Celebrate Lit / February 26, 2025

Love and Chocolate

About the Book Love and Chocolate

Book: Love and Chocolate

Author: Linda Shenton Matchett

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Release date: September 13, 2024

She just needs a job. He wants a career. Is there room in their hearts for love?

Ilsa Krause and her siblings are stunned to discover their father left massive debt behind upon his death. To help pay off their creditors and save the farm, she takes a job at Beck’s Chocolates, the company her father despised and refused to supply with milk. Then she discovers her boss is Ernst Webber, her high school love who unceremoniously dumped her via letter from college. Could life get any more difficult?

A freshly-minted university diploma in his hand, Ernst Webber lands his dream job at Beck’s Chocolates. His plans to work his way up the ladder don’t include romantic entanglements, then Ilsa Krause walks back into his life resurrecting feelings he thought long dead. However, her animosity makes it clear she has no interest in giving him a second chance. Can he get her to change her mind? Does he want to?

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My Thoughts on Love and Chocolate

What a fun read. I love chocolate for sure. I’m also a fan of milk cows. We happen to have several on our farm and I know what goes into milking them and dealing with the milk. One thing I don’t do on a regular basis is make chocolate. We do a lot of ice cream though!

Ilsa is a wonderful person. She’s not all sweet-smelling roses though. She’s got some thorns that like to poke to the surface. As Ilsa works on taming her thorns can she find love as well?

Ilsa is the oldest of a family of four children. They lost their mother quite some time ago and recently their father. On his death, they learned that he left them more debt than anything else. When they have to decide how they can get out of debt and keep the farm some tough decisions are made. Ilsa goes to work at the chocolate factory.

Our main male character is Ernst. He and Ilsa were once a couple. But after he went off to college his views of home and the girl at home changed. But now he’s back and in charge of a section of the chocolate factory. When Ilsa comes to work there they are thrown together. Could there possibly be something in the future for them?

This book read so well. I loved the characters. I can’t wait to see more books about this family. I’d love to follow all of the siblings! You’re going to come to the same conclusion I’m sure after you read this one. Each character had things they had to work through and some rough edges that needed smoothed out.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.

About the Author of Love and Chocolate

Linda Shenton Matchett writes happily-ever-after historical Christian fiction about second chances and women who overcome life’s challenges to be better versions of themselves.

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry (of Star-Spangled Banner fame) and has lived in historical places all her life. She is a volunteer docent and archivist at the Wright Museum of WWII and a former trustee for her local public library. She now lives in central New Hampshire where she explores the history of this great state and immerses herself in the imaginary worlds created by other authors.

More from Linda

A couple of years ago while I was planning my upcoming writing projects, I knew I wanted to write a series of books about siblings but couldn’t decide where or went to set the stories. Lots of research later, I discovered the 1898 Columbian Exposition here in the United States and the various inventions associated with that event. Further study led me to Milton Hershey who attended that World’s Fair and was so enamoured with the concept of chocolate production for the masses that he sold his caramel company to enter the chocolate business – a risky proposition at that time. As I read more about Milton and his wife Catherine “Kitty” Sweeney-Hershey, I knew I had the beginnings of a story.

The owner of Beck’s Chocolates in my latest release Love and Chocolate is inspired by Milton Hershey, and I enjoyed creating my own “company town,” Cocoaville in which to set the story. Taking place in 1914 prior to the beginning of World War I, the story explores the mixed feelings about German Americans that were prevalent at the time as well as themes of second chances and forgiveness.

In the early days of my career, I worked in a printed circuit board factory, but I knew nothing about chocolate or how to manufacture it. Research for Love and Chocolate included interviewing a close friend who is a chocolatier and trying various brands of chocolate to understand the difference in flavour and texture.

Here are a few fun facts I learned about chocolate along the way:

The Aztecs and the Mayans were the first to realize the benefits of cacao beans, ground and soaked in water approximately 5,000 years ago.
Switzerland has the highest per capita chocolate consumption.
The smell of chocolate can help relax and reduce stress.
It takes two to four days to produce a single-serving chocolate bar.
Cote d’Ivoire is the single largest producer of cocoa, providing roughly 40 percent of the world’s supply.
The world’s largest chocolate bar weighed over 12,000 pounds.
It takes about 400 cacao beans to make a pound of chocolate.
Cacao trees can live up to 100 years.