Hot Chocolate by Dawn Greenfield Ireland - Giveaway

There are times in life when only a serving of comfort food will cure what ever ails you.  When these time strike, sisters Madge, Lila Mae and Dorothea, as heirs to the Alcott Chocolates Company, find themselves turning to steaming cups of hot chocolate topped with generous dollops of marshmallow fluff.  The main reason for consuming such quantities of that dark nectar is the ongoing care of their 92 year old father, Bernie, or rather the termination of the employment of his voluptuous day nurse, Bambi.

Things heat up a further notch when Bambi's husband, Jimmy Ray determines that she was unfairly terminated and sues the sisters for an outrageous sum. Jimmy Ray is not a lovable person, though the sister's have to admit that he has done a great job revamping the local bowling alley. 

Author Dawn Greenfield Ireland has created a very comfortable group of characters that I would immediately feel at home with, should I happen to be in Houston.  Even though the sisters are extremely wealthy, they are not pretentious in any way.  Lila Mae starts each day by making and eating breakfast with Amelia, her cook.  Dorothea treats her staff, Maria and Joseph as though they are family. Ms. Ireland even managed to make me feel bad for the way Jimmy Ray is treated.

This book was fun to read and each time I thought I knew who did it, Dawn would add a new twist or reveal an unknown connection and I would be back to the beginning.   Some of these twists include Lila Mae's boyfriend, Detective Chance Walker, Uncle Tito, who is some sort of Mexican shaman, and  popping up at critical moments, is the astrologer Robert.  These very diverse characters combine  to make a memorable 'family' who I'd like to read more about.

After you finish the story, continue reading and enjoy several recipes for the delicious food that appeared in the novel.

What I want to know is how the sisters got the marshmallow fluff to melt in their hot chocolate?  Mine just sat on the top in an un-appetizing blob.  I'll stick with my marshmallows; don't you love the giant ones, though they are way too large for my mug.

For a chance to win an ebook (PDF available for those preferring to read on a laptop) of this novel, leave a comment telling me your favourite comfort food and why.  Include your email so I can contact the winner.  International entrants welcome.  You do not have to be a follower of Books and Quilts to win, but it would be nice if you were. Winner to be drawn February 17, 2012.  For additional chances to win, visit Dawn's site for a list of stops on this tour.

Thank-you to Virtual Authors Book Tours and author Dawn Greenfield Ireland for my review copy.