Lucy Kendall always assumed she'd help her father in his candy-making business, creating recipes and aiding him in their shared passion. But after a year traveling in Europe, Lucy returns to 1910 St. Louis to find her father unwell and her mother planning to sell the struggling candy company. Determined to help, Lucy vows to create a candy that will reverse their fortunes.
St. Louis newcomer Charlie Clarke is determined to help his father dominate the nation's candy industry. Compromise is not an option when the prize is a father's approval, and falling in love with a business rival is a recipe for disaster when only one company can win. Will these two star-crossed lovers let a competition that turns less than friendly sour their dreams?
My Take:
I am such a fan of Siri Mitchell that her books are nearly always on my "must have" list -- even before I know what they're about or what the reviews are like. This one does not make my favorites list though. The premise is good but it lacks . . . the depth that is normally present in her books. Her books are normally rich with material on theme, symbolism, character growth and qualities, historic information . . ..
There were two gems in this one: the candy descriptions and information (recipes would have been fun) and Charlie's character. I started off the book thinking Lucy was a great character but she seemed to sink lower and lower -- doing mean and bad things with irritating frequency. She was also self-absorbed. She didn't think about her friend Sam having a life, dreams, desires. She really only thought of how he could help her.
Charlie seemed to nearly always think of other people. He supported his mother and sisters at home, then wanted to help Lucy and make her more comfortable, wanted to help the workers at the factory, and he tried to please his father. He wasn't perfect, but you could see him trying and it was easy to relate to him. He tried to do the right thing.
The candy and historical information was fun, but it lacked real romance and sparks between our two leads.
The things I wasn't as fond of in this book wouldn't stop me from suggesting several of her past books, or reading something published by her in the future.
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