Chocolicious
by Geraldine Solon
Review

CHOCOLICIOUS

A week after Blair Nightingale’s husband, Larry, dies, she learns she’s about to lose everything she owns due to a foolish mistake Larry made.

In an instant, Blair’s life is transformed from rich, Silicon Valley trophy wife to poor, widowed single mom.

Her only goal now is to provide for her daughter.

As Blair begins to pick up the pieces, George—Larry’s best friend and the man she truly resents—seems to always be around.

When Blair is overwhelmed by all the challenges she faces, she seeks comfort in baking rich, filled, three-layered chocolate cupcakes that her grandmother once taught her, and soon Blair’s life is changed forever.

GERALDINE SOLON

Geraldine, who grew up in the Philippines, wrote poems, essays and short stories and often daydreamed in class instead of paying attention to her teachers. While she set her childhood hobby aside to focus on other ventures, Geraldine found that writing stories provided her true solace and calmed her restless nature.

“I’ve always been a firm believer that love conquers all and that every woman’s experience is a story in itself. Life is a never-ending journey and my imagination and experiences have inspired me to write powerful stories. Although my books are fiction, my goal is to offer compelling lessons about life and love. The message I wish to convey to my readers is that despite the many challenges we face in this world, we must have hope and faith. Overall, it is love that binds us together”

REVIEW

“A fantastic emotional rollercoaster, that leaves you with a renewed sense of faith in people”

If I thought that Geraldine’s debut novel Love Letters was great, then Chocolicious has gone one better, in all ways.

Geraldine has improved in all aspects of her authorship. The writing itself flows more easily, the storyline is more fluid with the characters coming to life and being more animated, to the point where you are completely consumed by them and start to think of them as real people.

As for that very decadent cover art… well! we have already had quite enough discussion about the impact which that CHOCOLATE cupcake, has had on us all!! Needless to say, the cover artist deserves a big thumbs up for creating something which is sure to attract attention and a positive reaction.

Chocolicious is the end of a tumultuous time for Blair, George and baby Rebecca, but their story is more one of the journey, rather than the beginning or end.

Be warned that there are a couple of  sex scenes in the book, but nothing too lengthy or graphic.

This captivating story encompasses just about every emotion there is, as Blair sets out on her journey to discover the person she was really always destined to be.

I was with her every step of the way, from her determination to leave her small town roots and family behind her, to her loneliness and despair when she realises that money can’t buy you happiness or true friends. The sadness and sense of loss when her husband dies leaving her broken and vulnerable, to the hopelessness and despair of losing everything, and the humiliation of the circumstances surrounding her financial and social ruin.

Her baby daughter Rebecca, is the one shining beacon of hope and light in Blair’s life, but even this is tinged with resentment, when it is Frank’s best friend George who is there at her birth and who sets out to be her rock and a shoulder to cry on in her time of need.

Blair somehow summons the strength to begin rebuilding a life for herself and Rebecca, but finds her efforts thwarted at every turn, making her realise just how dependent she had become on Frank and how unprepared she is to survive as  her own person and make her way in the world she has chosen to belong to.

Inspiring and powerful advice from another unexpected source, shows Blair that she is not alone in her dilemma and that every one of us has our own problems and demons to challenge and confront; that she should accept any help sincerely offered to her and that she should follow her heart to find her path to true happiness, are the words of wisdom that she really needed to hear.

Slowly, Blair realises that family is an important part of her life and that giving Rebecca the stability of a secure homelife, far outweighs any thoughts she may have once had of giving her daughter the ‘choices and options’, that she felt would only be available in city living.

George is there, every step of the way, until finally he sees Blair soften towards him and little by little a grudging friendship is replaced by a loving relationship that shows Blair what true romance can be like, when it is nurtured and honestly given, although George too has his own secrets and demons to confront…..

Life deals Blair one more, almost fatal blow, but she has learnt that forgiveness in its many guises, is the elusive key to her happiness. That and her Nana’s famous recipe for 3 layered chocolate cupcakes and other delicious ‘chocolatey’ desserts, which sees herself and her sister re-united and with their mutual support and that of their partners, strong and confident enough to take on the world, as ‘CHOCOLICIOUS’!!

A well deserved 4 out of 5 for this one.

This book was a review copy, sent to me by the author, Geraldine Solon, and as such, was free of charge.

This in no way influenced any comments I may have expressed about the book, in any review I may have compiled. Any thoughts or comments are my own personal opinion and I am in no way being monetarily compensated for this review.

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