Sun-Kissed: A Novel (Amour et Chocolat Book 7)

Wow! I believe that you can find a review for each and every one of Laura Florand's books, authored by yours truly. Why is that? That is because I treasure each of these wonderful stories. It is because, quite simply, Laura Florand is a romance genius! We don't need an antagonist or an unfortunate misunderstanding to have a love story. Actually, those scenarios are quite rare in real-life. What we do get is the most beautiful prose...a luscious unveiling of a building connection between two souls. Truly, the descriptive quality is just above most others in this genre. As one who is referred to by loving friends as a hopeless romantic, I am left with a feeling of having enjoyed a banquet of culinary delights at the end of each of Laura's stories.The love story of Mack and Anne is particularly poignant because it is a reminder that we should never stop striving for our personal best...we should never give up on ourselves...and love is always possible. Endings happen along the way. That is a fact of life. Sometimes those endings are due to our failures. Sometimes they are due to the short-comings of others. Still others come as a natural progression of a life experience that is simply there to teach a lesson on this journey. The lesson is that endings are also beginnings. This life often requires a "game face" and a resilience that we would never choose in our heart of hearts. The magic is in the believing in the possibility of finding another soul with whom you are absolutely safe and cherished...that soft place to land. We find in Mack and Anne that there is no expiration date on opportunity to find the kind of romantic love that causes your soul to soar and your heart to melt. When each had opened themselves to the vulnerability that a true passion demands, their eyes were opened in new ways to everything around them. Mack was able to re-examine his heart in regards to the new direction his relationships with his daughters would now take. Anne realized that her relationship with Kurt needed clarification for healing. What both Mack and Anne learned was that the natural progression of parent-child relationships symbolizes change every step of the way; but, it does not signal a true separation as much as a shift in dynamics. The setting of Jaime and Dom's wedding was the perfect opportunity to look at the possibility of getting completely swept away in whatever season you might find yourself. I was very glad to catch a glimpse of all of these wonderful characters from previous stories. The car-decorating was a favorite scene!As I read this book during my Annual Mother's Day Disappearance, I was charmed and dazzled. As a woman who will be turning 50 this very Summer, I now find myself re-examining my own definition of what my remaining hopes and dreams look like...Thank you again, Laura Florand!

love this series - ever since I met Cade, the oldest daughter of Mac Corey who went ahead on another business assignment in Paris and fell in love with Sylvain Marquis in "The Chocolate Thief". I love everything about it - her language, her heroes and heroines. And I do not often fall in love with m/f romance this days, but ever since friend introduced me to this book I loved them all. And the chocolate in these books is often a character in its own right - the smells, the taste. Oh my god, if you love chocolate at all, I bet you won't be able to read "The Chocolate thief" and 'The chocolate touch" and not want some.This is a story of Cade and Jaime's dad, Mack Corey who briefly appeared in the previous book as a tough, arrogant owner of huge American chocolate corporation, which products are all around the world and whom his sons at laws could not help but sneer just a little, because his chocolate is so, well, not artisan ;). And if his corporation is based on Hershey, I kind of share their opinion to be honest with you heh. Unless spinach gets added to the mix lol (you have to read the books to know what I mean).This is to the large extent "lets meet the happy couples" story because it mostly takes place during Jaime and Dominique's wedding at Corey estate and couples from previous stories are all in attendance. Usually I hate "lets meet the happy couples" thing, but this was definitely an exception because Dominique and Jaime were such happy mixture of strength and vulnerability (OMG his reaction at Jaime's offer of marriage) that I was delighted to meet them and other again.But this is also a story of girls' dad finally being brave enough to make a move on his decades long friend and neighbor Anne. They are both in their fifties (more heroes and heroines in their fifties would be so nice by the way) and they had been friends for twenty years before Mac's wife died and afterwards too. At some point later on Mac realized that he is in love with Anne, but he still kept quiet for quite a few years after that. Anne, well, she was busy building those walls around her for various reasons.And during this wedding the walls finally crumble down and it is so gorgeous, so sensual. Hot!This is a novella and there is very little to no conflict between them, hence 3.5 stars, but I really liked it as a wrap up to the series.

I continue to love the stories that Laura Florand writes. I was provided with an advanced copy, but I ended up buying the kindle copy to read. While the main character may have been modeled on Martha Stewart's career, the character is brought to life in a way that separates the story from any inspiration from real life.Seeing all the previous Love & Chocolate couples again was a special treat. It added to the depth of emotion that was present in the story. The weaving of private conversations between the couples into the primary couple's (Mack and Anne) narration was very well done. With Snow-Kissed, it was two people. With Turning Up the Heat, it was two people with a few hotel employees. But with Sun-Kissed, you have the depth of emotion (or even deeper if that is possible) and intimacy that was interwoven in those stories with the addition of these other characters that are familiar. Having all that familiarity makes the story hit a different level.I love the metaphor of the title as it appears in the story. It was very well done and touching. This story is good for all ages of (adult) readers. The main characters are in their 50s, but their ages only contribute to developing the backstory. Without their years of friendship, the story wouldn't have the same feeling. Five stars because I just don't see any way this story could have been better.

Honestly, I can't imagine this book working at all for readers who haven't read the earlier books in this series (at a bare minimum, The Chocolate Thief, The Chocolate Touch, and Snow-Kissed) - but as someone who has read those books, I found it so sweet and so much fun to read. I love the romance between cool, controlled Anne Winters (who is a lot like Martha Stewart) and tough Mack Corey - two powerful people who RESPECT each other's power so much and see underneath it to the vulnerabilities below. And seeing their children's reactions (because this is a couple in their 50s, with children who had romances earlier in the series) was just so much fun.