Five Recommended Reads for Chocolate Lovers

I love reading books. (You may have already noticed this).

Do you know what goes well with books? Chocolate!

So here are five guaranteed calorie-free reads to melt your heart, not your diet.

Chocolat by Joanne Harris

When an exotic stranger, Vianne Rocher, arrives in the French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes and opens a chocolate boutique directly opposite the church, Father Reynaud denounces her as a serious moral danger to his flock - especially as it is the beginning of Lent, the traditional season of self-denial.

As passions flare and the conflict escalates, the whole community takes sides. Can the solemnity of the Church compare with the sinful pleasure of a chocolate truffle?

The book has a slightly darker edge than the famous film starring Johnny Depp. I love it for the range of eccentric characters that populate Lansquenet, as different to each other as the chocolates Vianne sells in her shop. A magical and deliciously decadent read. If you enjoy it, there is also a sequel: The Lollipop Shoes.

The Chocolate Run by Dorothy Koomson

Amber Salpone doesn't mean to keep ending up in bed with her friend Greg Walterson, but she can't help herself. And every time it 'just happens' their secret affair moves closer to being a real relationship, which is a big problem when he's a womaniser and she's a commitment-phobe.

While Amber struggles to accept her new feelings for Greg, she also realises that her closeness to Jen, her best friend, is slipping away and the two of them are becoming virtual strangers. Slowly but surely, as the stark truths of all their lives are revealed, Amber has to confront the fact that chocolate can't cure everything and sometimes running away isn't an option ...

The Chocolate Run is one of Dorothy's lighter novels, definitely romantic comedy, and I love the way Amber compares everyone she meets to a different chocolate. As well as the romance, this is also a novel about friendship. (And the cover is beautiful!)

Chocolate Wishes by Trisha Ashley

In the picture-perfect Lancashire village of Sticklepond, Confectioner Chloe dispenses inspirational sweet treats containing a prediction for each customer. If only her own life was as easy to forecast - perhaps Chloe could have foreseen being jilted at the altar…

But when a new Vicar arrives in the village, the rumour mill goes into overdrive. Not only is Raffy Sinclair the charismatic ex-front man of rock band 'Mortal Ruin', he's also the Chloe's first love and the man who broke her heart.

Try as she might, Chloe can't ignore this blast from her past. Could now be the time for her to make a wish - and dare to believe it can come true?

The thing I like best about Trisha's books is that she creates these wonderful little villages populated by lovable but completely eccentric characters. As well as Chloe and her chocolate wishes (like fortune cookies, with little messages inside), we meet her warlock grandfather who runs a museum about magic, her younger brother who's just growing out of an extreme Goth phase, and the new vicar who was once a rock star - and Chole's ex ... One of my all-time favourites!

If you enjoy this, you'll also love Chocolate Shoes and Wedding Blues. (Both books are now available in a box set called The Chocolate Collection.)

The Chocolate Lovers' Club by Carole Matthews

For Lucy Lombard, there's nothing that chocolate can't cure. From heartache to headaches, it's the one thing she knows that she can rely on - and she's not alone. Fellow chocolate addicts Autumn, Nadia and Chantal share her passion and together they form a select group known as The Chocolate Lovers' Club. Whenever there's a crisis, they meet in their sanctuary, a cafe called Chocolate Heaven. And with a cheating boyfriend, a flirtatious boss, a gambling husband and a loveless marriage, there's always plenty to discuss ...

This is another book about friendship as much as romance. Although there are some absolutely hilarious bits, Carole has a gift for mixing humour with life's more serious moments. I just wish there was a Chocolate Heaven near me ...

If you enjoy this, there's also a sequel, The Chocolate Lovers' Diet, and The Chocolate Lovers' Christmas is on its way ...

The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris by Jenny Colgan

As dawn breaks over the Pont Neuf, and the cobbled alleyways of Paris come to life, Anna Trent is already awake and at work; mixing and stirring the finest, smoothest, richest chocolate; made entirely by hand, it is sold to the grandes dames of Paris.

It's a huge shift from the chocolate factory she worked in at home in the north of England. But when an accident changed everything, Anna was thrown back in touch with her French teacher, Claire, who offered her the chance of a lifetime - to work in Paris with her former sweetheart, Thierry, a master chocolatier.

With old wounds about to be uncovered and healed, Anna is set to discover more about real chocolate - and herself - than she ever dreamed.

How can you resist a book about chocolate and Paris? A delicious treat of a book and the descriptions of chocolate-making will certainly make you hungry - but a word of warning, have a box of tissues to hand!

Related Posts:

Five Books Which Romanced Me
Five Books Which Chilled Me

Five Books Which Influenced Me
Ten (Slightly Random) Ways to Choose a Book
Most Favourite Books in the World Ever (Pinterest board)

(Book covers and blurbs copyright the individual publishers)

Five Books Which Romanced Me

I'm not quite sure how I ended up writing romance. I'm not in the least bit romantic! My books do have a mix of comedy and/or suspense, and the hero and heroine usually end up falling in love by the end - mostly by accident - but I'm still that person who puts their hand over their eyes during the romantic scene in a movie with, "Ugh, mushy bit!" But as I also put my hand over my eyes during scary bits, gory bits and definitely rude bits, it's a wonder I've seen any movie all the way through.

Luckily I don't have this problem with books!

(It's a bit difficult to read with your eyes closed ... )

So here are five of my favourite romantic reads, in five different romance genres, for Valentine's Day.

(Guaranteed mush-free.)

A Fairy Tale Romance:
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

In the land of Ingary, where seven league boots and cloaks of invisibility do exist, Sophie Hatter catches the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste and is put under a spell.

Deciding she has nothing more to lose she makes her way to the moving castle that hovers on the hills above Market Chipping. But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the souls of young girls…

A fairy tale romance - where the heroine spends most of the book transformed into a little old lady. Who else could get away with writing that? There is also a huge twist towards the end which I certainly didn't see coming. (I always love books that take me by surprise!) If you enjoy it, there are two other books in the series, Castle in the Air and House of Many Ways.

A Funny Romance
Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

Emma is sitting on a turbulent plane. She's always been a nervous flyer. She really thinks that this could be her last moment. So, naturally enough, she starts telling the man sitting next to her - quite a dishy American, but she's too frightened to notice - all her innermost secrets. 
She survives the flight, of course, and the next morning the famous founding boss of the whole mega corporation she works for is coming for a look at the UK branch. As he walks around, Emma looks up and realises...

It's the man from the plane.

What will he do with her secrets? He knows them all - but she doesn't know a single one of his. Or... does she?

Sophie Kinsella is the author of the hugely successful Shopaholic series but this stand-alone book is one of my favourites (another is The Undomestic Goddess). I love it because we've all made that huge mistake that's come back to bite us and because it really is very funny.

A Historical Romance
Duchess by Night by Eloisa James

After a lifetime as a wallflower Harriet, the Duchess of Berrow, is finally seeking a little pleasure of her own. And where better to begin than at the house of one of the most disreputable men in the country, Lord Strange? However, the high-stakes games of lust and chance that rule Strange's household mean that to cross the threshold could entirely ruin her reputation. So Harriet swaps her hoops and corsets for a pair of breeches and transforms herself into a young male relative of the Duke of Villiers. Before she knows it she's writing bawdy missives on behalf of a young actress, not to mention winning card games played by the most powerful men in England. But when she starts attracting male attention, Harriet must decide whether to stay in her disguise - or to reveal that she's really a duchess by night ...

This story is part of the Desperate Duchesses series, set in Georgian England. (It is #3 in the series but you don't really have to read them in order. Another of my favourites is The Duke is Mine). I love Eloisa James's novels because although they're historical they're written in a light-hearted, modern way - sexy and very funny. And I love the covers! Watch out for the scene where Lord Strange (who has finally wised to Harriet's secret) teaches her to fence.

A Romance with Bite
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much - not because she's not pretty. She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill: he's tall, he's dark and he's handsome - and Sookie can't 'hear' a word he's thinking. He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting all her life for - but Bill's a vampire ...

I LOVE the mix of humour, mystery, suspense, horror and romance of these books. They were made into a TV series, True Blood, and now I'm going to be one of those boring people who go on about how the books are much better than the TV/movie version. But they are.

A Thrilling Romance

Nightfall by Anne Stuart

Richard Tiernan has been sentenced to death. With an ulterior motive and a heart full of dark truths, he agrees to tell all to an ailing writer whose greed and ambition are so strong that he will even give his own daughter to Richard in return for one last Pulitzer-winning story.

Cassidy’s spent her life struggling to earn her father’s respect and love. Now his health is failing, and her feelings for him are even more complex. Loyalty is a sacrifice. Daughters can be broken by their fathers. She has to help when he calls. He’s bailed Richard Tiernan out of prison just long enough to coax the shocking facts out of him. What happened that night? What did Tiernan really do to his family?

Her father will sell his soul to the Devil before he dies. So  be it.

Richard Tiernan may take them both to Hell.

If you regularly read this blog, or follow me on Pinterest, you will know that Anne Stuart is one of my favourite authors. The author delights in having the darkest, most twisted characters for her heroes. Can the heroine redeem this one? Deliciously dark - I loved it. 

Related Posts

Five Books Which Chilled Me
Five Books Which Influenced Me
Ten (Slightly Random) Ways to Choose a Book
Most Favourite Books in the World Ever (Pinterest board)



(Book covers and blurbs copyright the individual publishers)

Five Books Which Chilled Me

Sometimes my choice of book to read can be completely random. I can also be completely predictable. If there is one thing I love, it's reading scary books at Halloween. What do I like to read? Well, I'm a bit of a wimp, so nothing too terrifying! I love ghost stories, particularly the classic haunted house kind and I've a soft spot for vampires. So here, in no particular order, are my favourites.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula purchase a London house, he makes horrifying discoveries in his client's castle. Soon afterwards, disturbing incidents unfold in England: a ship runs aground on the shores of Whitby, its crew vanished; beautiful Lucy Westenra slowly succumbs to a mysterious, wasting illness, her blood drained away; and the lunatic Renfield raves about the imminent arrival of his 'master'.

I've always been familiar with the Dracula story but I hadn't actually read the book until I saw the Francis Ford Coppola movie. (My copy has the movie tie-in cover!) I absolutely loved the story, particularly the racing back and forth between Dracula's castle and England and I felt desperately sorry for Dracula, even though he was a monster. Indeed, I much prefer my vampires monstrous, rather than the kind which walk around in daylight.

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

Arthur Kipps, a junior solicitor, is summoned to attend the funeral of Mrs Alice Drablow, the sole inhabitant of Eel Marsh House, unaware of the tragic secrets which lie hidden behind the shuttered windows. The house stands at the end of a causeway, wreathed in fog and mystery, but it is not until he glimpses a wasted young woman, dressed all in black, at the funeral, that a creeping sense of unease begins to take hold, a feeling deepened by the reluctance of the locals to talk of the woman in black - and her terrible purpose.

Well, this book just plain frightened the life out of me! It has everything I love in a ghost story - a beautifully gothic setting, an old mystery and plenty of shocks. If you enjoy this, you might also like Susan Hill's other novellas, The Mist in the Mirror, The Small Hand and Dolly.

'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

Ben Mears, a moderately successful writer, returns to 'Salem's Lot to write a novel based on his early years, and to exorcise the terrors that have haunted him since childhood. The event he witnessed in the house now rented by a new resident. A newcomer with a strange allure. A man who causes Ben some unease as things start to happen: a child disappears, a dog is brutally killed - nothing unusual, except the list starts to grow.

Another book which terrified my teenage self. In fact, it made such an impression, I've been too frightened to read it again in case it didn't live up to my memories!

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much - not because she's not pretty. She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill: he's tall, he's dark and he's handsome - and Sookie can't 'hear' a word he's thinking. He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting all her life for - but Bill's a vampire ...

I LOVE the mix of humour, mystery, suspense, horror and romance of this series. It was made into a TV series, True Blood, and now I'm going to be one of those boring people who go on about how the books are much better than the TV/movie version. But they are. And you should read them! There are thirteen books in the series.

Haunted by James Herbert

Three nights of terror at the house called Edbrook. Three nights in which David Ash, there to investigate a haunting will be victim of horrifying and maleficent games. Three nights in which he will face the blood-chilling enigma of his own past. Three nights before Edbrook's dreadful secret will be revealed.

Another traditional haunted house story, beautifully told, although the twist is perhaps a little predicable now. This is the first in the series featuring the character David Ash. The others are The Secret of Crickley Hall, The Ghosts of Sleath and Ash. I can't decide which is my favourite, between The Secret of Crickley Hall and The Ghosts of Sleath. If you have seen the TV version of The Secret of Crickley Hall, the plot is slightly different.

Well, that's five books which certainly terrified me! They are all now classics of their kind, so you've probably heard of them already. So I've listed a few more below, some of which are more suspense than traditional ghost/horror stories, but they should certainly keep you out of mischief until the 1st of November!

Happy Halloween!

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

This House is Haunted by John Boyne

The Séance by John Harwood

The Leper House by Andrew Taylor

The Greatcoat by Helen Dumore

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Don't Look Now (and other stories) by Daphne du Maurier

Read More:

I have a list of my favourite books over on Pinterest

Alternatively, read about my real-life ghostly experience
Or find out which five books influenced me as a writer

Five Books Which Influenced Me

I very nearly called this post "Five Books Which Changed My Life" but, while I'm never one to let the truth get in the way of a good story, that did seem a little too hyperbole-y, even for me. But hey, I'm a writer, we're prone to telling fibs making stuff up exaggerating slightly. So, while these books didn't change my life, they certainly influenced me as a writer.

The Castle of Adventure by Enid Blyton

If you've read any of my books, maybe you've guessed this one already. I blame my mother. She had a huge collection of Enid Blyton books as a child, which she lost when she moved house. As soon as my brothers and I arrived, she set about recreating that lost collection. The Castle of Adventure was one of my favourites and might have been the one I read first, as my copy had a scary ruined castle on the front - and you know how I feel about ruins ...

Tregaron's Daughter by Madeleine Brent

My grandmother loved reading those gothic romantic suspense novels which were popular way back in the 1970s, so once I'd outgrown Enid Blyton I began raiding her shelves. Tregaron's Daughter is about Cadi, a fisherman's daughter, who only discovers she has aristocratic relatives when they whisk her off to Venice after his death. But are they as pleased to find her as they appear to be? This book has all the things I love in a book - family secrets, mysteries to solve and a dangerous hero - and it's set in Venice.

Polo by Jilly Cooper

I've already blogged about how I first discovered Jilly Cooper's early books, while on a rainy holiday to the Isle of Wight. Jilly wrote a series of romantic comedies with girls' names as the titles - Emily, Bella, Harriet, etc - before switching to writing these big, sexy blockbusters. My favourite Jilly Cooper book is actually The Rivals but Polo is a close second. I've never liked wishy-washy heroines and I love that the heroine of Polo (Perdita) is deliciously horrible at times. OK, most of the time. But that is her charm.

Tell No One by Harlan Coben

It was a friend who first got me hooked on Harlan Coben. I love reading mysteries but I was becoming increasingly frustrated with the way it was always so easy to guess what was coming next. Is this is a 'writer's thing'? My favourite books and movies are always the ones where I can't work out what is going on, or how it's all going to end, so I can just sit back and enjoy the ride. I've always tried not to do the obvious in my own books but Harlan Coben's work really made me stop and think about all those extra little evil twists I could add. This one is my favourite.

On Writing by Stephen King

I love Stephen King and I've read all his books, which have definitely inspired me to try and be a better writer. For me, On Writing is brilliant because in it he talks about his own life at the time when he wrote each of his books and he explains how he was inspired - just little snippets of detail that would trigger the creation of whole scenes. I always find this kind of information fascinating. Is it another 'writer's thing'? Or am I just nosy?

So there you have it, five books which influenced me as a writer - although I might not have realised it at the time. There are so many other wonderful books and authors which I love and, if you're feeling a little bit nosy too, you can pop over to my Pinterest board Most Favourite Books in the World Ever and check them out.

Ten (Slightly Random) Ways to Choose a Book

Since I bought my Kindle the amount of books I’ve read has shot up. I’ve enjoyed books from authors I’d previously never heard of - and genres I’d never heard of either!

 

It has led to some interesting choices and a few mistakes. Last week I downloaded what I thought was going to be a sweet Christmas story about a girl and her dog - it turned out to be something much steamier involving shape shifters! Note to self: read blurbs!

 

So how do I choose a book?

 

1. It has a pretty cover.

 

They say you should never judge a book by its cover. The Night Before Christmas (Scarlett Bailey) has a beautiful cover and a great title. I’ve since bought all her other books.

 

Then there was the had-better-remain-nameless book about the woman hunting down a long lost artefact, that had so many descriptions about her clothes I started thinking things like, ‘She so wouldn’t wear that outfit to go down a mine shaft’.

 

2. It’s seasonal.

 

I want to read summer stories during summer (especially if it’s raining), ghost stories at Halloween and Christmas stories at - yes, I think you’ve worked it out.

 

I Love Capri (Belinda Jones)

The Woman in Black (Susan Hill)

Skipping Christmas (John Grisham)

 

3. I've enjoyed the author's other books.

 

Authors writing in different genres used to have pennames - not anymore, which is how I ended up reading my first and last steampunk novel. The hero was half-robot and I kept getting an image of Arnold Schwarzenegger in my head at crucial moments - and not in a good way.

 

4. The author has the same name as me.

 

I thought my name was unusual but apparently not. Fortunately only one of the dozen or so other Louise Marleys writes books.

 

Mozart’s Blood by Louise Marley (not me!)

 

5. The author has written a book with the same title as one of mine.

 

I really need to try harder with my titles because there are several books with the same as mine. I enjoyed Breathless by Anne Stuart (part of her House of Rohan series) but I really love her contemporary romantic suspense novels.

 

6. I loved the movie.

 

Seeing the words ‘based on the bestselling novel by … ’ is a positive incitement for me. It also explains how I ended up reading (and enjoying!) Three-Ten to Yuma (The Complete Western Stories by Elmore Leonard) even though I hate westerns.

 

7. It was free.

 

The trick to downloading free books is to Not Go Mad. Pace yourself! I know it’s tempting, but only download books you know you’re actually going to read. I’ve discovered several great new authors this way, including Danelle Harmon.

 

The Wild One by Danelle Harmon.

 

8. My friend loved it.

 

My friend and I have a lot in common (otherwise we’d never be friends) but we do occasionally disagree on books. She turned up on my doorstep waving Bridget Jones's Diary (Helen Fielding) at me and saying, “You’ve got to read this, it’s brilliant, it’s like she knows me!”

 

(I did enjoy the movie though.)

 

9. Everyone is talking about it.

 

This is possibly the worst reason to choose a book. Your expectations go sky high and if those expectations aren’t met you’ll feel cheated.

 

10. It’s a classic.

 

I loved Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) but have yet to get beyond chapter three of Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen), and when I meet the person who put Lord of the Flies (William Golding) on my GCSE reading list, I shall tell them it nearly put me off reading for life.

 

So there you have it, ten random (but mostly successful) ways to choose a book.

 

Which method do you use?

 

 

Related Posts:

Five Recommended Reads for Chocolate Lovers

Five Books Which Romanced Me
Five Books Which Chilled Me

Five Books Which Influenced Me
Most Favourite Books in the World Ever (Pinterest board)