Review: Could be much improved.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 12 31, 2013
I finished the book, not because I loved it and couldn't wait to see what happened, but rather because I'd started it and have a hard time putting down a book and saying "I just can't do it.  I can't finish this."  I kept hoping it would get better.  It didn't.First of all, this is not a cookbook with chocolate recipes.  It's a murder mystery.  I found myself wishing, quite often throughout the book, that it was indeed a cookbook instead.  The only things that really pulled me in were the author's descriptions of all the food.  The chocolate sculptures and such.  She must have worked in the field before trying her hand at writing.  If not, she should have.  I'm betting she'd be quite good at it.Part of what kept me from really getting into the book was the lack of a good editor.  I can find myself lost in a story, feeling that I'm actually there, but then bad grammar or spelling will jarr me completely back out of the story.  Another is that I didn't find one character that I cared about.  Everybody keeps telling the main character to leave things alone, and her boyfriend is a cop who's handling the investigation, and even he keeps telling her not to get involved.  I found myself very often actually annoyed with her and saying out loud to leave it alone.  I couldn't agree with her reasons for not doing so.  My annoyance level kept growing and I wanted to put the book down but forced myself to keep going.We're introduced to one of the characters early on, who is supposedly a really nice person.  However, not long into the book, when he says something to the main character, he growls the words.  And ever single time that I can recall him talking at all after that, he growls the words.  I think a thesaurus would have done wonders.Instead of the main character figuring out how the murders were pulled off, the villain tells her.  It's that classic "Well, there's no way you can get away now, so I'll go ahead and tell you before I kill you" thing.  Seriously?  Come on.  The story would have been much better if the main character had finally figured out who the villain was and then how it was done, instead of being surprised by who it was and having the villain tell her how it was done.  If you're not smart enough to figure it out lady, then you should be taking the advice of every other character in the book and stay out of it.There is one good thing about the book.  A recipe at the end, after the story is over.  I haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure it's going to be good.  As it is, the book could be much improved.  I don't consider it worth paying money for.