13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sweet Success is a Sweet Little Story, May 24, 2001
This review is from: Sweet Success (Mass Market Paperback)
Sweet Success is one little sweet story. It's one of those books where you just feel good after reading it. Allison "Ali" Thomas is turning thirty. She is a free spirit who wants to make the world a better place by feeding them chocolate. Ali owns her own business, is the daughter of one of the world's most beautiful actresses, and has a tendency to take in any stray, animal or human.
Matt Baker is a man hiding his past. He wanders into Santa Magdelana and ends up working as a handy man. One of his first jobs is to help Ali remodel her shop. Now Matt wants nothing more than for the world to leave him alone. What he doesn't bargain for is Ali's inborn instinct to take care of anything that appears to be wounded. If she's not tempting him with chocolate, she's tempting him with her warmth and understanding.
Sweet Success is just what it appears to be. I have to admit I almost lost interest the first part of the story. I thought it was going to be another one of those "poor tortured hero" stories where the "free spirited heroine" charms him out of his misery and they live happily ever after. Wrong! Susan Mallery has written a good story with fabulous secondary characters. While most of the reviews I've seen really like the character of Ali's mom and her pet pig, I found myself liking Ali's stepbrother Rick. If you want a story that will make you feel satisfied and content when you finish it, Sweet Success if for you.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Tempting Summertime Treat, May 28, 2001
This review is from: Sweet Success (Mass Market Paperback)
Allison Thomas is the sweetheart of Santa Magdelana, California. The owner of a shop whose chocolates outshine the Grande Dame of decadent chocolate indulgences, Allison has a soft heart for anyone a bit down on their luck and clients of the local spa, to whom she `smuggles' chocolates on a regular basis. Her track record with men, however, is wretched, a fact that piques her mother no end, as Charlotte Elizabeth Thomas wants grandchildren and since her son, Rick, is gay, Allison is her only hope, which she continually reminds her daughter. Into her life walks handyman, Matt Baker, and from the first, Allison senses there is much more to Matt than meets the eye. But Matt refuses to answer questions, preferring to do his work then retire to his room by himself.
Little by little, Matt's story emerges as he begins to open up, aided by Allison's caring nature. We learn he's done things he's not proud of, that he turned his back on people and walked away, and has been punishing himself ever since. I, for one, did not find his `running away' as heinous as other readers have. Yes, it was drastic and most likely not the best way to deal with his problems, but as I learned more about Matt and his history, the more my heart ached for him. Allison, on the other hand, fears she's falling again for Mr. Oh-So-Wrong. How could she possibly love a man about whom she knew so little?
Ms. Mallery puts her characters through their paces as they share their feelings about their dysfunctional families, their pasts and their business methodologies - - and falling in love. In the end, both will need to examine their lives and decide if the sacrifices they must make are worth it.
A couple of things bothered me: No matter how heated the moment gets, I want my hero and heroine to protect themselves-especially in this day and age. Matt and Allison engaged in several, "What on earth were they thinking?" moments. Also, Matt is the sort of guy who needs to `fix' things, which didn't amuse Allison in the least. The fact that Matt, after admitting his background in business, continued to insist she change her way of operating her business, annoyed Allison and me. In her words, "This isn't about business, it's about life. I'm not interested in making more money. It's about having a dream and bringing it to reality." For someone as firmly grounded in this way of thinking as Matt was, I didn't see him changing any time soon. The saving grace here is that Allison has a steel backbone.
A great cast of secondary characters, of which a porker by the name of Miss Sylvie plays a starring role, rounds out this tale of discovery, sacrifice, and the true meaning of love.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Sweet romantic comedy, November 30, 2006
This review is from: Sweet Success (Mass Market Paperback)
Chocolatier Ali is known for her confections and her open heart. She tends to take in strays - both the two legged and four legged variety, and makes secret truffle runs to the local health spa under the cover of night. With an abysmal love life and an aging diva for a mother whose soul purpose in life is to become a grandmother, Ali has her hands full.
When she hires a handyman to build new shelves in her stockroom, in walks Matt Baker, who appears to be a hollow shell of a man, haunted by a past he's trying to run away from. Matt figures her for a meddler; Ali figures Matt for person in need of not just her chocolate. The more they are around each other, the more Matt likes the eccentric Ali and her merry band of friends and family, and the more he opens up to her about his tainted past.
Mallery has penned a pretty formulaic and predictable romance, but the engaging couple and quirky secondary characters - particular mom and her pot-bellied pig Miss Sylvie keep the reader's interest. I have yet to read a Mallery-penned novel that I hate.
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