cover image The Chocolate Thief

The Chocolate Thief

Laura Florand. Kensington, $14 trade paper (320p) ISBN 978-0-7582-6940-9

In this comfortable beach read from Florand (Blame It on Paris), Sylvain Marquis knows chocolate is the what every woman desires; as Paris's best chocolatier, Sylvain has the prefect tool of seduction. American chocolate heiress, Cade Corey aware of Sylvain's reputation as an artisanal chocolatier, is not prepared for his rejection of her proposal that he design a high-end line of chocolates for her global chocolate empire. But Cade is not about to give up and after luck hands her the key to his shop, Cade takes matters into her own hands and breaks in. The book is a good, fun read, but Florand's descriptions of the pleasures of chocolate evoke more sensuousness (however clich%C3%A9d) than her sex scenes, and the attraction between Cade and Sylvain feels forced ("That resilient determination of her was erotic%E2%80%A6."). By the book's end, readers will feel that one of them has made a deep compromise to make that relationship fit. Agent: Kimberly Cameron, Kimberly Cameron Associates) (Aug)