Set in a small village by the sea, we follow chocolatier Emma through
a year of trying to make ends meet and build the courage to love again. By the
second chapter it is Boxing Day and she has already been kissed by a stranger
whilst out walking her dog. The mysterious man plays on her mind but her focus
has to be on increasing income to help her cover the recent rent increase her
landlord has imposed. With the help of her chirpy assistant Holly, and other loves
ones, she has grand plans for her cosy chocolate shop.
In all honesty, I almost gave up on this book very early on. It is
not well written and I struggled to see past this. I persevered however and at
times got caught up in the story. There were moments that made me cringe they
were so difficult to read, but even if you don’t end up entirely attached to
the characters the descriptions of the shop itself do evoke feelings of warmth
and comfort (and make you crave chocolate…). There is some attempt to add some
intrigue with the constant referencing of Emma’s previous partner Luke, but no
explanation of what happened between them. It was no great revelation when it
was finally revealed, and the avoidance of explaining earlier became somewhat
frustrating when it felt so obvious.
The to-ing and fro-ing with her love interest Max can feel a little
abrupt occasionally but you do root for them, especially when things seem about
to fall apart for good at the end. Her pain feels real however, and her
reluctance to open her heart to new love is genuine.
The host of characters is likeable and if you’re looking for an easy
feel-good read over the festive season then this will provide you with all the
expected tropes, though I’m sure there are books that would fill you with
Christmas joy with more polished writing.
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