♥ 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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Bad luck is something that can lead one to believe that good times are no where to be found. When we meet Henry he is on a run of really bad luck. He loses his job and his place to live in one day. He also finds he has an inheritance which takes him to Los Encantados. It is on that journey to what he hopes will be better days that he meets Levi. They are very different men. Levi takes life as it comes and Henry is so not that way. In Los Encantados they in addition to a quirky cast of characters find themselves forming a caring determined group bond that helps them work together for a better future. This is an uplifting encouraging story that where the love is bigger than the love story within it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I thought this would be a good book, it’s about chocolate after all. What I didn’t expect was to be laughing out loud at several points, and even more, to get so wrapped up in the characters that I was emotionally invested. It’s a page-turner, hard to put down and I’m sad that it ended.
I wanted to take a rating star away because the protagonist Henry made me angry. I didn’t because that wouldn’t be fair to the author for telling such a good story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I absolutely adored this book. It’s just as sweet and enticing as the chocolate masterpieces Levi creates.
Geoffrey Knight is a new to me author, and I greatly appreciate his writing style.
I loved all the characters, both the MCs and the great cast of side characters, who are as much a part of the story as Levy and Henry are.
I also loved the setting of the story, in a sort of a Ghost town in the New Mexico desert.
I love this beautifully written book. Henry had no idea one morning he’d wake up with a job and a home and that same day he’d lose both. But also that day he found out a long lost relative left him a little piece of property in a small town in New Mexico. When Henry met Levi on the bus to the small town he had no idea Levi was about to change his life even more. I love the plot twists and how the town really rallies around each other. This is definitely a book to enjoy again and again.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Henry Dawson is the kind of guy who craves, needs structure. An all around nerd, his job as a risk assessment specialist does not really leave room for falling off the cliff of shake-ups. Too bad shake-ups are on the way and fast.
Levi Jones- wild spirit, fun and fancy free, chocolatier, and not at all what Henry was expecting. This can’t be happening. Levi is sexy and too snarky. Butting heads Henry was not part of his plan as he had a debt to repay and not a lot time to do it.
Henry ends up in Mexico to manage a diner left to him an uncle he never had the chance to meet. Desiring to get back to Chicago, he tries to self fund by selling the diner as a first choice. If successful, Gracie’s Diner will be in the rear-view. Too bad Levi has other plans to make the diner into the Chocolate Works.
Managing a blast from the past with a man who may be your future. Can Henry live in the now and enjoy his life? Will Levi be better grounded with Henry? Polar opposites to meet in the middle and bring fabulous characters with him.
**I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.**
Henry and Levi’s story is sweet story and made me hungry for chocolate. These two are different but I love that they are still perfect for each other. I just really like this low angst story and it’s such a great read.
Henry is a risk assessment specialist with a backup calculator and extra batteries. Personally, my backup calculator was solar. Too bad spell check is not context specific
Levi was an untamed, wild spirit . He has a debt to re-pay and is apparently a magician with foods, chocolate and reinvention
Their lives become tangled together with Doris Day fan Gracie, and a town in sore need of reinvention
Sometimes love and dreams must be tested, and some don’t survive the heat and flames. Somethings are only made stronger
Intense action and romance
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´”Never in a million years did I dream that one day all that would change.”
Told completely through Henry’s point of view, the author brought a very anal OCD and the man of his dreams and dropped them into an unusual position.
How were two men so opposite in everything fall in love? Henry was everything I used to be. Orderly, precise and exhaustive with perfection. And it used to kick my anxiety up twelve hundred percent. Levi was the exact opposite and I cringed during their breakfast scene because, oh man, I could see Henry wanted to scream. When Henry stated: “Levi has anyone ever told you your personality is rather… exhausting?” I concurred. I wanted to run away too, LOL
This book built on rebuilding lives, finding friends and making a family. Who would have thought by the words “the end”, that Henry would find what he never knew he wanted.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
For a man like Henry Dawson, who has spent his life as a nerdy, risk assessment analyst, craving routine, noting every detail and organizing it into exactly where it belongs, he is completely thrown off his game when his life suddenly changes overnight! Suddenly he loses his job, finds out his apartment building has been condemned, and receives an inheritance from an uncle he never knew he had. With no other immediate prospects, he heads to the tiny town of Los Encantados in the middle of the New Mexico desert. He has no need for the diner he inherited, so he intends to sell it and go back to Chicago to see if he can start over there where things are familiar and comforting.
The arrival of Levi Jones and his crazy wish to turn the diner into the greatest Chocolate Works the world has ever known gives Henry another option if he wants to take it. Before he can think about it, Levi has dragged him into his plan to make delicious, irresistible, mouth-watering, chocolates. In awe of the passionate Levi, Henry finds himself falling in love with this dynamic man who is the total opposite of everything Henry holds dear! Will he and Levi, so very different from each other, find a future together? Or will the secrets Levi is keeping about his past tear them apart?
This was such a good book. Seeing Henry come out of his self-imposed shell was amazing. Levi’s frenetic personality leaps out of the pages and revs up even the reader! This is a fun book with great characters and lots of hope. Grab your copy and see if dreams really do come true!
A deliciously sweet read! It’s downright charming to witness how chaos turns Henry’s life upside down in the best way possible. He’s very much the opposite of Levi and values his routines and well-ordered life, and it’s both a fun and sweet adventure when he’s forced out of his comfort zone. Levi’s kindness and passion are infectious and the way Henry just about melts for him had me sighing happily. It’s also quite an uplifting read, with some wonderful side characters and stories that leave you smiling and feeling very content.
I’ve spent a good chunk of this book torn between being sad and laughing. Sad because I felt sorry for Henry and how hard he took the new bend in his life. For a man in absolute need of order and precision, when pushed out of his comfort zone,the poor guy didn’t have the mental and emotional tools to deal with what he percieved as chaos. But he described his feelings in such a funny way that I couldn’t stop laughing every step of his adjustment to living in Los Encantado.
All of sudden, Henry found himself surrounded by people that made choices spontaneously, that adapted to change easily, trying to see the good in life and make the best of their situation. Levi, Gracie, Ricky and all the others were something close to aliens to Henry and in a way everything he’s always wanted to be himself: brave and optimistic. It’s been so much fun to watch Henry trying to resist being charmed by them. Especially by Levi.
Levi offered romance, and together with the others, a home. Also, there was chocolate. Lots and lots of it, and who can resist the magic of chocolate?
Delightful, sweet read. Recommended.
this is my first read from this author and it was brilliant. The settings, the story, the characters
Levi and Henry just made me wanna hug them both. And all the side and supporting characters just worked.
This was a great intro read for me for this author and will definitely be seeking out others he has written
New to me. Took me a min to get into this book but once I was in, i was in til the end. It actually made me hungry lol. well written and easy to read. the characters were great.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was my first read by this author and I’ll be honest and say that when i started to read this book i was sure nobody can be THAT unlucky. But boy did Henry had bad luck. Everything you can think of happening happed to him. He lost his job, his apartment and you’d think when he finds out that he inherited from his lost uncle that his luck would change. THINK again!
After he meets Levi do things get interesting with and for him. Together they make a decision that they will try to produce something the world has never tasted before.
This story was full of over the top moment but also full of endearing moment that will make you fall in love with these group of people.
***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***
What an utterly delightful and beautiful story!!
Henry loves his perfectly ordered life, structured, symmetrical. He has all kinds of habits and routines. It works for him.
Until one Monday morning, there was chaos.
Chaos in the perfectly structured world of Henry Dawson!
He ends up in a bus, sitting across the handsome Levi Jones, heading to a small town Los Encantado, New Mexico. He inherited a business from an unknown uncle.
He will sell the dang thing and return to his grumpy old life.
-“Where exactly are you going?” “I’ll know when I get there,” was his simple reply.-
Henry is suspicious about any kindness and Levi is kind. He talks and laughs Henry’s grumpiness away. The most friendly and endearing people live in Los Encantado. With their compassionate small-town behavior and awesome witty dry answers. The humor they produce is just delightful.
When Levi shows himself as the grand chocolatier he is, with his magical way of naming all the glorious ingredients, I got goosebumps. That was amazingly put together, awesomeness!
They all will start Chocolate Works.
The way Henry melted as the chocolate did was everything.
Henry and Levi are opposites and maybe thereby compatible! Levi was a teacher of life and pleasure, Henry couldn’t get enough of him.
“It was glorious.
It was dazzling.
It was… messy.”
A story about people with gratitude to what earth gives them, with great appreciation for people around them. People full of love, no angry hair on their heads. It was magical just pure magic. It made me quite emotional.
People need to be named, Gracie whose enthusiasm warms every heart and Ricky who dared to go back to his roots, Pancho dear brave Pancho, and his grandmother. Those personal stories and all the traditions lifted this narrative to a certain extent.
Be aware, there is so much more behind all we see at first sight. My eyes blurred and continued to drip.
The story kept me in its spell from first to the last page. It was uplifting and created with an amazing writing style. Every detail painted out largely so nothing would be missed. It was mesmerizing, captivating, and entertaining, the people are all grandiose with extremely lovable characteristics.
This was my 1st Geoffrey Knight book. This book isn’t as steamy as most books that I read, however I enjoyed it.
I feel like the characters were well written, and you could ‘see’ them being real people. Poor Henry has some really bad luck in the beginning, however it does bring him the “right” place.
Levi is so different from Henry, he doesn’t know how to take him. Henry eventually stops fighting the attraction, and gives Levi a chance. Of course this is a HEA and the fun is watching them get there.
This book leads you on a journey of discovery. It takes you slowly through a chocolate maze and allows you to meet and become involved and connected with the characters, slowly. It allows the reader to invest and engage with them and grow emotionally attached to them and their success. A somewhat drama filled story but with all the romance and happy endings to make it a sweet reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
It is Well written and composed story. A man who loves order and structure meets his opposition. Plus almoust deserted Town in New Mexico. Great reality and background that gives the story more deapth. Enjoyable and definitely Little, different than expected but in a good way.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A wonderful story that I could not put down until I finished it. I loved the story and the characters and of course I love chocolate.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
What an interesting read!
At first when I started reading I thought it was a bit over the top and far fetched. But as I went through it felt more like a metaphor for life. Just like Henry and Levi and the rest of the gang in Los Enchantado life has a lot of ups and downs. We all have unique personality traits that when we work together can make something great. But it won’t be smooth and easy to get there. Luckily just like them we learn as we go.