Maybe Romance (as a genre) just isn't for me, but I liked this book more than some. It took quite a bit of the story for the whimsy to work on me, but eventually it got through. And I now want to eat so many sweets I can hardly stand it. Let me say first, that I can think of many people I would recommend this book to. Just because I didn't love doesn't mean that i think no one should. There is a lot to love here. I do, though, have some issues with the story. For one, holy exposition. Sometimes it would take an entire page (and then some) for one character to reply to something another character had said. It just made me think, what is the other character doing while all of this interior monologue is happening? Standing there gaping? I love a snappy dialogue, and it just didn't materialize here. Second, sometimes I just could not deal with the word choices. There is a lot of whimsy and wit in the writing, and then I run across a whole bunch of "butt" and "my sex" and even a "tummy." And then there was the phrase (well, I'm paraphrasing), "He squeezed my sex as he might squeeze a lime." Is that in there for humor? Because I laughed.Third, and perhaps the main problem I had, there seem to be a lot of subtle references to this man "forcing" himself in what should be safe spaces for this woman. I use the quotation marks because I don't think it is meant to be taken as malicious. But malicious intent or not, I find some of the hero's behavior troubling. The heroine often finds him close enough to her that they inadvertently touch, and he doesn't back away to give her space. He does this purposefully to "annoy" her. In one scene he, essentially, breaks into her apartment when she isn't there, and doesn't leave when asked. In fact, he realizes and exploits the fact that she won't ask him to leave a second time (out of pride, I guess?). I have a problem with that. I know not everyone does, but I do. And because of that, I can never really allow him to be my prince charming. And isn't that what we want a romance novel to do? I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review. I rated it 4.5 out of 5 Stars.A young woman who thinks she’s a princess in a tower, two magical godmothers (aunts) and a prince (pastry chef) ready to storm the castle (shop) are the basis of Laura Florand’s contemporary romance The Chocolate Kiss. Set in a small town outside of Paris with plenty of emotional angst, chocolate and pastry, Ms. Florand’s story swept me away. Reminiscent of the film, Chocolat, The Chocolate Kiss is an epicurean delight. Living with her aunts above their small café, La Maison des Sorcieres, Magalie Chaudron thinks of herself as a princess waiting for a prince. Believing her dreams and wishes, along with those of her “witchy” aunts, can literally be imparted into a pot of hot chocolate, Magalie and her aunts create one a kind window displays to lure their customers into the story. Everything is going according to plan until the day that Philippe Lyonnais, a world famous pastry chef, decides to open a bakery down the street and lures customers in with his creations. Creations that tempt Magalie to venture out of her castle and sample a taste of the pastry and the chef.Ms. Florand does a wonderful job developing Magalie’s character; at once practical and whimsical, Magalie is unsure of her place in the world and of what she wants out of life. When she confronts Philippe about his “audacity” at building a bakery down the street from their shop, Magalie is given a glimpse of life beyond what she knows. Ms. Florand also does a good job developing Philippe; while more practical in his approach to life, he too has a romantic soul and a belief in the magic of pastry. The secondary characters are well developed and I especially enjoyed getting to know Magalie’s two aunts, Aja and Genevieve. Somewhat whimsical themselves, both women don’t always understand Magalie, or what their place in her life will be, but they do love her unconditionally. The remaining secondary characters are mostly the other shop owners in town and their customers; all colorful characters on their own.Will Magalie take a chance on leaving her tower and falling in love? Will chocolate or pastry win the day? You’ll have to read The Chocolate Kiss to find out. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more of Ms. Florand’s work, and now I’m off to get my own bowl of chocolate.
What do You think about The Chocolate Kiss (2012)?
Chocolate,Paris and romance in one story. That's great Laura Florand! love yaa
—cemayhan
This book is as good as chocolate. Also: I miss Paris!!!
—SisiBee
Laura Florand does magical realism. I loved it, natch.
—nick
