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Summary: Wrap up in your favorite quilt and enjoy this book!
Review: PATTERNS OF LOVE is the second of three books about three young immigrants who arrive in America in 1897. Beth is from England, Inga is from Sweden, and Mary is from Ireland. This is Inga Linberg's story. Inga fully expects to spend her life assisting her father in his pastoral duties and creating her story quilts. She considers herself too tall and too plain to ever attract a husband, especially when compared to her four beautiful, vivacious sisters. But then Dirk Bridger, a man raising his orphaned nieces and caring for his ailing mother, enters her life. She goes to work for him as his housekeeper but soon loses her heart to a family she thinks she can never have. AOL Reviews says: "You don't need to be into quilting and you definitely don't have to be Swedish to enjoy this gentle story about a woman's open heart and her affect upon those lives she touches." Daphne's Dream, a bookstore of reviews, says: "An absolute joy to read! Robin Lee Hatcher has been a favorite of mine for several years. I highly recommend [Patterns of Love]!" Harriet Klausner, Affaire de Coeur, says: "The underlying pattern to a Robin Lee Hatcher historical romance is that they are all great. *Patterns of Love* is a fabulous Americana romance that has two charming lead characters, an intriguing story line, and a fantastic supporting cast. This is one series that deserves five thumbs up." Beth's story (DEAR LADY) is available now from Amazon.com. Watch for Mary's story (IN HIS ARMS) in September 1998.
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Summary: Like watching paint dry!!!!!
Review: All I can say is, where's that recycling bin???? This book is reminiscent of the time I had a wisdom tooth pulled out. Don't touch this one, it's painful.
Rating: 
Summary: best of the three
Review: Enjoyed "Dear Lady," "In His Arms" was fair, but thought "Patterns of Love" was the real star of this trilogy. Inga's innocence and feelings of being plain went straight to my heart. I recommend this series!
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Summary: Couldn't put is down!
Review: Every time I put "Patterns of Love" down I couldn't wait to get back to it! I entertained notions of quiting my job, leaving my boyfriend, not eating or sleeping just so I could read this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as expected
Review: I read rave reviews about this book, so I rushed out and bought it - I wish I hadn't. I have read several of Robin Lee Hatcher's books and have never been disappointed until now.
The story line seemed a little far-fetched. I mean really, fancy a man having the hide to ask a woman he has known for a few months to be his wife, in name only, for about ten years, just so she can look after him and his two very young nieces (sort of like an unpaid housekeeper/nanny) until the nieces are old enough to look after themselves, so then he (the swine) can fulfil his childhood dream of galavanting around the world, and leaving his so-called wife to wander back home to her preacher father with a nice little annulment, therefore giving up her dreams of ever having a family of her own. And to top it off, she accepts. Fair enough she loves him, but the swine doesn't know that - the nerve of the man! How could she love someone so selfish, and who's always feeling sorry for himself because he had to give up his dream of travelling so he can look after his dead brother's kids on a farm he hates instead. Dirk Bridger was a selfish pig and about as exciting as a wet blanket! What on earth did Inga see in him? And wasn't she a little too perfect? This book did nothing for me whatsoever. If you want an excellent read I recommend Ms Hatcher's "Promise Me Spring"
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Summary: Excellent!
Review: I've never read romance before this. I picked up Patterns of Love by accident at my hair salon... I'm hooked on Robin Lee Hatcher. She's an excellent writer. I couldn't put it down until I was finished.
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Summary: Beautiful Americana
Review: In 1897 Iowa, dairy farmer Dirk Bridger, though not a church-going individual, visits the home of Reverend Linberg to ask the pious father of five daughters to help him. Dirk's mother is ill and needs rest to recover. This leaves Dirk in a lurch because someone must care for his small orphaned nieces while his mother heals. Dirk explains that he does not have a lot of money to pay the volunteer any sizable sum. The Reverend's plain, oldest daughter Inga volunteers to care for the children. At the farm, Inga quickly falls in love with the two cute little girls and Dirk. However, though no one perceives it, Dirk hates his present responsible life. He had never planned to be a farmer. He took over the family homestead when his older brother and sister-in-law died so that his mother and nieces could have a home. Inga is the first person to perceive that Dirk resents being a farmer. She tries to show him that he can still be responsible for everyone and have his dreams fulfilled too. She begins to turn the house around and all the occupants, except Dirk, quickly fall in love with her. Eventually, even Dirk begins to find himself attracted to the young lady. Now if he can handle a wee bit more responsibility, he may find that she will actually reduce his workload and add happiness into his life. The underlying pattern to a Robin Lee Hatcher historical romance is that they are all great. Her second tale in her "Coming to America" series, PATTERNS OF LOVE is a fabulous Americana romance that has two charming lead characters, an intriguing story line, and a fantastic supporting cast (including a stupendous secondary romance that could have been a novel of its own). The trick of correspondence between the female protagonists from the various novels in this series adds a brilliantly designed link that allows readers a glimpse at the other lead female characters. This is one series that deserves five thumbs up. Harriet Klausner
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Summary: Tender, touching, and full of hope
Review: It's easy to see why this book has won so many awards. It touches a reader on so many levels and searches the human heart. Dirk is a true hero, a man who gives of himself to others, even when it means letting go of his own dreams. And Inga is a woman who loves with her whole heart. This is a perfect historical romance, well deserving of every accolade that has come its way. I highly recommend it.
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Summary: Touching story, great read
Review: PATTERNS OF LOVE is book two in Robin Hatcher's Coming to America series. The 2001 revision of the 1999 RITA Award book portrays the life of Swedish immigrant Inga Linberg and Dirk Bridger, an Iowa dairy farmer, with the added insight of their spiritual journey with God. Because of his strong sense of responsibility, Dirk Bridger has abandoned his dreams of world travel and adventure to settle in Uppsala, Iowa, as the guardian of his two orphaned nieces and his deceased brother's dairy farm. Pragmatically, he struggles with despair over his lost dream and the monotonousness of life on the farm. Dirk's sure God if He even exists, has abandoned him. Inga, the oldest daughter of a Lutheran minister, is resigned to God's plan for her life as quilt artist and capable assistant in her father's ministry. Unlike her four sisters, Inga is neither attractive nor flirtatious and completely content until Dirk arrives at the parsonage to ask her father's help in finding someone to assist him in caring for the two children and his ailing mother. Inga agrees to become his live-in housekeeper and quickly brings order and love to the Bridger household. Personally, she grows discontent with her life. As time goes by, Dirk finds himself attracted to the tall, willowy Swedish immigrant that his mom and nieces have come to love. When Dirk's mother dies, proprietary morals of the period prohibit Inga from continuing in her role as live-in housekeeper. Dirk offers Inga a marriage contract to be terminated when his nieces are older. When Inga agrees, their lives are forever changed. Robin Hatcher skillfully weaves a tender romance between Inga and Dirk while portraying their spiritual struggles in an unobtrusive, believable way. Her historical and cultural accuracy blends an engaging story line with Swedish heritage in an authentic narrative of life in 19th century America. Through Inga's correspondence with her friends from the voyage to America sprinkled throughout the story, the reader sees glimpses of the main characters from the other books in the Coming to America series. After reading about Dirk and Inga, I'm sure you'll want to read their stories too!
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Summary: Not as good as expected: Part 2
Review: PS Where was the passion? And the sexual tension? When I read a romance novel, I want to BE the heroine, because the hero is so great, because they're relationship and love is so great and beautiful that I wish it was happening to me. This didn't happen for me with this story. To tell the truth, I couldn't wait for it to end. The characters seemed wooden and lifeless. What's a romance novel without passion? Well, not much at all.
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