Happy Easter everyone! I hope wherever you are, you have enjoyed some rest, reading and hopefully a bit of chocolate. Today's book is ALL about chocolate, so settle in, crack open a Lindt bunny or two and enjoy.

A few years back, my Sister was living in Switzerland. On a visit to see her, and after the day where we accidentally climbed an Alp ('20 more minutes...."), we enjoyed a blissful day at the Caillier chocolate factory. This consisted of a tour of the chocolate facory which included how the milk produced by the Alpine cows, contributes to the creaminess of the chocolate.

There was an interactive chocolate-testing part of the tour where we used all the 5 senses to taste chocolate (I usually resemble Slimer the green ghoul from Ghostbusters when normally eating chocolate!)

At the end of the tour we were walked into a room filled with white, milk, and dark chocolate and were let loose with our new-found chocolate-tasting abilities. The business of chocolate is taken VERY seriously in Switzerland.

The Plot

All Clara ever wanted is a Christmas surrounded by loved ones, full of warmth and delicious food. So when her new boyfriend asks her to move to Switzerland, she can't help but say yes! After all what could be more perfect than Christmas in the Alps.

She quickly signs up for a tempting chocolate-making class but it turns out to be chocolate-making bootcamp. And her boyfriend isn't all he seemed either.

Despite it all, Clara begind to make friends including the aloof yet intriguing Gabriel. With all the ingredients at her fingertips, will she finally be able to whisk up her dream Christmas!

My Thoughts

I'm going to hit you with a revelation here dear reader, I wish I had read this book at Christmas, It was lovely! And becasue of this, my #12booksofchristmas is going to look slightly different this year. I'm telling you this now....in April....so we all have time to prepare. There will be lots of Christmas content still, but I am actually going to read a new Christmas release at Christmas. I'll let that sit for a bit.

Clara is a lovely character. We start with her choosing to leave a company she has worked for, for many years as 'Clara in HR'. There is an element of taking a leap, moving to a foreign country with a man she has met over the internet. And it is here that Clara begins to find herself, as the relationship turns out to not be what she thought. And the chocolate-making course turns out to be for professional chocolatiers, not beginners.

And in that group of aloof students and chocolate school professionals, Clara digs deep, tackling challenge after challenge and gradually winning over her fellow students as well as the tutors. I loved the camaraderie between the students, all from different backgrounds and grappling with issues of their own.

The focus is on the chocolate and the creation of a signature chocolate box, each beautifully crafted item telling a unique story. I defy you not to eat lots of chocolates whilst reading this book.

Switzerland is beautiful, wintry, glittery and with Clara we taste fondue and tartiflette and delicious hot chocolates. Jo Thomas' books usually have a food theme and she writes this beautifully. Food that sticks to your bones and chocolate to cheer.

This has become one of my favourite Jo Thomas novels. It is warm and cosy, comforting with a satisfying ending.