Book Review: The Chocolatier by Jan Moran

Book Review

The Chocolatier

Jan Moran

Book Description:

A young widow. A husband she thought she knew. On the picturesque Italian coast of Amalfi lies a chocolatier's destiny...

San Francisco, 1953: Heartbroken over the mysterious death of her husband, Celina Savoia, a second-generation chocolatière, resolves to take their young son to Italy's shimmering Amalfi coast to introduce him to his father's family. Just as she embarks on a magical, romantic life of making chocolate by the sea surrounded by a loving family, she begins to suspect that her husband had a dark secret--forged in the final days of WWII--that could destroy the relationships she's come to cherish.

While a second chance at love is tempting, the mystery of her husband's true identity thwarts her efforts. Challenged to pursue the truth or lose the life and those she's come to love, Celina and her late husband's brother, Lauro, must trace the past to a remote, Peruvian cocoa region to face the deceit that threatens to shatter their lives.

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My 5-Star Review:

Family secrets, romance, and mystery abound in THE CHOCOLATIER, a beautifully written novel by Jan Moran.

When Celina, a young widow with a son, decides to go to Italy to meet her deceased husband’s family for the first time, she has no idea what secrets she is about to uncover. She is welcomed by her husband’s parents, but his brother is leery of her, believing she may be a fraud wanting to claim money from the family fortune. In truth, she has no idea of the lies she’s been told or the secrets that her deceased husband held.

THE CHOCOLATIER takes you on a journey from San Francisco to the beautiful coast of Italy in the years after WWII. You fall in love with Celina and her son as you learn of her past as well as her love affair with her husband. And when she finally makes the decision to meet her deceased husband’s family, you hope for only the best outcome for her. But there is so much more happening below the surface, as you learn hidden truths along the way with Celina. Beautifully written, mesmerizing. Those who love novels by Danielle Steel or Kristin Hannah will enjoy this story.  

About the Author:

Jan Moran is a Rizzoli bestselling and award-winning author who lives near the beach in southern California. She writes stylish, emotionally rich contemporary and historical women's fiction, including The Winemakers and Scent of Triumph from St. Martin's Press. The Midwest Book Review and Kirkus have recommended her books, calling her heroines strong, complex, and resourceful. Visit her at www.janmoran.com and join her reader's club.

Her books are also translated into German, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Turkish, Bulgarian, Lithuanian, and other languages. She studied writing at the UCLA Writers Program, sailed on Semester at Sea, and graduated from the University of Texas and Harvard Business School.

Book Review: Flawless by Jan Moran

Hi all,

I want to share with you this novel by the talented Jan Moran. Flawless is the first book in the series titled The Hostile Beauty Series, and I enjoyed it very much. Below is more about the book and my review.

Flawless (A Hostile Beauty Series Novel Book One)

Jan Moran


Book Description:

Verena Valent is at the helm of her family's legendary Swiss skincare company, which caters to a glamorous clientele in the heart of Beverly Hills. After her parents are killed in an automobile accident, she becomes the sole provider for her younger twin sisters and her grandmother. Instead of attending college with her friends as planned, she rises to the challenge to guide and expand her family's business. She is in the midst of a critical international expansion into Asia when her carefully organized life begins to unravel.

Verena is shaken to discover that her fiancé, Derrick, might be behind a scheme to take over her growing company. While she struggles to save the business that means everything to her, she meets Lance, an executive chef at the Beverly Hills Hotel. She encounters this intriguing man again while on a business trip to Paris, and soon gains a new perspective on love, romance, and relationships.

When the unthinkable occurs and Verena's world collapses, her friends rally around her, among them Scarlett Sandoval, a top intellectual property attorney; Dahlia DuBois, a perfumer from an esteemed line of French perfumers; and Fianna Fitzgerald, a fashion designer with her own trendy boutique.

Ultimately, Verena learns that truth, family, friendship, and love are the unshakable pillars of life. But will she get a second chance in business, or in love?

Flawless is the first book in the Hostile Beauty Series. Follow a group of smart, stylish, entrepreneurial friends as they navigate the turbulences of modern life in the business of beauty. Set in Beverly Hills with action flung across the globe, this engaging series features gutsy, determined best friends, and how they manage to live the lives of their dreams.

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Beauty Mark (A Hostile Beauty Series Novel Book Two) by Jan Moran – Book two in the series - is now available for Pre-Sale on:

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My 5 Star Review:

Verena Valent is a woman with enormous responsibility on her shoulders. She not only runs the family's high end skincare business in prestigious Beverly Hills, but she's been responsible for raising her younger twin sisters since the death of her parents. Her Grandmother Mia's health also weighs heavily upon her. To complicate things further, the sagging economy forces Verena to seek funds for her business from an unscrupulous source, placing her under even more stress. Can Verena trust her fiancé who works for the funding company to watch out for her interests, or is he the enemy, too?

Flawless is a fast-paced, beautifully written novel about money, power, greed, family, and friendship. Verena and her group of powerful girlfriends are strong, independent women who are a strong support system for each other. With the glamorous backdrop of Beverly Hills where the beautiful people play and often backstab their friends, Flawless has many layers that will pique your interest and keep you reading. If you love novels with interesting characters and a powerful storyline, and with a little love story on the side, you will enjoy Flawless.

(I received a complimentary copy of Flawless from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.)

About the Author:

Jan Moran is a Rizzoli bestselling and award winning author. She writes historical women's fiction for St. Martin's Press, contemporary women's fiction, and nonfiction books. Her stories are smart and stylish, and written with emotional depth. Jan often draws on her international travel and business experiences, infusing her books with realistic details. The Midwest Book Review and Kirkus have recommended her books, calling her heroines strong, complex, and resourceful. She blogs for ProjectEve and at www.janmoran.com.

Jan has been featured in numerous publications and on television and radio, including CNN, Women's Wear Daily, Allure, InStyle, and O Magazine. As an editor and writer, she has covered fragrance, beauty, and spa travel for a variety of publications such as Cosmopolitan, Elle, Costco Connection, and Porthole Cruise.

As a serial entrepreneur, Jan is the founder and creator of Scentsa, a touch-screen software program for retailers and brands. The fragrance and skincare programs are at Sephora stores in the US, Canada, and international locations. Scentsa was recently sold to Sephora. A graduate of Harvard Business School, Jan's latest venture is Rich Ideas, a community for authors, consultants, and entrepreneurs, where she shares her knowledge of writing and business.

Connect with Jan:

Blog:  www.JanMoranWrites.com.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/janmoran

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/janmoranbooks.

Cheers,

Deanna