Recipe Weekend / Book Review: Hot Chocolate by Dawn Greenfield Ireland

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge, fromPremier Virtual Author Book Tours, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it



hot chocolate cover


Synopsis:
Meet the middle-aged Alcott sisters: Madge, Lila Mae and Dorothea, heiresses to the Alcott Chocolate fortune and mavens of Houston’s elite River Oaks. 

The fun begins when Madge ambushes Lila Mae with Dorothea’s manipulative plea: she can’t care for Bernie, their 92-year old father, any longer. Lila Mae explodes in a hissy fit—she had warned Dorothea years ago that they should put Bernie in an assisted living center.

Robert, Lila Mae’s astrologer, warns of impending problems and he’s rarely wrong. The sisters call a meeting with Walter Branson, their solicitor. They discuss Bernie’s nurse Bambi Chaline, a blonde bombshell who looks more like a hooker than a nurse. Arrangements are made for Bernie to be transferred over to Lake Sides Assisted Living Center in the Uptown Galleria area and a severance package is drawn up for Bambi.

Jimmy Ray Chaline, Bambi’s bowling alley husband, is enraged that Bambi was let go. He hires ambulance chaser Mark Slade to file a lawsuit for wrongful termination. The suit is thrown out of court further fueling Jimmy Ray’s rage. Bambi had been more than satisfied with her bonus, letters of recommendation and praise from the Alcott clan.When Jimmy Ray fails to return home from the bowling alley that night, a series of events unfold that shocks the entire Alcott family and their extended members.

Review: 

If you want zany, quirky characters, this book has them! The book is NOT to be read on an empty stomach! Food plays almost a full character in this tale! You may find yourself salivating over the discussions of food! Which makes sense, since the Alcott fortune is based on CHOCOLATE (aha, series names make sense! LOL). In fact, it's a very good thing that at the back of the book you will find eight mouth-watering recipes, of food discussed in the book! Eccentricities abound in the book, with the characters wealth allowing them excesses that most of us would just about faint over! But that is part of the fun of this book set in Houston! It is a quick read and quite perfect for a vacation read!  

You also get a preview of the 2nd book in this series, Bitter Chocolate, which I'll be reviewing next month!


About the Author:

Dawn Ireland is the CEO of Artistic Origins Inc, a 100% woman-owned publishing company that has been doing business since 1995. She's the award winning author of The Puppy Baby Book and Mastering Your MoneyOriginally from Feeding Hills, MA, Dawn migrated to San Antonio in 1968, then when her first son was one year old (1971) her family moved to Houston where work was more plentiful. Dawn has been a member and benefactor of Women in Film and Television (Houston) for decades. Her day job is Sr. Technical Writer for an oil company. Check out her website for more info!


Now how about one of those delicious recipes?

Apricot Glazed Pork Roast!


Apricot Glazed Pork Roast recipe

Comments

  1. Thanks for taking part in the tour. I'm so glad you enjoyed 'Hot Chocolate and the food within it!

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