Book Review: Bitter Chocolate by Dawn Greenfield Ireland

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge, from Premier 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

         Just released last month, this is the second book in the Alcott Family / Chocolate series!


Bitter Chocolate cover


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 in the house? 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. 



Review:

The Houston Alcott's are back, and things go topsy turvy as usual! This is a solid follow up, where you feel like you get a accurate feeling of how life has changed for the Alcott's and their circle of family, friends and employees! I enjoyed this book more than the first, I think because of all of Bernie's escapades, and how Bambi ended up being much different than in the previous book. There is a lot of Southern older woman/pregnancy humor and it really helps propel the book along at a great pace, making it a super quick read! The mystery provides twists and turns to keep your attention and a nice afternoon of sleuthing! And the recipes are mentioned in the book are included again. I've included one below, that is perfect for hot Summer days!


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?



Comments

  1. Thanks for taking part in the tour. I'm so glad you enjoyed 'Bitter Chocolate'!

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  2. Glad you liked it! More to come... -- Dawn

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