The Chocolate Touch

by Melissa McClone

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Chocolate expert Chantelle Cummings arrives in Marietta, Montana with two goals—sign copies of her new book and research a quaint local chocolate shop. When she meets a gorgeous guy passing out chocolate samples, her visit turns sweeter than she ever imagined. The man melts her heart, but her dream of working in France with her family makes her hesitant to pursue a romance. Former Air Force captain York Parker has one month before embarking upon a consulting career. He never expected to be selling chocolates, but he’s happy to help his sister and her boss. He also likes spending time with sassy, pretty Chantelle. His new coworker may have the chocolate touch, but he’d rather taste her decadent kisses… until he learns the real reason she’s in town. Will the truth harden his heart, or will love pave the way to a sweet future?

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Book Details

Genre

Contemporary Romance

Subgenre

Small Town

Series

Love at the Chocolate Shop • Book 8

Audience

Adult

Bell Peppers

🫑

Profanity

1 None

Violence

1 None

Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco

1 None

Publication Date

May 5, 2025

Language Versions

English

Fiction Form

Novel

About the Author

With a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, Melissa McClone worked for a major airline where she traveled the globe and met her husband. But analyzing jet engine performance couldn’t compete with her love of writing happily ever afters. She’s now a USA Today Bestselling author and has also been nominated for Romance Writers of America’s RITA® award. Melissa lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three children, a spoiled Norwegian Elkhound, and cats who think they rule the house. They do!

A sweet romance with a touch of mystery!

This is a story where chocolate, secrets and dreams all play significant roles. Take one chocolatier author promoting her latest book, send her to Marietta where there’s an amazing Chocolate shop, add in her family’s firm and her dreams then mix together with a potential love interest and you’ve got yourself a really sweet romance!Chantelle Cummins is the author who is seriously attracted to the hunk handing out chocolate samples at her book signing. The man in question is York Parker - readers of this series may remember his sisters Dakota and Nevada from previous stories. He’s an ex-Air Force captain who is soon to start a new career but is helping out his sister first. The attraction between Chantelle and York is passionate, hot yet sweet but once the hidden agenda behind her visit is revealed will their love melt away or prove strong enough to ensure a tasty future ahead for them?This is another great series written by different authors based, this time, on the Chocolate Shop. It is a light, easy read with enough intrigue to keep the reader entertained and engaged. A delightful story to read relaxing on the beach or curled up in front of the fire - whatever is appropriate for the season!I requested and was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion after choosing to read it.

The Chocolate Touch

A very intricate storyline and the characters were very intense. The feelings portrayed by the main characters were very believable with their own backgrounds. How you wove their story was very special and complicated with a great ending. Really enjoyed this story.

The Chocolate Touch

Yet another great addition to the Love at the Chocolate Shop series.Chantelle is in town for a book signing, and to do some research on Sage's chocolate shop for her uncle, a well-known chocolatier in France. York is in town to spend time with his sisters after leaving the Air Force and before starting his next career. They end up in close proximity due to York filling in at the chocolate shop for a vacationing employee, and then when Portia ends up in the hospital, Chantelle fills in as well.I love all of the characters. Everyone was so likable. I really wish Marietta was a real town I could visit. I would be a regular at the chocolate shop for sure.

Like a chocolate truffle

Like a chocolate truffle, you'll want to savor this sweet story. Starting with the meet cute, the journey of romance is laden with flavor until a little pinch of pain leads to a misunderstanding seen as subterfuge, mix in forgiveness, a dash of family bonds, and a whole lot of love. A must read romance!

Chocolate, Secrets and Love

While this was another sweet and enjoyable trip to Marietta’s chocolate shop, I found it okay rather than amazing. The characters are nice, it’s always great to be back in Marietta, but the plot itself never quite took off like I’d hoped.We’ve already met York’s sisters – Dakota and Nevada – in earlier books from this series, so it was nice to catch up with big brother and see his caring role in action. He’s protective without being suffocating and genuinely cares for the people in his life. He’s nice.Chantelle is also nice, building a reputation for herself and gaining experience in the chocolate industry with the hopes of working for her family one day soon. Her need for family and to belong made her sympathetic, but at the same time her complete failure to see that hiding her name was a bad thing didn’t make me like her much. I also expected something more to come from her family. It seemed like such an important part of everything all the way through that by the end I felt a bit disappointed.So overall I found this okay. It’s a light, easy read that’s enjoyable enough, but didn’t leave much of an impression on me. If you like Marietta and this series in particular, then you’ll probably enjoy this. It’s undemanding if a little underwhelming, but sometimes that’s all a good read needs.(ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.)