First, a content warning: Pretty Little Pieces starts with a woman having a miscarriage. If that’s going to bother you, perhaps don’t read this one (or start reading at Chapter Two).
Second, Pretty Little Pieces is written in third person, present tense, which I found to be an odd combination. Most novels are third person, past tense. Some are first person, present tense, a combination which is especially popular in Young Adult fiction, or rom-coms. Third person, past tense isn’t unheard of, but it is unusual. It took me a while to get used to this combination – while I didn’t mind the present tense, the character voices were similar and mixed up Georgina and Cassidy a few times.
There was one other thing I should mention: I thought women were supposed to see a healthcare professional after having a miscarriage to ensure they hadn’t had a partial miscarriage (which can lead to some very nasty things). Joanna didn’t, and that bothered me.
Enough commentary. Let’s get on with the review.
Georgina Havoc (great last name!) and her fiancé, Lance Broussard, are being touted as the next Chip and Joanna Gaines as they prepare to host (yet another) design/house flipping TV show. But their relationship – and partnership – evaporate when Lance ghosts her after she shares that she was pregnant but has miscarried.
Georgina’s agent and publicist come up with a new proposal to pitch to the network, featuring Georgina and her previous show partner, best friend Poppy. The network agree to Georgina Rebuilds, and Georgina is off to tiny Tarragon, Tennessee, to restore two neglected cottages.
Cassidy Stokes is a Tarragon local, currently working on the Harp House estate, where Georgina is staying. He’s ex-military and planning to go to El Salvador as a private security contractor … mostly to escape Tarragon and the memories of his first wife.
Georgina and Cassidy are attracted, but their developing relationship is complicated by the fact Georgina is still technically with Lance because she has a non-disclosure agreement saying she can’t announce any change in her relationship status until they agree a breakup – something that’s difficult to impossible when he’s ghosted her.
Pretty Little Pieces is part romance and part women’s fiction. Georgina and Cassidy are both point of view characters (which gives the story the romance feel), but the start is heavy on the women’s fiction side, and it’s definitely Georgina’s story.
I liked Georgina.
She was a sympathetic character in a difficult situation who didn’t magically bounce back (as some characters do). She worked through her troubles, and it was good to see. (Although I did wonder why Lance acted how he did. I think there’s a story there as well.)
Cassidy is a strong Christian, and I liked the way he held firm to his faith and used his own experiences to help bring Georgina back to faith. I also liked Georgina’s twin sister – another character with issues that could be explored in a sequel.
I’m not a fan of house flipping shows and have never watched the Gaines’s show, yet I still enjoyed Pretty Little Pieces. I’m sure Gaines fans will love it even more.
Recommended for fans of fixer-upper reality shows or contemporary Christian romance that gets into the gritty side of life and faith.
Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
About Carmen Schober
Carmen Schober is a wife and mother, a proud Cuban-American, and a woman of eclectic interests, ranging from gritty combative sports to feminine design shows. She writes unexpected romance novels for the modern woman, with relatable but inspirational heroines and heroes. When she’s not writing fiction, she blogs about Christianity, motherhood, writing, and everything in between. She earned a master’s degree in English literature and creative writing from Kansas State, and she currently lives in Manhattan, Kansas.
Find Carmen Schober online at:
About Pretty Little Pieces:
Georgina has a plan to save her relationship–and her show–but a surprise drop-in from her troubled twin sister makes things extra messy. That, and the presence of rugged ex-sniper Cassidy Stokes, who throws a wrench in all her plans.
As she salvages her shattered life, will Georgina retreat to the familiar or embrace a new design?
Find Pretty Little Pieces online at:
Amazon | Bookbub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong
Betsy St. Amant Haddox is the author of over fifteen inspirational romance novels and novellas. She resides in north Louisiana with her hero of a hubby, two total-opposite young daughters, a vast collection of coffee mugs, and an impressive stash of Pickle chips. Betsy has a B.A. in Communications and a deep-rooted passion for seeing women restored in Christ. When she’s not composing her next book or trying to prove unicorns are real, Betsy can usually be found somewhere in the vicinity of a white-chocolate mocha–no whip.
Rayne Shelby has spent her entire life trying to earn the approval of her high-powered family, with the hope of one day managing her late grandfather’s prestigious Idaho lodge. But when she makes a mistake that puts her future in jeopardy, she faces an impossible choice: defy her family or deny her dream. The only way to fix the mess she’s created is to enlist the help of her neighbor, Levi, the apprentice of her family’s greatest enemy. And if Rayne gets caught crossing the divided property lines, the consequences will be irreparable.
, more so than I expected based on the plot summary.