The Key To Love by Betsy St. Amant
4 stars. Thanks to Revell, a division of Baker Publishing, for sending me this book to read and review.
Any book that revolves around the love for the city of Paris and sweets has me. Bri, the baker at Pastry Puff Bakery in Story, KS is the perfect leading lady. She dreams of one day visiting Paris where her parents met and fell in love. She has a tribute to their love and the city of Paris in the backyard of the bakery- a replica of the famous lock key bridge in Paris. However, her focus throughout this book is the survival of the Pastry Puff. She needs the bakery to stay open and be successful so she can walk and bake in the footsteps of her mother, the previous baker. She decides to put the bakery on the map by posting a You Tube match making video that highlights the owners: Agnes and Mabel putting their match making skills to the test with Casey and Nathan (locals). The social media post goes viral and in walks Gerard, the journalist getting the real story for the travel magazine he works at. Bri and Gerard are the perfect couple as their stubbornness, feisty attitude, and general disdain for each other is quite evident from the get go and creates a great chemistry.
As the story unfolds they both let their guards down and also open up about struggles each has had in their personal lives. Will they be able to trust each other and let go of their preconceived views of life and love? I think their story is one that we can relate too.
The book seemed to be a little slow at times, but overall I found this an easy, quick read with some realistic romance at front and center stage.