The Chocolate Rose (Amour Et Chocolat, La Vie En Roses)

Oh, Gabriel Delange... I'm not sure there is a man out there who can match your angst, energy, passion.That is my initial reaction to The Chocolate Rose, a contemporary take on the Beauty and the Beast story. Our beauty is Jolie Manon, whose father stole credit for Gabriel's work ten years prior. In an effort to spare her father, Jolie agrees to write a cookbook with Gabriel, committing to spend half of her time with him. Gabriel Delange is a beast in Jolie's eyes. Not in looks, but in ego and manner, in his unbridled passion for his work, and for her. But Jolie, she protests too much. She likes the beast in Gabriel. She provokes it.I know I'm being very melodramatic in my thoughts, but it's this book! Gabriel was such a larger-than-life character, even in comparison to Florand's other Amour et Chocolat men. The others are passionate men, but much more restrained than Gabriel. He's thrown his heart at Jolie's feet, though he tries so hard to control himself, and he doesn't want it back. He wants her love. Jolie, she was really slow on the uptake in regards to Gabriel's feelings for her. To her credit, she's been warned off of chefs her entire life. She believes Gabriel could possibly be toying with her for a while, and thinks "Why would he want me forever when he could have anyone?" As a reader, I had the luxury of Gabriel's thoughts, knowing he loves her heart and soul.I read The Chocolate Rose immediately after finishing The Chocolate Kiss, which is my favorite in the series. Coming off that books give this one an impossible task. I would have loved more time with this story and more time for the love between Gabriel and Jolie to build.But in the end, The Chocolate Rose is another great story from Laura Florand. Even if it's not my favorite of the series, it still surpasses most.Favorite Quotes "You're lucky you're so hot," she said bitterly. "I know," he said despairingly, shoving his hands into his pockets as leaned a shoulder against the jasmine. "It doesn't bear thinking of, what my social life would be like if I was ugly on top of everything else. Now what have I said?" "You are so-incredibly-arrogant." "I know. He sounded exasperated. "But I don't see how I've been arrogant with you. It seems as if ignoring your signals indifferently would have been a lot more arrogant, but apparently I have no idea." Her signals. She ground her teeth over the urge to take two great fistfuls of his hair, yank his head down hard, so that it hurt, and bite that sensual, arrogant mouth of his. And that would teach him for finding her signals so obvious. "You have the most beautiful heart I've ever seen," she said softly. He took a sharp breath, and his hand lifted to cover that heart, as if it suddenly felt fragile. "Not a marshmallow?" he managed, but the attempt at dryness in his voice was a little rough. "It's so big," she said. "It fills all of you. It fills everyone around you. And yet inside"--she touched the flecks of gold left on her plate.--"I think there's this precious center that, if I'm careful, if I show you can trust me with it, you'll give only to me."

The Chocolate Rose was my book club book for this month. When I first started reading it I wasn't sure I was going to like it. It seemed like it was going to be one of those books that is just sex, not much story. I mean it starts right off when Jo sees Gabriel for the first time and it was just all about her nipples tightening all the time just on about how attracted she was to him and such. The first few chapters seemed to just be about how attracted she was to him and I just thought this isn't going to be the book for me.Then something changed. They started hanging out and Gabriel kept mentioning how much she wanted him. It turned into something fun, rather than just sex for the book. I really liked Gabriel. He is so big and tough and strong, but he is also really sensitive and fragile. When he would think of how others found love, by why can't he my heart just went out to him. He wants love in his life, but he can't figure out why his heart is never good enough for anyone. I just felt so bad for him. I wanted him to be happy and find someone.Jo is so cautious with Gabriel. She tells him right away that she always dumps the guys she dates. This doesn't help him feel like she will stick around, and causes him to really worry that he is going to be completely devastated when she leaves him. He doesn't do thinks half way and just jumps all in. Jo has grown up with her mom and dad both telling her to never get involved with a top chef. Their marriage didn't work, and she is now trying to help her dad through his depression. Her dad weighs heavily on her, and man she just doesn't see how she gives so much to everyone else. Gabriel tries to help her, but she still hold back. He is so selfless with her and so cute. Like when he is feeding her and he gets all shy and oh I just loved him. I liked Jo, but I loved Gabriel.The end is so sweet, Gabriel is just wonderful. I know this book started off not so good for me, but it quickly turned around and was a great read. I can't wait to read more from this author, especially if the guys are as awesome as Gabriel was!This review was originally posted to Jen in Bookland

No had a hard time coping firstly with her father after his stroke he became even harder to please, finding he was to be sued over a complicated rose produce by another hard to please chief was the last straw. She left her father to try and stop the law suit against the book she had written for her father. Most of the receipts were in fact stolen by her father from Gabriel. Domineering parent and soon to be lover forced no to fight for her own sake true love won

Loved all her books but this was my preferred one.And it is a book "tasty" as the chocolate cooky he created for her.I loved specially the part of story told in his voice.Fell in love with the hero, of course.A delightful read.

This book started well enough, with a promising storyline, but although I like a good romance as well as anyone I found it boring when page after page was nothing but descriptions of how he/she felt and what they would like to be doing. Unusually for me, I couldn't finish this book and was relieved I had only bought it for my Kindle as it was free.

Hard to get into. Very dull. I couldn't finish it as there's nothing to it unfortunately which isn't like me at all.

Lovely book Charachters are rich in q2ualities and the story draws you in fully, thouroughly enjoyed this book