Bitter Chocolate by Dawn Greenfield Ireland and Contest

This is one of those stories that makes you want to wrap yourself in a cuddly blanket,  grab a cafe mocha and then sink down on your sofa for a good read.  The Alcott family is a warm and inviting clan .

The patriarch, 92 year old Bernie, is the founder of Alcott Chocolates.  His young, former caregiver, Bambi, is expecting their child.  His other daughters Madge, Lila Mae and Dorothea, also pregnant, have welcomed Bambi into their family and cherish her like a younger sister.  In fact, Bernie and his daughters treat all their staff as family.  When a murder happens in the home of Lila Mae's cook/friend, the family circles around her with support.


You might think that a family as wealthy as the Alcotts would be snobby and look down on others, but they aren't like that at all.  Each year they organize the Chocolate Ball as a huge fundraiser for the local animal shelter.  Oh how I wish I could attend and sample some of those Alcott Chocolates.  Along with the good, they also have a few skeletons in the closet so to speak.  It isn't long before these are brought out to air.

One of my favourite passages is the hiring of Bernie's new driver.  It clearly shows their  care and concern for their father as well as their employees.

The story moves quickly along a several month timeline but it doesn't feel rush in any way.  There is ample attention to details, particularly the wonderful food that is prepared by Amelia and Carmichael.  A cup of that cafe mocha please.  At the end of the book are recipes for some of the tasty dishes described in the novel.

There are a lot of characters in the story and they are all summarized in a helpful family tree found at the beginning.  I referred to it several times as a refresher of who's who.  This book can be read on it's own, though you will want to start with Hot Chocolate and not miss one minute with the warm and inviting family.

My review of Hot Chocolate


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Thanks to author Dawn Greenfield Ireland and Virtual Author Book Tours for my review copy.

For more foodie fun, be sure to visit with Beth Fish Reads for her Weekend Cooking post.  She invites you to add a link to your current food related post.