3 for 3.55~3.75. Believe me when I say I really wanted to rate this higher, especially when our main girl's occupation involves the creative process, and there were some darn good moments in this book, too! Gretchen's morbid fable-ish story to me was one of the highlights, the idea about the kissing booth and its excision were also superbly done.

So why not at least a 4? Well, to me, the downfall was the handling of characters set in the same universe. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind using existing characters from other series, but I do mind when I can't fricking remember who's who. Too many people, too little pages to go in depth with them. The family tree is super hazy for me, and I get it's because those characters are part of a big family, but man, I feel horrible to constantly go like wait, who's this again? it kinda stops the flow when I have to pause to think who those characters are and couldn't immediately recall. Samantha, Makayla, Krista, Jonah, Gage, Amanda, those weren't hard, but that's already more extra secondary characters than what other books in this series had, AND THERE'RE MORE. I think this book would have been a whole lot less confusing had it just been longer. I mean, I know this is definitely not the shorter ones in the series, but some books just need more space to be fully told?

Review also published on:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2056631206

I have been enjoying the books in the Love at the Chocolate Shop series. Sweet Summer's Kiss was a great, quick, light read.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. I enjoyed it very much!

I have loved the books set in Marietta! It sounds very much like a place I would love to live! This installment was great. The very real life issues that Gretchen was facing made this book a very emotional read. It was lovely though to see how Daniel handled those issues.

Gretchen Zabrinski has come to Marietta Montana to see her sister and niece after receiving horrible news about her health. When Gretchen decides to start living her life she ends up on a blind date on New Years Eve. Daniel Andrews took one look at Gretchen and realized that she was different than all the other girls he has been with. When she overhears him telling his brother about her she runs away. Months later Daniel is back in town and determined to find out why she ran away from him.
I really liked this story. I thought the main characters were likable and made me want to root for them.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Can't really comment on this book as really think I needed to have read some of the series hence only 3 stars

4 stars - this is another terrific entry to the Chocolate series... Debra Salolen is a master story teller and this is right up her alley- Please give me more !

There are times when our lives change in an instant. Dreams, plans, desires can flip like a tumbleweed completely out of control in the whirlwind that is our reality. It’s not right, it’s not fair… but it is life and we only get one so those plans, those dreams often have to take a turn in a different direction. Only that’s one of the most difficult things to do. To give up a dream. Yet there are more than just one way for dreams to come true. They might not happen in the way we envisioned, but dreams never really die they simply evolve to match the reality we face. If we’re brave enough to take the risk of not finding our original dream, but accepting and embracing the dream that is right in front of us.

These are life lessons, sometimes harsh lessons, that Gretchen and Daniel must accept. That doesn’t mean that their dreams have to fail, it only means they need to find another type of dream to make their own unique reality.

Gretchen’s night at the Big Sky Mavericks Masked Ball in Marietta, Montana was a night of living the Cinderella fairy tale, including fleeing the ball in a panic, leaving a potential Prince Charming far behind. It was all going so well, so much fun, a charming man and the magic of the perfect night. Right up until an overheard conversation brought everything tumbling down. No, it was better for them both to simply leave, to stay would involve more heartache than she had the strength to endure. Daniel had discovered that perfect woman for him. Enough so that he did a bit of excited bragging in a conversation. Sometimes you find that one person and you simply “know” and if you’re lucky they “know” right back at you. Daniel believed he’d found that… right up until his dream woman disappeared.

Fate will bring Daniel and Gretchen back together for a second chance. It’s going to be up to Daniel to prove that they could have it all. And up to Gretchen to finally explain why that simply couldn’t be. But there is magic in Marietta, Montana. The kind of magic that involves friends, family and making the dream you lost take a different turn straight to a perfect future for two fairy tale dreamers.

I adored this couple. They each had to make changes to their life’s plan, but they endured. Together they could have something extremely special. All it takes is a bit of belief in each other… oh, and lots of chocolate never hurts either. It’s always a special treat for me to run into loved characters from earlier series, and this time was no exception. It’s going to be hard to let this series go shortly. Hopefully these wonderful authors will pair up once again for another magical year in Marietta, Montana.

Sweet Summer’s Kiss could be read as a stand alone story – but there are some threads that, in my opinion, you’ll enjoy this story a bit more if you’ve followed the entire series. They are an amazing set of stories surrounded by chocolate, friends, family and finding that one love that’s perfect for you. Hard to pass that up. It truly is no hardship to read this entire series. I’d highly recommend this story and the entire series to any Romance reader.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This was lovely, a tale of love at first sight/instalove that takes a lot of hard work and persistence to win through. Complete with speed dating, a kissing booth and lots and lots of chocolate. It’s a sweet, comforting read that makes for a great summer escape. True, if you’re not already familiar with Debra Salonen’s Zabrinski family (Big Sky Mavericks) then you may get lost amongst the characters on occasion, but on the whole it shouldn’t cause too many problems.

Gretchen is only twenty-two but has recently had her dreams snatched away from her. When she first meets Daniel, she is swept up in the fantasy of the playboy prince, but she’s still in a dark place with a lot of healing to do. As such, when the prospect of a future is raised, she runs for the hills. And to a certain extent she keeps on running through most of the book. She is young, she is hurt, but there were times when I wanted to shake her and tell her to stop it. There is still so much she could live for, especially with Daniel in her life, but getting her to see that is quite a challenge.

Luckily for her, Daniel is up to it. He’s all kinds of amazing, actually. Good looking, smart, supportive, he’s pretty much perfect, especially for Gretchen. Sure, he had a bit of a reputation in the past, but there’s a lot more to him than some old social media pictures and he has definitely made major changes in his life. I really liked him, and the way he saw Gretchen and worked so hard to keep her was just lovely. He’s not pushy, but he is sneaky, and I couldn’t help but love him a little.

So in all I thoroughly enjoyed this. It has romance and humour, a bit of heartache and lots of hope. It’s not all plain sailing and the love does seem to form very quickly, but I liked that the real relationship took time to build and how Daniel was willing to put the work in. Yes, there were times when Gretchen frustrated me, but it was for understandable reasons and the ending was everything I wanted it to be.

OMG! Please have a box of tissues on hand before you begin this book. This book has a range of emotions that you will experience. It's a tear jerker and quite heart rending. But it does have a wonderful HEA ending which will have you going aww shucks that's so sweet. Daniel really turns of a new leaf when he meets Gretchen. But a shattered and heartbroken Gretchen refuses to tie him down because of her condition.

I Love this series and this book was a good addition -sadly not a fantastic one to/for me- but still a solid read.

The "Problems" (and i say problems like that since they are not really problems in general just personal things that i kept noticing and that bothered me personally but i can see how not everyone will have it as a problem):
- The characters and family where a bit much up until half the book.
There were a LOT of people introduced in the first 40 pages of this book.
Too many for me. We got too much information thrown at the reader right of the bat and that bothered me a bit for some reason. I don't really understand why, since i have read most of the books in this series and i did know at least the names of most of the people mentioned- it still was too much characters and too much.... just too much for me to enjoy the beginning of the book.

- speaking of the beginning of the book it was too fake cutesy for me.
Which yes, thanks i know. its a romance book. So clearly its going to be overly cutesy. It is going to be fake and overdone and nothing that will ever really happen in real life.
But in this book the whole meeting on New Years eve and going on a date -the guy as a favourite for his brothers finance and the woman because she tried to overcome some to her devastating news and try something new. And lets just say it is all very insta-love-y in leave it at that.
Which was just not what i loved in the other books of this series.
They all build a bit until the main couple of each book feel in love with each other. They took their time, they got to know each other a bit.
In this book -BANG there it was.
Which is not what i enjoy in romance books. and not what i enjoyed with and in this series so far.
So that was a clear miss for me, sadly.

- the dramatisation of the main females health issues.
I am not saying they were unreal, or that her reaction was not understandable.
BUT i have been given devastating news about my health before and i am sorry but the way she reacted was not at all realistic in my option.
Yes getting bad news that completely destroy what you had planned for your life is horrible. Its really hard. Its completely devastating.
I get that. BUT i didn't like how Gretchen was dealing with what was going on and how she handled the situation.
Now maybe that is just my personal attitude to this kind of thing my "deal with it and figure it out there are always more options, there have to be!" thinking that Gretchens rather sniffly feeling approach to the topic was just rubbing me the wrong way.
Once again a very personal thing but if you hate how the main character behaves, you have a hard time loving the book -or maybe i should say, I have a hard time loving the book if that happens.

Lastly:
- Daniel.
He was okay. But he was incredibly flat feeling to me.
Which once again. If the main male character feels flatter than a pancake that somehow got thrown underneath the wheels of a heavy loaded truck it makes it hard for me to enjoy the plot.
That was mean. I know that was mean. I am generally a nice person and so i know this was not nicely formulated and could be said better but honestly that is how i feel about this character!
But daniel to me felt very much like he was a perfectly cut cardboard cut out.
qualities that i read and liked.


What i LOVED:
- the writing
it was very nicely written.
And yes know i literary just ripped the characters to shreds and was not at all nice about specific aspects of the writing, but the overall story plot and how it was told was okay, it was nicely done. So that was enjoyable.

- The family moments
One of the biggest thing I love about this entire book series and in this book as well, are the wonderful family support and love you can see in the books.
I love it when siblings, parents and anyone else that might be related to you can be there for you in some way.
That they want to support and help you and be there for you.
And sadly we get that so sparely in books, those nice supportive family members. So loved seeing that yet again in a book in this series!



All in all this review makes this book sound as if it was bad.
ITS NOT!

Its still fun and cute and nicely done.

But it was just not my personal favourite romance book -because i have issues with the characters!

I still recommend this book, and think its worth a read, and you all should give it a try!

SWEET SUMMER’S KISS – A story by Debra Salonen

Sweet Summer’s Kiss begins a bit like Cinderella at the ball…a pretty girl, dressed in her designer gown, off to meet Prince Charming for the first time. Of course, we all know how Cinderella’s night turned out…

The story of Gretchen and Daniel is complicated, but one that is often found in many romance novels. In order to keep this spoiler-free, I will leave it at that. However, it took me until halfway through the book to start to really enjoy this story.

For the first half of the book, I found there were almost too many characters to keep everyone, and their children, straight. If you are a bit OCD at all, and feel the need to have a family tree to understand who’s who, it’s too complicated for me. Still, I was glad I stuck with it to get to the second half. It was there that the true “meat” of the story took place and the main characters were actually developed to their true potential.

After finishing the book, I realized it was one in a series of books. Since it was later in the series, I can only assume that I might have understood the relationship of all of the characters had I read the first few books that came before this one. Therefore, I definitely recommend reading the other books before you read this one.

Sweet Summer’s Kiss is definitely worth reading if you start at the beginning of the series and know the characters first or if you are someone who doesn’t mind muddling through without knowing them to get to the true gist of the story.

Gretchen Zabrinski has moved to Marietta, Montana after getting some devastating news from her doctor. When offered the chance to go on what seems like it will be the perfect date with Daniel Andrews at the Big Sky Mavericks Masked Ball on New Year’s Eve she feels it’s her night to feel like Cinderella and enjoy herself, that is until she overhears Daniel and runs from the party knowing she isn’t what he wants.

A few months later while attending a speed dating even at Marietta’s Copper Mountain Chocolate shop Gretchen and Daniel find their paths crossing again. Daniel is curious as to why Gretchen left him that night but she’s not quite ready to let him in on her diagnosis but keeping Daniel at arm’s length get tougher when he’s hired to open a new division at her PR firm and as fate would have it the two find themselves working together for a charity event.

Sweet Summer’s Kiss is the tenth book in the Love at the Chocolate Shop series. Each of the books in the series tie the characters in some way to the quaint little town of Marietta, Montana and it’s Copper Mountain Chocolate shop. The stories all feature different couples coming together after their encounters with the shop so each can be read as a standalone novel but there are always little updates and inclusions of previous characters for those that have followed the entire series.

This installment of the series is one that will tug on a reader’s heartstrings as Gretchen is dealing with a huge blow from her diagnosis and trying to figure out how to live with the news and what it means for her future. I really enjoyed Gretchen and Daniel and reading their story as it developed along with revisiting some of the previous Marietta residents. Definitely a sweet romance again that will have you falling in love with the quaint town and it’s residents.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

i'm sure this is a good book, it might have been wrong book/wrong time for me, just couldn't get into it, gave up after a few pages. sorry.

Salonen never skimps on dealing with hard subjects and once again, she does it with grace and delicacy. Tying in with her Big Sky Mavericks series and the amazing Zabrinski family, this is a sweet addition to it all.

Gretchen has run to Marietta and she's eating her heart out over her lost dreams. When she finally decides to push out of her funk, she meets Daniel. Unfortunately, for Gretchen, Daniel isn't the good time guy she thought he was and she bugs out on their "date". Enter one chocolate shop, two families, and (finally!) some time spent talking and Sweet Summer's Kiss turns into a forever love.

I liked revisiting both the Zabrinskis and the Andrews as we've seen both in Marietta already. Gretchen and Daniel were both strong characters though both seemed a bit young for their ages. As always, Salonen's deft touch makes the book's subject matter shine.

This isn't her best work, but I enjoyed it and look forward to more.

Sweet Summer's Kiss by Debra Salonen is sweet story of lost dreams, then the realization that new ones can come true. The Cinderella as well as the Prince Charming aspects of this modern version are obvious but I quite liked it. I was happy to see that there were no wicked or misguided family members because isn’t life’s realities harsh enough; they certainly were in Gretchen’s case (loved her name). Daniel makes for a likable and charming love interest for Gretchen. He is swoon worthy as he continues to pursue his “Cinderella”.

This is a heartwarming story that brighten my day. I would recommend this book and the entire Love at the Chocolate Shop Series to anyone who needs an affirmation that life can turn out better than you ever hoped.

Gretchen Zabrinski had always wanted to be a wife, mother and kindergarten teacher. She stayed chaste as her commitment to that future...only to find out a health issue destroyed her dream.
Dropping out of college in her last semester and traveling to Marietta to be with her sister Sam, she put her parents in a tailspin.....not knowing how to help.
Her new boss Krista Martin set her up with her brother-in law, a known playboy type and she thought that this was her chance to experience what she'd missed...only to find out that Daniel was perfect ...sweet, sexy, considerate, intelligent...the whole package, so she dumped him on their first date after overhearing him tell his brother how she'd impressed him.
Not one to give up, he made sure she was aware of him and slowly won her confidence...enough for her to confide in him and give him the ammunition to help her see they were meant to be. Wonderful sweet western town romance.
I requested and received an ARC from NetGalley.

A new twist on the Cinderella story.

On New Year's Eve, Gretchen Zabrinski was set up by her boss with Daniel Andrews, a man social media called the prince of playboys. The date was going perfect until Gretchen overhears Daniel on the phone saying he thinks he just kissed the mother of his future children. This sends Gretchen running from the ball without a word to anyone. Gretchen was recently diagnosed with a health condition and she knows she will never be able to give him what he wants. Five months later, they meet again at Copper Mountain Chocolate's speed dating event. This time, Daniel is not letting Gretchen out of his sight. He will do whatever it takes to win her heart.

I have been enjoying the Love at the Chocolate Shop series. I hate to think it is almost over. This book is a perfect complement to the other stories. The author did a great job writing a tale that I won't soon forget.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Love at the Chocolate Shop series. Each story is unique and charming...this latest story is no exception. Beginning with a Cinderella like sweetness and innocence...that same theme ran throughout. The night of the New Year's Eve Ball and their first kiss, was gentle and heartwarming, while at the same time heartbreaking. The author's portrayal of both Daniel's confusion and hurt...as well as Gretchen's own devastation was exceptional. With Daniel you have a true gentleman who always but Gretchen's needs before his own.

Emotions run high with both characters, but you could feel their longing and the boundaries that loomed over their relationship...or more like Daniel's continual attempts at breaking down Gretchen's barriers. There were many times that I felt Daniel's confusion and heartbreak because of Gretchen's privacy needs to keep her own secrets to herself. I truly felt for her and her own heartbreak, but Daniel's confusion and hurt at being left in the dark was devastating. His persistence was just so darn sweet, while she circumvented his every attempt to win her heart.

Each story in the series keeps me coming back for more, with so many crossovers with the characters the series could continue to run for a quite some time without ever becoming stagnant.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and Netgally, I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

Sweet Summer's Kiss, the tenth story in the Love At The Chocolate Shop series set in Marietta Montana, starts off as pure tongue cheek fun mixed with a hint of melancholy but the further I read the more caught up I got in Gretchen's life and the heartbreaking future she faced.
Daniel Andrews, Gretchen's love interest in this gorgeous cinderella story, is just as compelling a s she is. His determination to win Gretchen's heart no matter what had me cheering him on from the start.
Author Debra Salonen has woven an intricate sweet romance filled with well-meaning family, dogs and cute babies. There were plenty of plot twists to keep me turning the pages though truthfully I was so invested in Daniel and Gretchen I really didn't need much more than Gretchen finally realising that she couldn't live without Daniel.
The black moment in this novel just broke my heart but of course when romantic heroines face the worst that life can dish up they also have a wonderful happy ever after to look forward to and that is certainly the case for Gretchen.
This was a gorgeous story from start to finish. There were times I cried and times I smiled and ultimately what more could you want from a romance novel.