struggle, does present itself in other ways. The sisters, as always, come together and support their sister--often through "scrapping nights" in their Mother's old scrapbooking studio (which sounds like a DREAM to me).

As with the other two books, there is a "faith thread" throughout the story. I love that it is not overbearing and so heavy that these ladies don't appear "real". The books are good little "escape reads" targeted toward women.

I'll be honest, though, I know people who struggled with infertility for YEARS. So, if that's a woman's struggle, I am not sure this is the book for her as it almost seems to resolve too easily. I can see where someone in those shoes might resent that. Seitz does remind the reader that most people DO struggle for years before (and even IF) they have a viable pregnancy.

Still, I enjoy this family! My understanding is that book 4 in this series will be published this month. I'll be watching for it!