The Chocolate Kiss

Magalie Chaudron is a witch at La Maison des Sorcières, a chocolate shop in Paris’s Île Saint-Louis. She stirs wishes into the chocolat chaud for her customers. When Philippe Lyonnais, the “Prince of Pastries,” sets up shop on the same island, Magalie’s aunts, who own La Maison and are delightful, complex characters, tell Magalie not to worry, but she views Philippe and his shop as threats to her independence, stability, and identity. Philippe is instantly attracted to her, but she refuses to taste one of his macarons unless he drinks her chocolat chaud first, so he attempts ever more elaborate confections to entice her into taking a bite, exhibiting superhuman patience to win her love. The battle of pastries is an erotic subtext for their love affair, and every bit as decadent. Fans of Florand’s The Chocolate Thief will be delighted by cameos from Cade Corey and her fiancé, chocolatier Sylvain Marquis. Agent: Kimberley Cameron, Kimberley Cameron & Associates. (Jan.)