KISSED BY CHOCOLATE : A SWEET HALLMARKY-Y CULINARY CHOCOLATIER ROMANCE WITH RECIPES

When uptight Chicago attorney Cole Merritt inherits his grandmother’s small-town candy shop, his plan is simple: sell fast and get back to his real life. What he doesn’t count on is Iris McNally, the fiercely talented chocolatier renting the kitchen, who has a legally binding lease, a right of first refusal, and absolutely no intention of making his exit easy.

Iris built everything she has inside that kitchen after losing her business, her savings, and her recipes to the wrong man. She’s not about to hand over her future to another suit with a legal pad and a timeline — no matter how good he looks holding a tempering tray.

As February approaches and Iris’s Valentine’s chocolate collection threatens to take Sugar Creek by storm, Cole keeps finding reasons to stay. And the longer he stays, the harder it becomes to remember why he was supposed to leave.

Kissed by Chocolate is a sweet and witty small-town romantic comedy about second chances, fresh starts, and the kind of love that sneaks up on you between a salted honey ganache and a perfectly timed kiss — in front of the whole town, obviously.

Perfect for fans of Debbie Macomber, Jill Shalvis, and anyone who has ever stress-eaten chocolate and called it research.