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Love Arrives in Pieces
After her divorce, former pageant queen Stella Varland doesn’t trust beauty anymore. So instead of being beautiful, she tries to make beautiful things and keeps her art to herself. Contractor Chase Taylor is determined to live a life of no regrets after losing his fiancée in a car crash. He knows if he slows down, he’ll fall apart. Returning to Bayou Bend to renovate the town’s old theater, Chase is shocked to learn his former flame, Stella, is the designer for the project . . .
428 pages, Hardcover
First published May 26, 2015
31 people are currently reading
921 people want to read
About the author
Betsy St. Amant
47 books872 followersBetsy St. Amant Haddox is the author of almost thirty romance novels and novellas. She resides in north Louisiana with her hubby, two teenagers, and one furry schnauzer-toddler. Betsy has a bachelor of arts in communication and loves teaching and speaking on the craft of writing. When she’s not suffering through a CrossFit workout or baby talking her dog, she can usually be found 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.
also published under Betsy Ann St. Amant
also published under Betsy Ann St. Amant
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
October 17, 2021
I picked this up not knowing the sub-genres it is falling under but for anyone being skeptical due to it, I will say that this is not heavy with the religious aspect. As a matter of fact it flows well with the story and you can barely notice it affecting the plot. As a person who is somewhat ok with the religious aspects, I was not put off by it. As a romantic story it was quite good and a good representation of second chances. Sometimes you can mess up something good but always remember when one door closes, the other opens.
July 17, 2015
Stella Varland is a former pageant queen who, after her divorce, no longer trusts beauty. She's an interior designer out of luck and trying to not have to move back in with her parents. She has artistic talent, but because she doesn't trust herself anymore, she hides her passion. Contractor Chase Taylor lost his fiancee and is now determined to live with no regrets. He returns home to Bayou Bend to renovate the old theater not knowing that his old love, Stella, is the designer for the project. Stella's afraid to trust Chase again. After all, he's the cause of major contention between her sister and herself that has only recently gotten better. Forced to work together, Chase and Stella battle each other and their unresolved issues. But when a fire happens, can they manage to put the broken pieces of their separate lives together with each other?
I've read one of Betsy St. Amant's novellas before and I really enjoyed it. When I saw this one available to review, I jumped at the chance to review it.
I loved the way that Chase handled Stella. He recognized how fragile she was and strove to pull her out. I also loved how he admitted that he was wrong in the past. There were times when I wanted to shake Stella. I thought that she needed to stand up for herself. But I understood why she didn't.
What I didn't expect was the layers that were both Stella and Chase. Or the delightful homeless woman, Dixie. This book wasn't the light read I was expecting based on the title alone. But it was VERY rich and very good. I really am hoping to see more books set in Bayou Bend.
I received the Kindle version of this book from Booklook Bloggers for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
Recommended to fans of women's fiction, contemporary romance, Katie Ganshert, Becky Wade, Denise Hunter
Rating - 4.5 stars
I've read one of Betsy St. Amant's novellas before and I really enjoyed it. When I saw this one available to review, I jumped at the chance to review it.
I loved the way that Chase handled Stella. He recognized how fragile she was and strove to pull her out. I also loved how he admitted that he was wrong in the past. There were times when I wanted to shake Stella. I thought that she needed to stand up for herself. But I understood why she didn't.
What I didn't expect was the layers that were both Stella and Chase. Or the delightful homeless woman, Dixie. This book wasn't the light read I was expecting based on the title alone. But it was VERY rich and very good. I really am hoping to see more books set in Bayou Bend.
I received the Kindle version of this book from Booklook Bloggers for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
Recommended to fans of women's fiction, contemporary romance, Katie Ganshert, Becky Wade, Denise Hunter
Rating - 4.5 stars
June 23, 2015
REVIEW: Love Arrives in Pieces
{About the Book}
For so long, Stella was known for her beauty. Now, with her heart stripped bare, she must discover who she really is.
Former pageant queen Stella Varland doesn t trust beauty anymore after her divorce. Her appearance betrayed her and led to her brokenness so instead of being beautiful, now she tries to make beautiful things, but always falls short. So she keeps her passion for her secret art to herself and focuses on her interior design work. But if she doesn t get another job soon, she ll be stuck living with her parents.
Contractor Chase Taylor is determined to live a life of no regrets after losing his fiancee in a car crash. Now he lives life at full speed, striving to see how much he can accomplish. He knows if he slows down, he ll fall apart. So he returns home to Bayou Bend to renovate the town s old theater, and is shocked to learn former flame Stella is the designer for the project.
Forced to work together, Chase and Stella battle their chemistry and their pasts as they struggle to compromise and come together on a vision for the theater. Chase doesn t understand why Stella is such a subdued version of herself, while Stella doesn t get Chase s constant need for productivity and speed. Their wills clash as they attempt to hide their brokenness and their unresolved feelings for each other until Chase breaks through Stella s walls and convinces her to enter her mosaic tile art in a contest.
A near catastrophe, a fire, and a small-town gossip mill finally force both Stella and Chase to realize that they have a choice to hold on to the shards of their pasts, or surrender their fragmented pieces to the One who makes a beautiful masterpiece from the broken. "
{My Review}
This is going to be a short and quick snack-sized review guys. Love Arrives in Pieces was one of the cutest books I have read in a while. Betsey St. Amant is a fresh voice in Christian fiction and I very much look forward to her next book.
{About the Book}
For so long, Stella was known for her beauty. Now, with her heart stripped bare, she must discover who she really is.
Former pageant queen Stella Varland doesn t trust beauty anymore after her divorce. Her appearance betrayed her and led to her brokenness so instead of being beautiful, now she tries to make beautiful things, but always falls short. So she keeps her passion for her secret art to herself and focuses on her interior design work. But if she doesn t get another job soon, she ll be stuck living with her parents.
Contractor Chase Taylor is determined to live a life of no regrets after losing his fiancee in a car crash. Now he lives life at full speed, striving to see how much he can accomplish. He knows if he slows down, he ll fall apart. So he returns home to Bayou Bend to renovate the town s old theater, and is shocked to learn former flame Stella is the designer for the project.
Forced to work together, Chase and Stella battle their chemistry and their pasts as they struggle to compromise and come together on a vision for the theater. Chase doesn t understand why Stella is such a subdued version of herself, while Stella doesn t get Chase s constant need for productivity and speed. Their wills clash as they attempt to hide their brokenness and their unresolved feelings for each other until Chase breaks through Stella s walls and convinces her to enter her mosaic tile art in a contest.
A near catastrophe, a fire, and a small-town gossip mill finally force both Stella and Chase to realize that they have a choice to hold on to the shards of their pasts, or surrender their fragmented pieces to the One who makes a beautiful masterpiece from the broken. "
{My Review}
This is going to be a short and quick snack-sized review guys. Love Arrives in Pieces was one of the cutest books I have read in a while. Betsey St. Amant is a fresh voice in Christian fiction and I very much look forward to her next book.
September 10, 2015
Former pageant queen Stella Varland doesn't trust beauty anymore. With her heart stripped bare after her divorce, Stella is a much subdued version of her old self and is trying to discover who she really is. She keeps her passion for her secret art to herself and focuses on her interior design work. But if she doesn't get another job soon, she'll be stuck living with her parents.
Contractor Chase Taylor is determined to live a life of no regrets after losing his fiancee in a car crash. Now he lives life at full speed, striving to see how much he can accomplish. When he returns home to Bayou Bend to renovate the town's old theater, he is shocked to learn former flame Stella is the designer for the project.
Forced to work together, Chase and Stella battle their chemistry and their pasts as they struggle to compromise and come together on a vision for the theater. Their wills clash as they attempt to hide their brokenness and their unresolved feelings for each other. A near catastrophe, a fire, and a small-town gossip mill finally force both Stella and Chase to realize they have a choice - to hold on to the shards of their pasts, or surrender their fragmented pieces to the One who makes a beautiful masterpiece from the broken.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review
This was a wonderful story about two people who feel broken from choices and actions from their past and have to learn to let God take their brokenness and make a beautiful life masterpiece.
I liked how Chase and Stella reconnected over a project that they both had an invested interest in which forced them to work together. I think it helped them to connect in ways they wouldn't have otherwise. And I liked how Chase pushed and nudged Stella out of her self-imposed shell.
I felt for Stella as she struggles with anxiety and trying to put her life back together after her divorce. She's trying to find out who she is other than the beauty queen she'd been for most of her life. I like how, with Chase and her family's help, she grows more confident and secure.
The supporting characters in this book were great. Chase and Stella both had families that helped them out. Then there was Dixie - loved her! I also loved the analogy of the upside down umbrella and stomping in the rain puddles. You'll understand once you read it. :)
*Thanks to Zondervan and BookLook Bloggers for the complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are my own.*
Contractor Chase Taylor is determined to live a life of no regrets after losing his fiancee in a car crash. Now he lives life at full speed, striving to see how much he can accomplish. When he returns home to Bayou Bend to renovate the town's old theater, he is shocked to learn former flame Stella is the designer for the project.
Forced to work together, Chase and Stella battle their chemistry and their pasts as they struggle to compromise and come together on a vision for the theater. Their wills clash as they attempt to hide their brokenness and their unresolved feelings for each other. A near catastrophe, a fire, and a small-town gossip mill finally force both Stella and Chase to realize they have a choice - to hold on to the shards of their pasts, or surrender their fragmented pieces to the One who makes a beautiful masterpiece from the broken.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review
This was a wonderful story about two people who feel broken from choices and actions from their past and have to learn to let God take their brokenness and make a beautiful life masterpiece.
I liked how Chase and Stella reconnected over a project that they both had an invested interest in which forced them to work together. I think it helped them to connect in ways they wouldn't have otherwise. And I liked how Chase pushed and nudged Stella out of her self-imposed shell.
I felt for Stella as she struggles with anxiety and trying to put her life back together after her divorce. She's trying to find out who she is other than the beauty queen she'd been for most of her life. I like how, with Chase and her family's help, she grows more confident and secure.
The supporting characters in this book were great. Chase and Stella both had families that helped them out. Then there was Dixie - loved her! I also loved the analogy of the upside down umbrella and stomping in the rain puddles. You'll understand once you read it. :)
*Thanks to Zondervan and BookLook Bloggers for the complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are my own.*
August 11, 2015
I have not read the first book in this series, All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes, yet I had no problem following the story in Love Arrives in Pieces. It stands alone very well.
I thought that this story, featuring two very broken people, was well done. Although I did get frustrated with the main character, Stella, and her tendency to overreact to some things, I understood that this reactionary behavior was a direct result of the things that had fallen apart in her life.
I really liked the other main character, Chase. He returned to Bayou Bend a very changed man from the person who broke both Stella’s heart and her sister’s heart years earlier.
This book is full of interesting characters that I liked, and one I definitely did not like! It has a sweet love story and plenty of angst to satisfy a die-hard romantic.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.
You can read this review on my blog at:
https://brittreadsfiction.wordpress.c...
I thought that this story, featuring two very broken people, was well done. Although I did get frustrated with the main character, Stella, and her tendency to overreact to some things, I understood that this reactionary behavior was a direct result of the things that had fallen apart in her life.
I really liked the other main character, Chase. He returned to Bayou Bend a very changed man from the person who broke both Stella’s heart and her sister’s heart years earlier.
This book is full of interesting characters that I liked, and one I definitely did not like! It has a sweet love story and plenty of angst to satisfy a die-hard romantic.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.
You can read this review on my blog at:
https://brittreadsfiction.wordpress.c...
June 17, 2015
Betsy St. Amant joined my list of must-read authors with All's Fair in Love & Cupcakes, a fun (and sweet) romance. With Love Arrives in Pieces, she's solidified her place as a go-to contemporary romance authors. This story has a depth that will speak to many women. We so often confuse who we are with how we look. We either focus so much on our looks that all we see is what's in the mirror. Or we can become so damaged by the way we believe all we are is our looks that we avoid them all together. Neither is a healthy response. This book shines a light on the need to see who we really are - and that begins with recognizing our value as daughter's of the king.
Love Arrives in Pieces is sweet and unexpected, fraught with pain from the past. The baggage is deep and heavy. Yet the grace that comes forward is rich and filled with light. In learning to see the color in her world, Stella begins to rediscover who she really is. And the process is a gift for readers.Love Arrives in Pieces is a romance rooted in the real world where real hurts and questions grow. And the grace...oh the grace...the grace is a gift for readers.
I have never been prouder of my friend that when I read Love Arrives in Pieces that offers joy and grace to readers -- all wrapped in the gauze of a romance. I highly recommend this novel.
Love Arrives in Pieces is sweet and unexpected, fraught with pain from the past. The baggage is deep and heavy. Yet the grace that comes forward is rich and filled with light. In learning to see the color in her world, Stella begins to rediscover who she really is. And the process is a gift for readers.Love Arrives in Pieces is a romance rooted in the real world where real hurts and questions grow. And the grace...oh the grace...the grace is a gift for readers.
I have never been prouder of my friend that when I read Love Arrives in Pieces that offers joy and grace to readers -- all wrapped in the gauze of a romance. I highly recommend this novel.
May 7, 2021
St. Amant’s newest book provides an incredible exploration of how God takes the broken pieces of our lives and makes them beautiful. The author superbly handles this image in a number of ways. However, the reactions of Stella and Kat are just so dramatically over-the-top throughout most of the novel. Kat’s grudge is unrealistic and Stella’s reaction to anyone looking at her art is bizarre.
Stella Varland has always relied on her beauty to get her through life, but when that tactic finally fails, she flounders. She gets a job doing the interior design for a local theater, and is shocked when Chase Taylor, a man with past ties to both Stella and her sister Kat, is hired as the contractor. As Stella and Chase reluctantly work together, it becomes apparent that the flame is still there. If only they could work through their past and put together all of the broken pieces
Stella Varland has always relied on her beauty to get her through life, but when that tactic finally fails, she flounders. She gets a job doing the interior design for a local theater, and is shocked when Chase Taylor, a man with past ties to both Stella and her sister Kat, is hired as the contractor. As Stella and Chase reluctantly work together, it becomes apparent that the flame is still there. If only they could work through their past and put together all of the broken pieces
June 29, 2015
I fell in love with Love Arrives in Pieces from the first page. The complex characters. The emotion. The chemistry. The heartbreak. I felt it all as I delved into this story about Stella and Chase. Their mistakes and losses. Their hopes and dreams. And their journey, both for themselves and each other, as well as the way God worked to heal their hearts.
I remembered Stella from the first book in this series (even though they can be read by themselves and aren't grouped into a series), All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes. Her sister, Kat, was the main focus of that first book. We see the beginning of Stella's story there when her sister first finds out that life wasn't as perfect as she thought. I didn't actually like Stella a whole lot in that first book, but like her sister, I didn't know all that was going on. In Love Arrives in Pieces Stella's heart is finally laid bare. To be honest, it broke my heart and I became invested in her story and wishing that she would find herself and her own happily ever after. It comes through family, an interesting homeless woman, God, and Chase Taylor.
Thank goodness for Chase. He brought some honest good sense. He didn't let Stella continue to hide by bringing her out of the stale nothingness of life she had turned to. He also brought quite a bit of humor. I loved the chemistry, the romantic tension, and foremost the friendship between these two. They both had some serious challenges from their past that they were working through. I loved how Chase loved Stella's broken pieces, but also saw that she clung to some of them because they had become comfortable instead of fighting the fear of the unknown in beginning to truly heal.
There were some inspirational moments as well as both Chase and Stella seek guidance and healing. It didn't feel preachy. There were some interesting moments with one quirky, but very genuine, homeless lady, which also added some humor. I felt like it all worked in the story and felt authentic, which I always appreciate in Christian fiction.
Here's a quote that stuck out to me from the book:
But God said "Even though."
. . . Even though she had no idea what her future held, He did—and His Word promised there would be purpose for all the pain. Even though there were storms, there were plenty of puddles to stomp.
Even though she'd been broken—she was healing.
And it was beautiful.
(p. 283)
If you enjoy reading Christian romance I'd definitely recommend Love Arrives in Pieces. I loved the friendships and the family dynamics, the restoration of the old theater, the characters, and so many other things. It touched my heart, brought out all the emotions, and made me commit to more puddle jumping in my own life.
Content: Clean
Source: I would like to thank Zondervan and Litfuse for my complimentary copy, which did not affect my review in any way.
I remembered Stella from the first book in this series (even though they can be read by themselves and aren't grouped into a series), All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes. Her sister, Kat, was the main focus of that first book. We see the beginning of Stella's story there when her sister first finds out that life wasn't as perfect as she thought. I didn't actually like Stella a whole lot in that first book, but like her sister, I didn't know all that was going on. In Love Arrives in Pieces Stella's heart is finally laid bare. To be honest, it broke my heart and I became invested in her story and wishing that she would find herself and her own happily ever after. It comes through family, an interesting homeless woman, God, and Chase Taylor.
Thank goodness for Chase. He brought some honest good sense. He didn't let Stella continue to hide by bringing her out of the stale nothingness of life she had turned to. He also brought quite a bit of humor. I loved the chemistry, the romantic tension, and foremost the friendship between these two. They both had some serious challenges from their past that they were working through. I loved how Chase loved Stella's broken pieces, but also saw that she clung to some of them because they had become comfortable instead of fighting the fear of the unknown in beginning to truly heal.
There were some inspirational moments as well as both Chase and Stella seek guidance and healing. It didn't feel preachy. There were some interesting moments with one quirky, but very genuine, homeless lady, which also added some humor. I felt like it all worked in the story and felt authentic, which I always appreciate in Christian fiction.
Here's a quote that stuck out to me from the book:
But God said "Even though."
. . . Even though she had no idea what her future held, He did—and His Word promised there would be purpose for all the pain. Even though there were storms, there were plenty of puddles to stomp.
Even though she'd been broken—she was healing.
And it was beautiful.
(p. 283)
If you enjoy reading Christian romance I'd definitely recommend Love Arrives in Pieces. I loved the friendships and the family dynamics, the restoration of the old theater, the characters, and so many other things. It touched my heart, brought out all the emotions, and made me commit to more puddle jumping in my own life.
Content: Clean
Source: I would like to thank Zondervan and Litfuse for my complimentary copy, which did not affect my review in any way.
June 22, 2015
A powerful and stirring novel that really touched me. St. Amant does an excellent job of capturing Stella's struggle accepting and moving on from her brokenness. Raw and real and such a necessary story to be told in the Christian fiction market.
I felt like I was in Stella's skin the whole read. The word choice, the pacing, the measured back story reveals all combine to make the greatest impact on the reader. I was close to an emotional wreck by the end.
But St. Amant's sassy, tongue-in-cheek wit brings light and gentle humour to balance everything out. Sometimes I was laughing and crying on the very same page.
Chase is a redemptive hero who struggles with his own brokenness. He's also the catalyst that wakes Stella up from her self-imposed Sleeping Beauty façade. Their journey towards self-discovery is awkward and uncomfortable and exhilarating. Such a gamut of emotions! And I felt them all.
A stunning contemporary romance that packs a punch.
Thanks to Litfuse Publicity Group and Zondervan for supplying me with a review copy of this book.
I felt like I was in Stella's skin the whole read. The word choice, the pacing, the measured back story reveals all combine to make the greatest impact on the reader. I was close to an emotional wreck by the end.
But St. Amant's sassy, tongue-in-cheek wit brings light and gentle humour to balance everything out. Sometimes I was laughing and crying on the very same page.
Chase is a redemptive hero who struggles with his own brokenness. He's also the catalyst that wakes Stella up from her self-imposed Sleeping Beauty façade. Their journey towards self-discovery is awkward and uncomfortable and exhilarating. Such a gamut of emotions! And I felt them all.
A stunning contemporary romance that packs a punch.
Thanks to Litfuse Publicity Group and Zondervan for supplying me with a review copy of this book.
June 6, 2018
An inspiring tale of love and overcoming adversity.
June 29, 2015
Betsy St. Amant in her new book, “Love Arrives in Pieces” Book Two in the Bayou Bend series published by Zondervan brings us into the life of Stella Varland.
From the back cover: For so long, Stella was known for her beauty. Now, with her heart stripped bare, she must discover who she really is.
Former pageant queen Stella Varland doesn’t trust beauty anymore after her divorce. Her appearance betrayed her and led to brokenness, so instead of being beautiful, now she tries to make beautiful things, but she always falls short. So she keeps her passion for art to herself and focuses on her interior design work. But if she doesn’t get another job soon, she’ll be stuck living with her parents.
Contractor Chase Taylor is determined to live a life of no regrets after losing his fiancée. Now he lives life at full speed, striving to see how much he can accomplish. He knows if he slows down, he’ll fall apart. So he returns home to Bayou Bend to renovate the town’s old theater and is shocked to discover that the designer for the project is his old flame, Stella.
Forced to work together, Chase and Stella battle their chemistry and past as they struggle to compromise and work together on a vision for the theater. Their wills clash as they attempt to hide their brokenness—and their unresolved feelings for each other—until Chase discovers the hidden parts of Stella, while losing her trust in the process.
A near catastrophe, a fire, and a small-town gossip mill finally force Stella and Chase to realize that they have a choice—to hold on to the shards of their pasts, or surrender their fragmented pieces to the One who makes a beautiful masterpiece from their brokenness.
Betsy St. Amant has given us a wonderful contemporary romance. How do we deal with emotional devastation? Well, most of us don’t. That is exactly what Stella and Chase do: they don’t. So Stella pours herself into interior design and Chase into his contracting and you know at some point they are going to meet and be forced to work together. Two emotionally wounded, broken individuals. They cannot fix themselves. The good news is that God is the Potterer. He can take broken vessels and not only put them back together but He can make them new. Ms. St. Amant has given us two characters Stella and Chase who fill up the pages against a swirl of activities. The book is all about them and their relationship and how deals with their individual brokenness. And then, of course, there is the romance. Ms. St. Amant has a way of making the characters lives very real so that we feel that we are living the moments with them. We feel that we know these people. We enjoy spending our time with them. We root for them to win. “Love Arrives in Pieces” is a marvelous study of how God can fix what is broken in our lives if and when we let Him.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
From the back cover: For so long, Stella was known for her beauty. Now, with her heart stripped bare, she must discover who she really is.
Former pageant queen Stella Varland doesn’t trust beauty anymore after her divorce. Her appearance betrayed her and led to brokenness, so instead of being beautiful, now she tries to make beautiful things, but she always falls short. So she keeps her passion for art to herself and focuses on her interior design work. But if she doesn’t get another job soon, she’ll be stuck living with her parents.
Contractor Chase Taylor is determined to live a life of no regrets after losing his fiancée. Now he lives life at full speed, striving to see how much he can accomplish. He knows if he slows down, he’ll fall apart. So he returns home to Bayou Bend to renovate the town’s old theater and is shocked to discover that the designer for the project is his old flame, Stella.
Forced to work together, Chase and Stella battle their chemistry and past as they struggle to compromise and work together on a vision for the theater. Their wills clash as they attempt to hide their brokenness—and their unresolved feelings for each other—until Chase discovers the hidden parts of Stella, while losing her trust in the process.
A near catastrophe, a fire, and a small-town gossip mill finally force Stella and Chase to realize that they have a choice—to hold on to the shards of their pasts, or surrender their fragmented pieces to the One who makes a beautiful masterpiece from their brokenness.
Betsy St. Amant has given us a wonderful contemporary romance. How do we deal with emotional devastation? Well, most of us don’t. That is exactly what Stella and Chase do: they don’t. So Stella pours herself into interior design and Chase into his contracting and you know at some point they are going to meet and be forced to work together. Two emotionally wounded, broken individuals. They cannot fix themselves. The good news is that God is the Potterer. He can take broken vessels and not only put them back together but He can make them new. Ms. St. Amant has given us two characters Stella and Chase who fill up the pages against a swirl of activities. The book is all about them and their relationship and how deals with their individual brokenness. And then, of course, there is the romance. Ms. St. Amant has a way of making the characters lives very real so that we feel that we are living the moments with them. We feel that we know these people. We enjoy spending our time with them. We root for them to win. “Love Arrives in Pieces” is a marvelous study of how God can fix what is broken in our lives if and when we let Him.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
June 28, 2015
For most of us, we have had a past relationship that didn't end up the way we wanted and we both went separate ways. Sometimes they ended on good terms and often times, there is hurt and pain that accompanied that parting of the ways. But for Stella Varland and Chase Taylor, they are struggling in different ways to come to terms with a new future neither of them could have predicted.
For Stella Varland, always the pageant queen, at least in the eyes of her mother, she perceived her beauty as something that would always keep her husband Dillon's interest. It was the one thing that attracted him to her, but after five years, something better come along in the form of a red head, and he felt he no longer loved Stella any longer. How can that be? She still maintain her beauty pageant looks and figure but now it seems that is no longer the basis for keeping your husband in your marriage.
Chase Taylor, lost the love of his life when she died before they ever had a chance to get married. While others are insisting he move forward in his life, it isn't something Chase is ready to do quite yet. Funny how that happens, people always think they know what is best for you without knowing how you really feel on the inside. Now since moving back to his hometown of Bayou Bend from Texas, he is hoping that working on renovation of the town's old theater will give him the much needed break from the past and everyone who is connected with his former life. He just never dreamed the interior designer on the project would be the woman who held his heart so long ago, Stella Varland. But she is no longer looking like the beauty queen from long ago, and harbors a sense of sadness that he can relate to, and one that has taken the light she once had! Can he find a way to restore the light she once had and perhaps in the process give them a new future they had only dreamed about once upon a time ago?
I received Love Arrives in Pieces by Betsy St. Amant compliments of Zondervan Publishing and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This is such a wonderful heartwarming novel, because like Betsy's previous novel, All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes, we get a taste of romance in an unpredictable way. Kat and Lucas are both part of this novel as well so readers who remember them from that novel will be happy at the continuation of sorts we find in this one. I love that there isn't a one solution fixes all in this one and things are just tied up in a pretty bow and everything is perfect. Because that is not how real life is, and that is why I find myself drawn to Betsy's novels in the first place. In my opinion, this is just another winning novel that has found a permanent place on my library shelf and worth all 5 out of 5 stars. Discussion guide questions are included in this novel that makes it the perfect choice for book clubs as well.
For Stella Varland, always the pageant queen, at least in the eyes of her mother, she perceived her beauty as something that would always keep her husband Dillon's interest. It was the one thing that attracted him to her, but after five years, something better come along in the form of a red head, and he felt he no longer loved Stella any longer. How can that be? She still maintain her beauty pageant looks and figure but now it seems that is no longer the basis for keeping your husband in your marriage.
Chase Taylor, lost the love of his life when she died before they ever had a chance to get married. While others are insisting he move forward in his life, it isn't something Chase is ready to do quite yet. Funny how that happens, people always think they know what is best for you without knowing how you really feel on the inside. Now since moving back to his hometown of Bayou Bend from Texas, he is hoping that working on renovation of the town's old theater will give him the much needed break from the past and everyone who is connected with his former life. He just never dreamed the interior designer on the project would be the woman who held his heart so long ago, Stella Varland. But she is no longer looking like the beauty queen from long ago, and harbors a sense of sadness that he can relate to, and one that has taken the light she once had! Can he find a way to restore the light she once had and perhaps in the process give them a new future they had only dreamed about once upon a time ago?
I received Love Arrives in Pieces by Betsy St. Amant compliments of Zondervan Publishing and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This is such a wonderful heartwarming novel, because like Betsy's previous novel, All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes, we get a taste of romance in an unpredictable way. Kat and Lucas are both part of this novel as well so readers who remember them from that novel will be happy at the continuation of sorts we find in this one. I love that there isn't a one solution fixes all in this one and things are just tied up in a pretty bow and everything is perfect. Because that is not how real life is, and that is why I find myself drawn to Betsy's novels in the first place. In my opinion, this is just another winning novel that has found a permanent place on my library shelf and worth all 5 out of 5 stars. Discussion guide questions are included in this novel that makes it the perfect choice for book clubs as well.
September 11, 2015
I wasn't too sure if I was going to like this book before I started it but I was very pleasantly surprised. St. Amant does a great job bringing both Stella and Chase to life on these pages. Stella is indeed a broken character who's feeling the after affects of a failed marriage while Chase, also dealing with his own loss after his fiancee died is as well. The author digs deep into the aftershocked of the pain and betrayal of broken relationships as well both present and past. There is a lot of emotion in this book and you get involved in how these characters feel throughout the book.
Stella is not the typical independent, strong woman you find in most books. As said, she's a broken individual who's emotions typically overwhelm her, causing anxiety and panic attacks. She also makes somewhat rash decisions that has consequences. She has a supportive sister but her mother.....
Stella's Mother drove me absolutely bonkers at times. Stella being an ex pageant queen seemed to be the only thing the mother seemed to care about and every time she said "A pageant queen doesn't..." I just wanted to reach through the page and slap her.. LOL Here's a girl who's husband left her for a younger woman and the mom can't seem to understand that her daughter is hurting. It's like she kept driving the knife deeper. Ugh!!
Chase is a great character who also has made bad choices in his past but has really turned his life around for the better. He's a good guy overall, caring and compassionate. He oozes confidence on the outside but inside he is a broken mess much like Stella.
One minor complaint. While the characters are well written and well developed, the plot seems rather weak. For example, the book constantly refers to the past relationship between Stella's sister and with Chase and how wrong he was to ask out Stella while dating Kat. However, as many times as this is brought up in the book (and the apparent animosity of Stella and her family towards Chase even from the start), the backstory here really doesn't reflect the serious grievance that occurred. I felt more was needed to really develop this aspect of the story so that you could really understand and feel why they feel the way they do. Instead of developing the story, the author spent more time developing the characters and the relationships but I would have liked to have seen equal time spent on developing the story so that it doesn't appear to be on the backburner.
Overall, I really found this book to be a wonderful read and I am sure I will enjoy more of St. Amant's books in the future.
Stella is not the typical independent, strong woman you find in most books. As said, she's a broken individual who's emotions typically overwhelm her, causing anxiety and panic attacks. She also makes somewhat rash decisions that has consequences. She has a supportive sister but her mother.....
Stella's Mother drove me absolutely bonkers at times. Stella being an ex pageant queen seemed to be the only thing the mother seemed to care about and every time she said "A pageant queen doesn't..." I just wanted to reach through the page and slap her.. LOL Here's a girl who's husband left her for a younger woman and the mom can't seem to understand that her daughter is hurting. It's like she kept driving the knife deeper. Ugh!!
Chase is a great character who also has made bad choices in his past but has really turned his life around for the better. He's a good guy overall, caring and compassionate. He oozes confidence on the outside but inside he is a broken mess much like Stella.
One minor complaint. While the characters are well written and well developed, the plot seems rather weak. For example, the book constantly refers to the past relationship between Stella's sister and with Chase and how wrong he was to ask out Stella while dating Kat. However, as many times as this is brought up in the book (and the apparent animosity of Stella and her family towards Chase even from the start), the backstory here really doesn't reflect the serious grievance that occurred. I felt more was needed to really develop this aspect of the story so that you could really understand and feel why they feel the way they do. Instead of developing the story, the author spent more time developing the characters and the relationships but I would have liked to have seen equal time spent on developing the story so that it doesn't appear to be on the backburner.
Overall, I really found this book to be a wonderful read and I am sure I will enjoy more of St. Amant's books in the future.
July 7, 2015
______________________________________________
*My Thoughts*
I mentioned on my blog how much I adore Betsy, as a person and as a writer. What you might not know is just how much I adored her characters in "All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes". Lucas and Kate stole my heart the second I read about them! Actually, I dreamed I saw Lucas in Walmart...romantic fantasies of a just 16 year old girl. HA! Guess what?
If you read "AFLC" (names a little long so I'll abbreviate), you probably remember the fashionista sister to Kate, Stella. Thinking back, you and I would probably classify her as a potential "book villian". Better then thou attitude, steals the show, only thinks about herself, prideful...you get the picture. Not so. That's why this book is so aptly named. Some advise if you've never heard the song "Broken Beautiful" by Ellie Holcomb:
You need to google it and listen up because it perfectly describes the focal point of this book.
Betsy describes Stella's thoughts, emotions, "demons" from her point of view and the result is shocking. Lonely. Low self-esteem. Vulnerable. All feelings people hate. Yet Betsy pulled together "Broken to beautiful" perfectly.
I wasn't sure if I was going to like Chase either because Stella painted HIM as a villain. Let's just say, I'm glad I stuck around to find out.
The writing is amazing, graceful, allowing me to float through the story instead of slowing down or catching up to match the story. Christian viewpoints? Two words. Broken. Beautiful. Characters? Surprising. Story line? Let's stop there. Wanna know what I loved about this book? Besides a great story and some shockingly sweet characters? Heart. Betsy's beautiful, God given heart, was infused in every page. Betsy took some of her life and poured out her heart, her spirit into this book. If that shouldn't make it a favorite, what should?
____________________________________________________
*My overall thoughts*
Love Arrives in Pieces by Betsy St. Amant is one of my favorite books of all time. With an engaging story line, great characters, and real Christian viewpoint,it takes a lot to convince me there is something better out there! For now at least, this is it!
__________________________________________
*My Rating*
I give Love Arrives in Pieces by Betsy St. Amant..
5 stars!!
*I received this book from litfuse, the publisher, and the author in exchange for an honest review, which I have given. All thoughts were my own and I was not compensated in any other way.
http://bookreviewsforchristians.blogs...
*My Thoughts*
I mentioned on my blog how much I adore Betsy, as a person and as a writer. What you might not know is just how much I adored her characters in "All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes". Lucas and Kate stole my heart the second I read about them! Actually, I dreamed I saw Lucas in Walmart...romantic fantasies of a just 16 year old girl. HA! Guess what?
If you read "AFLC" (names a little long so I'll abbreviate), you probably remember the fashionista sister to Kate, Stella. Thinking back, you and I would probably classify her as a potential "book villian". Better then thou attitude, steals the show, only thinks about herself, prideful...you get the picture. Not so. That's why this book is so aptly named. Some advise if you've never heard the song "Broken Beautiful" by Ellie Holcomb:
You need to google it and listen up because it perfectly describes the focal point of this book.
Betsy describes Stella's thoughts, emotions, "demons" from her point of view and the result is shocking. Lonely. Low self-esteem. Vulnerable. All feelings people hate. Yet Betsy pulled together "Broken to beautiful" perfectly.
I wasn't sure if I was going to like Chase either because Stella painted HIM as a villain. Let's just say, I'm glad I stuck around to find out.
The writing is amazing, graceful, allowing me to float through the story instead of slowing down or catching up to match the story. Christian viewpoints? Two words. Broken. Beautiful. Characters? Surprising. Story line? Let's stop there. Wanna know what I loved about this book? Besides a great story and some shockingly sweet characters? Heart. Betsy's beautiful, God given heart, was infused in every page. Betsy took some of her life and poured out her heart, her spirit into this book. If that shouldn't make it a favorite, what should?
____________________________________________________
*My overall thoughts*
Love Arrives in Pieces by Betsy St. Amant is one of my favorite books of all time. With an engaging story line, great characters, and real Christian viewpoint,it takes a lot to convince me there is something better out there! For now at least, this is it!
__________________________________________
*My Rating*
I give Love Arrives in Pieces by Betsy St. Amant..
5 stars!!
*I received this book from litfuse, the publisher, and the author in exchange for an honest review, which I have given. All thoughts were my own and I was not compensated in any other way.
http://bookreviewsforchristians.blogs...
June 29, 2015
Stella Varland is only a shadow of her former beauty queen self. Dejected, divorced and despairing; she also finds herself in need of employment, so when the city of Bayou Bend allocates funds for the renovation of its vintage cinema, the Downtown Development Committee offers Stella the opportunity to serve as interior designer on the project. . . . . along with contractor Chase Taylor. Chase Taylor. The man who broke the hearts of not one, but two Varland daughters. Falling in love with one while dating the other and then dumping them both; disappearing for years from Bayou Bend. And now he dares to come back.
Chase Taylor appears appropriately shocked when Stella Varland is introduced as the designer on the theater project; not only by the fact that they would be working together, but by how mellow and unassuming the still beautiful woman presents herself to be. No flirtations, no sparkling eyes, no expensive clothes, no runway swag, nothing . . . . and then she faints right in front of him on the theater stage. Chase is afraid that whatever has emptied Stella has also stolen her "color", which could seriously jeopardize their theater design and prevent a future that he tentatively wants to explore.
Stella and Chase have quite a story to share on the pages of this beautifully written romance. At times it seems that their differences are too broad and their brokenness too deep, but the miracle of restoration is a glorious glimpse of a very loving God who often chooses to make something beautiful out of shattered, broken, sharp-edged pieces. If you have ever lost a dream, lost yourself, or been emotionally shattered beyond repair, "Love Arrives in Pieces" will soothe your soul and point you in the direction of the eternal, everlasting Creator of mosaics.
Chase Taylor appears appropriately shocked when Stella Varland is introduced as the designer on the theater project; not only by the fact that they would be working together, but by how mellow and unassuming the still beautiful woman presents herself to be. No flirtations, no sparkling eyes, no expensive clothes, no runway swag, nothing . . . . and then she faints right in front of him on the theater stage. Chase is afraid that whatever has emptied Stella has also stolen her "color", which could seriously jeopardize their theater design and prevent a future that he tentatively wants to explore.
Stella and Chase have quite a story to share on the pages of this beautifully written romance. At times it seems that their differences are too broad and their brokenness too deep, but the miracle of restoration is a glorious glimpse of a very loving God who often chooses to make something beautiful out of shattered, broken, sharp-edged pieces. If you have ever lost a dream, lost yourself, or been emotionally shattered beyond repair, "Love Arrives in Pieces" will soothe your soul and point you in the direction of the eternal, everlasting Creator of mosaics.
August 24, 2015
There isn’t much to this book that’s not in the very thorough description. The author does a good job of illustrating how God takes the broken pieces of our lives and turns them into something new and beautiful. I appreciated that message. However, I did not click with the characters and had trouble really getting into this one.
Chase was one of those heroes who is a little too perfect. A little too patient, a little too understanding. To the point where it pulled me out of the story because he’s so obviously a character and not anyone you would find in real life. And Stella and Kat honestly started to drive me a little nuts. Both of them seemed a bit too immature for their age. I wanted them to let things go and move on a lot faster than they did. I felt like Stella and Chase both circled their issues and problems in their heads for way too long. To the point that I got tired of hearing about them going over and over the same old thing. It made it hard to care about them or root for them. I also didn’t feel like they really had any chemistry at all. We’re told they do, but I never saw or felt it.
I know many people were very moved by this book. It’s possible I missed out on that because I just didn’t feel any connection to these characters. I would recommend this if it sounds interesting and you’re looking for something contemporary involving emotional healing and moving on.
*I received an ARC of this title from LitFuse in exchange for an honest review.
www.wanderingthepages.tumblr.com
Chase was one of those heroes who is a little too perfect. A little too patient, a little too understanding. To the point where it pulled me out of the story because he’s so obviously a character and not anyone you would find in real life. And Stella and Kat honestly started to drive me a little nuts. Both of them seemed a bit too immature for their age. I wanted them to let things go and move on a lot faster than they did. I felt like Stella and Chase both circled their issues and problems in their heads for way too long. To the point that I got tired of hearing about them going over and over the same old thing. It made it hard to care about them or root for them. I also didn’t feel like they really had any chemistry at all. We’re told they do, but I never saw or felt it.
I know many people were very moved by this book. It’s possible I missed out on that because I just didn’t feel any connection to these characters. I would recommend this if it sounds interesting and you’re looking for something contemporary involving emotional healing and moving on.
*I received an ARC of this title from LitFuse in exchange for an honest review.
www.wanderingthepages.tumblr.com
February 28, 2022
Loved it. It's not common for Christian novels to have someone who was divorced in it, so this was a nice change. Betsy St. Amant does a good job of depicting the devastating and lasting effects of betrayal while offering hope at the same time.
For those who thought Stella's responses about her art were over the top... not really. Sharing art is a frightening experience even for established artists. Stella was terrified of rejection of the deepest part of herself- her art.
After being in an abusive relationship with a man who totally eroded her sense of identity and worth, her need to hide and protect her art from others was simply her need to protect herself from further rejection and dismissal. Having other people see her art was too naked, too vulnerable. She needed safety.
That's not over the top it's simply a trauma response.
I enjoyed the setting and the side characters a lot. Cowboy Bob was adorable.
Also, Betsy St. Amant is the only author who has ever liked my Goodreads reviews. Thanks for that Betsy!
For those who thought Stella's responses about her art were over the top... not really. Sharing art is a frightening experience even for established artists. Stella was terrified of rejection of the deepest part of herself- her art.
After being in an abusive relationship with a man who totally eroded her sense of identity and worth, her need to hide and protect her art from others was simply her need to protect herself from further rejection and dismissal. Having other people see her art was too naked, too vulnerable. She needed safety.
That's not over the top it's simply a trauma response.
I enjoyed the setting and the side characters a lot. Cowboy Bob was adorable.
Also, Betsy St. Amant is the only author who has ever liked my Goodreads reviews. Thanks for that Betsy!
February 2, 2015
St. Amant's best so far! This is a heart-wrenchingly honest look at the pain of divorce and death. Two realistically flawed and hungry people find love in each other and restitution in their Saviour. Gripping, real and never without hope, St. Amant speaks to a troubling situation with candour and grace that will help her find a new set of readers. She is breaking the binds of CBA convention and speaking straight-forwardly about finding God's path beyond human expectation. More than a contemporary romance, Love Arrives in Pieces is a treatise on God's ability to help humans reconcile with each other, with Him and with themselves. A great "finally letting yourself off the hook" book this will reach plenty of hurting souls.
May 3, 2016
When I first picked it up, I thought to myself "this book is utterly chaotic... in the best way possible!" I love Betsy St. Amant's writing style. This book is as chaotic as it's characters feelings and lives. I cannot even begin to describe how well I think this book is written. The more I read, the faster I wanted to read because I was so involved in Stella and Chase's story. Read my full review: http://faithlovebooks.blogspot.com/20...
February 20, 2016
This was a good book how ever I do wish the author had done more to make it more interesting. I look forward to reading more of this author's work.
actual-tbr-list
December 14, 2021$2.99 paperback on ChristianBookBag!
https://www.christianbookbag.com/Love...
https://www.christianbookbag.com/Love...
May 3, 2019
Ooooh, this was so good!! Loved it!
I definitely recommend reading "All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes" before this one, just because it gives you the back story of Kat, Stella, and even Chase to a point. It made a lot more sense to me for sure!
As soon as I started reading, I realized that Chase was "that" Chase from "All's Fair" - and literally caught myself going, "What?! Really?! Ooooo, this'll be interesting."
I think I liked "All's Fair" just a bit better, but that's mostly because I adore Food Network and competitive-cooking shows, LOL. This is still a fantasmo book and I love it! So many twists and turns, even to the end.
I definitely recommend reading "All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes" before this one, just because it gives you the back story of Kat, Stella, and even Chase to a point. It made a lot more sense to me for sure!
As soon as I started reading, I realized that Chase was "that" Chase from "All's Fair" - and literally caught myself going, "What?! Really?! Ooooo, this'll be interesting."
I think I liked "All's Fair" just a bit better, but that's mostly because I adore Food Network and competitive-cooking shows, LOL. This is still a fantasmo book and I love it! So many twists and turns, even to the end.
July 29, 2018
Such a good book. I look forward to reading more by Betsy St. Amant.
June 9, 2015
I wanted to try one of Betsy St. Amant’s books. I met her at the ACFW conference last year when checking her in, and she is such a friendly and welcoming person that I vowed to read one of her books this year. The cover with the out of focused couple in the background invited me into the story. As a contemporary romance piece, this story did a good job.
Love Arrives in Pieces is told from two point of view characters: Chase Taylor and Stella Varland. Through their eyes, I saw their pain, scars, and brokenness. Personally, of the two, I liked Chase more than I did Stella. Chase is a hero or knight who saves Stella emotionally and spiritually. I truly felt like Amant spent more time developing Chase into the type of hero she wanted, and it is evident with every element of Chase. On the other hand, Stella, the heroine, is not one of my favorites because she is constantly depressed, sad, and mopey. I like my heroines to be strong and can stand on their own two feet. The strongest point of Stella’s character is the focus on her healing. Stella is very hard on herself but is trying to work past some serious issues from her past. I felt like I was there—experiencing her anguish, and feeling the excitement and questions of a blooming relationship.
While Amant may not have developed Stella into a strong character, her writing is great. I felt like I was watching Stella and Chase as they interacted and argued over the reconstruction of the theater. It is realistic with an even amount of thoughts, actions, and dialogue. The opening chapter does have Stella volunteering at a homeless shelter where Stella mopes around, thinking of her former glory days. Even though the story starts out kind of slow, it picks up after Chase and Stella officially start working together.
While the setting is important to any story, Amant allows me to use my imagination by not filling the pages with description of what the theater looks like. I believe Amant understands that her readers have been in a theater and could picture one while we were reading. It didn’t stop me from interacting with the characters. It enhanced my joy of reading.
The story’s tension is driven by external and internal conflicts. The external conflict is the betrayal of the past relationship between Chase and Stella. The story is driven by their struggles and allows them to develop internally. As for the pain in Stella’s background, Amant allows Stella to tell Chase what happened, but she skipped over allowing me to hear her tell Chase. Still confused on what went down with Dillion, Stella’s ex-husband, and Stella. Internally, Chase and Stella have to deal with the hurts from their past and figure out a way to move forward. Amant does a good job at showing the depth of Stella and Chase’s emotions, page by page. I felt like I was struggling through the same issues. I empathized with Stella as she is literally shoved to her knees. As for the spiritual side, Amant is not preachy in mentioning the aspects of God. She uses a couple of trusted mentors to help guide Stella and Chase back to God.
Love Arrives in Pieces is an original story with a predictable ending. As standard for the romance genre, the hero and heroine must make amends and fall in love, which Amant does. There is no questionable content, so anyone could enjoy this sweet read. Fans of Becky Wade, Beth K. Vogt, Melissa Tagg, and Janice Thompson would devour this book. Love Arrives in Pieces is a fun read.
Overall, Betsy St. Amant’s Love Arrives in Pieces has a strong hero and a weak heroine, but Amant redeems herself with Stella’s growth from her past.
Love Arrives in Pieces is told from two point of view characters: Chase Taylor and Stella Varland. Through their eyes, I saw their pain, scars, and brokenness. Personally, of the two, I liked Chase more than I did Stella. Chase is a hero or knight who saves Stella emotionally and spiritually. I truly felt like Amant spent more time developing Chase into the type of hero she wanted, and it is evident with every element of Chase. On the other hand, Stella, the heroine, is not one of my favorites because she is constantly depressed, sad, and mopey. I like my heroines to be strong and can stand on their own two feet. The strongest point of Stella’s character is the focus on her healing. Stella is very hard on herself but is trying to work past some serious issues from her past. I felt like I was there—experiencing her anguish, and feeling the excitement and questions of a blooming relationship.
While Amant may not have developed Stella into a strong character, her writing is great. I felt like I was watching Stella and Chase as they interacted and argued over the reconstruction of the theater. It is realistic with an even amount of thoughts, actions, and dialogue. The opening chapter does have Stella volunteering at a homeless shelter where Stella mopes around, thinking of her former glory days. Even though the story starts out kind of slow, it picks up after Chase and Stella officially start working together.
While the setting is important to any story, Amant allows me to use my imagination by not filling the pages with description of what the theater looks like. I believe Amant understands that her readers have been in a theater and could picture one while we were reading. It didn’t stop me from interacting with the characters. It enhanced my joy of reading.
The story’s tension is driven by external and internal conflicts. The external conflict is the betrayal of the past relationship between Chase and Stella. The story is driven by their struggles and allows them to develop internally. As for the pain in Stella’s background, Amant allows Stella to tell Chase what happened, but she skipped over allowing me to hear her tell Chase. Still confused on what went down with Dillion, Stella’s ex-husband, and Stella. Internally, Chase and Stella have to deal with the hurts from their past and figure out a way to move forward. Amant does a good job at showing the depth of Stella and Chase’s emotions, page by page. I felt like I was struggling through the same issues. I empathized with Stella as she is literally shoved to her knees. As for the spiritual side, Amant is not preachy in mentioning the aspects of God. She uses a couple of trusted mentors to help guide Stella and Chase back to God.
Love Arrives in Pieces is an original story with a predictable ending. As standard for the romance genre, the hero and heroine must make amends and fall in love, which Amant does. There is no questionable content, so anyone could enjoy this sweet read. Fans of Becky Wade, Beth K. Vogt, Melissa Tagg, and Janice Thompson would devour this book. Love Arrives in Pieces is a fun read.
Overall, Betsy St. Amant’s Love Arrives in Pieces has a strong hero and a weak heroine, but Amant redeems herself with Stella’s growth from her past.
April 13, 2016
Stella, a former pageant queen turned interior designer, is trying to heal after a nasty divorce and an accident of her doing that caused a homeless shelter to burn to the ground. Trying to rebuild her reputation in her small town of Bayou Bend, Louisiana, she gets hired on to renovate a local historic theater. Shortly after arriving for the first day of work, she's stunned to discover that Chase Taylor, an old flame of hers, happens to be the contractor for the job! Chase is trying to do his own healing after losing his fiancee in a car wreck. This project seems like the perfect thing to lose his mind in... until he finds he has to answer to the girl that once had such a strong grip on his heart. A few chapters in, the novel reveals there's more to the story between them than the general "it just didn't work out". In fact, that bit of "more" is something Stella never quite got over, which she quickly makes clear to Chase.
Chase tries to do his best to keep an upbeat, professional attitude in the tense workplace, but after awhile he pulls Stella aside and reminds her that the past should be the past, which can be addressed at another time, but they were hired to do a job so they should maintain a little bit of work ethic. He begs for a truce, to which she reluctantly agrees but of course time proves that he's interested in more than just a bland truce. He wants to revisit that old romance of theirs. Stella, however, is not so down with the idea... at least not at first. She's hiding just how deep those emotional wounds run -- from both Chase and her ex-husband. So much pain that she's developed crippling anxiety that occasionally causes her to experience black outs.
Chase, bless him, was patient with the girl but lordy, Stella got on my last nerve for most of this story. Her misfortunes, while definitely unfortunate, are not all that uncommon in today's world but MAN she liked to play the special snowflake card. I got tired of constantly hearing her talk about how no one could understand her, no one could help her. It also felt like every other phrase out of her was unnecessarily cryptic. Her backstory did not warrant all that! And on top of it all, that girl just holds onto a grudge too long. You're really going to hold a grown man accountable for a stupid mistake he made as a teen, a mistake that didn't leave anyone killed, raped, maimed or otherwise irreversibly damaged?
I also ended up feeling bad for Chase a lot of the time. Stella seemed to put him in a lot of no-win scenarios. If he tried to acknowledge her emotional fragility, behaving like a perfect gentleman and giving her her space, he was accused of toying with her. If he made a bold display of his true feelings, he got the "you're just like every other man" rant spit at him. Personally, I say cut your losses at anyone who gives you that much run-around. Especially when you quote Alice In Wonderland and they respond with "Oh, you saw that movie?". Yeah, my inner booknerd cringed.
There is some emotional growth in these characters as the story progresses but man, is it an uphill climb watching them get there! As a whole, this was just a so-so fluff read for me. I wasn't particularly moved by this couple (as you can probably guess from my ranting above lol) and the writing style itself didn't strike me as especially strong or alluring. Just your middle of the road easy breezy read for a chill afternoon's amusement.
FTC Disclaimer: BookLookBloggers.com kindly provided me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions above are entirely my own.
Chase tries to do his best to keep an upbeat, professional attitude in the tense workplace, but after awhile he pulls Stella aside and reminds her that the past should be the past, which can be addressed at another time, but they were hired to do a job so they should maintain a little bit of work ethic. He begs for a truce, to which she reluctantly agrees but of course time proves that he's interested in more than just a bland truce. He wants to revisit that old romance of theirs. Stella, however, is not so down with the idea... at least not at first. She's hiding just how deep those emotional wounds run -- from both Chase and her ex-husband. So much pain that she's developed crippling anxiety that occasionally causes her to experience black outs.
Chase, bless him, was patient with the girl but lordy, Stella got on my last nerve for most of this story. Her misfortunes, while definitely unfortunate, are not all that uncommon in today's world but MAN she liked to play the special snowflake card. I got tired of constantly hearing her talk about how no one could understand her, no one could help her. It also felt like every other phrase out of her was unnecessarily cryptic. Her backstory did not warrant all that! And on top of it all, that girl just holds onto a grudge too long. You're really going to hold a grown man accountable for a stupid mistake he made as a teen, a mistake that didn't leave anyone killed, raped, maimed or otherwise irreversibly damaged?
I also ended up feeling bad for Chase a lot of the time. Stella seemed to put him in a lot of no-win scenarios. If he tried to acknowledge her emotional fragility, behaving like a perfect gentleman and giving her her space, he was accused of toying with her. If he made a bold display of his true feelings, he got the "you're just like every other man" rant spit at him. Personally, I say cut your losses at anyone who gives you that much run-around. Especially when you quote Alice In Wonderland and they respond with "Oh, you saw that movie?". Yeah, my inner booknerd cringed.
There is some emotional growth in these characters as the story progresses but man, is it an uphill climb watching them get there! As a whole, this was just a so-so fluff read for me. I wasn't particularly moved by this couple (as you can probably guess from my ranting above lol) and the writing style itself didn't strike me as especially strong or alluring. Just your middle of the road easy breezy read for a chill afternoon's amusement.
FTC Disclaimer: BookLookBloggers.com kindly provided me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions above are entirely my own.
June 30, 2015
Ex-beauty queen and pastor’s kid Stella Varland is newly divorced, and looking for a way to support herself seeing as her cheating ex doesn’t. Her pushy mother finds her a job, but it’s working with Chase Taylor—the only other guy she’s ever had feelings for, and the guy who destroyed her relationship with her sister—his girlfriend at the time.
Confused? So was I. It’s apparent we’re supposed to feel sorry for Stella because her husband cheated on her, yet Chase apparently cheated on Stella’s sister—with Stella. There are hints that it didn’t exactly go down that way, but we’re never given the story of exactly what did happen between Chase and Stella while he was dating Kat, which means they don’t convincingly resolve the issue. Suspension of disbelief.
I also had a problem with Stella’s mother, Claire, who is the antithesis of the typical fictional pastor’s wife. She’s opinionated and domineering, and appears to place more emphasis on outward appearance than anything else, which is perhaps why Stella did the beauty queen circuit for years—and why she now tries to hide her beauty, to see if she has any personal worth outside her looks. While the author tries valiantly to show, through Chase, that Stella does have worth, those efforts are blindsided by Claire. Perhaps if she’d gone through some personal character arc and changed … but she didn’t. (And a pastor’s wife who encourages her daughter to enter beauty pagents? It just felt off. More suspension of disbelief).
Love Arrives in Pieces is the sequel to All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes, although this can easily be read as a stand-alone. I read and reviewed All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes, and while I thought it was a good story, I also thought it was too long: it felt like there was only enough plot to fill a novella, and it had been stretched to novel-length with the addition of endless interior monologue.
Love Arrives in Pieces had the same problem. A conversation between the two main characters would be interrupted by a page or more of interior monologue (well, I was reading on a Kindle, so a Kindle page or more), to the point where I’d actually forgotten what the conversation was about and had to skip back to find the last line of dialogue to work it out, then skip past the interior monologue to make sense of it. Some people might like this, but I don’t. I’m all for getting to know the characters through interior monologue, but not in the middle of a conversation. Keep it to a short sentence or two in dialogue so as not to disrupt the flow of the story.
It’s a shame, because the dialogue was excellent (once I ignored the interior monologue), and the story dealt with some important spiritual issues. Unfortunately, too many pages were devoted to repetitive naval-gazing from the characters, which didn’t leave enough space to actually address what I thought were the main plot questions and themes.
Love Arrives in Pieces had potential, but didn’t deliver for me. If you’re looking for a novel that better addresses the ways in which our brokenness affects us in life and in marriage, read Married 'til Monday by Denise Hunter. And if you’re looking for a light read that touches on beauty and godliness, try Too Pretty by Andrea Grigg.
Thanks to Zondervan and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
Confused? So was I. It’s apparent we’re supposed to feel sorry for Stella because her husband cheated on her, yet Chase apparently cheated on Stella’s sister—with Stella. There are hints that it didn’t exactly go down that way, but we’re never given the story of exactly what did happen between Chase and Stella while he was dating Kat, which means they don’t convincingly resolve the issue. Suspension of disbelief.
I also had a problem with Stella’s mother, Claire, who is the antithesis of the typical fictional pastor’s wife. She’s opinionated and domineering, and appears to place more emphasis on outward appearance than anything else, which is perhaps why Stella did the beauty queen circuit for years—and why she now tries to hide her beauty, to see if she has any personal worth outside her looks. While the author tries valiantly to show, through Chase, that Stella does have worth, those efforts are blindsided by Claire. Perhaps if she’d gone through some personal character arc and changed … but she didn’t. (And a pastor’s wife who encourages her daughter to enter beauty pagents? It just felt off. More suspension of disbelief).
Love Arrives in Pieces is the sequel to All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes, although this can easily be read as a stand-alone. I read and reviewed All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes, and while I thought it was a good story, I also thought it was too long: it felt like there was only enough plot to fill a novella, and it had been stretched to novel-length with the addition of endless interior monologue.
Love Arrives in Pieces had the same problem. A conversation between the two main characters would be interrupted by a page or more of interior monologue (well, I was reading on a Kindle, so a Kindle page or more), to the point where I’d actually forgotten what the conversation was about and had to skip back to find the last line of dialogue to work it out, then skip past the interior monologue to make sense of it. Some people might like this, but I don’t. I’m all for getting to know the characters through interior monologue, but not in the middle of a conversation. Keep it to a short sentence or two in dialogue so as not to disrupt the flow of the story.
It’s a shame, because the dialogue was excellent (once I ignored the interior monologue), and the story dealt with some important spiritual issues. Unfortunately, too many pages were devoted to repetitive naval-gazing from the characters, which didn’t leave enough space to actually address what I thought were the main plot questions and themes.
Love Arrives in Pieces had potential, but didn’t deliver for me. If you’re looking for a novel that better addresses the ways in which our brokenness affects us in life and in marriage, read Married 'til Monday by Denise Hunter. And if you’re looking for a light read that touches on beauty and godliness, try Too Pretty by Andrea Grigg.
Thanks to Zondervan and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
June 24, 2015
About the Book:
For so long, Stella was known for her beauty. Now, with her heart stripped bare, she must discover who she really is.
Former pageant queen Stella Varland doesn t trust beauty anymore after her divorce. Her appearance betrayed her and led to her brokenness so instead of being beautiful, now she tries to make beautiful things, but always falls short. So she keeps her passion for her secret art to herself and focuses on her interior design work. But if she doesn t get another job soon, she ll be stuck living with her parents.
Contractor Chase Taylor is determined to live a life of no regrets after losing his fiancee in a car crash. Now he lives life at full speed, striving to see how much he can accomplish. He knows if he slows down, he ll fall apart. So he returns home to Bayou Bend to renovate the town s old theater, and is shocked to learn former flame Stella is the designer for the project.
Forced to work together, Chase and Stella battle their chemistry and their pasts as they struggle to compromise and come together on a vision for the theater. Chase doesn t understand why Stella is such a subdued version of herself, while Stella doesn t get Chase s constant need for productivity and speed. Their wills clash as they attempt to hide their brokenness and their unresolved feelings for each other until Chase breaks through Stella s walls and convinces her to enter her mosaic tile art in a contest.
A near catastrophe, a fire, and a small-town gossip mill finally force both Stella and Chase to realize that they have a choice to hold on to the shards of their pasts, or surrender their fragmented pieces to the One who makes a beautiful masterpiece from the broken. "
My Review:
Stella Varland, former pageant queen, life took an unexpected turn when she and her husband got a divorce. Now she suffers from constant anxiety attacks and the chance of possibly having to move in with her mom. But amazingly her mom pulls off the unthinkable, and snags Stella a job as the interior designer for a local run-down old theater. The theater is almost like an answer to prayers, that is until she learns who the contractor and foreman is.
Contractor Chase Taylor knows he has done many things wrong to many people, especially Stella Varland and her sister Kat. But past is the past and he is ready to live his life to the fullest. After losing his fiancé, he decided it was time to have no regrets. Moving back home to Bayou Bend, he finds not many things have change, or at least he thought until he seen Stella after so long. Let’s just say it was love at first anxiety attack?
As the theater begins to get remodeled, Chase and Stella begin to butt heads, quite a lot. But with them both struggling from the brokenness that is trying to consume them, that maybe just maybe they better together than apart.
Being the sequel to All’s Fair In Love And Cupcakes, Love Arrives In Pieces has it all. The adventure, the romance, it even has some amusing parts. After reading Kat’s story previously, I knew that this book was sure to be an amazing read. And I definitely wasn’t wrong. I love Betsy St. Amant’s books! I can’t wait to see what she has in store next!
**Disclosure** This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from Litfuse.
For so long, Stella was known for her beauty. Now, with her heart stripped bare, she must discover who she really is.
Former pageant queen Stella Varland doesn t trust beauty anymore after her divorce. Her appearance betrayed her and led to her brokenness so instead of being beautiful, now she tries to make beautiful things, but always falls short. So she keeps her passion for her secret art to herself and focuses on her interior design work. But if she doesn t get another job soon, she ll be stuck living with her parents.
Contractor Chase Taylor is determined to live a life of no regrets after losing his fiancee in a car crash. Now he lives life at full speed, striving to see how much he can accomplish. He knows if he slows down, he ll fall apart. So he returns home to Bayou Bend to renovate the town s old theater, and is shocked to learn former flame Stella is the designer for the project.
Forced to work together, Chase and Stella battle their chemistry and their pasts as they struggle to compromise and come together on a vision for the theater. Chase doesn t understand why Stella is such a subdued version of herself, while Stella doesn t get Chase s constant need for productivity and speed. Their wills clash as they attempt to hide their brokenness and their unresolved feelings for each other until Chase breaks through Stella s walls and convinces her to enter her mosaic tile art in a contest.
A near catastrophe, a fire, and a small-town gossip mill finally force both Stella and Chase to realize that they have a choice to hold on to the shards of their pasts, or surrender their fragmented pieces to the One who makes a beautiful masterpiece from the broken. "
My Review:
Stella Varland, former pageant queen, life took an unexpected turn when she and her husband got a divorce. Now she suffers from constant anxiety attacks and the chance of possibly having to move in with her mom. But amazingly her mom pulls off the unthinkable, and snags Stella a job as the interior designer for a local run-down old theater. The theater is almost like an answer to prayers, that is until she learns who the contractor and foreman is.
Contractor Chase Taylor knows he has done many things wrong to many people, especially Stella Varland and her sister Kat. But past is the past and he is ready to live his life to the fullest. After losing his fiancé, he decided it was time to have no regrets. Moving back home to Bayou Bend, he finds not many things have change, or at least he thought until he seen Stella after so long. Let’s just say it was love at first anxiety attack?
As the theater begins to get remodeled, Chase and Stella begin to butt heads, quite a lot. But with them both struggling from the brokenness that is trying to consume them, that maybe just maybe they better together than apart.
Being the sequel to All’s Fair In Love And Cupcakes, Love Arrives In Pieces has it all. The adventure, the romance, it even has some amusing parts. After reading Kat’s story previously, I knew that this book was sure to be an amazing read. And I definitely wasn’t wrong. I love Betsy St. Amant’s books! I can’t wait to see what she has in store next!
**Disclosure** This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from Litfuse.
September 7, 2015
When a book begins with the phrase “Fairy tales lied”, I sit up and pay attention. Perfect hook to start out a love story for this fairy-tale junkie. It immediately gave me a sense of both Stella’s snark and her pain, and the witty prose that followed endeared me both to Stella and to the author. Poor Stella – still broken from her divorce, a shell of her former self, facing potential eviction if she doesn’t find an interior design job soon. Then she’d be forced to move in with her tough-to-take parents where “she’d be scrubbing her mother’s kitchen floors without a single mouse or bird to help. Some princesses had all the luck.”
Oh, indeed.
I thoroughly enjoyed Betsy St. Amant’s delightful writing voice – witty, sassy, and sweet. It was easy to “hear” the narration in my mind as I read the story, a detail which kept the pace steady and engaging. The chemistry between Chase and Stella lingered over each scene they shared – and sometimes even when they were separate – and I just wanted to fix the ache in each of their hearts so they could find some healing. And Dixie!! Oh Dixie! One of my favorite secondary characters ever, I think! I adore how she pops in and out of the scenes, taking charge for the moment in her own quirky and eccentric way before she abruptly heads off to find someone else’s scene to invade. She always put a grin on my face when she made an appearance.
(And I have some major cover love going on for this book! The way the title art very subtly fits into one of the themes and subplots of the book is ingenious! The more I look at it, the more I see.)
Chase and Stella have each been through a lot and their emotions are understandably on edge. However, I did feel that some of their reactions – to each other and to circumstances (the secret art room, the hair trigger tempers) – were a bit extreme. That said, I haven’t walked in either of their shoes and I can’t say how I would react if I had.
The message of Love Arrives in Pieces hit all the right notes with me – it’s okay to be broken and it’s okay to heal. And sometimes… many times … that healing creates a beautiful piece of art in our lives out of that brokenness. While everybody else (including us) just sees a pile of broken shards of what used to be, God looks at our life and sees the masterpiece that He is creating.
“Brokenness is a method.”
Not one of our favorite methods, perhaps. But one that yields some of the most exquisite results.
Bottom Line: A witty but poignant read that will give you a new perspective on brokenness, Love Arrives in Pieces is very much worth your investment. While this is a sequel to All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes and some of the characters from the first book figure prominently into this story line, you can certainly read Love Arrives in Pieces as a stand alone. I myself have not yet read the first book and did not feel lost – just that I was missing out on the story that happened without me lol. (I shall correct that by reading All’s Fair at my earliest opportunity!) I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys Becky Wade or Katie Ganshert or contemporary romance in any form.
(I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for only my honest review.)
Oh, indeed.
I thoroughly enjoyed Betsy St. Amant’s delightful writing voice – witty, sassy, and sweet. It was easy to “hear” the narration in my mind as I read the story, a detail which kept the pace steady and engaging. The chemistry between Chase and Stella lingered over each scene they shared – and sometimes even when they were separate – and I just wanted to fix the ache in each of their hearts so they could find some healing. And Dixie!! Oh Dixie! One of my favorite secondary characters ever, I think! I adore how she pops in and out of the scenes, taking charge for the moment in her own quirky and eccentric way before she abruptly heads off to find someone else’s scene to invade. She always put a grin on my face when she made an appearance.
(And I have some major cover love going on for this book! The way the title art very subtly fits into one of the themes and subplots of the book is ingenious! The more I look at it, the more I see.)
Chase and Stella have each been through a lot and their emotions are understandably on edge. However, I did feel that some of their reactions – to each other and to circumstances (the secret art room, the hair trigger tempers) – were a bit extreme. That said, I haven’t walked in either of their shoes and I can’t say how I would react if I had.
The message of Love Arrives in Pieces hit all the right notes with me – it’s okay to be broken and it’s okay to heal. And sometimes… many times … that healing creates a beautiful piece of art in our lives out of that brokenness. While everybody else (including us) just sees a pile of broken shards of what used to be, God looks at our life and sees the masterpiece that He is creating.
“Brokenness is a method.”
Not one of our favorite methods, perhaps. But one that yields some of the most exquisite results.
Bottom Line: A witty but poignant read that will give you a new perspective on brokenness, Love Arrives in Pieces is very much worth your investment. While this is a sequel to All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes and some of the characters from the first book figure prominently into this story line, you can certainly read Love Arrives in Pieces as a stand alone. I myself have not yet read the first book and did not feel lost – just that I was missing out on the story that happened without me lol. (I shall correct that by reading All’s Fair at my earliest opportunity!) I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys Becky Wade or Katie Ganshert or contemporary romance in any form.
(I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for only my honest review.)
August 17, 2020
Love love and love this story!! It is such a comfort to know that all of our broken pieces will be used by God to create a masterpiece that is in the making. What looks and feels shattered beyond repair are the very things that He uses to create something truly beautiful. We may not see the finished product for a long time, but the moment we do will take our breath away. It's all in His perfect timing.
June 23, 2015
Back home in Bayou Bend after the death of his fiancee, Contractor Chase was hired to restore the town's old theater. From the blurb, I expected him to be a risk taker, but he wasn't that way at all. He was steady and kind, quite the hero, coming to Stella's rescue several times. Recently divorced Stella, a preacher's daughter and ex-pageant queen, is trying to make a living as an interior designer, but will soon be evicted if she can't work with Chase on the theater's design. She hides her pain behind a fake pageant smile, baggy jeans, and no makeup. I could relate to Stella's feelings of inadequacy and loss of self-esteem from divorce.
The cover is stunning, a perfect match to the inside! The writing was exceptional. The author dug deep into relationships, and this book was so much more than a romance. It's about people and pain, and how we hide it, and how a person so broken can find their beauty or, in Stella's case, her "colors" again. It's about loving people through their brokenness. The story kept me flipping pages, but some threads just didn't come together as neatly or as satisfying as that last piece in a jigsaw puzzle. As the title implies, Love Arrives in Pieces seemed a bit fragmented, but maybe that's by author design.
This is the first book I have read by Betsy St. Amant. Readers who appreciate a hefty dose of drama in their stories will enjoy Love Arrives in Pieces. This isn't a book you'll whiz through in a couple hours. Set aside a few nights to really dig in. :)
Disclaimer: Sending my thanks to NetGalley and Zondervan Fiction for the privilege of reading and reviewing Love Arrives in Pieces. I was provided a free copy of the book in exchange for my fair and unbiased review. I was in no way compensated for my review.
Dora Hiers
Fiction Faith & Foodies Blog
http://dorahiers.blogspot.com/2015/06...
The cover is stunning, a perfect match to the inside! The writing was exceptional. The author dug deep into relationships, and this book was so much more than a romance. It's about people and pain, and how we hide it, and how a person so broken can find their beauty or, in Stella's case, her "colors" again. It's about loving people through their brokenness. The story kept me flipping pages, but some threads just didn't come together as neatly or as satisfying as that last piece in a jigsaw puzzle. As the title implies, Love Arrives in Pieces seemed a bit fragmented, but maybe that's by author design.
This is the first book I have read by Betsy St. Amant. Readers who appreciate a hefty dose of drama in their stories will enjoy Love Arrives in Pieces. This isn't a book you'll whiz through in a couple hours. Set aside a few nights to really dig in. :)
Disclaimer: Sending my thanks to NetGalley and Zondervan Fiction for the privilege of reading and reviewing Love Arrives in Pieces. I was provided a free copy of the book in exchange for my fair and unbiased review. I was in no way compensated for my review.
Dora Hiers
Fiction Faith & Foodies Blog
http://dorahiers.blogspot.com/2015/06...
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