inspirational romance

Excited about Reading: Love Arrives in Pieces by Betsy St. Amant

/ Dora Hiers
Amazon Purchase Link

The Cover Story:

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 fiancée 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.

Sharing my takeaway:
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.

Excited about Reading: Married ’til Monday by Denise Hunter

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments
Purchase Link

With a big anniversary party in the works for her parents, Ryan will pretend to be Abby’s husband for just one last weekend.

The Cover Story~ 
Ryan McKinley has tried to move on from his ex-wife, Abby. He’s sulked, he’s gotten angry, and ultimately he bought her dream house. Big mistake. Living alone in the massive 2-story has only made him miss her more. When her parents call him out of the blue about their anniversary party in Summer Harbor, Maine, Ryan believes God has dropped a golden opportunity straight in his lap.

Abby McKinley never exactly told her parents about the divorce. A strained relationship with her dad has culminated in a distant relationship with her parents, but she’s finally succumbed to her mom’s pressure to make the drive for their 35th-anniversary party.

Then Ryan shows up on her doorstep, looking as devastatingly handsome as ever. When he insists he’s going to Seabrook, with or without her, Abby knows she can’t say no. Her parents still think they’re married and now Ryan knows it too. Besides, he only wants to check in with his best friend from college—her cousin Beau, who just lost his dad. It’s just a one-week road-trip with the man who broke her heart. What could possibly go wrong?

My takeaway~
Yeah. What could go wrong? lol.

“There’s no if. I’ll be back next Monday, and everything will be exactly like it is now. You’ll see.”

I was soooo looking forward to Ryan’s story after reading all the other books in the Chapel Springs series. The poor guy has been pining for his ex-wife, Abby, and I couldn’t wait to hear their story. This restoration romance didn’t disappoint!

Full of angst, the remnants of a emotionally and physically abusive childhood:

It’s not true. Nothing he said is true. I’m not stupid. I’m not worthless. I’m not unlovable.

A faith thread that asks some tough questions:
 Thank You, God, he’d said. Where was God now? And how come He only got credit for the good stuff?

Sprinkled with light, playful moments like this:

She suddenly realized it had been quiet a moment. Her eyes shot up to find him watching her, gun lowered. She wiped the appreciation from her face. “Not bad,” she said, stepping up to take her turn.
He smirked. “My aim or…?”
“Your aim, smart aleck.” She reloaded the gun, her face heating.
“If I didn’t know any better, Abby McKinley, I’d think you were checking out my form.”

Sigh…
Married ’til Monday has all the components that a romance lover craves, including a hero that digs deeper than the exterior to reveal a soft, hurting woman underneath the tough, you-don’t-want-to-love-me, I’ve-got-too-much-baggage facade. Save a chunk of time because you won’t want to put this gem down!

Disclaimer: Sending a big thanks to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction and Denise Hunter for the privilege of reviewing Married ’til Monday. I was provided a free copy of the book in exchange for my fair and unbiased review.

Crazy about Writing: Interview with Graham Decker #RorisHealing

/ Dora Hiers
“Graham Decker. Great to finally meet you.” I try hard not to blink at the strong odor, a mixture of cleanser, steel and rubber, as we shake hands, his grip firm and confident.
The man lapped a track at almost two hundred miles per hour. His grip should be firm, and with the number of wins and top five finishes he’d accumulated, he’d earned the right to be confident.
“Come in. Please.” With his trademark smile, Graham gestures for me to enter his office and sit. “Is this your first time visiting Graham Decker Racing?”
“Yes. What gave it away?”
He chuckles, the sound genuine and down-to-earth, as he settles way back in a leather chair. “Might’ve been the wrinkled nose. If you’d like, my assistant can give you a tour after we’re done.”
“That’d be great. So tell me a little about yourself, Graham. Besides the fact that you’re a highly competitive racecar driver. Everybody knows that.” I push the record button on my phone and set it on the desk.
“Let’s see. I just got married.” Graham’s face lights up and he leans forward abruptly. As if he couldn’t wait to ditch me and head home.
I couldn’t blame the guy. I’d seen pictures of his wife. “Rori, right?”
He nods.
“Wasn’t her father the—”
“Yes.” The warm welcome slips away. His jaw snaps closed tight as a jail cell.
Hmm. Interesting, but I better switch tracks. “So do you still live in Charlotte?”
“No. In Harrison at the Forever Family Animal Sanctuary. Rori’s like a llama whisperer. She works wonders with the animals that come to live with us.” Pride laces his tone. “Actually, that’s how we met.”
“Through your non-profit?”
“Yes. My sister does a fabulous job running the Foundation, but she was on bed rest because of complications with her pregnancy. She asked me to make a site visit since Rori had applied for a time-sensitive grant.”
“Not the typical way to pick up a woman.”
He smiles, wistful like, as if he remembers something special. “Rori’s anything but typical. And so was our meeting.”
“Care to elaborate?”
His mouth stretches to a grin. “Nah. She values her privacy and might not appreciate me sharing all the details. Let’s just say it involved mistaken identity and a llama delivery and leave it at that.”
He was going to leave me hanging with that juicy tidbit? I make a mental note to redirect later. “Ohhhkay. So how did you know Rori was the one? After all, you’ve been married before, right?”
“Yeah. That didn’t turn out so well, but it was my fault. God wasn’t at the center of that relationship. Unlike with Rori.” He scrubs a hand across his whiskered jaws, his expression lightening as if the sun just came out. “And Rori didn’t recognize me.”
Really? How was that possible? I have no words.
He steals a glance at the clock and drums a pencil against the desk.
I’m losing him. “So was it love at first sight?”
“Definitely on my part, but not so much hers. We had some issues to work through before she’d commit.”
“Like what?”
“For starters, I had to prove that I wasn’t going anywhere. That I could be there for her—” His cell phone buzzes, and he checks the number. “Excuse me.”
I can’t help but eavesdrop. I lean forward slightly, refusing to miss any opportunity for a scoop. Besides, I’m sitting close enough that I can almost hear her voice. At the very least, my recorder might be picking up their conversation.
“Jumbo did what?” He launches from the chair, banging my phone off the desk.
So much for that. I bend over, retrieve the recorder, and hit the off button. It didn’t take a doctorate degree to know that this interview was over.
“No problem, sweetheart. I’m just finishing up here. Be there soon. Love you.” He disconnects, mashes a cap on his head. “It’s been a pleasure, but—”
“I understand.” I do. Really. The guy’s practically still on his honeymoon. No wonder that fat grin is plastered across his face. Jealousy sprouts and curls up my spine like a weed. “Hey, does Rori have any unattached sisters?”
On his way to the exit, Graham angles over a shoulder. “Sorry. Just twin brothers, Beck and Burk.”
He dives into a sports car and cranks the engine, those high-performance tires squealing out of the parking lot. Nope. He doesn’t look the slightest bit sorry to be going home.

Rori’s Healing
Coming June 5 with Pelican Book Group

****
Available on JUNE 5
with Pelican Book Group
Still stinging from the publicity surrounding her father’s death, social phobic Rori Harmon prefers the solitude of her animal sanctuary, accepting that marriage isn’t in her future. Racecar Driver Graham Decker refuses to be wrangled into a relationship by another money-hungry female. On a philanthropy mission, he arrives just in time to assist Rori with a llama birthing, but his appearance thrusts her into the media spotlight again. Has Graham found a woman who doesn’t care how deep his wallet extends? Has Rori finally met a man who will stick around when times get tough? Is healing for a hurting heart finally within Rori’s reach?