About the Book
Publisher: Artistic Origins Inc (June, 2014)
Category: Cozy Mystery
Series: Hot Chocolate Series- Book 2
Tour Date: June 30-July 30, 2014
Available in: ebook, 400 Pages, With Recipes
Synopsis:
The characters you loved in Hot Chocolate are back with more escapades of life in Houston’s wealthy River Oaks.
Lila Mae is in a tizzy over the Chocolate Ball – a huge event that she and her sisters, Dorothea and Madge, host every year. But due to unusual circumstances, Dorothea and Madge dump everything in Lila Mae’s lap. If it weren’t for Julian Gillespie of Event Is King, the Chocolate Ball would have melted.
Bernie, the Alcott sisters’ 92-year-old father, decides he wants his Bentley back. The sisters and Bambi are horrified. They hire Joseph’s cousin Chewie as Bernie’s new chauffeur.
Wolfram, Lila Mae’s new astrologer, gives clues of things to come. This leaves Lila Mae and her sidekick Amelia with brows furrowed.
On her day off, Amelia decides to bake a chocolate blueberry pie. She discovers she needs to make a grocery run. When she returns home, she discovers her kitchen door is slightly ajar. Arms loaded with groceries, she toes the door open.
Three things catch her attention: a vase of flowers on the kitchen island that was not there when she left the house, her marble rolling pin covered with blood… and a dead body on her kitchen floor.
Amelia’s eyes drift toward the dining room and beyond – is the house empty, or is there a murderer inside? She backs up, turns and hurries outside. After setting the bags on the ground, she slips back into the kitchen and snaps a picture of the dead guy. Then she calls Detective Chance Walker, Lila Mae and finally… 9-1-1.
My Review
The Alcott sisters are back and getting ready for the yearly Chocolate Ball. However, nothing ever goes smoothly for the sisters. Their 92 year old father, Bernie, wants his Bentley back but the man is in no condition to drive. Dorothea and Bambi are pregnant and about to have their babies any minute. To make matters worse, Lila Mae’s best friend and assistant, Amelia finds a dead body in her kitchen. To their disbelief, they are all considered prime suspects in the murder.
Dawn Greenfield Ireland is an expert in creating a diverse cast of characters. Each one is well crafted and comes to life on each page. It’s a huge cast, but it’s not overpowering and I didn’t have any problems keeping track of who’s who. I was able to get to know each one. Besides the Alcott sisters, I adored Bernie, Chewie (a new character), Teddy, and Bambi. The characters in these books quickly become friends that you can care about and cheer for.
The storyline moves at an excellent pace and never drags. The author grabs the reader right in from page one and doesn’t let go until the very last page is turned. There are both tears and laughter throughout the book. She gives readers an exciting conclusion that will leave you wanting more (not to mention leaving you with a craving for chocolate). I’m looking forward to book three in this series.
For reading challenges:
2014 Foodies Reading Challenge
FTC Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of this book to review for this blog tour. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.
About the Author
Her family feature film screenplay A Girl and Her Dog was awarded a Kids First! Endorsement by the Coalition for Quality Children’s Media in October 2012 and optioned by Shadow Cave Productions in February 2013.
Originally from Feeding Hills, MA, Dawn migrated to San Antonio in 1968, then when her first son was one years old, her family moved to Houston where work was more plentiful. After 40+ years of heat and humidity, she has her sights on the Pacific NW.
Dawn is the co-author of the animated screenplay Memoirs of a Dog which won the Spirit Award of the Moondance Film Festival (children’s category) September 2011. Her dark comedy Plan B was a finalist in the Table Read My Screenplay script competition in 2010 and years before that, Standing Dead won the Women in Film and Television (Houston Chapter) screenplay award.
Stay tuned for The Last Dog (futuristic/sci-fi 2015), and Spicy Chocolate (2016).
Author and Book Links
www.dawnireland-writer.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dawnireland
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dawn.ireland.18/friends
Google+: https://plus.google.com/114089201888216130985/posts
Buy Bitter Chocolate:
Amazon
Follow the Tour:
So Many Precious Books June 30 Spotlight & Giveaway
Room With Books July 1 Interview & Giveaway
Room With Books July 2 Review
So, I Read This Book Today July 3 Review
So, I Read This Book Today July 3 Giveaway
vvb32 reads July 8 Review
vvb32 reads July 9 Guest Post & Giveaway
Back Porchervations July 10 Review
A Chick Who Reads July 14 Review
Thoughts in Progress July 15 Review & Giveaway
Books & Quilts July 16 Review & Giveaway
Inspire to Read July 17 Review
Peeking Between the Pages July 18 Spotlight & Giveaway
Bless Their Hearts Mom July 21
I’d Rather Be At The Beach July 23 Review & Giveaway
Rebecca’s Writing Services July 23 Guest Post
Open Book Society July 24 Review
Open Book Society July 24 Giveaway
Mochas, Mysteries and Meows July 25 Guest Post & Giveaway
Socrates Book Reviews July 28 Review
Two Kids & a Migraine July 29 Review
My Life. One Story at a Time July 30 Review, Guest Post & Giveaway
My Devotional Thoughts July 31 Review
New Hot Chocolate Reviews:
Open Book Society June 7
Bless Their Hearts Mom June 20
So, I Read This Book Today July 3
My Devotional Thoughts July 22
I keep seeing this series around and they sound good! I'd definitely crave chocolate while reading these :)
ReplyDeleteAnd now I want chocolate
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of this series but it definitely sounds like it'd be a great read! Thanks for sharing! I'll definitely be looking for this.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed this book, Yvonne! It sounds like a terrific cozy.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like quite a soap opera but I may have to give this a try.
ReplyDelete