This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

DNF 15% - something about this is just really offputting for me, I can't get into it or get myself to enjoy it. Not the book for me!

SNOWFLAKES, ICED CAKES AND SECOND CHANCES - Sue Watson

SECOND-CHANCE AT LOVE - 3 stars

Plot - 3 stars - The first half of the book tells us about the development of a relationship between Gianni and Chloe. But then we discover that their marriage broke down, and they are both unhappy and just getting by. When Gianni asks Chloe to help him promote his new restaurant, things heat up again, but can they resurrect what they once had?

Writing - 3 stars - I've read Watson before and found her funny and very entertaining. However, this time the characters were just OK, the plot was tired and kind of depressing, and I found it very put-downable. It wasn't terrible, but certainly not a stand-out for me.

Characters - 3 stars - Gianni has some personality--he's the temperamental chef who has built a reputation on his cutting edge craziness, although at the core he's a simple guy who likes to cook. Chloe really is his perfect complement because she smooths his sharp edges and encourages him to do what he loves, not what the public necessarily asks for. But there was something unfulfilling about their relationship that just didn't appeal to me, so that I didn't particularly care whether or not they got together. The most entertaining part was Gianni's butchering of the English language, but even that was overdone.

Title - 4 stars - A typical Watson title, and it's pretty self-explanatory.

Cover - 4 stars - Nice bright cover, fairly Christmas-y.

Overview - 3 stars - This book was just OK for me. The characters were fine, and the setting of a small seaside town at Christmas was different and very cozy. And the backstory eventually developed enough to provide some interest in the renewal of their love. But Gianni's tirades got old fast, and Chloe's constant need to run around behind him and fix his messes was frustrating. I had some feeling for their shared history of sadness about their inability to have children, and I enjoyed reading about the beginnings of their relationship. But their personalities at the time of the story seemed disappointingly uninspiring. I had a hard time working up a lot of interest in their romance and ended up putting the book down more than once, then having to push myself to pick it up again. The setting was Christmas-y, but somehow the story itself felt almost maudlin rather than romantic.

This was an adorable Christmas story with all the makings of a Hallmark classic. Chloe is alone on Christmas until her soon to be ex-husband calls in need of a savior. His new dining experience is tanking and the only way to pull it from death is a woman's touch. Will it also save what's left of their marriage as well? A delightful, funny story that will warm the coldest heart and make you believe in love and marriage all over again.

It is a Christmas-themed, feel-good book from Sue Watson, and this time it is obviously as the title suggests, is about second chances. And in this case, another shot at a crumbling marriage. The story was set in Devon, in Appledore, just like in the Ice-Cream Cafe series. It feels good to be back in Appledore and see it in a different season. It sounds like a really wonderful place. I can’t be sure if it’s the third book in the series since it featured the characters from the other two books but it sure made the reading experience extra fun. Ella and the girls never fail to make me laugh. With regards to the main character, Chloe is such a lovely character. She’s independent and feisty and has an admirable patience despite Gianni’s awful temper. She is someone you can’t help but feel sympathy with. On the other hand, it is the opposite when it comes to Gianni because of his conceited nature. But despite that, he can also be funny and sweet that I can’t help but warm to him in the end. His kind of humor also brings a good deal of laughter. Their story, though, is something some people can relate to. A married couple who’ve been through difficult times and drifted apart that leads to their separation despite the love they feel for each other. The struggles they’ve been through is heartbreaking and made the story feel authentic. Though it is predictable and there were moments where Chloe’s narration can be repetitive, it didn’t take away the fun of reading this book.

If the Ice-Cream Cafe books are filled with mouth-watering ice cream flavors during the summer, this one offered scrumptious (sometimes bizarre) dishes on a festive season, courtesy of Gianni, that will surely make your stomach grumble. Snowflakes, Iced Cakes and Second Chances is another funny and delicious treat from Sue Watson, who proves yet again how fantastic of an author she is. She never fails to give a feel-good story that warms the heart and leave a smile on your face. It is a story not only about love but also of second chances and new beginnings. Overall, this is definitely a perfect Christmas read but I’m pretty sure can work, too, any other season.

Review: This book is laugh out loud funny. Sue has amazing talent at writing stories that are funny as well as being emotionally strong. This Christmas read is set on the coast and is about re-trying, hope and love. I perfect combination for a cosy read.

Snowflakes, Iced Cakes and Second Chances is a lovely holiday offering from author Sue Watson. Chloe Callidori is at loose ends. For the past year she has lived out of a suitcase traveling the world over as high level event planner and PR person. Now back in London just before the holidays she has taken a brief stint at Harrods. This unleashes a flood of memories when she first met her handsome, moody, culinary genius estranged husband, Gianni Callidori.

It was just a year ago when, after a very trying period when Chloe felt the last straw plunk upon her, she packed her bag and left Gianni, his tres chic experimental restaurant, and what she felt were her failures behind. Now she is contacted by his current assistant to oversee the events and PR of his new seaside restaurant in Appledore, Devon.

This had been their special spot. They spent their honeymoon there, retreated to Seagull Cottage, and had purchased it when it came on market. They had dreamed of moving there and opening a restaurant and now he was doing it without her. Offered a large sum and lodging, Chloe had decided to go, for closure if nothing more.

It was a particularly cold and snowy December on the coastline. But this story will warm your heart and make you believe in second chances and even happily ever afters! I very much enjoyed this book and do recommend it

Unfortunately this book was archived before I could read it.

Chloe always loved Christmas. She and her husband Gianni used to spend these days together, no matter how busy their individual schedules would be. The first time they skipped their unspoken agreement was the beginning of the end of their relationship. Chloe and Gianni drifted apart and were no longer as connected as they once were. A year ago Chloe had enough. She felt neglected and trying to talk to Gianni didn't get her anywhere. She packed her bags and left her husband, their beautiful white cat and her lovely home. Chloe has been working hard ever since and she has decided to take time off for the holidays. An unexpected phone call makes her reconsider, since it's Gianni who needs her badly. Will Chloe go to Appledore to rescue her estranged husband and help his restaurant succeed?

Chloe and Gianni met at Harrods. Gianni always had a bad temper and it turned out that Chloe was one of the few people who could work with him. Gianni is a proud Italian man and he wants things to go his way. Chloe has always managed to stand up to him and is feisty in her own calming way. Because of how he is as a person Gianni often offends people, but he makes them happy with his food, he's a brilliant chef. Gianni just needs guidance in how to deal with people. Chloe knows how to do just that, which is also why she is a very successful events manager. I loved to read about how she could turn the most difficult situations around. Gianni has a sweet side too and I liked him the most during those times. He cares deeply for Chloe and he shows her that in his own special way. I couldn't wait to find out if the festive sparkles of Christmas would be enough to show them the path to a happy marriage once more.

Snowflakes, Iced Cakes and Second Chances is a beautiful love story about the magic of Christmas and true love. Chloe and Gianni have been through so much together and I was hoping for them to find that special love again. It isn't easy to keep your mind on the important things when you're going through a tough time and Chloe and Gianni both dealt with their struggles in different ways. Sue Watson combines the problems they faced with a fabulous Christmas story. I love to read stories about Christmas, since this is my favorite holiday. Gianni's native language isn't English and because of that he often doesn't pronounce his words in the correct way. The words he uses instead made me laugh out loud, since I could easily picture the misunderstandings that would come from this. Snowflakes, Iced Cakes and Second Chances is a wonderful book filled with mouthwatering descriptions of food and heartwarming love.

Snowflakes, Iced Cakes and Second Chances is my first book by Sue Watson. The book is a perfectly paced book. It definitely held my attention to the very end. And the characters are appealing. However, for this to be a great read, there needed to be more humor or humorous scenarios and a bit more emotional impact to keep it from being so much a light frothy read.

The story follows Chloe, who broke up with her husband last year and now she’s spending Christmas alone. Unexpectedly she receives a phone call just before the holidays and she is offered a job in Appledore, where her ex husbands is opening a new restaurant. Chloe’s husband Gianni has a bad temper and often says things that offend other people and even though he doesn’t really want to admit it, he needs Chloe to make things better again. Chloe is hesitant about the offer, but decides to go. Will Chloe and Gianni find a way back to each other?

It was a book that surely makes you laugh out loud as well as feel sorry for Chloe. There were a lot of funny parts, but Chloe’s husband was such a difficult person to get along with that I really felt bad for Chloe. I liked the fact that the story went back and forth in a way that you learnt how and when something happened and why things are like they are in the present. As much as I didn’t exactly like Gianni, the ending was really sweet and put a smile on my face. A well written novel with strong characters, a really enjoyable festive story.

A wonderfully funny, festive read by someone who has fast become one of my favourite authors. This book is such a joy to read, hilarious, laugh out loud funny, heart warming and witty, all at once. You need to read this!

All all Sue Watson books, this is a fun, beautiful and heart-warming book that manages to move you on every page. 

Chloe isn't really looking forward to Christmas. This is year she plans to spend it alone but when she ends up going to Appledore to work to open a new restaurant all her plans for Christmas change, and she has to deal with her ex-husband - something that shes really not looking forward to. 

This is a story about Christmases past and present. Focusing on how Gianni and Chloe got together, how they fell apart and now what they truly want. Snowflakes, Iced Cakes and Second Chances focuses on the cake, snow and giving loved ones another chance. 

I have to admit that I felt sorry for Chloe, because Gianni has a fiery temper and seemed to flare up really easily. But there are so many things bubbling under the surface that it is clear that his temper is not the only issue they had. Will Gianni and Chloe able to sit in a room and be honest with one another? Will they be able to tell one another their fears? And their innermost thoughts?

Snowflakes, Iced Cakes and Second Chances is about coming together, realising your errors and excepting sometimes while you blame other people, it can be yourself in the wrong. 

I loved the moments in the restaurant, the crazy things that Gianni said, the weird food (I am certain that I would never have ordered what was on the menu)  and that sense of hope. 

This was a great book to read post-Christmas, because lets be honest Christmas is around the corner....

This book was the epitome of the Christmas spirit and what it is to believe. I really enjoyed reading it as it also was well written. I in fact afterwards went to search out other books by this author. Highly recommend.

If there was an award for the best Christmas titles for books Sue Watson would certainly win it hands down as her titles are always so ingenious and full of laugh out loud humour. Combined with such brilliant, witty chapter headings I always know I am guaranteed a fun, festive read full or frolics, mayhem and mishaps. This new book Snowflakes, Iced Cakes and Second Chances I would have said before I started reading that is would be no different but I feel now I have finished it that it is slightly different. Yes we have the brilliant anecdotes that have you laughing and cringing in equal measure but at the same time I felt there was a far more serious tone to the story as our main female protagonist Chloe is going through major changes in her life. This time will either make or break Chloe and her marriage. She is not sure of the outcome she wants but returning to Appledore a place which holds so many cherished memories but also devastating blows for her will stir up an entire myriad of emotions that will cause unrest and uncertainty but hopefully may eventually give her the clarification and reaffirmation she is so desperately searching for.

When I discovered this was the third visit to Appledore, I'll admit I was slightly apprehensive about reading this book as I really don't like starting series several books in. Now after finishing this story, I can say it can easily be read as a standalone book. Yes I could gather which previously introduced characters made a reappearance but it wasn't in a dominant way as to make you feel god I can't follow the plot of this book or I've missed out on heaps. They were there more as a supportive system to Chloe as she develops a friendship with the people who run the local ice cream parlour. If there were more books to come in the Appledore series I would read them but I don't necessarily feel I need to go back and read the previous two to enhance my reading and understanding as there was plenty of info here to bring me bang up to date.

The entire story of Snowflakes, Iced Cakes and Second Chances is told in the first person from Chloe's point of view and to be honest it did tend to wear on me ever so slightly after awhile. I would have loved to have heard from fiery Italian Gianni's viewpoint as to his whole take on the situation. It's very difficult to pull off a book entirely in the first person, it worked for some of the time here but just past the halfway point I felt it needed a change just to freshen things up a bit. Chloe is a character who certainly evokes both sympathy and frustration in the reader. The story moves back and forth between the past and the present as told by Chloe. We are given an insight as to how she met and eventually married chef Gianni. In the present Chloe is dreading Christmas. She feels that she has nothing to look forward to, that her life has ended and that things will never be the same again. She recalls the first time she met Gianni in the Harrods food hall as she was trying to promote his unusual range of Christmas delicacies. There was a spark between the pair but it seriously threatened to turn into a huge fire and not of the good kind.

Over the course of the story Chloe tells us how they met, fell in love, fell out of love, distance grew between them and now they have reached the point of divorce. But is this what Chloe really wants? Or is it just an attempt to push things to one side? To paper over the cracks without working things through and openly expressing feelings and emotions. A chance phone call just before Christmas that presents her with a job opportunity sees Chloe torn in two over whether to accept. This will see her having to confront the emotions, issues and reasons behind the deep resentment and hurt existing between herself and Gianni. Returning to Appledore, to the cottage she shared with Gianni during their marriage, and now trying to help turn around the fortunes of his restaurant is a huge undertaking and will set in motion a chain of events that will either make or break her.

Gianni was a character who I did not like at all. Yes I understood the way he was meant to be portrayed but honestly I couldn't see what Chloe saw in him. He was ever so stubborn, always demanding his own way creating fancy concoctions that would be best suited to a Heston Blumenthal restaurant. He came across as a Gordon Ramsey or Marco Pierre White type full of fire and ambition but with scant regard to the people around him. Constantly throwing insults around and creating a new restaurant in Appledore that was so stark and sterile which did little to enamour him to the local residents. He was full of so much bravado that I wondered how did Chloe ever crack his exterior to see was there a different more hospitable Gianni underneath?

Chloe on the one hand was brave to take on Gianni again and help promote the restaurant and try and make it a success. She has to come up with creative ways which could make the restaurant more welcoming and attractive for costumers. Out goes the snail semolina and in comes more traditional, authentic Italian dishes. As she was dreading Christmas, was going back to Appledore the best thing for her? Would the entire situation drag her backwards when she was so desperately trying to move forwards? Maybe fate had a different plan in store for the pair. As Gianni begins to soften and produce dishes that are welcomed with open arms the reader wondered whether the same could be said for his and Chloe's relationship?

This book wasn't full on Christmas, more it was lingering in the background as a secondary character as Chloe faces the biggest challenge in her life both personally and professionally. There was a real sense of the main characters coming back together, attempting to whether the storm against the background of Christmas and the snow covering the ground in Appledore. What was brilliant as ever in Sue Watson's Christmas books was the mouthwatering descriptions of food. Whilst reading you would certainly want some nice treats to hand to indulge in. Snowflakes, Iced Cakes and Second Chances was a good read. It had the humour yet Chloe was a character who had been through a lot and Sue portrayed this very well. Will you be rooting for Chloe and Gianni? Well I was, it's up to you to read to discover the eventual outcome. Enjoy this book for what it is a fun, festive read that really will get you in the Christmas frame of mind.

So sorry I just could not get into this book which is a shame because I love Sue Watson's books

Super heartwarming Christmas story that won't fail to cheer you up. Magical and romantic, absolutely perfect to get you onto the Christmas spirit

Us bookworms are so spoilt, especially at Christmas time. There are so many pretty little books, sparkling at us from the bookshelves, just asking to be picked up and devoured, alongside a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie. We are incredibly lucky that there are stockings full of talented men and women out there who send our imaginations to worlds better than our wildest dreams and keep our brains from turning into soggy Christmas pudding!

In 'Snowflakes, Iced Cakes and Second Chances' we meet Chloe. It's been a year since she separated from her husband, but Christmas time is bringing back all the good memories they shared, since they met and then married during this magical holiday. Her career has kept her occupied but winding down for the holiday doesn't seem so exciting when facing her favourite time of year alone. So, when she receives an unexpected phone call from her ex's manager asking for her help with the new restaurant he's opening in one of their favourite places, she's not sure what to do. Does she say no to avoid facing her ex and watching him move on with his life or should she agree so she can spend Christmas back in Appledore and finally find peace with her past?

The biggest thing that made me smile with this story was how utterly frustrating Chloe's ex husband Gianni could be. I so badly wanted to not like him, with his curse words, bad temper and lack of appreciation for those around him, but do you want to know why I couldn't help but love him? Because dear readers, I've spent 29 years surrounded by one extremely passionate, fiery Italian who on one hand could wind me up when I was helping him in the kitchen, as he had to have things the best way (his way) then on the other hand could make me the happiest granddaughter in the world with his unconditional love, constant stories and brilliance. Italians are one crazy breed, but they also happen to be one of the very, very best. Am I right or am I right? With this in mind, I totally understood Gianni's moods and general way of doing and saying things. It helped that Sue Watson so accurately wrote his speech in broken Italian that made it easier to see Gianni's softer side. I kid you not, my grandparents have been in England for over 50 years but they never lost their accents and they still speak in broken English - honestly they can say anything and it comes across sweet and innocent! :p Gianni may have been infuriating at times, but deep down he was a lover not a fighter and I fell for his charm.

The second thing I loved about this story was how downright Christmassy it was. From the setting, to the decorations to the wonderfully delicious food Sue describes, it's a festive fantasy that has me geared up for Christmas like never before. This year is going to be very different for my family, after the loss of the aforementioned fiery Italian I call Grandad, but I don't want to shy away from talking about it, and, like Chloe, i want to keep going through the heartbreak and find ways to come to terms with the events life throws at us. Christmas, to me, should be a time to be thankful and a time to share the happy memories and moments that we've experienced in the year leading up to it. There are so many amazing Italian dishes that my Grandad taught me that we have to make, while listening to Christmas songs, and I'm very much looking forward to getting into the festive spirit.

Memories are powerful things, they can stir many different emotions. Chloe's gave her a second chance at love in this uplifting story by Sue Watson. I highly recommend it with a proper Italian espresso (not the instant crap, as Gianni would say) and a piece of mouthwatering traditional Panettone!

I loved this book. It’s the third book in the Rabbis Leap series but if your like me and hadn’t read the first two books do not worry you will fall right into the story.
This story focuses around Serena and her estranged husband Richie who is a successful rock star.
Serena is opening up her chocolate shop and does not expect her husband to turn up, after all she left him 6 months ago.
A great feel good book that will hook you in.