The Key to Love

The Key to Love by Betsy St. Amant was a deliciously sweet story about French pastries, small-town drama, and the many faces of love. I thoroughly enjoyed Bri and Gerard’s story. I am a big fan of the enemies to friendship trope, and their relationship definitely fits the bill. I loved the slow evolution of their friendship–especially the many laugh-out-loud moments.
Bri is a ray of sunshine, an optimistic, idealistic romantic. I would love to have her as a friend! She’s so kind, generous, and talented. And even if her ideas of romance are a bit sappy at times, that’s okay. A girl has to dream! But what I really loved is how her peppy romance-crazed ideas rubbed off on Gerard. It was a blast watching him itch around the color pink, tiny hearts, and locks representing undying love.
And speaking of Gerard, he is a rough and unromantic hero. Yet, with a little sugar (or a lot of petit fours), he comes to see what Bri and the Pastry Puff bakery are all about. I appreciated his ability to face confrontation head-on with honesty. He may have come off as a grump every so often, but he has many redeeming qualities–including a bit of romance. Who knew?
I know this is a contemporary romance novel so talk of love is a given, but I enjoyed the theme of how the love we find may not look like the love we expected. And how love can come in many shapes and forms–from the people we least expect. How love is not perfect, but love can endure. It was all incredibly sweet.
If you are a fan of contemporary Christian fiction, then The Key to Love should be on your TBR. It will make you laugh, maybe shed a few tears, and crave some of Bri’s petite fours.
I was given a copy of this book by the publisher with no expectation of a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Such a fun rom-com with characters I grew to love. A heroine who loves all things romantic, a hero who is scruffy, and a bakery full of petit fours. What’s not to love?!

The relationship between Bri and Gerard can seem trite, or the usual “dislike to romance”, but it really was so sweet. St. Amant writes in such a way that it was never boring. Twists and turns, a bad guy, a couple of quirky old ladies and you have the recipe for a really good book. I was very surprised by the ending, so don’t think you have it figured out while you’re reading.

A seriously fun book, I highly recommend it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.

“The Key to Love” by Betsy St. Amant is the interesting tale of the adventures of a superb pastry chef, Abrielle Duval, at the Pastry Puff bakery in the small town of Story, Kansas. Abrielle’s love-hate, frenemy relationship is with Gerard Fortier, a ruggedly handsome, globe-trotting travel writer, from Trek magazine, who is running away from love, after nursing a broken heart from a hastily ended engagement. An ill-advised mentor led Gerard to believe that true love is unattainable. After a series of misunderstandings and running into each other all the time, Abrielle and Gerard questioned everything they relied upon, that kept them trapped in their own worlds. This is where the action-packed, multi-layered story gets more and more interesting, as layers upon layers are pealed off, to reveal the truth hidden underneath. True love requires selfless commitment, person-to-,person communication, unconditional forgiveness, and letting go of preconceived perceptions, preventing the people involved from saying “Yes to Love.” “The Key to Love” unlocks the hidden mystery that the reward is worth it in the end.

Oh this book is so great! The perfect little romance story. A forewarning about reading this book… make sure you have some baked goods around because reading this will definitely have you craving macarons, petit-fours actually anything sweet!

The story is set in the cutest little fictional town in Kansas. I love small town stories and this one doesn’t disappoint. The people we encounter in this town are comical and quirky. Right away we meet Bri who has followed after her mom’s passion of baking. She also has this interesting outlook on love. She wants a love like her parents had and she believes it was a fairytale kind of love. She is definitely a hopeless romantic. We also meet her pseudo aunts and business owners of the bakery Agnes and Mabel. They are the only connection that Bri has to her mother who passed away when she was younger. They were some of my favorite characters. They are truly a hoot. They are called the “love angels” by the townsfolk because they like to matchmake people in the town. Their number one challenge is trying to find a match for Bri.

Of course we meet Gerard who is a journalist from Chicago and is the complete opposite of Bri. He absolutely hates romance and all the aspects of it. He is sarcastic and oh so very dreamy!! Despite his sarcastic personality he definitely is swoon worthy! He comes to town on an assignment to write about the bakery. The banter between him and Bri is exceptional!! The love/hate relationship that they have is hilarious and I am all for it. Despite his outward, rough personality he wants to help Bri realize that there is more to just the little town and the bakery that her whole life has revolved in.

At times Bri grated on my nerves when it came to the bakery and the selling of it. I thought she was a bit selfish in regards to Agnes and Mabel and not seeing that they were older and needed to be done with the bakery so they could enjoy retirement. But I also recognize that they were giving her time to realize things on her own. I loved that there was an epilogue telling us just a little bit more of how life ended up with them since I didn’t want to leave this little town. I really enjoyed this story and I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher Revell. I was not required to post a positive review. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

The first thing that drew me to this book was the absolutely delectable cover! The soft pinks and lights and the macarons just drew me in. This story is an opposites attract and an enemies to lovers storyline. Gerard is a complete cynic and wants nothing to do with love. Bri is a total romantic and sees nothing but sunshine and lollipops in every love story. I enjoyed the banter and the progression of the relationship between these two. They each have a lot to learn and need to meet somewhere in the middle. I also really enjoyed the secondary characters in this book. The “Love Angels” Agnes and Mable were a complete delight. Their quirkiness, senses of humor, and sound advice really added to this story. Along with Pastor John who gave Gerard excellent and timely advice! Anyone looking for a sweet romance could enjoy this story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I confess that I was drawn to The Key to Love by Betsy St. Amant by the gorgeous cover. It is one of the prettiest covers that I have seen this year.

Bri Duval lives in a small town in Kansas and works in a bakery–just like her mother did. A video involving the bakery goes viral leading travel writer Gerard Fortier to the bakery to write a feature story. Bri and Gerard don’t hit it off initially. The bakery also became involved in a series of events that threatened its existence. How will Bri handle some new changes in her life and the new man in town?

Honestly, I have mixed feelings about The Key to Love. I didn’t really like the characters all that much to begin with. . .but as the book went on, Bri and Gerard grew on me. I did enjoy all of the bakery talk about the goodies that they made. At the same time, I wasn’t sure what to think about another character who rushed in to marriage. I also am not a big fan of sarcasm that is unkind. That may be your thing though, and if that is the case, this is the book for you. I was hoping more for a lighter, fun rom-com-style read. The Key to Love also tackled a few tougher issues, like depression and infidelity, and was more serious than I expected. The Key to Love was just okay for me–mainly because it wasn’t as light and fun as I was hoping for.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions within this review are my own.

Wow!!! This was a story I totally fell in love with!! I love Betsy St. Amant romantic comedies, and this is one of my favorites now!!
Bri Duval is a hopeless romantic! She owes that to her parents memory who left her a legacy of the sweetest love before they tragically passed away in an accident. Bri wants no less than to live up to her parents standards and marry for a love as pure as theirs.
She’s the head Baker at the struggling local bakery Pastry Puff, in story Kansas, and she has created her own version of the Parisian Lovelock Wall that she loves, but she never expects the video that she makes about it to go viral! Or for Trek Magazine to send travel writer Gerard Fortier to feature the bakery for a magazine article!
Gerard may be good looking, but in terms of love, he’s as sour and bitter and non believer as you can get. So no, he’s definitely not an option of the loving and devoted guy she plans to marry someday, or stay single if he doesn’t appear.
But as Bri and Gerard get to know each other, even though they seem to rub off the wrong way, an unexpected connection begins to forge… But Gerard is only looking at this assignment as a way to leap to another more substancial or important one, or will charming and sweet Bri change his mind? … And Bri counts on Gerard’s article bringing the much needed success to her bakery. Will it be enough? Will their opposites attract connection turn into something strong enough like real love?
This was a beautiful love story! An unconventional one at that, but that’s what made it so much more realistic and relatable. An idealistic romantic and a non believer in love. Who will win? An in-between truce? There’s an intrigue with Bri’s family that gives the story a unique turn. Is Bri’s parents love as perfect as Bri thought? I don’t wan’t to spoil the story, but I have to say I loved the message the story brings: love is not always perfect, we are human, love is failing sometimes, but never in a definite way, there’s always hope, forgiveness, accepting each other’s errors and trying to make the best of everything. Love is always growing, never stop loving, love is hurting, a love that doesn’t hurt is rarely love. But what is the Key to Love? Maybe some of the things I said, but surely more. You’ll have to read the book to find out. And it will be a truly enjoyable experience, I can assure you…
The best part of the story is the characters. I truly loved Bri, her innocence, her kindness… Gerard was a bit hard on the surface, but he grows a lot along the book, and that made him a realistic hero, not a typical one. I ended loving him too. But the best were yet the secondary characters. Mabel and Agnes, the owners of the bakery and town matchmakers. They made me laugh out loud. And Mr. Mac was my favorite, but you’ll see why if you read the book.
I truly recommend this novel. A 100% enjoyable, realistic, sweet, humorous and very inspiring! Can’t wait for Betsy to publish a new story!

This was a fun book to read. It portrayed life in a very small town where everyone knows everybody’s business and gives their opinions whether wanted or not. Bri had idealized notions about her parent’s marriage and was holding out for a love like that. She also fought against the sale of the local bakery because her fondest memories of her mother were of her working there. Bri loved her job and tried over and over to duplicate her mother’s macaroon recipe. A traveling writer came to town to write about the bakery and the love lock wall located there. Gerald is very jaded about love and marriage and hates this assignment but it’s his ticket to a promotion and more money. This is where all the real fun begins. The characters were interesting and the author only gave glimpses of them little by little to build on the story. The two older ladies that owned the bakery were a hoot and I so enjoyed getting to know them. I not only gained a few pounds while reading, I also looked for a place on our fence where I could put a love lock for myself and my husband.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through the author but was not required to write a review.

I laughed throughout this book and enjoyed every moment of it. These characters are some of my favorite book characters of all time. Bri and Gerard are so fun and their sarcastic one-liners were just hilarious. The supporting characters, Mabel and Agnes, were so endearing and hilarious, I didn’t want the book to end. These characters were flawed yet grew. I absolutely loved how love was portrayed of being messy and imperfect, yet worth it. The themes and take-home messages were so good but I won’t ruin the book for you, you need to read it to find out. I received a copy of this book, all thoughts are my own.

“The only thing Bri Duval loved more than romance was a perfectly executed French macaron.”

“The only thing Gerard Fortier possibly hated more than romance was writing about it.”

This romance begins is a very sweet place: The Pastry Puff bakery in small town Story, Kansas. Bri Duvall is desperate to make the Pastry Puff a success because it holds such strong ties to her mother. When Gerard Fortier comes to town to write a feature story about the Puff that will appear in a national magazine, it seems that Bri’s hope for the bakery may come true. She’s not expecting to clash with Gerard as much as she does; but more than that, she’s totally unprepared for the feelings she develops for him. Bri and Gerard both have strong, opposite, unrealistic feelings about romance. Bri thinks that any romantic relationship will be an absolutely perfect one; Gerard is scornful of anything about love.

There’s much to love about this book. The secondary characters of elderly sisters Mable and Agnes, with their cute matchmaking ways, were delightful. Bri’s baking made me want to bake; and the dialogue between Bri and Gerard was always interesting. There’s a subtle theme of faith that adds inspiration to the story and leads both Bri and Gerard to understand that although our relationships here on earth may not be perfect, God’s love will never fail us.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.