♥ MM Rom-Com♥ Opposites Attract♥ Foodie RomanceHenry Dawson knew that Levi Jones was his complete opposite from the moment they met. After all, what on earth could a nerdy, slightly neurotic risk assessment analyst like Henry possibly have in common with a wild, passionate and sexy chocolate-maker like Levi? The answer is, more than Henry could ever have imagined.Henry Dawson lives a quiet life … imagined.
Henry Dawson lives a quiet life of perfect order and routine. His job as a cross-checker at a Chicago-based risk assessment firm means there’s no detail unmissed, no error unfixed and no room in his world for curve balls. That is until the day he loses his job, finds out his apartment building has been condemned, and receives an inheritance from an uncle he never even knew he had.
Now with no job, no home and no hope for the future, Henry suddenly finds himself in the tiny dead-end town of Los Encantados in the middle of the New Mexico desert, ready to sell the small roadside diner bequeathed to him by the uncle he never met. Given the circumstances, what choice does he have but to offload the diner—operated by waffle-loving Doris Day fan, Gracie Garcia—in an effort to try and fund his way back to his old life in Chicago?
But Henry was never planning on the arrival of wild, passionate and incredibly sexy Levi Jones. Nor was he ready for Levi’s crazy plan to turn Gracie’s Diner into the greatest Chocolate Works the world has ever known. For Levi claims to be the country’s finest chocolatier… or is he? Before he knows it, Henry is pulled into Levi’s plan to create the most delicious, irresistible, mouth-watering, knee-buckling chocolates the world has ever imagined. At the same time Henry finds himself falling head over heels for the reckless, romantic allure of a man who is the complete opposite of everything Henry holds sacred.
Will Henry succumb to the charms of a handsome stranger despite every instinct warning him that Levi is nothing but a snake oil salesman? Will the secrets of Levi’s past destroy Henry’s hopes of ever finding true romance? Or is Levi destined to melt Henry’s heart as he discovers that chocolate truly is the food of love?
The Chocolate Works is a mouth-watering 85K-word standalone opposites-attract gay romantic comedy. Warning: Reading this book WILL make you crave your absolute favorite chocolates and demand you indulge in them while you read… one delicious, delectable, discipline-crushing mouthful at a time.
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I absolutely fell in love with this marvelous, fantastic, sweet, charming, engaging, grab-you-by-the-feels, tug-at-your-heartstrings, lovely, adorable, delightful, delectable, decadent, delicious, slow burning, and totally awesome story. It had me hooked from beginning to end, and I would DEFINITELY recommend getting this gem for yourself!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The story begins in Chicago, with Henry Dawson leaving for work in the morning; on his way out he sees all kinds of construction equipment outside his building, but he pays it no mind. He’s a diligent worker, but unappreciated–after ten years working without making a single error; he is called into the president’s office on that day and is fired for one simple spelling mistake. So, he is now unemployed. He takes his personal items and returns home, only to find that his building has been condemned and will be demolished, and he can’t get back in. He is now homeless too. This scene reminds me of a music video from the late 90’s called “Thank You” sung by English singer-songwriter Dido. in which she’s just going on with her regular routine, completely nonchalant, while her home is being demolished by a wrecking crew.. But that’s not Henry’s reaction: in the course of a single morning he loses his job and his home, and he is devastated. Fortunately, that very morning he had received a call from a lawyer telling him that a very distant uncle had died and had left him ownership of a little piece of property in a tiny town in New Mexico, called Los Encantados. Having no place else to go, he decides he’ll go there, sell the property, and with the money from the sale, he’ll start anew someplace else.
On the bus to Los Encantados, he meets Levi Jones, a drifter who is simply going where the wind takes him. When the bus finally reaches the end of its route at the little town of Los Encantados, it turns out to be a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, with about five or six buildings in total, about half of which are empty, and a handful of residents (4 or 5 people plus a donkey). It’s a completely dead town and the property he inherited is barely saleable. This was not what he expected. He intends to leave immediately, but the bus only comes by twice a week, and and he has no choice but to stay a few days in a run-down hotel that is not even liveable. But, thankfully, he’ll only have to be there a few days, and then he’ll be able to leave (Ha! that’s what he thinks). Needless to say, things turn out very differently for Henry than he expected. None of his plans pan out, but at least Levi is there too, keeping him company. Actually, Levi suffocates him and drives him crazy, but little by little they begin to feel very attracted to each other, even though the two of them are as different as night and day.
The banter between Henry and Levi is amusing. Levi has excellent persuasive skills, and he always gets Henry to agree to whatever plan he thinks up. It turns out that Levi is a chocolatier, and he wants to stay and and turn the little diner which is located on the property into an out-of-this world chocolate shop, which would bring in people from all over. But where will Levi get the money to finance such a project? Everything seems to be going well until a catastrophic event occurs, and Henry has to make a decision. Will he stay in Los Encantados, or will he go back to his old life in Chicago?
Opposites do Attract!
This story started off kind of slow for me but once Henry left Chicago to see about his inheritance, it started to pick up…especially once he met the whirlwind called Levi. You would never think the uptight, OCD like nerdy dude Henry would ever fall for someone like the hipster, happy go lucky handsome man Levi. Levi wore Henry down though…got him to question why he was the way he was back in Chicago. He was able to relax and feel…go with the flow. Levi love for chocolate was so addicting you couldn’t help feel what he was feeling He got Henry got caught up in the dream (opening a place for people who love chocolate) along with the wonderful characters that were in the book( I loved that kid Pancho!) Even though the story was the slow burn of Levi and Henry’s romance, I believe it mainly the back story. The real story its people being their for each other…making long time friends,,,being family. This really was a sweet story with a mild twist at the end that really tied everything up nicely.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
An unexpected inheritance, a small town in the middle of nowhere, a wild dream of chocolates…opposites attract was never so fun. I really felt bad for Henry, losing (almost) everything the way he did. I couldn’t help but root for him, even if he was a bit rigid and prickly sometimes (who wouldn’t be in his shoes?) The story seemed a little far-fetched, but the coming together of these two opposites and the (eventual) support of the town was sweet and enjoyable.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I really enjoyed this book. The two main characters couldn’t be anymore different but some how in the end connect.
I loved this book! Oh my goodness I felt horrible for poor Henry when this book started! So much was happening and thrown at him at once. His situation was overwhelming and I think I felt as sick about it as he did. And the fact that no one could be bothered to remember or get his name right on top of everything else made me want to scream on his behalf. The guy has OCD and everything in his life just turned into chaos. I was desperate for things to finally go right for him after all that.
This book was an adventure. Albeit at times overwhelming and confusing and aggravating for poor Henry. Levi is a little pushy, but charismatic. A part of you wants to believe in him, but Henry was skeptical and worried of being taken advantage of. And I couldn’t blame him. So the other part of me doesn’t trust him at all. What’s the right choice to make?
This book hooked me from the start. My first from this author, and I’ll be reading more. 5 stars.
It was a fun read…. even though I suspect the author doesn’t know much about the geography of New Mexico – I mean, this is fiction and writer’s fantasy.
Read about 30% of it and then decided I wasn’t interested enough in either the story or the characters to finish
The Chocolate Works is a wonderful book! I really enjoyed the whimsical, almost fairy-tale plot of the book. The main characters are very well-developed and imaginatively portrayed. The secondary characters are also exceptional, as they lend the book a strong sense of family, friendship and unity. Throughout the vastly entertaining and multidimensional plot, there are several instances of life’s lessons embedded in the reading – making for a more thought-provoking and heartwarming emotional experience. Added to all this are the strong feelings of affection and romance between Levi and Henry – proving that opposites really DO attract! An awesome book!! I highly recommend!!
Deliciously Sweet
Lovely romantic low-angst escapism with just the right pinch of heat, humour, and romance to leave readers swooning.
With a great cast of side characters and two fabulous mains, The Chocolate Works is a delightful story. Well written and developed, the story easily pulls readers into the narrative, eagerly getting them to cheer for the couple.
This story covers the themes of self-identity and second chance, all with a fluffy hit of the importance of a caring community and doing the right thing.
Delightful.
Such a lovely romance to escape into. Loveable characters and a wonderful cast of side characters made this book brilliantly entertaining.
I’ve read this author before. This is a mm contemporary story set in the USA. Main characters are Henry a perfectionist with OCD and Levi a free spirit. Opposite attract in this story. There is also lots o chocolate, my favourite food. I’ll read more from this author.
Love in your heart flows into cooked food. Makes me want to jump up and bake some brownies! Chocolate is NOT just a sweet confection! Never, ever leave out the o from the word count! Henry, risk assessment analyst, lives a life of detailed, organized disciplined life in Chicago. Henry makes one little mistake and his comfortable life as he knows it is compromised. Then he returns home to find his home is condemned. On the bright side, he has an inheritance from a relative he never knew. His journey starts and all his triggers and buttons are pushed. Then he meets Levi, who pushes prods and pulls the rest of his triggers and buttons. He is in shock overload, then he gets to Los Encantado which is basically a ghost town with residents tripping over each other to exit. Sounds like a disaster, but Levi, Gracie and the remaining residents make the story! Life’s challenges, assumptions, faith, hope, determination, hard work and vision have a place. Can Henry relax and smell the roses without falling down? Can Levi pour the essence of his nature into his food? Very nice story. All the characters in and out of Los Encantado almost make you want to move there. Well done! I received an ARC from Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. Nice cover art!
A great quirky funny and romantic read. Loved these guys
3 1/2 stars
I love me a good M/M romance and this one was okay. Geoffrey Knight is a new to me author. Written as a 1st person, single pov with a HFN ending. Good story concept, nice characters (but I didn’t grown an attachment to them), good detailed descriptions and engaging dialogue
Would I recommend this book? Sure
Would I read more from this author? Yea
Sassy Beta Reading and Review
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The story starts with a young man having a really bad day: He is fired over a spelling mistake and returning to his apartment he finds out that the building is condemned to be demolished. And he gets a phone call telling him that a far away relative left him a small property in New Mexico. Henry, an orderly man, bordering to OCD, is devastated and decides to be adventurous and go to New Mexico and sell the property. It sets him on a journey to self-discovery, but also to meet friends, discover love and so much more.
The people he meets are unique in their characters, all wonderfully and lovingly described.
The story starts slow and seems a little tedious, but after a while the reader is drawn in – it seems like we follow the dreary boredom of Henry’s life out of Chicago, and then with him we discover the life and colour / taste of life..
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
For me I had a bit of difficulty initially getting into the book. I think it was just my frame of mind or I had a previous book hangover. That aside, I really enjoyed the book after the first few chapters. The two main characters couldn’t have been more different, but in their differences there were complementing features that made these characters gel as a couple. This story had just the right amount of low angst to keep me engaged but with plenty of humor and snark with a big helping of beating all the odds.
What does a person do when they are having bad luck? Henry has just lost his job, his apartment, and the only family member he knew about in the same day. He’s decides to go the town and sell the only thing that’s he got going for himself. He’s met Levi and he’s outspoken, confident, and is expert when it comes with chocolate. The two don’t get along at first Henry is insistent that he sells and Levi shows him in every way why he should keep the property.The book is funny, some angst, great characters, romantic, the story line is easy read and the Levi and Henry gets their happily ever after.
This book is a fun romp all around. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon at all!
I’ve only ever read Geoffrey Knight’s other romantic comedies, and this sticks to exactly what I’d expect based on those. Likeable protagonists, a whole cast of colorful side characters, and a zany story that oftentimes is vivid enough to imagine things unfolding in a movie scene. It’s short, taking only a couple of hours to read, but sometimes that’s what you want from a book.
Plus there’s chocolate. Mmm chocolate. You might want to have some on hand when you read this, because you’ll be left craving.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Great read. Loved this fun romance adventure. The storyline was sweet and fun and the characters are amazing. I enjoyed this great adventure.