Candace and Alain start with chocolate in common and go on to form a business relationship. They begin to care for each other but people from each of their past lives make a relationship between the two difficult.
A definite enjoyable read.
Thank you Bonnie Dee, Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me an advance cpy for my honest feedback.

Heartwarming historical drama,continues a series and you would benefit from reading the previous books.
Good characters and a tale with a twist or two.

Candace and Alain have an up front relationship that is sweet. Also included in this is Alains daughter who is above all things honest. Oh yes and it has chocolate.

A nicely written slow burn romance novella set in 1907 London, between a young woman who opens a sweet shop and French chocolate factory owner, Alain, who is looking to sell his chocolates in England. The one thing I most enjoyed was the time period this story is set in, as many authors ignore it. There is insta-love on both the H/h's parts, although it isn't acted upon very quickly because of circumstances.

The characters from the previous two stories make appearances, but this book can be read as a stand-alone if you don't intend to read those. The author has tried hard to make the dialogue formal, as befitting the Edwardian era. There are a lot of scenes involving Candace's friends, so the romance isn't as central to the story as some are. It's really all about these young women wanting to be independent in a changing world and the dapper young men who capture their hearts. There are a few hiccups along the way for Candace and Alain that involve his complicated family (no spoilers) and it was fun reading their journey.

My thanks go to NetGalley and Dragonblade publishing for the eARC in return for my opinion. 3.5 stars.

You Can Never Go Wrong with Chocolate

Chocolate brings two people together, but the relationship won’t be smooth sailing. Theirs starts out as a business relationship, but they find themselves falling in love. There are obstacles the two must overcome, and people from their past they must see out of their lives. If you like Edwardian historical romance with strong women, you might enjoy this story.

A cute historical romance that made me root for the characters and kept me hooked.
It's enjoyable and entertaining, fleshed out characters and a vivid historical background.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Candace Sweet’s Confectionary by Bonnie Dee is the story of the next shop on Provide ce Street: a candy store.
Candace, who we met earlier, has received her inheritance and is days away from her grand opening when a man enters her shop to recruit her to sell his French chocolates there in London. Alain Moreau is beyond handsome and she felt a connection immediately. He came back again a d again, bearing gifts of exquisite cocoa powder as well as his knowledge of making candy. She agreed to sell his chocolates in an exclusive agreement and spent several outings in the company of he and his small” daughter, Vivienne. Then his wife appears and Candace realizes this relationship has no future. But, she refuses to stand still and confronts her former guardian so that he can no longer occupy her mind and frighten her from afar.

This story confronts the difficulty of divorce in the early 20th century when it is uncommon. It also deals with a self-centered and narcissistic woman who does not wish to be a wife nor a mother. It is a sweet love story with sympathetic characters working their way through changing times. Is is also very much about compromise. It is well written and evokes memories of first love. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Candace Sweet’s Confectionary by Dragonblade, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #candacesweetsconfectionary

Chocolate is essential. Yes, I think mamy will agree! What can be sweeter than a romance between two people who are in the confectionary business?

Candace was finally realizing a dream and opening her own confectionary shop. Monsieur Moreau, is from a family of chocolatiers that have been around for a long time. As these two meet it seems that chocolate may not be the only attraction between them!

But it might not be a smooth path to find happiness if their past gets in the way! Lovely story!

A chocoholic does not stand a chance when reading this tantalizing novel. I found myself salivating as Candace and Alain discussed making the perfect chocolate. This is the third book in the series and the businesswomen of Providence Street have learned valuable lessons about staying in business as they support one another. In some ways, Candace has had to fight the hardest as she breaks the mind shackles of the past. Along the way, old friends approach her for advice and she begins to understand that love comes in many forms and there are others who have even more difficulties to overcome. I enjoyed the romance that sprung up between Candace and Alain, and his precocious daughter Vivienne brings some entertaining moments to the plot. I enjoyed this well-written early 20th Century romance, and although characters from the previous novels appear in this one too, it is a standalone and comes to a happy conclusion. I received a copy of this book as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Candace is finally free of her cruel guardian. She is ready to open her confectionery. This has been her dream since she befriended Madame Lissette, who made wonderful chocolates, during her school years in France. Alain Moreau is now head of his family’s famous chocolate confections company. When they meet, they see an opportunity to benefit both their businesses. Drawn to each other from the start, they may find a chance for love and a happy future. They will have a couple of major hurdles. Alain must deal with his wife who left him and their daughter five years ago before he can become more than friends with Candace. Candace is still quite wary of her former guardian. This is a complex story, but it unfolds smoothly and is not rushed. The characters, with a couple of notable exceptions, a quite likeable. Alain is caring and honorable. Candace is sweet and caring. She is coming into her own, becoming more confident and independent. Alain’s adorable daughter Vivienne is smart and spry. Her friends Hattie and Rose make an appearance along with Guy and Will. The gentlemen bring a little humor with them. A well-written engaging story with remarkable characters and a great ending, this is one I recommend.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

2.5 stars

A sweet love story of two chocolatiers who become business partners, & then something more. Not the best writing, but I liked the MC’s & the plot was okay.

[What I liked:]

•It was really fun to read about the ins and outs of chocolate making, especially the different flavor blends. (Unfortunately that was only at the beginning. For most of the book, the only mentions of chocolate making were about advertising.)

•Alain is a great dad, a decent human being, & I liked him as a person beyond his qualities as a love interest. It’s great to have not only a feminist dude in a period romance, but one who’s raising an independent daughter to boot.

•Candace felt not quite as fully fleshed as Alain, but I did like her as an MC. She worked hard to achieve her dreams, overcome her fears, & build meaningful relationships even when that meant taking risks. Her relationship with Vivienne was adorable.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•Much of the dialogue feels stilted. That got annoying fast. Ex. of a casual conversation between friends: “I feel remorseful for leaving you shorthanded”. It just sounds overly formal.

•This is heavy on the insta-lust. I guess that’s hard to avoid in a novella-length work, but I mean it happens from the first meeting.

•Several plot points seem odd. For example, a near-stranger from Candace’s old school shows up suddenly, comes out as not-straight, & asks all about Candace’s past. Would that happen in real life? I doubt it. Was it written in a smooth, believable way despite that? No.

•Obviously it wasn’t extreme violence, but I didn’t like how Candace justified hitting someone in the face (not as self defense, but out of anger/revenge) as a means of solidifying her confidence. Violence is not the answer. She had inner strength without assaulting that person. I get why she was so angry, but I lost a bit of respect for her; not just because of the reactionary violence, but mainly because she felt good about it afterwards, about “breaking the will” of the person by violently assaulting them.

CW: mentions of a hostage situation & related PTSD, homophobia, infidelity (not the MC’s)

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

An overbearing guaradian who actually takes things too far causes Candace Sweets to run and hide. She encounters some helpful entrepreneur females who encourage her to open her own shop which happens to be a candy shop of homemade Truffles and other chocolate delicacies.
Alain Moreau is now ahead of the famous French Exclusive Chocolate Company. In order to survive he must expand by exporting to other countries. He happens to come across Sweets Confectionery Shop and a connection seems to happen between the two souls.

However, life is not without its stumbling blocks and these two definitely will need to jump many hurdles to be able to come together.

This is the third book of the Providence Street Shops , but they are all stand alone books, but I definitely recommend you read the other two, Hattie Glover’s Millinery and Rose Gardener’s Florist. I will have to be honest and say I loved the other two books a lot better than this one. I think this one was a storyline that was interesting, but parts of it was so predictable that it was tedious in areas. Overall, I liked the book and characters, but there was more the author could have done with parts.

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

With their homes a sea apart, is there even a possible future for them ...

When I read the blurb of the first book in this series, I decided I could not pass by it without giving it a try. First the era is later than what I am used, and shop girls are not often heroines, more often side characters than anything else.
Candace was introduced in the previous book as a girl on the run from a wicked guardian. Now free of his influence, she is her own master and is now realizing her grand dream.
Alain, now he has the rein of his family business, is decided to expand Amit as he has longed for years. So here is in London to find new business partners.
Their first encounter is marked by the shop side of their line of work, but a sizzling chemistry makes sparks fly.
Their tale is a bit different from the first one, of course it sees Candace finds her own pace, making a success of her small affair with her doubts, failures and winning. But for Alain and her to be together, they will have to let go of the past, face their fears and find a way with all the impediments set to make them stumble.
There is real villain, only the dents that might happen along someone’s journey.

Yet this book is also a praise about all those women who took a risk, made their own path in a men’s world.
4.5 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen foreplays scene.

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher Dragonblade Publishing, here is my true and unbiased opinion.