Review of:  The Key to Love

Betsy St. Amant

Bri Duvall works in the same bakery store, The Pastry Puff, where her beloved mother was renowned for her French-inspired desserts.  The store’s owners, elderly sisters Agnes and Mabel, have developed a reputation for their matchmaking abilities; however they are in danger of losing the business to developers – something Bri couldn’t stand to see happen since she lost both her parents in a car accident when she was 18.  Now that she is in her late 20’s, she has fallen in love with the “idea” of love – and waits for a fairy tale-like romance to happen to her like the one that she believes her parents once had (but which, she discovers, they never really did).  She meets Gerard, a jaded reporter who avoids commitment at all cost due to his own tragic past.  He has been assigned (against his wishes) to cover the story of the matchmaking bakery sisters for a newspaper feature.  Neither Bri or Gerard are very relatable at the beginning of the book due to their extremely immature attitudes; however, they gradually softened and matured over the course of the story.  I wish the author had focused more on showing each person’s spiritual journey and how that led to changes in their hearts and relationships, rather than engaging in so much snark and stereotypes.  Was this a rom-com or a faith-based romance?  It seemed the author couldn’t decide and the book lacked focus somewhat despite the good premise.