Love Arrives in Pieces by Betsy St. Amant

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.

My opinion: Usually I cannot stand books where  the main character is so stunningly beautiful, I find it totally unrealistic, I mean how many people really are gorgeous? That being said, I found myself enjoying this book much more than I thought possible. I was willing to give it a try in the first place because I enjoyed the previous book in the series and this one did not disappoint. I love how the author talks about how looks alone are not enough, yes, Stella is gorgeous on the outside but she realizes that is not enough in the long run. I loved the characters development and found it to be a very engaging, easy read. My only gripe is that the romance was a bit much at times, but that is a personal preference. I receive a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.