Over the years, however, the girls become best friends, attend the same schools (thanks to the largesse of the St. Clairs), and seemingly are like family to one another.

But what happens during the high school years, and how Julia played a role in those changes, will inform their lives for more than a decade. Annie’s mother’s death is like the final event that breaks the bond.

When Julia comes back to SF after living a successful life in New York, the women connect again when Annie caters a charity luncheon at the St. Clair home.

Julia reaches out to Annie with a business proposition: she wants to invest capital and help start up a cupcakery with Annie, whose talent for cupcakes borders on perfection. The contract includes a clause where Julia will exit the business after she marries in about a year. So, despite her reservations, Annie agrees.

But what secrets have captured Julia that could devastate her future? And what strange events happening regularly at the Mission District cupcakery dubbed “Treat” could threaten their security, their futures, and possibly their lives?

How to Eat a Cupcake: A Novel is narrated alternately between Julia and Annie. Just when I thought Julia could not be more annoying or self-absorbed, I would read her story and start to understand her perspective. Annie’s sharp wit and sarcasm evaporate when, in her voice, we come to understand the loneliness, the sadness, and the hurt that have populated her life. I really felt that something important could happen between them, but instead, we see the conflicts and misunderstandings dissipate rather quickly after a horrific event at the cupcakery. Perhaps that moment could have made everything clear to them, but I don’t think emotional distance could dissolve with such ease.

What kept me rapidly turning pages, however, were the mysterious events at the cupcakery and trying to sort out who was vandalizing and threatening them. I had it figured out before the end, but there was still some suspense as the exciting and dangerous events kept unfolding until the final piece fell into place. I also loved the delicious descriptions of the cupcakes and the unique presentations of each of them. A delectable cozy read with a few plot points that didn’t work for me. Four stars.

Welcome to another edition of Teaser Tuesdays, hosted by Should Be Reading.

Here’s how it works:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

Today I’m excerpting from an ARC I’m reading:  How to Eat a Cupcake, by Meg Donohue.

About Dawn Greenfield Ireland:

Dawn Greenfield Ireland has been writing stories since attending summer camp around the age of seven. To date she has five completed novels (science fiction and contemporary), 15 completed screenplays (one optioned in 2009) and as many scripts in various stages of completion. Dawn is the author of two award-winning self-published books: The Puppy Baby Book (hardcover) and Mastering Your Money (print and eBook). Many of her screenplays have won awards. She spends her days editing and formatting engineering documents as a senior technical writer.

Dawn’s Website.

What inspired Hot Chocolate, by Dawn Ireland

In a nutshell: Janet Evanovich. I posted this blog on my website in November:

How Janet Evanovich changed my life, by Dawn Ireland – 11/4/2011

Everything had been going gung ho from 2000-2002. My new dog book (The Puppy Baby Book)  just launched and won an award shortly after publication.

Artistic Origins, my technical writing business, was thriving with contracts/work, and I was renovating my new house.

While that part of my life was great, my dating life was non-existent. It had been six (6) years since I even HAD a date. That is not a typo.

I guess there is a reason for some things and we just have to wait until the veil lifts to see clearly.

You are most likely sitting there wondering what on earth does this has to do with Janet Evanovich, but I promise you, it is coming. Bear with me.

A guy roared into my life in early 2002 and swept me off my feet. I was blindsided. I ended up selling my house, moving out of state and living an idyllic lifestyle for one year.

At that point, the great grandfather of all disasters struck.

I should have asked way more questions than I did prior to moving, but I did not. Oh well…

Toward the end of summer in 2003, you-know-what hit the fan. I am talking beyond bucketfuls – it was clearly by the dump truck-full.

In a nutshell, within minutes on that fateful day I was not only destitute, but had nowhere to go. I was homeless! Good friends back in Houston took up a collection so I could move back home.

Then even MORE you-know-what hit the fan. I couldn’t find work. It seems that while I was off lolly-gagging in my new princess lifestyle, technical writing had been outsourced overseas.

If that isn’t enough, like rubbing a raw onion into an oozing sore, I had to hire an attorney to handle the nightmare legal mess, which had me living in fear.

And because all those jobs were outsourced, I did not work for the remainder of 2003 through 2005. My resume went around the country and around the globe with little or no response. I lived off credit cards and the charity of friends and family.

My brain was frozen and I could not write one word. Total creative shut down for months.

Then, someone gave me a battered copy of One for the Money by Janet Evanovich. I read that paperback overnight.

O M G! That book changed my life!

I loved Stephanie Plum. What a sassy, wild and crazy gal! I loved Lula! I loved Morelli. I loved Ranger. I loved Grandma Mazur. I loved all the wacky characters that poured out of Janet Evanovich’s head.

Then, one night I had a crazy dream about this wealthy woman named Lila Mae Alcott whose family was rich out the wazoo from their chocolate empire.

I must have had a hot fudge sundae or something before bedtime for that to end up in my head.

Hence, my mystery novel Hot Chocolate was born. And my characters are so sassy and outrageous, but unlike Stephanie Plum, these gals are middle-aged wealthy women from Houston’s elite River Oaks!

Janet uplifted me. Those characters were in my brain cells. I started writing again.

Work came through. A gigantic technical writing project dropped into my lap. I could hardly believe my good fortune.

Over the next two years I bought every Stephanie Plum book that I could get my hands on.

So – many, many thanks to Janet Evanovich!

Janet taught me so much about writing and characters.

I love her.

I hope I get to meet her in person one of these days!

***

And thank you, Dawn, for your inspirational story…and this wonderful book!

The middle-aged Alcott sisters, heiresses to the Alcott chocolate fortune—Madge, Lila Mae and Dorothea—are fit to be tied. In the midst of busy lives, they must deal with their ninety-two year old father, Bernie, who has become quite the handful.

His nurse Bambi, is another kind of handful, but when they decide they must move Bernie to an assisted living facility, the generous severance package they offer to Bambi is not enough to ward off a lawsuit brought by Bambi’s husband, Jimmy Ray Chaline.

Luckily, the Alcotts, very wealthy and well-known in Houston society, have a great lawyer. Chances are good that the suit will be dismissed as frivolous.

Hot Chocolate is a captivating tale with vivid and fun characters. I could almost visualize myself socializing with them, and I definitely enjoyed their interactions with one another. They felt like real sisters, albeit high-society ones. Dorothea is typically the “baby” of the family, and definitely likes being the center of attention. Lila Mae relies on astrology and believes that proper Feng Shui arrangements in a room can make all the difference. Madge, as the oldest, has some unusual habits. Even the peripheral characters, like the staff at each of their homes, as well as Lila Mae’s astrologer, felt like important pieces of the production. I also enjoyed close-ups of the relationship between Chance (a detective with the police force) and Lila Mae, not a typical pairing.

Jimmy Ray is another kind of person altogether. As the owner of a local bowling alley, he is something of a cheap-skate and seems to keep Bambi on a short leash. His good looks disappear when he opens his mouth, as he has very bad teeth.

All the players are in place, and we think we have them figured out. So when something unexpected happens one night at the bowling alley, the Alcotts, Bambi, and countless others are caught up in a mystery that had me turning pages rapidly. Who or what could be responsible for the shocking events? What will Bambi discover when she starts searching through her husband’s dresser drawers and files? And what other surprises await the Alcotts?

Through all the excitement and intrigue, we are gifted with wonderfully descriptive moments in the lives of the characters, including the delicious food they enjoy. The dishes are presented so realistically that I could almost taste them. As a final pleasing treat, there are several wonderful recipes at the end of the book. A five star read.

But almost immediately, she is thrust into a set of frightening incidents, beginning with the dead body of the former tenant in her storeroom.

Because the man had approached her the night before, seemingly drunk, and wanted to talk to her, she somehow feels responsible. And he also seemed to be hinting at danger.

Fearing for her own life, she throws herself into the midst of the investigation, seeking clues, visiting people who can possibly provide answers…

What does a strange message “four square fifth” signify? And what do some men imprisoned for a financial fraud scheme have to do with what is happening now? How does a ledger discovered at one man’s home hold additional clues? And who, if anyone, can Marcy trust in this strange new town?

I loved the characters, from the curious Marcy to her friend Sadie; even a couple of hot men interested in Marcy held my attention as well. Even Marcy’s dog Angus felt like another person in the story.

The Quick and the Thread: An Embroidery Mystery was a fast read, holding my attention to the very end. The “threads” seemed to come together rather quickly in the end; therefore, four stars. An enjoyable read.

Welcome to another edition of Teaser Tuesdays, hosted by Should Be Reading.

Here’s how it works:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

Today I’m excerpting from one of this week’s reads:  a book that will be on blog tour here on 2/2/12.

Hot Chocolate, by Dawn Greenfield Ireland, is about family ties, family responsibilities, and a legacy of chocolate.

Blurb:  Meet the middle-aged Alcott sisters: Madge, Lila Mae and Dorothea, heiresses to the Alcott Chocolate fortune and mavens of Houston’s elite River Oaks.

Madge ambushes Lila Mae with Dorothea’s manipulative plea: she can’t care for Bernie, their 92-year old father, any longer. Lila Mae explodes in a hissy fit—she had warned Dorothea years ago that they should put Bernie in an assisted living center.

Robert, Lila Mae’s astrologer, warns of impending problems and he’s rarely wrong.

The sisters call a meeting with Walter Branson, their solicitor. They discuss Bernie’s nurse Bambi Chaline, a blonde bombshell who looks more like a hooker than a nurse.

Arrangements are made for Bernie to be transferred over to Lake Sides Assisted Living Center in the Uptown Galleria area and a severance package is drawn up for Bambi.

Jimmy Ray Chaline, Bambi’s bowling alley husband, is enraged that Bambi was let go. He hires ambulance chaser Mark Slade to file a lawsuit for wrongful termination.

The suit is thrown out of court further fueling Jimmy Ray’s rage. Bambi had been more than satisfied with her bonus, letters of recommendation and praise from the Alcott clan.

When Jimmy Ray fails to return home from the bowling alley that night, a series of events unfold that shocks the entire Alcott family and their extended members.

***

Teaser:  Now Alcott Chocolates was an international icon and Bernie Alcott’s personal fortune was around eight point two billion dollars.  Alcott Chocolate specialties were known far and wide.  One could order a chocolate herd of buffalo, a replica of the White House in any flavor desired, or simply a box of assorted sumptuous chocolates.  (5% on my Kindle).

***

What are you excerpting today?  Come on by and tempt me!

What better opening can a book give us? But the beginning is only the first course in this splendid feast of the senses, as we follow Valentine’s journey in the family business. She struggles a bit after Gram leaves her and her brother Alfred in charge. Valentine is used to bowing only to her beloved Gram…and Alfred is a bit pompous, condescending, and has a quite different vision than Valentine.

Work is everything to Valentine, especially after the disappointment at Gram’s wedding, when Gianluca, a sexy man she has had her eye on, appeared at the wedding with another woman.

So the stage is set for fascinating characters, events, family conflicts, and some delicious secrets. There may even be love at last, but will Valentine be ready? Can she give up control of her own fate in order to share the journey with a man?

Even though I didn’t read the first book in this series, I fell right into the magic of Brava, Valentine: A Novel, and loved all of the characters, even the flawed ones. Trigiani has a unique ability to show us the characters, and in this story, she allows Valentine to narrate in her first person voice. We can connect to her, understand her fears, and dream with her.

I will definitely be reading more about this wonderful character in the other books in the series. I’m giving this beautiful and dazzling “tiramisu for the soul” five stars.

Each client is served up to the readers with all his/her colorful quirks for our bookish delight. Even as we see Kate as the psychologist, we also see her as someone who is very real, human, and a bit “nutty” herself, with her tendency to be a bit obsessive-compulsive.

Her firefighter ex-husband Jay Rush seems very much interested in getting rid of the “ex” part of their relationship. But will the new series of arson fires in the city place him in so much danger that he will be lost to her? And what does the new female firefighter present in the way of trouble?

Will Kate’s involvement with a politician’s estranged wife create more problems for her? And what about the new love of Aunt Trixie’s life? When professional detachment and confidentiality prevent the revelation of certain secrets, will Aunt Trixie be in danger?

I loved each of the characters in Nutcase, from Kate’s mom Dixie and her twin Trixie, who manage a junk business, to Mona, the delightful receptionist with a few interesting quirks of her own. I can’t wait to read the next book about Kate and her crew. Four stars.

Coming soon, this delectable title promises mystery, as well as delicious treats along the way.  Hot Chocolate will be featured here in February, on blog tour.

In the meantime, I am savoring some other guilty pleasures, in honor of the holiday season.  That time when we can toss out the rule book (and the scales!), and just enjoy.

Here are some goodies I have recently discovered.  Patty, from Books, Thoughts, & a Few Adventures, has shared this totally wonderful looking drink, along with its recipe.

Meet the Kumquat Sparkler…doesn’t it look absolutely tempting?

Recipe:

Kumquat Sparkler

By Amy Wisniewski

A bubbly citrus-and-ginger cocktail that’s festive and easy to make.

What to buy: Domaine de Canton is a ginger-flavored liqueur that can be found at specialty liquor stores.

This recipe was featured as part of our Cold-Weather Comfort Food Menu.

TIME/SERVINGS
Total Time: Under 5 mins
Makes: 1 drink

INGREDIENTS
5 ounces dry sparkling wine
1/2 ounce ginger liqueur
2 kumquats, halved crosswise

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the sparkling wine and ginger liqueur in a champagne flute. Squeeze the kumquat halves into the glass and then drop them into the drink to serve.

***

Thanks, Patty!  I can’t wait to try this one.

And just so you know, I haven’t forgotten chocolate.  Here are some tempting tidbits I found.

A chocolate buffet?  Is this heaven?

And now for dessert…as if we needed that after the buffet above!

Okay, now I’m going through a sugar overload just looking at these.  But virtual treats do not add calories!

What are your quirky favorites?  You can tell…come on by, please, and share!

The opening chapters of this beautifully descriptive tale also show us other residents of the small town, like Clare Brewster, the bookstore owner who has returned home with her three sons after the death of her husband.

Beckett Montgomery has had a huge crush on Clare since they were teenagers. Watching the attraction between them develop is a large part of the fun of The Next Always: Book One of the Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy. I also enjoyed seeing the small-town unity of other characters, like Avery, a friend of Clare’s from way back. Reading about the family that surrounds the primary characters is a bonus, adding to the feel-good nature of the book.

I am a big fan of interior design, and I was thoroughly engaged by how the author brought the reader along, showing each stage of the renovation, and then finally, bringing its beauty to light for us to enjoy.

Other characters in this book, the first in a trilogy, include a ghost named Lizzy…and a darkly malevolent presence of the human kind.

Roberts has a gift for bringing the reader into the lives of these very real and down to earth characters; and showing us the romance as it comes alive is a breathtaking side effect of this story.

This one earned five stars from me. I’m eager for the next book!