When Chocolate Is Not Enough... - Nina Harrington (HR #4362 - Jan 2013)

A shared passion for…chocolate!
One taste of Daisy Flynn's delicious confectionery and Max Treveleyn is hooked! This quirky chocolatier is just the person to showcase the cocoa from his plantation.
Daisy jumps on the idea—she's always dreamed of having her own chocolate shop, and with Max's offer, that dream can become a reality. But Daisy finds sexy single dad Max very distracting!
Keeping focused on work isn't easy. But Daisy has learned the hard way that she's safer indulging in chocolate than in relationships. She mustn't be tempted by something even sweeter….

Good book.  I really liked both Max and Daisy.  Max was a different sort of hero in that he is basically a happy guy.  What he needs is someone willing to work with his chocolate to show how good it is and help make it a success.  As soon as he tasted Daisy's chocolates he knew she was the one he needed.  Max is serious about his business, but he can also be pretty goofy.  He finds himself doing some pretty dumb things just because he is so distracted by Daisy.  He is also a terrific dad who really loves his little girl.  He doesn't get to see much of her and that really bothers him.  I also loved the way he was so supportive of Daisy and made sure she knew how much confidence he had in her.  Daisy had a dream of opening her own chocolate shop and winning the contest would go a long way toward achieving that goal.  But she isn't quite sure what to make of Max.  He isn't very good at communicating his plans to her which results in a couple very funny scenes.  She is also attracted to him but was badly burned in a previous relationship and doesn't want to risk it again.  She finds that the more time she spends with Max the more she actually likes him.  I loved the way that she finally broke out of her shell and went after what she really wanted.  I loved all the scenes with the chocolate from the first one with the body parts to the end with the results of the contest.

If the Slipper Fits - Olivia Drake (St Martin's - June 2012)

Series: Cinderella Sisterhood (Book 1) 

IS THIS LOVE REAL?
Raised in a girls’ school, Annabelle Quinn longs for the world outside the walls of the academy. When she’s hired as the governess to an orphaned duke, Annabelle never expects the child’s breathtakingly handsome guardian to capture her imagination -- or her heart.

OR ARE THEY LIVING IN A FAIRY TALE?
Falling for his young nephew’s governess is an irksome complication in Lord Simon Westbury’s orderly life, but Annabelle’s quiet beauty and wry intellect are too much to resist. Meanwhile, a mysterious danger looms over the remote Cornwall estate. Will their newfound desire stand the test of time? Or are some happy endings just too good to come true? 

Good book.  I liked both Annabelle and Simon.  Annabelle really wanted to get away from the school.  I loved the way that she was able to get the interview she needed - it showed her determination and her creativity.  I also liked the way that she refused to back down when confronted by Simon about her presence there.  The way that she came to care so deeply for the young duke, Nicholas, was heartwarming and I loved that she refused to give up on getting him exactly what he needed.  Her enjoyment of the little things in her new life was great.  Her love for Simon grew slowly, but it was strong.  I liked that she had enough sense of her self-worth to not give in to his desire to make her his mistress, and that she had the guts to call him out on it.  Simon was a little harder to like at first.  His lack of interest in his nephew was frustrating to Annabelle and she wanted to change it.  Simon had a hard time looking at Nicholas and not remembering the love he had for the boy's mother and her betrayal of him.  Simon's interest in Annabelle was purely lust at first and he kept trying to figure out how to get her in his bed.  He didn't understand why he kept listening to her when she would complain about his treatment of Nicholas, but eventually he listened to her and his attitude began to change.  He was surprised when she refused his offer and furious when she told him what she thought of it.  I did like the way it made him think and he began to realize what his feelings really were.  The mystery that wove through the book was fairly mild.  I guessed who the bad guy was but not why he was after Annabelle.  Overall I liked it and am looking forward to the next book in the series.