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Chocolate Wishes
Life is sweet for chocolate maker Chloe Lyon! In the picture-perfect Lancashire village of Sticklepond, Confectioner Chloe dispenses inspirational sweet treats containing a prediction for each customer. If only her own life was as easy to forecast - perhaps Chloe could have foreseen being jilted at the altar! But when a new Vicar arrives in the village, the rumour mill goes into overdrive. Not only is Raffy Sinclair the charismatic ex-front man of rock band 'Mortal Ruin', he's also Chloe's first love and the man who broke her heart. Try as she might, Chloe can't ignore this blast from her past. Could now be the time for her to make a wish - and dare to believe it can come true? A charming novel for chocoholics everywhere, perfect for fans of Katie Fforde, Jill Mansell and Carole Matthews.
376 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
258 people are currently reading
2514 people want to read
About the author
Trisha Ashley
50 books1,094 followersTrisha Ashley is now a full-time novelist, but she has been known to work for stained glass makers and/or plumbers. She likes to paint, eat, drink, and read literary biographies. Her previous hobbies included getting divorced and packing to move. She claims to have once actually eaten Bronte burgers at the Branwell café, but her publisher declines to verify this. She lives in North Wales.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 275 reviews
March 22, 2012
I really wasn't impressed by this book. With the main subjects being love, magic and chocolate, I thought that this would be a nice, easy chick-lit book that I'd be able to get through easily. However, I found the writing pretty annoying with complete overuse of the exclamation mark (it REALLY stared to annoy me). It didn't really interest me at any point and for the most part of the book nothing of importance really seemed to happen. This certainly isn't a book that I'd want read again or recommend. A great disappointment.
July 25, 2013
I like Trisha Ashley.
I like her capable, tireless, domestic heroines. I like her detailed descriptions of their cleaning / cooking / gardening / chocolate making skills (delete as appropriate for book under discussion.) I love her cosy rural settings with just the right amount of weirdness going on in the background. I even like her brooding yet loveable heroes although I'm not entirely sure I read these books for the romance.
I am aware that by concentrating so firmly on the domestic side of life, Ms Ashley may come under fire for a certain lack of progressive feminism. But when so much chick lit involves ditzy, stupid girls doing ditzy stupid things, it makes a nice change to read about capable, grown up women.
It also no doubt is a reflection on the way that my life has changed as I've progressed through to my late thirties. Ten years ago when I was living a generally more glamorous life, reading about cocktails, parties and shoes wasn't quite so annoying. Two kids later and my life is a constant round of cleaning, cooking and caring, with a job somewhere in the middle to keep me on my toes. It does at times feel less than fufilling, especially as I am not exactly good at the more domestic pursuits. So reading about women who are not only good at them but enjoy them is weirdly comforting.
I think its a bit like Georgette Heyer (mentioned in this book as the heroines favourite author - another tick for me.) Even when I was younger, I gravitated towards the self possessed, sensible heroines rather than the young, silly ones. I very much enjoyed Kitty, Hero et al. But I looked up to Sophy, Annis and Frederica.
I also need to thank Ms Ashley for getting me through my recent readers block. Ive had a heap of DNFs lately due to one thing or another, so actually reading this through to the finish was quite a result.
I like her capable, tireless, domestic heroines. I like her detailed descriptions of their cleaning / cooking / gardening / chocolate making skills (delete as appropriate for book under discussion.) I love her cosy rural settings with just the right amount of weirdness going on in the background. I even like her brooding yet loveable heroes although I'm not entirely sure I read these books for the romance.
I am aware that by concentrating so firmly on the domestic side of life, Ms Ashley may come under fire for a certain lack of progressive feminism. But when so much chick lit involves ditzy, stupid girls doing ditzy stupid things, it makes a nice change to read about capable, grown up women.
It also no doubt is a reflection on the way that my life has changed as I've progressed through to my late thirties. Ten years ago when I was living a generally more glamorous life, reading about cocktails, parties and shoes wasn't quite so annoying. Two kids later and my life is a constant round of cleaning, cooking and caring, with a job somewhere in the middle to keep me on my toes. It does at times feel less than fufilling, especially as I am not exactly good at the more domestic pursuits. So reading about women who are not only good at them but enjoy them is weirdly comforting.
I think its a bit like Georgette Heyer (mentioned in this book as the heroines favourite author - another tick for me.) Even when I was younger, I gravitated towards the self possessed, sensible heroines rather than the young, silly ones. I very much enjoyed Kitty, Hero et al. But I looked up to Sophy, Annis and Frederica.
I also need to thank Ms Ashley for getting me through my recent readers block. Ive had a heap of DNFs lately due to one thing or another, so actually reading this through to the finish was quite a result.
September 15, 2015
This was a fun character story without a lot of surprises, but with enough charm to make it very enjoyable. Ashley does a good job with small-town British life, bringing both the central family and surrounding neighbors to life in a way that's organic and yet still serves the story.
This is only my second of her books, and already I sense a pattern. Witches and vicars and good friends and goofy families and solidly middle-aged women who think they're past their romance years. So far, those are merely common elements, though, and not really anything so rigid as a formula. And so far, I'm still eager for more. I think the key draw, for me, is that her heroines are so charming in their brave, yet understated way. They have gumption, even if they're used to burying it much of the time. And I like her way with past loves come calling in the most interesting ways.
Still, to be honest, there's not a lot that's ground-breaking, here. There's not a lot of drama and heartbreaks are pretty firmly in the past. And, as I said above, there aren't a lot of twists that you can't see coming miles away. Indeed, this was a solid 3.5 stars or so throughout. But I'm bumping to a four if only because I had such a hard time putting it down last night and stayed up way, way too late to finish it—to me, that's a sign I enjoyed it more than I want to let on (even to myself).
Oh! Plus bonus points for prominent mentions of my own favorite books and movies (including the marvelous Bride and Prejudice)...
This is only my second of her books, and already I sense a pattern. Witches and vicars and good friends and goofy families and solidly middle-aged women who think they're past their romance years. So far, those are merely common elements, though, and not really anything so rigid as a formula. And so far, I'm still eager for more. I think the key draw, for me, is that her heroines are so charming in their brave, yet understated way. They have gumption, even if they're used to burying it much of the time. And I like her way with past loves come calling in the most interesting ways.
Still, to be honest, there's not a lot that's ground-breaking, here. There's not a lot of drama and heartbreaks are pretty firmly in the past. And, as I said above, there aren't a lot of twists that you can't see coming miles away. Indeed, this was a solid 3.5 stars or so throughout. But I'm bumping to a four if only because I had such a hard time putting it down last night and stayed up way, way too late to finish it—to me, that's a sign I enjoyed it more than I want to let on (even to myself).
Oh! Plus bonus points for prominent mentions of my own favorite books and movies (including the marvelous Bride and Prejudice)...
December 17, 2014
Overall this was just an okay read for me, very predictable. I usually really love sweet light romances, however I found this story to be lacking a bit of personality. Don't get me wrong, this is a cute book, but it was just okay.
October 30, 2017
Fofinho :)
February 16, 2017
3.75 stars. A very charming story. Very English and a bit eccentric. It had a tendency to run on a bit & be slow but that was also part of its charm. Liked the main character of Chloe along with her friends Felix & Poppy. Filled with eccentric characters living in BBC type English village The story revolves around Chloe, her chocolate business, her eccentric pagan family & her past loves that includes the new vicar.
April 21, 2014
3.5 stars. This was a predictable semi-romance with chocolate-making overtones -- while most of the plot twists were rather telegraphed and obvious, it was still enjoyable, but there was never a sense of drama, or a story unfolding and building up, and to my mind, it moved along rather slowly, especially in the first half of the book.
September 30, 2022
Não consegui dar mais.
Um livro sem emoção, com personagens sem graça. Acabei porque não sou de deixar livros a meio e estive sempre na esperança que o capítulo seguinte desse uma reviravolta na estória.
Para quem gosta de livros leves, que não seja precisa grande concentração, é o ideal.
Para mim não funcionou.
Um livro sem emoção, com personagens sem graça. Acabei porque não sou de deixar livros a meio e estive sempre na esperança que o capítulo seguinte desse uma reviravolta na estória.
Para quem gosta de livros leves, que não seja precisa grande concentração, é o ideal.
Para mim não funcionou.
December 20, 2014
Love this book.
The writing is amazing, the plot is great and the characters are awesome.
The writing was very flowing so it was a quick read and it's mistly light-hearted and I found myself laughing aloud at most of it.
Was really drawn in by this story, although it has alot of things going on in it, it really ties in nice and snugly and flows well.
A great book to read at any time of year, great if you need a little pick-me-up and also helped me get out of a bit of a reading slump.
Would highly recommend for anyone :D
The writing is amazing, the plot is great and the characters are awesome.
The writing was very flowing so it was a quick read and it's mistly light-hearted and I found myself laughing aloud at most of it.
Was really drawn in by this story, although it has alot of things going on in it, it really ties in nice and snugly and flows well.
A great book to read at any time of year, great if you need a little pick-me-up and also helped me get out of a bit of a reading slump.
Would highly recommend for anyone :D
August 21, 2010
Chocolate, Love and Magic, who could ask for more!
February 26, 2010
Chocolate maker Chloe Lyon has recently moved to Sticklepond along with her grandfather Grumps, brother Jake and Zillah, her Grandmother’s cousin. Her business Chocolate Wishes is going from strength to strength and the only part of Chloe’s life that isn’t perfect is her love life. Her heart was broken as a teenager by Raffy Sinclair, who went on to become a huge rock star, and then years later, Chloe found herself being jilted practically at the altar. However, when a new vicar arrives in town, it seems as if Chloe’s life is about to get a little bit more difficult because the vicar is none other than Raffy Sinclair. Is Raffy still the same Raffy who broke Chloe’s heart, or is it possible that he’s changed? Better yet, is Chloe even over Raffy’s betrayal?
Until last year I’d never actually heard of Trisha Ashley until I was offered the chance to read her last book Wedding Tiers. I found myself thoroughly enjoying the book and when I heard the synosis for her 2010 release, Chocolate Wishes, I became even more excited; a book about chocolate is always going to win me over, I’m afraid. I eagerly awaited it’s release and was pleased to receive a copy a few weeks ago in my mailbox! I was reading something at the time but knew I was going to start it as soon as I had finished with the book I was reading.
As well as telling the tale of a chocolate maker the plot also has lots of other strands. Namely magical-type strands. I am in no way interested in paganism or witchcraft or anything of the sort – in fact, the whole thing boggles my mind – so when we first learn of Chloe’s grandfather’s beliefs, I was very worried. I have no idea, even after reading the book, what on Earth it is that Chloe’s grandfather believes in. I am in no way religious so everything relating to paganism and witchcraft went right over my head. Even less interesting to me was Chloe’s interest in angel cards, tarots cards and things like that. Again, that is something I am totally disinterested in and I can’t say I totally believe in the entire card reading thing. To my dues, I read the book with as much open-mindedness as possible, and I must say that Ashley did offer an interesting perspective on everything but as I said above, it all just went above my head.
One thing I did really enjoy was the chocolate making part of the plot. I’ve never read a book that has it’s heroine as a chocolate maker and it sounds like a fascinating process. Trisha Ashley must have really done her research on the art of chocolate making and she made it sound fantastic. All of the pages that involved chocolate making held my attention beautifully and I must admit that, when reading the back of the book, I thought that was all the plot would have to offer. As far as my ignorance towards religion goes, that wouldn’t have been a bad thing for me.
Another huge plus point about the book for me was the friendship between Chloe, Poppy and Felix. It was a hugely believeable friendship and I could totally see why Felix seemed to be besotted with Chloe. Like Chloe, though, I thought Felix and Poppy would be perfect together and wondered if they would ever realise they were made for each other. All three friends were immensely likeable and Chloe as our lead character sounds like the kind of person you would want to be friends with. In fact, all three of them would make some pretty fantastic friends. I really liked Chloe’s brother Jake, too, whom she brought up single-handedly as their mother was really quite flighty and was rarely around for the two of them. Even though their religious beliefs confused me, I did quite like Grumps and Zillah. They were both a bit wacky and had entirely different views on things but they were still great characters. I don’t really know what I made of Raffy, the man who broke Chloe’s heart when she was a teenager, and came back into her life when he became Sticklepond’s new vicar. I am not in any way religious so whenever a book includes someone who is a slave to God I never really know what to make of him/her. I appreciated Raffy’s beliefs and I know religion is important to some people but it’s not something I particularly like reading about.
I liked returning to Sticklepond and I like how Ashley keeps all of her characters in or around the same village. Christina Jones also does this and I always marvel at how they manage to weave all of the characters stories together and manage to bring old characters back. As well as the plots mentioned above, the entire reason for the Lyons’ move to Sticklepond was so Grumps could open a museum. That opened up an old rivalry between Grumps and a man named Mann-Drake. Again my ignorance belies me and I have no idea what that rivalry was truly about. I can’t say I know how that particular rivalry ended as I found myself skipping the parts where paganism/witchcraft/etc was mentioned as I just couldn’t keep up with all of the different parts that I truly had no idea about.
I did enjoy Chocolate Wishes but I can’t rate it any higher than I have because of the simple fact that, for the most part, I was entirely confused. It may well show my ignorance toward religion and all of the different beliefs people have but if something doesn’t interest me, it doesn’t interest me and I’m not going to pretend to like it when I honestly don’t. Trisha has written another readable story but if religion isn’t your thing then I wouldn’t recommend you read it as, like me, you may find yourself confused. Those interested in paganism and witchcraft will undoubtedly love the book. For me, though, as much as I love Trisha’s books, Chocolate Wishes just wasn’t for me.
Until last year I’d never actually heard of Trisha Ashley until I was offered the chance to read her last book Wedding Tiers. I found myself thoroughly enjoying the book and when I heard the synosis for her 2010 release, Chocolate Wishes, I became even more excited; a book about chocolate is always going to win me over, I’m afraid. I eagerly awaited it’s release and was pleased to receive a copy a few weeks ago in my mailbox! I was reading something at the time but knew I was going to start it as soon as I had finished with the book I was reading.
As well as telling the tale of a chocolate maker the plot also has lots of other strands. Namely magical-type strands. I am in no way interested in paganism or witchcraft or anything of the sort – in fact, the whole thing boggles my mind – so when we first learn of Chloe’s grandfather’s beliefs, I was very worried. I have no idea, even after reading the book, what on Earth it is that Chloe’s grandfather believes in. I am in no way religious so everything relating to paganism and witchcraft went right over my head. Even less interesting to me was Chloe’s interest in angel cards, tarots cards and things like that. Again, that is something I am totally disinterested in and I can’t say I totally believe in the entire card reading thing. To my dues, I read the book with as much open-mindedness as possible, and I must say that Ashley did offer an interesting perspective on everything but as I said above, it all just went above my head.
One thing I did really enjoy was the chocolate making part of the plot. I’ve never read a book that has it’s heroine as a chocolate maker and it sounds like a fascinating process. Trisha Ashley must have really done her research on the art of chocolate making and she made it sound fantastic. All of the pages that involved chocolate making held my attention beautifully and I must admit that, when reading the back of the book, I thought that was all the plot would have to offer. As far as my ignorance towards religion goes, that wouldn’t have been a bad thing for me.
Another huge plus point about the book for me was the friendship between Chloe, Poppy and Felix. It was a hugely believeable friendship and I could totally see why Felix seemed to be besotted with Chloe. Like Chloe, though, I thought Felix and Poppy would be perfect together and wondered if they would ever realise they were made for each other. All three friends were immensely likeable and Chloe as our lead character sounds like the kind of person you would want to be friends with. In fact, all three of them would make some pretty fantastic friends. I really liked Chloe’s brother Jake, too, whom she brought up single-handedly as their mother was really quite flighty and was rarely around for the two of them. Even though their religious beliefs confused me, I did quite like Grumps and Zillah. They were both a bit wacky and had entirely different views on things but they were still great characters. I don’t really know what I made of Raffy, the man who broke Chloe’s heart when she was a teenager, and came back into her life when he became Sticklepond’s new vicar. I am not in any way religious so whenever a book includes someone who is a slave to God I never really know what to make of him/her. I appreciated Raffy’s beliefs and I know religion is important to some people but it’s not something I particularly like reading about.
I liked returning to Sticklepond and I like how Ashley keeps all of her characters in or around the same village. Christina Jones also does this and I always marvel at how they manage to weave all of the characters stories together and manage to bring old characters back. As well as the plots mentioned above, the entire reason for the Lyons’ move to Sticklepond was so Grumps could open a museum. That opened up an old rivalry between Grumps and a man named Mann-Drake. Again my ignorance belies me and I have no idea what that rivalry was truly about. I can’t say I know how that particular rivalry ended as I found myself skipping the parts where paganism/witchcraft/etc was mentioned as I just couldn’t keep up with all of the different parts that I truly had no idea about.
I did enjoy Chocolate Wishes but I can’t rate it any higher than I have because of the simple fact that, for the most part, I was entirely confused. It may well show my ignorance toward religion and all of the different beliefs people have but if something doesn’t interest me, it doesn’t interest me and I’m not going to pretend to like it when I honestly don’t. Trisha has written another readable story but if religion isn’t your thing then I wouldn’t recommend you read it as, like me, you may find yourself confused. Those interested in paganism and witchcraft will undoubtedly love the book. For me, though, as much as I love Trisha’s books, Chocolate Wishes just wasn’t for me.
March 11, 2021
Doce mas esperava muito mais.
November 17, 2021
Not this author's finest hour. The story drags and is mediocre. The narrative does not sparkle in the same way as her more recent books, and my kindle version contained painful errors.
Two and a half stars. Would I read it again? No.
Two and a half stars. Would I read it again? No.
August 2, 2024
3,5 Sterne
March 21, 2010
Chloe lives fairly quietly with her teenage brother, eccentric grandfather and aunt in a pretty Lancashire village. She makes gorgeous chocolate wishes in the shape of angels, acts a PA to her grandfather, goes to the pub with her two best friends and very little else! She’s been unlucky in love – jilted by her fiancé just before the wedding and in the dim distant past she was badly let down by Raffy, the love of her life, when she had to leave university to look after her brother. Chloe is getting on with things when Raffy unexpectedly reappears as the new vicar!
Chloe is an interesting heroine and although it seems a weak reason for her to be so hung on Raffy after all this time, it eventually becomes apparent that she has some justification for doing so. Felix and Poppy make stereotypically good friends and create a romantic subplot with a bit of help through love potions and magical chocolate. Jake the stroppy teenage brother who she has raised is interesting enough and prevents Chloe becoming a total sad no-life! I felt Raffy was actually a bit underwritten and could have been more interesting, he’s been a rock star, is obviously gorgeous (what else?) but then settles for a quiet rural life? I would have liked much more back story to make him fully developed. David, the jilting fiancé was suitably nasty and disagreeable and deserving of the rubbish dumped on him. The descriptions of making chocolate were great and gave me cravings to get down to Thornton’s asap!
The less likeable aspect was the whole pagan/ magic stuff didn’t really work for me – I know Ashley has used magical themes in her previous work, and I liked the links to A Winter’s Tale, which I loved! But the magical aspect just felt a bit contrived (it smacked of Christina Jones stuff and I was a bit disappointed by her last one too).
Anyway, it is snappily written but was just lacking something for me.
Chloe is an interesting heroine and although it seems a weak reason for her to be so hung on Raffy after all this time, it eventually becomes apparent that she has some justification for doing so. Felix and Poppy make stereotypically good friends and create a romantic subplot with a bit of help through love potions and magical chocolate. Jake the stroppy teenage brother who she has raised is interesting enough and prevents Chloe becoming a total sad no-life! I felt Raffy was actually a bit underwritten and could have been more interesting, he’s been a rock star, is obviously gorgeous (what else?) but then settles for a quiet rural life? I would have liked much more back story to make him fully developed. David, the jilting fiancé was suitably nasty and disagreeable and deserving of the rubbish dumped on him. The descriptions of making chocolate were great and gave me cravings to get down to Thornton’s asap!
The less likeable aspect was the whole pagan/ magic stuff didn’t really work for me – I know Ashley has used magical themes in her previous work, and I liked the links to A Winter’s Tale, which I loved! But the magical aspect just felt a bit contrived (it smacked of Christina Jones stuff and I was a bit disappointed by her last one too).
Anyway, it is snappily written but was just lacking something for me.
October 8, 2015
I just closed the book Chocolate Wishes by Trisha Ashley with a sad heart that it ended. This book brought me back to the village of Sticklepond after my first visit in her book A Winter's Tale.
Chloe has spent her life raising her little brother Jake. One Easter, she makes him chocolate Easter eggs bringing an idea to her mind of creating chocolate wishes. They are winged hearts with a message inside much like a fortune cookie. She has thrown herself into a thriving online chocolate business and left love behind her when her grandfather informs her that they will be moving to the village of Sticklepond where she will have her own cottage, walled garden and chocolate shop. Her grandfather and aunt will live in the house connected to the shop which is also a museum. Her grandfather is the famous author Gregory Warlock who is setting up a museum on witchcraft and pagan traditions.
Chloe's best friends Felix and Poppy live in the village so she falls into life there easily. Felix seems to see Chloe in a different light but, when ex-fiancee David shows up wanting to move to the area as well as an ex-pop star vicar who is a ghost of the past, Chloe might have a hard time keeping to her desire to live life as a single woman with a thriving business.
This story is a fun story about life, love and families. But in Trisha Ashley's style, the characters are brought to life in the pages of her books. You cannot help but be pulled in with characters such as Chloe, Felix, Raffy and Poppy or the Gothic loving brother Jake, eccentric grandfather Grumps or colorful aunt Zillah or imposing Hebe Winter. The villagers come to like in this wonderful story. I would recommend you first read A Winter's Tale as many of the characters are mentioned again in this book. But that being said, it could easily be read without the first book too.
Chloe has spent her life raising her little brother Jake. One Easter, she makes him chocolate Easter eggs bringing an idea to her mind of creating chocolate wishes. They are winged hearts with a message inside much like a fortune cookie. She has thrown herself into a thriving online chocolate business and left love behind her when her grandfather informs her that they will be moving to the village of Sticklepond where she will have her own cottage, walled garden and chocolate shop. Her grandfather and aunt will live in the house connected to the shop which is also a museum. Her grandfather is the famous author Gregory Warlock who is setting up a museum on witchcraft and pagan traditions.
Chloe's best friends Felix and Poppy live in the village so she falls into life there easily. Felix seems to see Chloe in a different light but, when ex-fiancee David shows up wanting to move to the area as well as an ex-pop star vicar who is a ghost of the past, Chloe might have a hard time keeping to her desire to live life as a single woman with a thriving business.
This story is a fun story about life, love and families. But in Trisha Ashley's style, the characters are brought to life in the pages of her books. You cannot help but be pulled in with characters such as Chloe, Felix, Raffy and Poppy or the Gothic loving brother Jake, eccentric grandfather Grumps or colorful aunt Zillah or imposing Hebe Winter. The villagers come to like in this wonderful story. I would recommend you first read A Winter's Tale as many of the characters are mentioned again in this book. But that being said, it could easily be read without the first book too.
April 22, 2011
Chocolate Wishes is a wonderfully warm book that has an addictive plot and very likeable characters.
Chloe lives with her grandfather and half-brother in the village of Sticklepond. Happy with her job as a chocolate maker, her life is suddenly turned upside down when the new Vicar arrives in the village. Finding out the new arrival is her ex boyfriend, Raffy, who she believed abandoned her for a music career, isn't the best news especially as she has unresolved feelings about her relationship. However, she finds that things aren't always what they seem.
I instantly fell into this story. It has a warm plot and it moves along gently but at a good pace that kept my attention to the point where I struggled to put the book down. Aside from making me crave chocolate (which isn't good for someone who is trying to watch her weight and needs no excuse to consume chocolate,) there is a funny, wonderful, charming feel throughout this story. I liked Chloe and Raffy and wanted to believe that they would sort things out by the end. There was also a nice balance of sub-plots involving other people in the village. I'm not saying any more as I don't want to give too much away. I recommend this book.
Chloe lives with her grandfather and half-brother in the village of Sticklepond. Happy with her job as a chocolate maker, her life is suddenly turned upside down when the new Vicar arrives in the village. Finding out the new arrival is her ex boyfriend, Raffy, who she believed abandoned her for a music career, isn't the best news especially as she has unresolved feelings about her relationship. However, she finds that things aren't always what they seem.
I instantly fell into this story. It has a warm plot and it moves along gently but at a good pace that kept my attention to the point where I struggled to put the book down. Aside from making me crave chocolate (which isn't good for someone who is trying to watch her weight and needs no excuse to consume chocolate,) there is a funny, wonderful, charming feel throughout this story. I liked Chloe and Raffy and wanted to believe that they would sort things out by the end. There was also a nice balance of sub-plots involving other people in the village. I'm not saying any more as I don't want to give too much away. I recommend this book.
December 29, 2014
... continuing my trend of finding smart, funny romances by authors who go on to disappoint. A lot.
But made lots of allowances for this one (the next doesn't get them!) because a) I listened to the audiobook and loved the narrator, so it was enjoyable for that, and b) I LOVED the relationship between Chloe and her brother (half-brother, really and virtually her adopted son).
On the other hand, I *hated* something that happens in other Ashley books, and was especially nasty here. Spoilers, though only being super-careful. And I may have to rant about it at some point.
But made lots of allowances for this one (the next doesn't get them!) because a) I listened to the audiobook and loved the narrator, so it was enjoyable for that, and b) I LOVED the relationship between Chloe and her brother (half-brother, really and virtually her adopted son).
On the other hand, I *hated* something that happens in other Ashley books, and was especially nasty here. Spoilers, though only being super-careful. And I may have to rant about it at some point.
November 3, 2022
Já tinha lido alguns livros desta autora e tinha gostado, mas com este livro a história simplesmente não me convenceu. Quando Chloe pensa que vai tudo correr bem até chegar o dia do seu casamento e la é abandonada no altar, no entanto Chloe dedica-se ao seu negócio dos chocolates com afinco. Tudo começa a mudar quando o novo vigário chega à cidade, e ele é nada mais nada menos do que um ex-namorado que foi cantor de uma banda de rock, como se isto tudo não fosse fácil de lidar, ainda tem de aturar com o seu ex-noivo novamente à perna. Era uma história que tinha tudo para dar certo, mas houve qualquer coisa que faltou para fazer a ligação.
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October 24, 2014
A bit of magic, lots of chocolate, and Chloe is having her life turned upside down once again as she makes the move to a new home in Sticklepond. There she meets up with her friends, Poppy and Felix. Added to that old loves show up announced and her life becomes more complicated. A cute romance, but it starts a bit slow;however, like fine chocolate, it is ultimately satisfying. This was the first I have read this author, but suspect it won't be the last.
March 16, 2016
A must read very easy going and enjoyable characters and you want to find out what happens next. Chloe lives with her brother and grandfather in a small village and Chloe is going along great with her chocolate wishes making and selling them on but only her love life isn't as simple. When a new vicar is moving to the area little does Chloe know that life will change forever as he's one of her lovers from university days and she never thought she would see him again. An enjoyable read.
April 15, 2011
The plot might be predictable, but the story is frothy and delicious and I loved it!
January 3, 2017
Slow reading and would have liked to have seen more of the magic. The characters were quite interesting, but could see ahead what would happen. Still I enjoyed the book.
May 31, 2020
Sorry but very disappointed in this book, felt like no real storyline. Wanted the book to end quickly which isn’t a good sign for me
March 22, 2020
Classificação: 3,5 Estrelas
Este foi o primeiro livro passado em Sticklepond e o único que ainda não tinha lido, mas felizmente, no início do ano consegui encontra-lo à venda, em segunda mão, pois está esgotado na editora.
Chloe faz e vende chocolates deliciosos e com mensagens inspiradoras, vive e cuida do seu irmão mais novo, não tem grande sorte no amor, e tem uma família algo peculiar, já que o seu avô é escritor e feiticeiro veia de "bruxo" e uma tia avó é cigana que lê o futuro nas cartas. E é precisamente o seu avô que lhe comunica que se vão mudar para Sticklepond, uma pitoresca vila, com habitantes peculiares e onde Chloe vai reencontrar dois amores antigos.
Parti para esta leitura com algumas expectativas, esperando ter uma leitura leve e divertida, no entanto, não foi tão prazeirosa como eu gostaria. Por um lado, senti que a autora andou a "engonhar" durante grande parte do livro. Eu até percebo, que sendo o primeiro livro, seja importante fazer as devidas introduções sobre quem é quem, ou os locais, mas mesmo assim, achei que foi demasiado. Também, e por gosto pessoal, não gostei da tentativa de triângulo amoroso. E apenas, já só a mais de metade do livro, é que senti finalmente a história a desenrolar e os nossos protagonistas a cruzarem-se, o que me pareceu demasiado tarde.
Ainda assim, foi uma leitura que gostei e posso-vos dizer que a vontade de comer chocolate foi ainda maior a ler o livro =D
Este foi o primeiro livro passado em Sticklepond e o único que ainda não tinha lido, mas felizmente, no início do ano consegui encontra-lo à venda, em segunda mão, pois está esgotado na editora.
Chloe faz e vende chocolates deliciosos e com mensagens inspiradoras, vive e cuida do seu irmão mais novo, não tem grande sorte no amor, e tem uma família algo peculiar, já que o seu avô é escritor e feiticeiro veia de "bruxo" e uma tia avó é cigana que lê o futuro nas cartas. E é precisamente o seu avô que lhe comunica que se vão mudar para Sticklepond, uma pitoresca vila, com habitantes peculiares e onde Chloe vai reencontrar dois amores antigos.
Parti para esta leitura com algumas expectativas, esperando ter uma leitura leve e divertida, no entanto, não foi tão prazeirosa como eu gostaria. Por um lado, senti que a autora andou a "engonhar" durante grande parte do livro. Eu até percebo, que sendo o primeiro livro, seja importante fazer as devidas introduções sobre quem é quem, ou os locais, mas mesmo assim, achei que foi demasiado. Também, e por gosto pessoal, não gostei da tentativa de triângulo amoroso. E apenas, já só a mais de metade do livro, é que senti finalmente a história a desenrolar e os nossos protagonistas a cruzarem-se, o que me pareceu demasiado tarde.
Ainda assim, foi uma leitura que gostei e posso-vos dizer que a vontade de comer chocolate foi ainda maior a ler o livro =D
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November 29, 2024DnF 11.29.24
Wanted to like it, but there was too much "real life" magic and mystical stuff for me. I'm all about fantasy books where it's clearly not real, but this had characters who truly believed in witchcraft and proclaimed to practice in it :(
Wanted to like it, but there was too much "real life" magic and mystical stuff for me. I'm all about fantasy books where it's clearly not real, but this had characters who truly believed in witchcraft and proclaimed to practice in it :(
October 24, 2018
opinião brevemente no blogue
August 3, 2024
2.5⭐️
February 12, 2025
Não sei bem como avaliar este livro.
Por um lado tem cenas divertidas e insólitas, por outro é bastante aborrecido.
Por um lado tem cenas divertidas e insólitas, por outro é bastante aborrecido.
June 3, 2011
I have two favourite things in life and that is a good book and a bar of chocolate! This is why I decided to pick up the book Chocolate Wishes by Trisha Ashley. The cover of the book is your typical style for a chick-lit book with a cosy little chocolate shop on the front with Chocolate Wishes in big pink writing so as you can tell this is hard to miss whilst looking for a book on the shelf. I had fallen in love with the book before I had started to read it and I had high expectations.
Plot
The book is based in Sticklepond which is a quaint little village in Lancashire. The main character is Chloe who makes chocolates which contain little prediction (wishes) inside of them. Since her Grandad Grumps gave her a charm to recite over the chocolate bath the chocolates seem to taste even better and have some side effects. The chocolates seem to be the only thing which is going right in Chloe's life as she has been left broken hearted by her university love Raffy Sinclair when he went off with his rock band never to return. Her mum has up and left her which has meant Chloe has had to bring up her brother. Life is never easy at home as she lives next to the museum which her Grumps and her Aunt are about to open. Her aunt is a tarot reader and can also read tea leaves and her Grumps is a warlock so life is never ordinary!
Chloe's life is all stirred up when a blast from the past turns up as the new vicar of the village!
Characters
Chloe who is our main character is a very warm and loveable character. She seems to be very down to earth which is a surprise considering how the rest of her family are. She seems to have a very loyal and caring personality and I think this is why I found throughout reading the book that I wanted things to turn around for her to give her some enjoyment in life.
Poppy and Felix were Chloe's best friends who have also been brought up around the same kind of family member as Chloe so they all feel more like brothers and sisters to read about than friends. The relationship between the three of them was lovely to read.
Grumps who is Chloe's Grandfather made for a very strange character to read about and I have to say I could not connect to him at all during the book. I do not feel like his character was needed in this book
My Opinion
Ok I am sorry but judging by previous reviews about this book I think I am going to upset the apple cart with my opinion on this review but let us all remember we all have different tastes.
I found it so hard to work through this book as I was so disappointed by the storyline. I have learnt one thing whilst reading this book and that is not to judge a book by its cover as this book is not all about chocolate! I found the story was taken over by more involvement with tarot reading, witch craft and religion which personally is not the topics I enjoy in a book and certainly not what I expected to be reading after looking at the front cover and reading the sympnosis.
The parts of the book which were revolving around Chloe and her friends Poppy and Felix and also around her love life was quite nice to read but each time I started to enjoy these parts the next chapter would involve more about warlocks and tarot which then put me off reading the book again.
Another point I must make is on the front cover it says "Full of Down to Earth Humour" I have to say personally I didn't find any humour in this book at all. I also did not like the way the book finished I had to check the spine to make sure no pages had been ripped out as the story seemed to come to an abrupt stop!.
There is a part in the 2nd to last chapter where a comment is whispered to Chloe which seemed of some importance and we never did find out what that was, I have got an idea what it could be but unless there is going to be a follow on book to this one then I think we should have been told what the comment was.
I would not recommend this book and it is not one that I would ever read again and if there is a follow up to this book I will not be rushing out to get it. I was very disappointed by this book I just wish there was more about the chocolate business and more about Chloe's life rather than all the warlock business as I really do not think that it was needed in this book in fact I have to say I think it was that that ruined the whole book for me.
Plot
The book is based in Sticklepond which is a quaint little village in Lancashire. The main character is Chloe who makes chocolates which contain little prediction (wishes) inside of them. Since her Grandad Grumps gave her a charm to recite over the chocolate bath the chocolates seem to taste even better and have some side effects. The chocolates seem to be the only thing which is going right in Chloe's life as she has been left broken hearted by her university love Raffy Sinclair when he went off with his rock band never to return. Her mum has up and left her which has meant Chloe has had to bring up her brother. Life is never easy at home as she lives next to the museum which her Grumps and her Aunt are about to open. Her aunt is a tarot reader and can also read tea leaves and her Grumps is a warlock so life is never ordinary!
Chloe's life is all stirred up when a blast from the past turns up as the new vicar of the village!
Characters
Chloe who is our main character is a very warm and loveable character. She seems to be very down to earth which is a surprise considering how the rest of her family are. She seems to have a very loyal and caring personality and I think this is why I found throughout reading the book that I wanted things to turn around for her to give her some enjoyment in life.
Poppy and Felix were Chloe's best friends who have also been brought up around the same kind of family member as Chloe so they all feel more like brothers and sisters to read about than friends. The relationship between the three of them was lovely to read.
Grumps who is Chloe's Grandfather made for a very strange character to read about and I have to say I could not connect to him at all during the book. I do not feel like his character was needed in this book
My Opinion
Ok I am sorry but judging by previous reviews about this book I think I am going to upset the apple cart with my opinion on this review but let us all remember we all have different tastes.
I found it so hard to work through this book as I was so disappointed by the storyline. I have learnt one thing whilst reading this book and that is not to judge a book by its cover as this book is not all about chocolate! I found the story was taken over by more involvement with tarot reading, witch craft and religion which personally is not the topics I enjoy in a book and certainly not what I expected to be reading after looking at the front cover and reading the sympnosis.
The parts of the book which were revolving around Chloe and her friends Poppy and Felix and also around her love life was quite nice to read but each time I started to enjoy these parts the next chapter would involve more about warlocks and tarot which then put me off reading the book again.
Another point I must make is on the front cover it says "Full of Down to Earth Humour" I have to say personally I didn't find any humour in this book at all. I also did not like the way the book finished I had to check the spine to make sure no pages had been ripped out as the story seemed to come to an abrupt stop!.
There is a part in the 2nd to last chapter where a comment is whispered to Chloe which seemed of some importance and we never did find out what that was, I have got an idea what it could be but unless there is going to be a follow on book to this one then I think we should have been told what the comment was.
I would not recommend this book and it is not one that I would ever read again and if there is a follow up to this book I will not be rushing out to get it. I was very disappointed by this book I just wish there was more about the chocolate business and more about Chloe's life rather than all the warlock business as I really do not think that it was needed in this book in fact I have to say I think it was that that ruined the whole book for me.
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