You have to give yourself permission to heal, and Brokenness can be beautiful, are just two of the encouraging sentiments found in this latest book, Love Arrives in Pieces, by Betsy St. Amant.

About Love Arrives in Pieces

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.

Purchase a copy: Love Arrives in Pieces

Disclaimer: I want to thank Betsy St. Amant and Litfuse Publicity for supplying me with a copy of this book for me to review. While I received this free of charge in exchange for my review, my opinions are my own, and have not been influenced in any way.

About Betsy St. Amant

Betsy St. Amant lives in Louisiana with her young daughter and has a heart for sharing the amazing news of God’s grace through her novels.

A freelance journalist, Betsy is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. When she’s not reading, writing, or singing along to a Disney soundtrack with her daughter, Betsy enjoys inspirational speaking and teaching on the craft of writing.

What I Thought

This is one book I could NOT put down. As with as waters gone by, the cast of quirky characters in this one keeps you guessing. One of my favorites is Dixie. While Dixie is the homeless one, she is also the one with great wisdom to share.

Stella and Chase teach you that you shouldn’t be afraid of the storms, that you should learn to jump and splash in the puddles instead. Love is messy, life is messy, people are broken, but healing is ok.

As Stella struggles to regain herself she finds that there is strength and beauty in the broken pieces and in putting them together to create something new. The creation she physically makes and the metaphor that goes with it are treasures you will hold onto long after you have finished reading this book.