3 Chocolate & Animals for the Win Stars
* * *
It has been my observation that Stubborn does not equal Strong...and this entry of the Love at the Chocolate Shop series, seems to reinforce that notion for me. This is the second entry where characters we met in Melt My Heart, Cowboy are getting their story told. Tule Publishing has had success where different authors all contribute to one series. Our bonus is all of these books take place in Marietta, Montana... meaning many of the past characters we have grown to care for... make appearances.

The overall theme of this particular book is the need for a grown son to make up for lost time with his father. The son went away to college and then stayed in Seattle to start his own firm. Over the years he did not visit as much as he now wishes he had...His mother passed and now the realities of his father being far away in Marietta has hit home.

The dad fell while doing a construction project, breaking both legs. It took a long plane ride for Bryce to get to him and now he has decided his dad needs to move to Seattle so they can be closer. Bryce is determined to force the dad to move because he has decided the father must be lonely without his mom in this sleepy town, Marietta. He has given himself a month to make all the arrangements and convince his dad this is for the best.

What Bryce didn't plan on was meeting Dakota Parker. She is a woman who has found her way. Over her lifetime, she had to move countless times as an Army Brat. The one place she felt like home was with her Aunt who lived in Marietta. After college, Dakota came to live here with her Aunt and ended up taking on the same passions... Animal Rescue. Dakota was left an inheritance and with it she has created a life which works. She has her own home from her Aunt, she works part time at the chocolate shop and she devotes the rest of her time to the local animal shelter. She is also a foster caretaker for animals until she can find them "Forever Homes."

Now these two cross paths through the chocolate shop and Bryce's dad....and unfortunately it wasn't the best start. Bryce is skeptical as to why his dad has been volunteering at the shelter and when he sees how friendly Dakota is with him, he jumps to the wrong conclusions. He even says as much during a time when he is frustrated with his dad... and it does not go well.

Dakota was recently jilted at the altar so her trust of men and what they say is not high. It doesn't matter that the man may be easy on the eyes...Both of these people may have interest... but both are wary....Because they know Bryce is leaving in a month...

Circumstances do happen which force them to spend time together... and each begins to have feelings for each other...but they also try to keep them at bay. During all of this, the shelter plays a be part and all of the animals contribute to the feel of the tale.

We also had a continual arc of secondary characters we met earlier and we know their book will be coming soon. This felt similar to many of the Marietta books, however, Bryce was a difficult fellow to like. He had tunnel vision about what he thought was to happen with his dad...extremely stubborn until the end. His dawning came very late...and almost was too little to late for me.

I do like the series and it has ten different authors scheduled to give us their take on Chocolate and Love.
Melt My Heart, Cowboy (Love at the Chocolate Shop, #1) by C.J. Carmichael Melt My Heart, Cowboy (Love at the Chocolate Shop, #1)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A gifted copy was provided by Tule Publishing via NetGalley for an honest review.

Lovely feel good, heartwarming book. Really easy and enjoyable to read. The characters were easy to relate to and was nice to read about them. Loved how the dogs were easily intertwined into the book too. Always love reading about towns like this, where there all so caring and helpful. Would recommend to others

This is a thanksgiving romance based in Marietta and featuring Dakota Parker who works part time in the Chocolate shop and also volunteers at the Whiskers and Paws rescue centre. She's a kind hearted young lady who was abandoned at the altar by her groom to be. She no longer trusts her judgement of men and has decided to focus on dogs and chocolate to keep her happy. It is whilst she is serving in the shop that she meets Bryce Grayson, son of her friend and fellow rescue centre volunteer, Walt. Walt had an accident, breaking both his legs, whilst working at the centre and Bryce has come to stay for a month, leaving his Seattle home, but planning on moving his father back to the city with him. His only problem seems to be convincing his father to leave the friends and connections he has made whilst living in the close knit Marietta community!

This is a great story, highlighting how sometimes it really is important to step back and listen to the opinions, thoughts and needs of others, rather than trying to impose our own views and attitudes on them. Only by being open to others can we sometimes discover the truth of situations for ourselves and so, hopefully have the opportunity to make things better for them and for ourselves. This story has great characters, laugh out loud incidents and a heartwarming romance. It is a great addition to the series and I have no hesitation in highly recommending it.

I received an ARC of this via NetGalley. This is my honest review.

I alway love visiting my imaginary friends in Marietta, Montana and this story did not disappoint!! Bryce is a city boy who has comes to Marietta to take care of his father and try to covince him to move to the city so they could be closer but, he finds his head being turned by the beautiful girl who works in the chocolate shop and rescues animal to find them forever homes. Dakota is a small town girl dedicated to rescuing animals and being there for her friends and neighbors. Dakota and Bryce's story is sweet, fun and heartwarming and even sad at times. I LOVED it!! This is a well written, clean romance. I would recommend it to anyone who likes small town romances and chocolate!

Dakota Parker had two passions, chocolate and animals. When she wasn't working at Copper Mountain Chocolates, she could be found at Whiskers and Paw Pals. Volunteering filled her heart with joy and the animals gave her the love she craved. She didn't think she needed a man in her life until she met the son of one of her volunteers.

Bryce Grayson had rushed to His father's aid when he heard he had fallen off a ladder and had broken both legs. His goal was to convince his father to move back to Seattle with him where he could be closer if he needs help again. But Walt had created a life that he loved in Marietta and refuses to leave. He has friends that he sees often and volunteers at a local animal rescue.

When the animal shelter gets flooded and Walt can't help out, he sends Bryce in his place. Bryce figures it will give him something to do while he is in town. Bryce and Dakota soon find themselves drawn to each other and eventually start dating. They both no it can’t last as Bryce lives in another state. But who says they can’t enjoy themselves even if it is for a short time?

I really enjoyed this book. The animal rescue story was a nice addition to the romance. I also liked seeing how Bryce and Dakota overcame their hesitations about new relationships after they both had bad experiences in the past. The appearance of characters from past books also makes this book fun to read. If you are looking for a nice clean romance and love animals, this book is definitely for you.

A Thankful Heart is book two in the Love at the Chocolate Shop series by Melissa McClone. This is a multi author series in which six authors are participating. One comes out each month. I have not read the first book in the series but was fine starting in on the second book.

Dakota Parker works at Copper Mountain Chocolates in Marietta, Montana and also volunteers for the town’s pet rescue center. She fosters pets whenever needed. Currently she has one large nine month old puppy that needs some calming, one small sweet dog and a pet rat that has bonded with the small dog. They are so adorable together.

Even though it’s been some time since it happened, Dakota still hasn’t bounced back from being jilted at the alter by her now ex-fiance. It severely effected her confidence and she hasn’t dated since. She just throws herself in to all her projects. Currently she is trying to work on a proposal for the pet rescue to get all the pets adopted by Christmas which is two months away. But her proposal is rejected.

Bryce Grayson is an architect from Seattle who is currently in Marietta to help his father while he recuperates from an accident. Bryce feels guilty about not spending enough time with his father and is determined to convince him to return to Seattle with him. He is in Marietta for one month. He returns right after Thanksgiving. Growing up his father was always a workaholic and Bryce is just like him. But he is having trouble recognizing this new Dad he is seeing now. This man is relaxed, has friends, works some but volunteers a lot.

With a little conniving from Bryce’s Dad, he meets Dakota and is smitten. He is determined to ignore it but the sweet, always optimistic woman who always puts other’s needs before her own, gets under his skin.

This is such a sweet, both literally and figuratively, book. Bryce had to finally evaluate his life and his priorities. And Dakota had to decide if she was ready to give her heart again. So, if you enjoy a book with lots of chocolate and lots of fur babies involved, then you will most definitely enjoy this one.

After coming out of a bad relationship Dakota Parker’s new motto is chocolate and animals are much better than men. So now Dakota works part time in the at the local chocolate shop and volunteers at the animal shelter. Her mission, to find forever homes for all of her fur buddies that are up for adoption.

Bryce Grayson has come to Marietta to help out his father after a construction accident caused him to break both of his legs. During his time in town Bryce has decided it’s time for his father to pack up and move to Seattle with Bryce but Bryce’s father has other ideas and plans a few chance meetings with Dakota to try to set up the pair.

A Thankful Heart is the second book in the Love at the Chocolate Shop series taking place in the lovely town of Marietta, Montana. Anyone following my reviews knows I’m a huge fan of any of the series taking place in this lovely small town, especially during the holiday season so it’s no surprise that I did enjoy this one too.

Dakota is working in the chocolate shop part time but the story mainly focuses on her rescue work and trying to adopt out the animals so while we get a few mentions of the previous chocolate shop characters the story expands the small town even more bringing in the shelter which is nice, I love a read with some cute critters involved.

For me the one complaint I could think of with this book was it took so long for Dakota and Bryce to come together in this story. While I’m glad it’s not an instant relationship in this type of read Bryce stayed stubborn for most of the story to the point I was beginning to dislike him.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I think this the first time I have not fallen totally in love with one of Melissa McClone’s heroes immediately. Not that he isn’t fine… he certainly is a handsome, successful man. He is also stubborn, bullheaded, has no filter on his thoughts when upset and won’t see reality for what it is because, of course, it’s his way or the highway. Bryce will soften in time, oh, he’s always going to be stubborn and opinionated, but hopefully Dakota’s influence will smooth out some rough edges. You might think that I don’t like Bryce, truth is I adore the man when he’s being natural and not sticking his foot in his mouth. But I know guys like Bryce, and I’m sure you do too. Men who are so convinced that they are right that they tend to bulldoze over anyone else’s opinion or needs. Not bad, simply so very frustrating. The reality of Bryce’s ways is covered in guilt, fear and a reluctance to put anyone’s needs before his own. Our hero has a bit of growing up to do, and the love offered by a good woman like Dakota will make a huge difference in this man.

Dakota is definitely of the opinion that chocolate and dogs are so much better than men. And she certainly has the history to back up that opinion. Being jilted at the alter and having to be the one to tell friends and relatives that the wedding isn’t going to happen since the jerk is on the way outta town to his new love will do that to a woman. Dakota has devoted herself to the local animal shelter’s residents. She often fosters pets and right now has two dogs and a rat living with her in her large Victorian home. Between her part time job at Copper Mountain Chocolates and volunteering most of her life to the shelter, Dakota’s life is pretty full. When a stranger with city slicker written all over him stops in the chocolate shop – and declares he doesn’t like chocolate but buys a bag full, Dakota’s interest in peaked. When she meets him again later at her friend Walt’s house she isn’t totally surprised to realize that Bryce is her friends son. But it doesn’t take long for Bryce to say something totally rude to change Dakota’s bright opinion of him. Why do most men have to be jerks?

Bryce is in Marietta for the month of November to care for his father, who has broken both legs in a fall at a construction site, and to convince… no tell… his father that he’s moving back to Seattle with Bryce. Walt has no intention of leaving this small town he’s come to love, and instead of fighting Bryce simply goes about his life. When a water pipe break threatens the animals at the shelter Dakota and Bryce are tossed together, often by Walt’s matchmaking. Between finding homes for the animals, falling a bit in love with a stubborn man and coming to grips with the reality of Bryce leaving soon, Dakota has to decide if loving this stubborn man is worth the risk of heartache to come – or if a basically good man can change his opinions and stay.

I enjoyed A Thankful Heart very much. Adored Walt, loved Dakota, liked Bryce and the animals stole my heart in a second. The background thread woven into the first story continues to build with an interesting development. Dakota and Bryce are going to face some difficult moments on their way to happiness. Dakota has to learn to trust again. And Bryce – sigh – he has to face his fears and guilt, and move on to a future that holds happiness if he’d only see it as reality, one that can be everything he dreamed of.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this novel. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this story.*

Netgalley provided me with an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This was a 'sweet' read. For those looking for a light, clean romance (no sex or vulgar language), with lots of four-legged friends along for the ride, then this is the book for you.

The book is the second in the series, but I didn't feel lost or out of touch for not having read book, which is something I appreciate immensely.

I did feel the book focused much more on the pet adoption/rescue storyline rather than the budding romance between Dakota and Bryce. For this, I did not rate it the full four stars.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this book and I would read more by this author and other books in this series.

A wonderful story of family, community, and love. It really helps you remember what is truly important in life.

Bryce Grayson is only in Marietta to help his wounded father during his recuperation and to convince his father to move to Seattle where Bryce resides. He doesn't understand why his father is so taken with this little town and Bryce can't wait to get him settled in Seattle. That is until he meets Dakota Parker. Dakota is full of life and love. Love for her animals, for chocolate, and for the home she has found in Marietta. Spending time with Dakota has Bryce rethinking what is truly important and maybe understanding what his father has found in this little town.

Definitely a book I recommend.

The most simple of messages delivered in the sweetest possible way. Dakota moved around a great deal. Hard for a kid who just wanted a normal life and a place to call her own. As an adult she settled in Marietta, Montana, a place full of her happiest memories. She runs an animal shelter and finds homes for her babies, the animals she loves. Bryce is a man with a plan. To get to know his father again. To do that he has to convince his
father to move to Seattle. A trip home, an unexpected surprise and a boatload of memories have him rethinking his decision.

A Thankful Heart delivers the sappiness of small town living, but with the wisdom of age comes two important discoveries. In life the blessings are few, but the regrets are endless. Don't waste time focusing on regrets, life is short so make every moment count.

Dakota felt chocolate was better for her than falling for the wrong man again. Chocolate and the rescue dogs she helped find forever homes for were all she needed. Dakota sold chocolate at Copper
Mountain Chocolates. As the weather got colder the more hot chocolate was sold. Dakota liked everything about her job. Dakota had written a proposal for having all the rescue dogs adopted into a forever home by Christmas but it had been rejected and she was to come up with another . It had taken Dakota a couple of weeks writing the first as she had Dyslexia. Dakota had been falling for all the wrong men: workaholics, players, cheaters, and self centered men. Dakota had been engaged to Craig about a year ago and he broke up with her on their wedding day and left her alone to tell their guests. He blamed the long hours she volunteered at the rescue shelter and he didn’t want to be covered by dog and cat hair for the rest of his life. But actually those were excuses Craig had someone else he married three months later. Dakota didn’t want to start dating again until she trusted herself to pick a decent man. Dakota had worked at the chocolate shop for three years now. Dakota’s best friend was Kelly Bryce is from Seattle and he came to Marietta which was a small town to spend a month with his dad Walt who had broken both his legs. Bryce already felt bored and it was too quiet here. He had been dating a software project manager - Chelsea and she didn’t like to be put second not even for Bryce’s disabled dad. Bryce had a design firm and was working on a project that would really help his company rise through the ranks. Bryce’s mom had died four years ago yet his father still seemed invincible to Bryce until this fall. Walt’s doctor told Bryce his dad was lucky to be alive. Bryce wanted his father to move to Seattle so they could be closer together and Bryce was determined to convince his dad to make the move by Thanksgiving as Bryce would be heading back to Seattle than.
I loved this story , it was a great read. I loved Walt’s character , he really added to the story but as did Rascal and all the other rescue animals. This had a great plot and was written well. I liked the small town community and everyone wanting to help when they were needed. If any criticism I could even think of was what the future held for the chocolate shop’s owners niece - sorry forgot their names. Maybe she will be in a later story. Otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this story and I highly recommend.

What can be better than chocolate, animals and a hunky guy. This is what you will find in this delightful tale written by Melissa McClone. I fell in love with this story, ok so I do love chocolate, have always had a soft heart for rescue animals (love my little guy, Trooper) and how can you not fall in love with a hunky man, Bryce. Bryce is on a mission, to return to Marietta to get to know his dad better and try to convince him to move to Seattle. He soon meets Dakota, who works at Sage's Chocolate shop and helps at the animal rescue. In her opinion, animals want break your heart like men. Neither are looking for a relationship, but when you throw in Bryce's father "the matchmaker" it hard to resist.

This is great addition to Love at the Chocolate Shop. I recommend this book along with the rest of the series.

A Thankful Heart

Melissa McClone


Received from Netgalley.


A THANKFUL HEART by Melissa McClone is the second book in the Love at the Chocolate Shop series. Dakota Parker has just come out of a bad relationship and fills the hole in her heart with chocolate and animals. She works at the chocolate shop and also at the Whiskers and Paws rescue center. All she wants to do is find forever homes for all the animals in the rescue center. That is how she met Bryce Grayson. His dad, Walt, volunteers at the center, well, before he broke both of his legs. At first, Bryce thinks Dakota is only Walt's friend so she can have a free handy man at the center. He couldn't be more wrong!


Bryce lives in Seattle and his dad lives in Marietta Montana. Bryce is there to help his Dad but also to convince him to move to Seattle. Walt isn't buying any of it. He made a life for himself in Marietta and he is not going anywhere. A THANKFUL HEART is going to teach Bryce what he has and could have if he just opened his heart and stopped being so selfish. Bryce doesn't want to hear it and gives himself one month to change his father's mind.


Things keep happening that throw Bryce and Dakota together, but both hold back on their feelings because Bryce is going to be heading back to Seattle at the end of the month. A THANKFUL HEART is a wonderful addition to the Chocolate Shop series where ten different authors will be writing about love and chocolate. The animals in this story are going to steal your heart. I found myself cheering for Dakota and hoping she would be able to trust someone with her heart again. At the same time, I was wishing that Bryce could let go of his guilt and leave it in the past. I really enjoyed reading this sweet tale and found all of the characters very relatable as well as their situations that they found themselves in. I'm excited to continue this series.

A Thankful Heart is the second book in the Love at the Chocolate Shop series by Tule Publishing. This book is written by Melissa McClone. I have read McClone's books before and have always enjoyed them.

Dakota Parker is a very likeable character who rescues animals as well as working in Sage's chocolate shop. Bryce Grayson is a Seattle architect whose father lives in Marietta. Bryce's dad has had an accident and Bryce has come to help for a month. He fully intends to take his father back to Seattle with him. He is a stubborn guy and not very likeable for the most part.

Bryce is interested in Dakota but has not intention of sticking around town. She knows this and continues to be drawn to him. One of them is going to have to budge if their relationship has any chance of succeeding.

Well written and an enjoyable read. Good addition to the Love at the Chocolate Shop series.

A Thankful Heart (Love at the Chocolate Shop, Book 2) by Melissa McClone is a sweet heartfelt story. This story of two loners who have opposite philosophies on the best place to live makes for an interesting read. I also found their different views on small town life interesting. Both gave the reader something to think about.

I loved the backstory of how Dakota came to Marietta. She had been quite a mystery even though she worked in Sage’s chocolate shop. Dakota is a loving, caring, hardworking individual. I was pulling for her to find the right man. Bryce, on the other hand, didn’t like chocolate. It was hard not to hold that against him. However, I could forgive him for that when he straightens up, so to speak, in how he treated Dakota. His father was such a wonderful supporting character. He added so much to the story even if he was in a wheelchair. Along with the dad was the dogs and rat, they had personality galore.

Still, the author kept me guessing on how this would end. Not in if there would be a HEA, it is a romance after all. But how it would all pan out and what would happen to the foster animals. The not knowing made this an intriguing read even if it was not a mystery story as such.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley.

Dakota Parker has had it with men. After she was left at the altar, she decided to give them up. After all chocolate and her rescue animals are what she needs. Bryce Grayson is in town to help his father after his accident. He's determined to convince him to move to Seattle where he can take care of him. Walt is happy here and he has a plan of his own. He wants his son to move to Montana. He'll play matchmaker. After all Dakota and Bryce are attracted to each other. Who will be the victor? Dakota is a sweet caring woman. I connected with her. Her dedication to her animals is heartwarming. I wanted her to find the love and happiness that she deserves. Bryce can be stubborn. I wanted to shake him and tell him to stop being selfish. It made me smile to see how Dakota and the people of Marietta worked their magic and made him want to change his lifestyle. I loved A Thankful Heart. It was an uplifting story that made me feel good. What a perfect holiday treat. I always enjoy visiting Marietta and becoming part of a caring community. The Love At The Chocolate Shop Romance is as addictive as Sage's chocolates.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

4.5 stars!

It has dogs, chocolate and a great small town, set during the late fall, early winter months.... can a book be more perfect? (Answer is no by the way!)

I feel you are looking for a cute romance that isn't insta-love-y or to extremely overdone, if you want wonderful characters and lots of animal appearances and great chocolate references.... this book is perfect!

The writing is easy and nicely done, the story doesn't feel rushed or overdone or too cutesy but a true the same time it is such a wondeful romance story that focuses on more then just a love story between humans, but also the love story that pets can inspire between the animals and their owners.

This book was perfect for this time of the year as well, with all the cold weather mentioned and hot chocolate hints, felt perfect for how the weather is currently where I am.

If you want something easy and fast to read but something that you will not forget right away an der have a great time reading! Pick this up and enjoy it....

personally I think it would be best enjoyed with a big cup of hot chocolate and a cuddly pet but it will be lovely without as well.

Dakota works part time at the chocolate shop in Marietta , Montana and work as finding homes for animals at the local shelter. Bryce came to Marietta to help his father who finds a way to introduce these two who find a pathway together with the cute dog stories. This is book 2 in the chocolate shop series with a delightful addition to the Marietta, Montana inhabitants and touches this reader's heart in this season of thanksgiving and giving.

Ebook from Netgalley and publishers with thanks.

Dakota has had her heart knocked around more than enough and even though she gets involved with Bryce with the full knowledge that it is going to be short-lived, she did not expect to lose her heart once again. Even though he's horrible to her at first Bryce learns to unclench long enough to appreciate all that Dakota has to offer albeit temporarily. In all honesty, Bryce is a real douche! But he's reformable as you will see as the story progresses so I'll let him off the hook.

By the way, is it just me or is it a coincidence that all the male leads in this series are not chocolate lovers? How sad for them.

Second in the Love At The Chocolate Shop series from Montana Born Books, A Thankful Heart is another heartwarming, sweet romance from Melissa McGlone.
Dakota is one of those people who truly cares about others, though she's easily hurt too and being dumped at the alter on her wedding day has understandably made her a little distrustful of men. Bryce does little to change her opinion of men after being downright rude to her when they first meet in the chocolate shop. Frankly, I felt a bit lukewarm about Bryce for a large chunk of the book. He swings from being a self-centred man who wants the world arranged to suit him to being a nice, genuine and caring man. His father, on the other hand, is just plain lovely. No wonder he has so many people caring for him! I thoroughly enjoyed this story. There's something about a story filled with dogs that calls to me and this one has dogs aplenty. I liked the way the animals were involved in getting Bryce to unwind, relax and learn to love both the little town of Marietta and Dakota, a girl with a truly thankful heart.

This was my first full on romance novel (the genre just isn't something I went out of my way to read), once I got over my initial shock, with the fact that I've already been approved for the ARC, I figured there's always a first time for everything, might as well just take a leap of faith. My hopes of for the proportion of the following elements were quickly dashed, however:
Chocolate 33%, Dogs 33%, Romance 34%.
Not even: Chocolate 30%, Dogs 30%, Romance 40%.

To me, the book is more like:
Chocolate 6%, Dogs 47%, Romance 47%.

Or
Chocolate 6%, Dogs 52%, Romance 42%.
(Looking at it this way makes me feel better lol)

And well, despite not being a chocolate fan myself, what attracted me to this book was in fact the false impression that our main gal Dakota is fully surrounded by both chocolate and dogs... While that remains true, the chocolate aspect was basically brushed aside and the sole focus was her volunteering job, which is in no way bad and is honestly quite refreshing, though just wasn't what I expected to read.

At first, nothing really stood out; everything felt very generic, not even the chocolate description was particularly memorable; to me, it felt like the author was trying to build an atmosphere, but I wasn't sold. I scoffed when our main girl Dakota was mentally drooling over our main guy Bryce, but that was when the author made the first save (thank Gawd), for this dude apparently doesn't like chocolate, so at least that was some sort of twist. xP

Just like the chocolate shop, Bryce's work as an architect (initially) felt ungrounded, like some background info that we had to know but not exactly detailed enough to be believable. At that point I basically decided everything else was secondary and I should probably be prepared to just be wowed by how their relationship folds out, which wasn't looking good cuz Bryce was downright a dick in the beginning. Thankfully, around that time, the author made her second save, this time, personally, I think it makes the book worth checking out. Walt, Bryce's father, is a likable character, him and descriptions on volunteering at the rescue all but made this book enjoyable.

I'm not some expert with animals, but as an illustrator, I had the foresight to know it's probably beneficial for me to know how to properly draw animals, so I'd taken an animal anatomy class where we'd draw live animals that were brought in or we'd go to zoos and horse stables. During that semester, some of the guests who brought in animals would talk about what being at animal shelters and volunteering was like. Like I said, I may not be exactly familiar with the situation, nor do I have a personal experience of it, but I commend McClone's effort, for what Dakota does, really felt just like what I've heard.

I felt Dakota's passion and love; to me it was convincing. As for Bryce, he came to life during chapter 6. Dakota's "Victorian-only-on-the-outside" house was great, it was darn interesting! Unfortunately, it also became what made me feel this book "didn't reach its full potential."

Honestly, after focusing on Dakota's participation with volunteer work, I was actually enjoying the book and looking forward to what I'd be reading..... but it sort of felt rushed towards the end? Like seriously, while Bryce realized he said some truly horrible stuff and immediately worked on making up for his actions, it takes time for the damage to be healed, you know? And we didn't get that; we kind of just get, "well, at least he said sorry". Well, SORRY, that's NOT GOOD ENOGUH for what's supposed to be a romance novel! Again, that's just my opinion. I mean, what Bryce did to apologize was great, don't get me wrong; but hurt was done, and I just didn't feel we had a full closure. Bryce seems like a person with anger management issue, and he lashed out his frustration on Dakota a few times in the book; to me, he's more like someone on probation you know? Nowhere near a full on boyfriend if he's just gonna be unreasonably rude every time he was upset.

Sighs. All in all, this book isn't bad, but I really feel it could have been even better. Not sure if anything got changed in the actual published edition, and if I wasn't clear, I do enjoy enough for not minding reading a few more times!

Full review at:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1794506728

A man who wanted nothing more than move his father to Seattle and leave Marietta behind… A woman who loved animals and chocolates more than any man… An attraction that cannot be denied, yet their connection was doomed right from the start.

Ahh, I love a great story that involves dogs and chocolates and city men wearing cowboy suits. A Thankful Heart is a very nice and heartwarming story about two people who do not want the same things in life but are bound to fall in love and break each other’s heart. Dakota is my muse, I love her relationship with the people of Marietta and the animals she help protect and shelter. Plus, she works in a chocolate shop! I’d gladly trade places with her anytime. Bryce, on the other hand, isn’t a book-boyfriend material to me, coz boy, he could be stubborn and selfish and annoying.

But I am thankful to Melissa McClone for this another beautiful story that made me crave for my happy foods and made my heart grin like a dog’s. This is a highly recommended afternoon read!

A Thankful Heart is the second book in the Love at the Chocolate Shop series. It is a serious step up from the first book which I struggled with. Dakota and Bryce are characters I could mostly get into and the strong relationships really made this book.

Dakota is mostly happy with her job at the chocolate shop and with her volunteering. Sure, she's been hurt before but it's not front and center for her. She's doing what she loves and that's what really matters.

Enter Bryce. He's got more emotional baggage than Dakota but not in a romantic sense. His baggage comes in the form of family. He's a city boy, just trying to get his Dad to move to Seattle. He doesn't have time for romance or dogs.

But in the end, the magic of Marietta (and love) win the day. This is not an angsty book, nor is it fraught with struggles. It's a book about everyday love - the kind with ups and downs and making things work. It doesn't have or need a lot of emotional drama as Dakota and Bryce slip into each others' lives and hearts with a simple grace.