Everyone needs a little help from their friends some times! And this summer that someone is me. 😉 I have had and will continue to have a very, very busy summer. Reading for reviewing is kind of on the back burner right now, but I hate not to feature any reviews at all. So I enlisted my friend Carrie to read books that are languishing on my shelf and then share with you her thoughts. We have similar tastes, and I trust her opinions.
Carrie and I became book buddies a long time ago. We have since connected on multiple levels, but books brought us together and continue to enrich our friendship. Carrie read The Key to Love by Betsy St. Amant. Her thoughts are below.
The only thing Bri Duval loves more than baking petit fours is romance. So much so, she’s created her own version of the famous Parisian lovelock wall at her bakery in Story, Kansas. She never expects it to go viral–or for Trek Magazineto send travel writer Gerard Fortier to feature the bakery. He’s definitely handsome, but Bri has been holding out for a love story like the one her parents had, and that certainly will not include the love-scorned-and-therefore-love-scorning Gerard.
Just when it seems Bri’s bakery is poised for unprecedented success, a series of events threaten not just her business but the pedestal she’s kept her parents on all these years. Maybe Gerard is right about romance. Or maybe Bri’s recipe just needs to be tweaked.
Novelist Betsy St. Amant invites you to experience this sweet story of how love doesn’t always look the way we expect–and maybe that’s a good thing.
Betsy St. Amant Haddox is the author of over twenty romance novels and novellas. She resides in north Louisiana with her hubby, two daughters, an impressive stash of coffee mugs, and one furry Schnauzer-toddler. Betsy has a B.A. in Communications and a deep-rooted passion for seeing women restored to truth. When she’s not composing her next book or baby-talking her dog, Betsy can be found somewhere in the vicinity of an iced coffee. She writes frequently for iBelieve, a devotional site for women, and offers author coaching and editing services through Storyside LLC.
Carrie’s Thoughts:
The Key to Love by Betsy St. Amant is a surprising mix of romance and discovery. Bri Duvall is a baker. She loves everything about her life: her small town of Story where she grew up, the Pastry Puff bakery where she is following in her mother’s footsteps, and the Love Lock wall that started it all with Bri’s parents’ lock starting the tradition after their tragic car accident. Bri is the character everyone loves. She’s kind and thoughtful and puts others before herself. She is determined that one day she will find that perfect romance and live her happily ever after just like her parents and she won’t settle until she finds the perfect guy. At first glance, she seems unbelievable. As you read though, you will discover she has unrealistic ideas on what her parent’s romance was before the accident and how her life should be. Then things start shifting in ways Bri does not like. The Pastry Puff has been struggling and there is someone who continues to give offers to the owners of the bakery. Bri resolves to save the bakery by doing an article on the Love Lock Wall. But the motorcycle riding, tattoo wearing, gruff writer the magazine sent is nothing that Bri is expecting but EVERYTHING she is needing.
Gerard doesn’t see the Pastry Puff as anything special or worth saving but wants the promised promotion after he writes the article on the bakery. In researching for the article, he discovers there is more to Bri than the overly sweet optimistic romantic he first thought her to be. She has many dreams that she is scared to take the leap of faith to see them come true. But writing an article that will save the Pastry Puff will make Bri happy but keep her there and not allow her to soar to the heights he can see she can go.
As a reader, I have never been so unsure of what I wanted to happen for the end of a book. I wanted the Pastry Puff to survive and not be bought out, because as I read I fell in love with the town of Story and all its residents. But in my heart I knew that wasn’t best for the main character. I was so torn about it; I couldn’t put the book down until I had finished. Betsy St. Amant did a beautiful job of weaving personal wants and desires (with a mix of unrealistic expectations) with God’s timing and restoration and trusting in Him that the unknown isn’t always a bad thing. The unknown can bring about greater things that can’t even be imagined. Betsy wrapped up this romantic story in a way that fulfilled everything I wanted as a reader and more that I hadn’t even predicted. This is a great read, but beware you will most definitely want some sweets while reading this delightful book!
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