Of Grace and Chocolate by Krista Lynne Jensen

Of Grace and Chocolate by Krista Lynne Jensen

Summary from Goodreads:
If someone told Jillian Parish moving on is easy, she would argue that it depends on what someone is leaving behind, and how much chocolate is available.

Jill has worked hard to build up a life far different than the one scarred by her mother's alcohol abuse. She works at a busy publishing house, is writing the novel of a lifetime, and goes home alone every day to a little dog, a spotless apartment, and a piece of 70% cacao and sugar. But in one day, Jill’s phone is stolen, she is tackled by a childhood love who has no idea who she is, and finds her long-lost sister on her front doorstep. In two days, Jill’s carefully controlled world is turned upside-down. In three days, she wonders if chocolate will ever be enough again.

When Scott Gentry moves to the city of Portland, Oregon and spots Jillian at church, he learns her reputation as a lost cause. But something compels him to get Sister Parish's attention, no matter how difficult that may prove. As Scott stumbles, crashes, and falls into Jill's guarded world, he finds himself with more attention than he bargained for, and more willing to do anything he can for the woman who is not made of stone, but of strength.

Grace brings Jill and Scott together, but can grace erase the past, or save the abandoned hearts left in its wake?

5 Stars

Read June 2013

LDS Fiction (although I think it is a good book for everyone), Inter-Library Loan

My Review:
Wow!  I love this book.  There is romance, but really the main theme is forgiveness and healing the hurts that we all feel.  Don't judge others because you never know what they may be going through.

I especially like the mother/father figures in this book, some parents, some acting as parents.  They are nurturing and thoughtful.

Although this is an LDS fiction novel, to me the LDS aspects weren't any more than what you would read if the character were Catholic or Jewish.  It gives you background to who the characters are, but the LDS culture isn't the main setting.  There is a lot of reference to God and His grace and help in healing, but that is not specific to the LDS religion.

Warnings: Alcoholism, drug abuse, child abandonment

I would not let my 15 year old read this book at this time.  It deals with mature themes that she would not understand or appreciate at this time.  However, this is an excellent book that I would recommend to her when she is an adult.