Customer Reviews

Sweet Success

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I loved the heroine in this sweet romance novel. She was sweet but not sugary sweet. She wasn't real sure of what she wanted in life and she had messed up in the past at finding a great guy. I loved how she wouldn't let the hero come in and run her life for her even though he tried to several times. It was a great romance!

In SWEET SUCCESS, Alison Thomas, daughter of a beautiful, though eccentric, aging screen star, is trying to show that she can make it on her own. So she learns how to make unique desserts and opens, without assistance from Mother, Decadent Dlights, a chocolate lover's eating paradise. But Ali's a soft-shoulder, a sucker for any animal or any person who needs rescuing. This has caused varying degrees of success and failure in her personal life.

In walks Matt Baker, a newly arrived handyman who keeps to himself. He's antisocial, but his work is good. Yet there's something about thim that indicates he has problems and he needs rescuing. Of course, this situation intrigues Ali and she's determined to find him out, then help him out.

In addition to the emotional roller coasters within and between the two main characters, Ali's mother and Miss Sylvie are a story and a riot, by themslelves. SWEET SUCCESS, a modern-day romance, is well worth the read.

At thirty, all that Allison Thomas can claim is a gourmet chocolate shop and a cat, even if she is a great rescuer of people and pets. Further, she's not sure which is worse, her mother's frequent desire for grandchildren speech or the makeover speech. When the new handyman Matt Baker shows up to install shelves in her shop, he's not terribly amused by either Allison or her mother. Then he learns that Ali's food is more than sustenance, it's an experience. A single truffle leads to his downfall as Matt sees Ali handling challenges the same way she handles chocolate-delicately but with command.

Ali tells Matt that he doesn't eat her food, doesn't talk much, and doesn't play well with others. When she offers him food twice in one day, Matt simply pegs her for a meddler. But then, Matt's a mass of contradictions. Well spoken and well educated, Matt's something of a mystery. He carefully keeps to himself; worried Ali might learn his secrets. Despite that fact that he doesn't want rescuing, Matt finds himself falling into a comfortable routine as he becomes part of Ali's small town. Too bad he believes that there's no way to make peace with what he's done.

Author Susan Mallery brings her customary verve to SWEET SUCCESS. She sweetly captures the contradictions of living in a delightful microcosm of life: small town mentality, cosmopolitan troubles, and a cast of characters straight from everyone's backyard. In addition to zany primary characters, the secondary characters are a riot, especially the flawless, perfectly coifed mother who has a rather large pig as pet - a pig that likes a treat with her morning coffee. The kind of mother, that is, that flat out declares to Matt, "You're not happy material," after confiding secrets of her love life from thirty years before. Rick, Ali's gay brother is also great for a load of laughs and quaint observations. A lovely, light read guaranteed to bring the satisfaction of really great chocolate, Mallery's latest offering is a SWEET SUCCESS. Very highly recommended.

I wasn't sure at first if I was going to like the book, but as you get to know the characters it grows on you and by the end you say "I really enjoyed that" it is alittle pat at the end, but then again it is fiction. I will definately try another from this author.

If you like Jane Ann Krentz, then this is the book for you. In fact, if I hadn't looked at the cover, I would have assumed that she wrote it. Strong, silent, almost overly-hardened hero meets generous, funny, and quirky heroine with an eccentric family. She falls for him, and hopes that she can break through the tough shell to the gentle man underneath. Sound familiar?
Still, despite the obvious connection this is a cute book. Ali is a fun character. Her chocolate shop, complete with midnight runs to the local heath spa for the junkies, is a perfect setting. The minor characters are mildly interesting, especially Charlotte Elizabeth and Miss Sophie. A light and entertaining read that won't keep you in suspense.

That's it, just sweet.

Ali Thomas is a movie star's "million dollar baby," having caused her mother to break a movie contract to have her. Ali has spent all her life feeling guilty about this. She strives to succeed at something and finally finds it in a candy business, Decadent Delights. She needs a handyman and finds him in the form of Matt Baker, a skinny, haunted man who won't talk about himself. But Ali has reawakened his appetite for food...and for life. Now he has ideas to improve her business, but first he must face his past. Here the magic is in the details. The main characters feel like people you know, and the secondary characters are fantastic, especially Ali's dramatic, matchmaking, meddling mother and her pet pig. Poignant and hilarious by turns, this one's a real winner.

I had almost passed this novel by when I read the small blurb at the top of the cover - "an irrestible novel of love and chocolate." Well, I was hooked, and delightfully so.

This is a delicious novel filled with sweet milk-chocolate romance between the heroine and her prince-charming, a little dark chocolate suspense in the form of the past life he is running from, a touch of bittersweet chocolate manipulating in the former of the heroine's noisy mother and, of course, a whole lot of warm, wonderful chocolate.

Sweet Success is the perfect book for summer time reading, or just when you have those incredible chocolate cravings. Three cheers for Susan Mallery! Now, when does she dish up her next novel? I can't wait.

Sharon Galligar Chance, Times Record News

Allison Thomas is the sweetheart of Santa Magdelana, California. The owner of a shop whose chocolates outshine the Grande Dame of decadent chocolate indulgences, Allison has a soft heart for anyone a bit down on their luck and clients of the local spa, to whom she 'smuggles' chocolates on a regular basis. Her track record with men, however, is wretched, a fact that piques her mother no end, as Charlotte Elizabeth Thomas wants grandchildren and since her son, Rick, is gay, Allison is her only hope, which she continually reminds her daughter. Into her life walks handyman, Matt Baker, and from the first, Allison senses there is much more to Matt than meets the eye. But Matt refuses to answer questions, preferring to do his work then retire to his room by himself.

Little by little, Matt's story emerges as he begins to open up, aided by Allison's caring nature. We learn he's done things he's not proud of, that he turned his back on people and walked away, and has been punishing himself ever since. I, for one, did not find his 'running away' as heinous as other readers have. Yes, it was drastic and most likely not the best way to deal with his problems, but as I learned more about Matt and his history, the more my heart ached for him. Allison, on the other hand, fears she's falling again for Mr. Oh-So-Wrong. How could she possibly love a man about whom she knew so little?

Ms. Mallery puts her characters through their paces as they share their feelings about their dysfunctional families, their pasts and their business methodologies - - and falling in love. In the end, both will need to examine their lives and decide if the sacrifices they must make are worth it.

A couple of things bothered me: No matter how heated the moment gets, I want my hero and heroine to protect themselves-especially in this day and age. Matt and Allison engaged in several, "What on earth were they thinking?" moments. Also, Matt is the sort of guy who needs to 'fix' things, which didn't amuse Allison in the least. The fact that Matt, after admitting his background in business, continued to insist she change her way of operating her business, annoyed Allison and me. In her words, "This isn't about business, it's about life. I'm not interested in making more money. It's about having a dream and bringing it to reality." For someone as firmly grounded in this way of thinking as Matt was, I didn't see him changing any time soon. The saving grace here is that Allison has a steel backbone.

A great cast of secondary characters, of which a porker by the name of Miss Sylvie plays a starring role, rounds out this tale of discovery, sacrifice, and the true meaning of love.

Sweet Success is one little sweet story. It's one of those books where you just feel good after reading it. Allison "Ali" Thomas is turning thirty. She is a free spirit who wants to make the world a better place by feeding them chocolate. Ali owns her own business, is the daughter of one of the world's most beautiful actresses, and has a tendency to take in any stray, animal or human.

Matt Baker is a man hiding his past. He wanders into Santa Magdelana and ends up working as a handy man. One of his first jobs is to help Ali remodel her shop. Now Matt wants nothing more than for the world to leave him alone. What he doesn't bargain for is Ali's inborn instinct to take care of anything that appears to be wounded. If she's not tempting him with chocolate, she's tempting him with her warmth and understanding.

Sweet Success is just what it appears to be. I have to admit I almost lost interest the first part of the story. I thought it was going to be another one of those "poor tortured hero" stories where the "free spirited heroine" charms him out of his misery and they live happily ever after. Wrong! Susan Mallery has written a good story with fabulous secondary characters. While most of the reviews I've seen really like the character of Ali's mom and her pet pig, I found myself liking Ali's stepbrother Rick. If you want a story that will make you feel satisfied and content when you finish it, Sweet Success if for you.