Charlee and the Chocolate Shop:

A Tale of Two Christmases

by Jessica Redland

 

Amazon US /  UK / AU / CA

 

Charlee and the Chocolate Shop is a heart-warming tale of family and friendship.

Master chocolatier, Charlee Chambers, has plenty to be excited about as Christmas approaches. She’s moved in with her boyfriend, Darren, and she’s about to open a chocolate shop, following in her late granddad’s footsteps. If only Darren would show more interest in helping her refurbish Charlee’s Chocolates ready for a December opening.

When water starts pouring through the shop ceiling, and Darren can’t be contacted to help, emergency plumber Matt comes to the rescue. From that moment on, Matt does more to support Charlee in achieving her dreams than Darren ever has, and she finds herself drawn to him. But Matt’s engaged and Charlee loves Darren … doesn’t she? And Darren loves her … or at least, she thinks he does, but he’s been behaving a little strangely recently.

Then Charlee discovers that Darren has a secret. But so does Matt. And so, it seems, does the woman who abandoned her at birth …

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I’d love to say that I ditched a hot date or a big night out but, let’s face it, my 96-year-old great grandma has a better social life than me.

 

When they’re all together they act like they’re 16 instead of in their early 30s. It’s as though they’ve just discovered alcohol but the world’s supply is about to run out so they need to consume a lifetime’s quantity in one evening.

 

What was family? Was it shared genes or was it the people who were there for you no matter what?

 

Oh my God! This means Satan’s Mistress is your half-sister.

 

My Review:

 

I fear Jessica Redland has become an addiction; I adore her sneakily wry and insightful writing style. She has created a picture-perfect scene for Christmas magic with Charlee’s tale; imbuing the story with her lovely descriptions, picturesque details, and emotive word choices that scaled all the feels, several times, while also continually plucking at my curiosity. As with all her poignant books, the characters were intriguingly human, realistically flawed and more than a bit damaged, yet endearingly and admirably shouldering through while working hard and putting their best forward. I aspire to achieve the same but know I fall far short of that goal as I am slothfully lazy and well over my lifetime limit of dealing with difficult people.

Author Bio

Jessica had never considered writing as a career until a former manager kept telling her that her business reports read more like stories and she should write a book. She loved writing but had no plot ideas. Then something happened to her that prompted the premise for her debut novel, Searching for Steven. She put fingers to keyboard and soon realized she had a trilogy and a novella.

She lives on the stunning North Yorkshire Coast — the inspiration for the settings in her books — with her husband, daughter, cat, Sprocker Spaniel, and an ever-growing collection of collectible teddy bears. Although if the dog has her way, the collection will be reduced to a pile of stuffing and chewed limbs!

Her passion for North Yorkshire is shared by fellow-writer and great friend, Sharon Booth and, together, they are the Yorkshire Rose Writers.

Jessica tries to balance her time — often unsuccessfully — between being an HR tutor, trying to re-learn how to play the piano, studying towards a Masters in Creative Writing, and writing itself. Who needs sleep?

Social Media Links

Twitter: @JessicaRedland

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JessicaRedlandWriter/

Website and blog: www.jessicaredland.com