Review: Heroine is a piece of work
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 08 5, 2012
CHOCOLATE KISSES by Judith Arnold (a novella)CHOCOLATE KISSES is a short story originally released in the anthology My Valentine.  With the advent of the e-reader revolution, many authors are re-releasing their older stories in ebook format.  Chocolate Kisses is the re-release by Judith ArnoldClaudia Mulcahey was trying to make ends meet.  As a caterer, she was about to embark on one of her most important jobs, when a man on a bicycle causes the van in which she was driving to skid on the icy roads, knocking the supplies and food for tonight's extravaganza, all over the catering van. Angry and close to tears, Claudia takes her frustrations out on the man she blames for the near fatal accident.  Only this man is the brother of the woman hosting the coming-out cotillion for her daughter. And he is one of the wealthiest heirs in the country.John Edward "Ned" Wyatt couldn't believe that the woman who just about ran him off the road, is the woman of his dreams.  Believing in love at first sight, Ned agrees to assist Claudia with the clean up and offers to help with the food preparations for the party.  But once he tastes one of her `chocolate kisses' all bets are off, and Ned hopes to pursue Claudia for more than just a one-night stand.Claudia is an angry young woman. Judgmental and discriminatory, Claudia refuses to acknowledge Ned and his attempts to apologize and help, claiming that because he is from money, he must be patronizing the catering help.  To be honest, throughout the storyline, I was hoping Ned would have pushed one of the many fallen cakes into the woman's face-she was mean, condescending and downright irritating.  To complicate matters, the cooks and kitchen help, as well as Ned's sister had a problem with Claudia from the start.  Claudia was obviously frustrated and on edge, especially when all her attempts at perfection were tossed on the floor of the van, but frustration aside, I would have walked away and left her on her own.The storyline takes place over a period of approximately 15 hours.  In the morning, Claudia is getting ready to cater one of the most extravagant affairs in the county and by midnight, she is engaged to one of the richest men around.  The story is definitely a work of fiction with a HEA, but the character of Claudia is so frustratingly obnoxious I really don't know how to rate the review.  The writing is simple, the characters are not complex, but if you want something to fill in the time, then CHOCOLATE KISSES might be something to read during your lunch break.see all of my reviews at :thereadingcafe.com