betsy st. amant

Love Takes the Cake by Betsy St. Amant

July 31, 2015 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Charlotte can set her watch by her Tuesday evening customer. The handsome man’s order for his girlfriend never varies either. Then one Tuesday some friends of his come in—one of them is the Bridezilla she’s got a consultation with for a wedding cake. When the groom to be suggests Will take care of the cake, Charlotte is both concerned and delighted. Her attraction to this attached man is dangerous but, at the same time, she’d rather deal with that than the hyper-emotional bride-to-be.

Will’s life is consumed by caring for his sister. Can he really commit to spending a large chunk of time with the pretty baker? The temptation to kiss her is already pushing at his restraint. Finally agreeing, he realizes there is more to Charlotte than meets the eye. Something in her past has caused her a lot of pain, but will she trust him enough to share that past?

Author Betsy St. Amant has a talent for bringing her character’s past pain to life. How is it that one poor choice in the past can decide how you live life in the present? While both Will and Charlotte grow closer, they must deal with letting go of their guilt and prejudices from their past experiences.

***Booklook Bloggers and Zondervan Fiction provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Love Arrives in Pieces by Betsy St. Amant

May 11, 2015 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Will she ever find beauty?

For years. Stella Varland’s identity was in her looks and she has the pageant trophies, sashes, and bouquets to prove it. After her divorce, Stella no longer trusts her beauty and struggles to find her true identity. Instead of focusing on her appearance, Stella makes spaces beautiful. And her secret desire it to create beauty out of nothing in her art—something she’s kept hidden from her family. When her mother secures a job as the designer for the renovation of the town’s old theater, Stella accepts so she won’t have to move back home with her parents. The day she visits the theater to meet with the head of the local development committee and the contractor, she’s shocked to learn she’ll be working with Chase Taylor, her ex-boyfriend from six years prior. One who left town without a word and was the first to make her doubt herself. Can God and Chase make Stella realize that there is beauty in her brokenness?

While this book is not listed as part of a series, those who have read All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes will recognize a few residents of Bayou Bend, Louisiana. In the character Stella Varland, Betsy St. Amant expresses the heartache and doubt that comes with divorce and the feelings of not being enough. The enough is different from person to person—not pretty enough, not sweet enough, doesn’t make enough money, etc.—but the guilt is the same. Despite her beauty and accomplishments, the pain of her failed marriage, of her unfinished art, of her strained relationship with her mom resonated with me as a reader. I wanted to give her a hug several times, even before Chase revealed she always needed hugs. And speaking of Chase Taylor, what a man. Yes, he’d made some poor decisions in his past, and even in his present, but his desire to protect Stella and show her that she is still beautiful makes him a lovable lead. I enjoyed reading more about Stella’s sister Kat after her own happily ever after in the aforementioned All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes, and the people of the homeless shelter were both endearing and wise.

****Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.

All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes by Betsy St. Amant

September 6, 2014 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Kat Varland feels stuck in her boring life. She longs to create more with her passion for baking but working in her aunt’s cupcake shop in small town Louisiana has keeps her in a box. Unhappy in her job and in a family where every other member has thrives at what they do, she dreams of having more but fear of failure and rejection keeps her where she is. When her best friend, Lucas Brannen, signs her up for a reality baking show, Kat is faces with more competition than she realized–and not only by the other contestants on the show.

Lucas Brannen wants nothing more than to coach the high school football team, remain in Bayou Bend, Lousiana, and marry Kat. He also knows that Kat questions her abilities and wants to prove to her that he believes in her. When she drags him to California to be her helper in the cupcake competition, things really start to heat up…and crumble in their relationship. Is he willing to let her go and live her dream or will he finally tell her about his own dream?

This book was a fun, quick read. The behind-the-scenes of the cupcake competition was as fun as the back and forth banter between Kat and Lucas. Yeah, there were times I just wanted to scream at the too of them and yell, “Just talk to each other. Tell him/her the truth” but the tension between the main characters is what kept me turning the pages. I rooted for Kat and was happy to watch her confidence in herself grow as she progressed in the competition. Just like taking that final taste of a delicious cupcake, this book left me wanting more.

****Zondervan fiction provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. I was not compensated in any way for either a negative or a positive review.