A mysterious, heartwarming tale of small-town intrigue, family secrets, and the possibility of new love from the Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Lighthouse Keeper.Emma Laurent has always preferred helping others to asking for help. But now, she’s the one in need. Her stepmother is selling her late father’s candy shop, her grandmother’s assisted-living facility has become a financial … become a financial burden, and the anniversary of her fiancé’s death is quickly approaching.
Rather than face her problems, Emma does what she does best—finds someone else to help by offering a mother and son with nowhere to go somewhere to stay. So when a couple visiting Starlight Cove suddenly offers to pay $20,000 for the old painting that has hung on the candy shop’s wall since Emma was a child, it seems like fate has stepped in to help Emma in return—but the more she thinks about it, the more suspicious the offer seems.
Determined to uncover why the couple is so interested in the painting, Emma begins to investigate, unknowingly wading into a sea of old family secrets. At the same time, a new flirtation has her feeling guilty and confused. As Emma uncovers more about the past, can she find the courage she needs to save the candy shop and give herself permission to open her heart to love again?
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Ellingsen crafts a heartwarming story filled with charming characters, relatable yet original family dynamics, a hint of mystery, and a lovely dash of romance.
This is the story of Emma Laurent. A young woman who helps run her deceased father’s candy shop in a small town. She has always loved making chocolate, making people happy, and putting other’s needs before her own. But now, her stepmother is selling the candy shop and Emma isn’t sure she is ready to let it go. Hoping to be able to buy it and keep her father’s legacy alive, she tries to figure out how to get the money to do so. One day, a couple comes to the shop offering a large sum of money for a painting that has hung at the candy store almost all of Emma’s life. She thinks maybe this is exactly what she needs so she can buy the shop. But something feels off. It leads Emma down a path she never expected to be on and it changes her lift forever.
This was a sweet book. There isn’t a lot of strife, and even the “bad guys” in the book are not true bad guys. It was a good choice for right now as we come up on a year of dealing with the pandemic. Very Hallmark movie. I have read a few heavy novels lately, and this was a nice refresher to lighten the mood. There isn’t much drama or suspense, just a little bit of mystery. I listened to it, and it kept me entertained while I ran my errands.
If you are looking for light and fluffy, this is a good one to try.
Frustratingly good.
October 13, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
Life can sometimes feel like you just can’t catch a break, so reading it is not my thing. I pushed through and ended up enjoying this book.
I seriously want to live in Starlight Cove! I loved getting back there in this third book. The writing was great and the story broke my heart at times. I loved the mystery of the painting and the main characters search to find out the answers. Highly recommend!
A Bittersweet Surprise is one of those gentle, uplifting stories you lose yourself in, and just keep turning pages. A beautifully drawn world of small-town secrets and misunderstandings, art, and chocolate. I loved it.
More Sweet Than Bittersweet. I fully admit that when I got this book, I didn’t realize it was the third book in a series. And yet it doesn’t really read like one, since it uses the shared world style of building a series – yes, some other characters have already had their tale told, but this book focuses on characters who haven’t yet. And it does a really great job of showing a caring young woman scarred by events of the last 20 ish years trying to move forward and achieve her dreams… while finding some startling personal and municipal history along the way. Excellent Hallmark type book, and very much recommended.
A Bittersweet Surprise by Cynthia Ellingsen is a wonderful return to Starlight Cove! There is an awesome chocolate shop managed by Emma Laurent. Her father owned the shop and created the recipes which are used to make the mouthwatering chocolates. He died when she was very young, so the ownership of the shop passed to Emma’s stepmother Gillian. The relationship between Emma and Gillian has been strained since the death of Emma’s father. There are some shocking surprises in the future for Emma. Gillian plans to sell The Sweetery and move on with her life but Emma does not have the money or credit resources to buy her fathers chocolate shop.
A mysterious couple comes into the shop and offers to purchase a very special painting which has been on display for years. When Emma was about five years old a traveling artist called Montee had painted a winter scene of The Sweetery. The painting was a view through the window of a little girl with butterscotch color hair sitting and drinking a cup of cocoa. Why would strangers to Starlight Cove insist upon increasing their offer to acquire the painting?
I won’t post spoilers but there is a hint of danger in store for Emma and a possible romance, too! Oh, those Henderson brothers…Oh-La-La!
Publication Date: September 3, 2019
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I didn’t realize this was part of a series when I started reading this book. It was fun, sad, a bit romantic and had a little mystery thrown in too. I really enjoyed the story and will search for more in this series. Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union publishers for the early copy!