Better Than Chocolate (Life in Icicle Falls)
by Sheila Roberts
- Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
- Publisher: Harlequin MIRA (September 25, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 077831345X
- ISBN-13: 978-0778313458
My rating: 4.5 of 5.0
Book Description
Release date: September 25, 2012 | Series: Life in Icicle Falls
Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company has been in the Sterling family for generations, ever since Great-Grandma Rose literally dreamed up her first fabulous recipe. But now it looks as if they're about to lose Sweet Dreams to the bank—and that would be a disaster, not only for the family but for the town of Icicle Falls, Washington. Can Samantha, the oldest daughter and new head of the company, come up with a way to save it?
After Samantha does some brainstorming with her mother and sisters, inspiration strikes. They'll have a chocolate festival! Time's running out, but the Sterling women are determined and the town's behind them, so everything's bound to go smoothly….
Or not. Events seem to be conspiring against Samantha, and her mother's attempts to help aren't helping. To make matters worse, the fate of her company is in the hands of her archenemy, Blake Preston, the bank manager with the football-hero good looks. It's enough to drive her to chocolate. But Blake's also enough to convince her that (believe it or not) there's something even better than chocolate.
Review:
Samantha is the oldest daughter and the one who is responsible for her mother and two younger sisters. She is the one who has to try to pull the family chocolate company out of the management mess left by her friendly but inept stepfather. But she needs cooperation and an extension of time on the bank loan.
Bank policies have had to be tightened so the old, community friendly bank manager has been replaced. Blake is a home-grown, high school football hero who has returned to town as the new manager. He wants to help her Samantha, especially when she comes up with an idea for a chocolate festival that will benefit many businesses in town. But Blake’s hands are tied by his boss who is pressing to foreclose Sweet Dreams Chocolate and sell the business to a less quality competitor.
Blake is immediately attracted to Samantha but she sees him as the cold-hearted enemy. She tries to ignore any chemistry that she feels with Blake.
This was a fun read. The story is very warm and there were times I laughed out loud. The characters are real with real life problems. The dialogue is natural and humorous. Samantha is a strong, determined business woman and it is lovely to watch her learn to accept help from others, even her family. The chapters start with lovely quotes attributed to Samantha’s mother as an author of several books.
There is a gentle underlying strength of faith and the romance has chemistry but is portrayed through strong desire and inference in a sweet, not steamy fashion. This is the first title I have read by Sheila Roberts and I look to enjoy more.
A girl could bite off even the biggest challenge if it was coated in chocolate. P. 25.
The conversation turned in a new direction but Samantha was still stuck on the corner of Urge and Merge. What would it be like to meet Blake Preston on that corner? P 298.
I received this book from Harlequin for my thoughts to be shared in survey.
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The author lives on a lake in the Pacific Northwest
ReplyDeleteAt one time Sheila owned a singing telegram company and played in a band. She still writes songs.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great post and congrats to Sheila on the new release! I love the layout of her website :)
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that Sheila enjoys writing songs.
ReplyDeleteI found it really interesting that the author had owned her own singing telegram company before becoming an author. I have seen those types of things on television and movies, but never in person. It would be really interesting to see!
ReplyDeleteI like the lake picture on Sheila's home page. I also found it interesting that she had own a singing telegram company and played in a band.
ReplyDeleteSHEILA WRITES SONGS AND PLAYED IN A BAND. THANKS FOR THE GIVEAWAY! SHELLEY S. calicolady60@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteHer book The Nine Lives of Christmas looks very good. The picture of the cat on the cover looks just like my little granddaughter's cat!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great read!
ReplyDeleteI learned that Sheila likes to write about family, friends and chocolate. :)