The middle-aged Alcott sisters, heiresses to the Alcott chocolate fortune--Madge, Lila Mae and Dorothea--are fit to be tied. In the midst of busy lives, they must deal with their ninety-two year old father, Bernie, who has become quite the handful.
His nurse Bambi, is another kind of handful, but when they decide they must move Bernie to an assisted living facility, the generous severance package they offer to Bambi is not enough to ward off a lawsuit brought by Bambi's husband, Jimmy Ray Chaline.
Luckily, the Alcotts, very wealthy and well-known in Houston society, have a great lawyer. Chances are good that the suit will be dismissed as frivolous.
Hot Chocolate
is a captivating tale with vivid and fun characters. I could almost visualize myself socializing with them, and I definitely enjoyed their interactions with one another. They felt like real sisters, albeit high-society ones. Dorothea is typically the "baby" of the family, and definitely likes being the center of attention. Lila Mae relies on astrology and believes that proper Feng Shui arrangements in a room can make all the difference. Madge, as the oldest, has some unusual habits. Even the peripheral characters, like the staff at each of their homes, as well as Lila Mae's astrologer, felt like important pieces of the production. I also enjoyed close-ups of the relationship between Chance (a detective with the police force) and Lila Mae, not a typical pairing.
Jimmy Ray is another kind of person altogether. As the owner of a local bowling alley, he is something of a cheap-skate and seems to keep Bambi on a short leash. His good looks disappear when he opens his mouth, as he has very bad teeth.
All the players are in place, and we think we have them figured out. So when something unexpected happens one night at the bowling alley, the Alcotts, Bambi, and countless others are caught up in a mystery that had me turning pages rapidly. Who or what could be responsible for the shocking events? What will Bambi discover when she starts searching through her husband's dresser drawers and files? And what other surprises await the Alcotts?
Through all the excitement and intrigue, we are gifted with wonderfully descriptive moments in the lives of the characters, including the delicious food they enjoy. The dishes are presented so realistically that I could almost taste them. As a final pleasing treat, there are several wonderful recipes at the end of the book. A five star read.
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Funny and sweet
There are times in life when only a serving of comfort food will cure what ever ails you. When these time strike, sisters Madge, Lila Mae and Dorothea, as heirs to the Alcott Chocolates Company, find themselves turning to steaming cups of hot chocolate topped with generous dollops of marshmallow fluff. The main reason for consuming such quantities of that dark nectar is the ongoing care of their 92 year old father, Bernie, or rather the termination of the employment of his voluptuous day nurse, Bambi.Things heat up a further notch when Bambi's husband, Jimmy Ray determines that she was unfairly terminated and sues the sisters for an outrageous sum. Jimmy Ray is not a lovable person, though the sister's have to admit that he has done a great job revamping the local bowling alley.Author Dawn Greenfield Ireland has created a very comfortable group of characters that I would immediately feel at home with, should I happen to be in Houston. Even though the sisters are extremely wealthy, they are not pretentious in any way. Lila Mae starts each day by making and eating breakfast with Amelia, her cook. Dorothea treats her staff, Maria and Joseph as though they are family. Ms. Ireland even managed to make me feel bad for the way Jimmy Ray is treated.This book was fun to read and each time I thought I knew who did it, Dawn would add a new twist or reveal an unknown connection and I would be back to the beginning. Some of these twists include Lila Mae's boyfriend, Detective Chance Walker, Uncle Tito, who is some sort of Mexican shaman, and popping up at critical moments, is the astrologer Robert. These very diverse characters combine to make a memorable 'family' who I'd like to read more about.After you finish the story, continue reading and enjoy several recipes for the delicious food that appeared in the novel.What I want to know is how the sisters got the marshmallow fluff to melt in their hot chocolate? Mine just sat on the top in an un-appetizing blob. I'll stick with my marshmallows; don't you love the giant ones, though they are way too large for my mug.
Top reviews from other countries
Kindle Customer
Sweet and sour
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 30, 2013