The Key to Love - Betsy St. Amant

 

From christianbook.com:

"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 Magazine to 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."

This was a cute story, with some deeper meaning.  Is anyone's story as perfect as it looks?  Is being comfortable enough, or are risks necessary?  Should you believe in someone's take on love, or experience it for yourself?

I ached for Bri - all she wanted was to believe in her parents' perfect love story and experience it for herself.  She was clinging to the bakery as her safe place for memories of her mother.  But as all of those security blankets fell apart on her, she had to choose to look somewhere else for her security, and she had to choose a messy imperfect love. knowing there's only One who can love perfectly.  Her growth wasn't easy and she didn't necessarily go willingly, but it was important to see her finally realize that she'd only had a shell of what she was looking for when she tried to stay in her box.

3 stars; this story was cute, but a little light for me. 

You can find The Key to Love HERE.
You can find the author HERE. 

I received a digital copy of this book from the publishers, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Dreams of Savannah - Roseanna M. White

 

I started this book really conflicted.  With the eye-opening chaos within the country over the last year concerning racial issues, I had a hard time with a book set in the south during the Civil War.  I didn't want to find myself sympathizing with characters who felt like slavery was okay, as long as they treated their own slaves decently, or who really felt like the whole war was over states' rights.  I should have known that Roseanna White would do better than that.  There are still stories to be told about the south, from both white and black points of view, and there had to be turning points for some to realize that the way of life they were used to was not the right way to live.  So, while this book still made me uncomfortable, I think it fell mostly on the side of highlighting just how wrong it really was.

4 stars - I almost put it down early on, but I am glad that I did not.  It's tough for me to read stories with characters who are just wrong, and refuse to open their eyes to what's right, but I was glad for those characters whose eyes were open to the people they had chosen not to see before.

You can find Dreams of Savannah HERE.

You can find the author HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

Nicole - Sarah Monzon

 

This third book in the Sewing in SoCal series centers around Nicole, mother of Sierra, and outspoken environmentalist vegan.  She's just trying to raise her daughter well and to convince others that her passionate stances are valid, and maybe use her friends' insistence on matchmaking to her causes' benefits.  However, when Drew continues to show up in her life and push her buttons repeatedly, she may find that her passion has other outlets as well.

Nicole was definitely my favorite of this series so far! While I enjoyed Molly and Jocelyn, Nicole herself is so relatable - between her passion for God's creation, which comes off as radical environmentalism to some, and her vulnerability about her size, she is a well-crafted, deeply engaging character.  Drew was also an easy character to love, as the reader gets to watch him enjoy Nicole for every bit of who she is, and as he draws out what some see as her weaknesses, he frames them as strengths, and complements them with his own personality.  The multiple viewpoint format of this book really helps highlight the growth in the characters and their growing feelings for each other.  

I also enjoyed getting to keep in touch with the Sewing Circle of friends, as well as the men they've been adding to their group along the way.  They're such an eclectic collection, and I can't wait to see what happens with Amanda's and Betsy's stories!

I give this quirky, yet deep story 5 stars.
You can find Nicole HERE.
You can find the author HERE.  I love that she frames her writing as "Redeeming Romances."

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.