Sweet Success by Susan Mallery

SWEET SUCCESS
Author: Susan Mallery
Source: Personal Purchase

Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Pocket; Reprint edition (May 1, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0743405951
ISBN-13: 978-0743405959

SUMMARY:

The free-spirited owner of a booming chocolate emporium in Santa Magdelana, California, Allison Thomas is out to save the world — one truffle at a time. Everyone adores Ali — who wouldn’t love a lady who sneaks midnight chocolate deliveries to the local health spa? And even if a string of crumbled relationships have put romance on hold, Ali’s perfectly content with her life and her high-flying career. That is, until the mysterious Matt Baker stirs up her world….New to town, Matt quickly gets under her skin and leads her into temptation. But neither love nor chocolate seems to melt Matt’s icy heart. Now, in a unique setting where luscious desserts, sweet wine, and fresh ocean breezes intoxicate the soul, it may prove impossible for either of them to resist this seductive recipe for a wondrously indulgent passion!

MY THOUGHTS:

Whenever I need a feel good romance book, I always find myself turning to the books by Susan Mallery.  The author never lets me down when I need a heart fluttering love story that ends with a happily ever after that we all love in a romance story.

Allison Thomas is the daughter of a famous movie star with a chocolate shop nestled in Saint Magdelana, California.  She loves sharing her sweet creations with the town, and in the process helping those in need of a second chance in life.  She has a big heart that has always been her downfall in relationships.  She always seems to find men who need something instead of a relationship.  When Matt Baker arrives at her store to do some construction, she finds herself trying to fix him as well.  She can tell that something is haunting him from his past, but Matt is not the type to share it.

As the two work together on fixing her store room and other items on her to do list, we see each of them slowly do the dance of falling for each other and opening up about their pasts.  Is the story predictable? Yes. Do we know that they are going to be a couple that has a happily ever after? Yes.  What makes it enjoyable though is the story in between.  Each of the characters have flaws that they need to work through before we get to that point, but in the end making it worth it for both of them.  With a “small” surprise that enters the picture later in the book, it made it even more enjoyable.

I also enjoyed the secondary characters, and found myself wanting to learn more about them than the main characters at times.  Rick, Ali’s brother, was witty and full of laughter. I loved how he was always there to cheer Ali up when she needed it.  Charlotte Elizabeth–Ali’s mother–was an enigma of her own with a pudgy pig as a pet that she treated like a child. Every time she showed up with Miss Sylvie in tow, I laughed with the mental image the author created!

While this isn’t one of my favorite books by this author, it is a book I would reread again for that feel good moment we enjoy in reading romance books.  Another great read by a fabulous author who never lets me down!

MY RATING: