I must say that when you're reading this book, there's no hint that Lori wrote it. All of her books usually follow a pattern of the 1800s whereas this one is in 1992 to 2004! Its obvious she's not used to writing in this century because the Epilogue says its 12 years later which would take the story to 2014!!! Also, I was really confused at the beginning about when the accident occurred. It doesn't give the date at Chapter 1, then as I read on she says that Arcie was going to her school since she was 7 (for 10 years) which made Arcie 17! That meant the accident was 6 years after the Prologue! I later found out how incorrect that was, but I spent a few chapters torn in confusion. I'll leave you to find out! The story is also very long, covering over 10 years which I almost lost enthusiasm and took an unusual number of days to finish. I must admit I was very glad I finished it. Overall, it was a very nice book about trust and love and brings out the soft side of you. I almost never read it because of the reveiws that say how sad it is. I wouldn't say its not sad but the events make the story seem so real and Arcie's brave and sweet. You'll love Arcineh! She's awesome and special. And the Epilogue gets 100%! Well worth reading!
I found this book a little long and confusing at times. I don't think there was a great enough motivation for Arcie to run away and stay away for so long. It seemed inconsistant with her character. Also, I would have appreciated more character developement.
One of my all-time favorite Lori Wick novels (I couldn't believe there were actual lackluster reviews). I have read it three times now, and have bawled my eyes out each time.
To be perfectly honest, I bought the book for its cover. I happen to love chocolate, and I figured that any book with such a great title must be worth reading. :P Over all it was a good book. But while the separation between Arcineh and her grandfather adds a plot twist, it doesn't really make sense. I could never really understand why Arcineh stayed away for as long as she did, or why she felt such a pressing need to leave in the first place. Her cousin was annoying, but putting up with her better than running away? Apparently Arcineh thought so. Don't get me wrong, I like the book, and it has a sweet ending. :D
I wanted to finish this one. I really did. There are some redeeming things in here, such as Arcineh's unique name, the white chocolate motif, and the discussion of Arcineh's interest in dance. However, this book contains so many problems that I cannot give it a good review in good conscience. Lori's writing here is very choppy, with skeletal scenes piled one on top of the other in a way that really grated on my nerves. Also, as another reviewer noted, the characters are not developed at all, and there seems to be no good explanation as to why the family situation has turned into what it is. There is also no real discussion of Christianity, and everyone's conversions seem sudden and convenient, without any real back story. But then again, since the plot is so unsubstantial, this isn't really a surprise. I'm very disappointed in this one and hope that in the future Lori will return to the style and character development of some of her older works.
I found this book somewhat enjoyable, though it was very predictable. I also marked it down for the editing... there were some typos/misspellings in my copy, and there were some gaps in logic that just didn't make sense. (Example... Arcie doesn't contact her grandfather for 2 years because Quinn answers the phone. Why doesn't she call him at the office, where the office manager is one of her mentors and confidantes?) While I enjoyed this more than some of Ms Wick's other recent works, I think she and her editors could pay closer attention to detail.
This book is extremely good!I couldn't put it down! It is a story of great forgiveness and it shows us people can really change. I would definitely read this book again. I would suggest to anyone to read it.
I gave this book a rating three because yes it is worth reading, but there wasnt anything in the plot or character development that made me want to someday read it again. I have broken the book up into three sections. The beginning (Arcie living with Grandfather) was slow, choppy, and lets be honestdoes an 11 year old really act/talk like that? The beginning was not all that good and I almost gave up reading the book. Thankfully I did hang in there because the middle (Arcie living apart from Grandfather) was really good. I loved to see Arcies character grow due to her new family, stressful work situation with a crazed lady, and possible love interests. The end of the book (Arcie once again living with Grandfather) was marginal. Arcie did find love after all and her relationship with her Grandfather Sam was restored. But I felt like saying, would everyone just become Christians already! Ultimately I saw little character development in Arcie even though we watched her grow from an 11 year old girl to a woman in her mid-twenties, with few plot climaxes. Is this book worth a read? Yes, but I would read it first to see if it is worth purchasing.
One of my favorite books. A little bit different read than her others. Just a few unexpected twist which made it even more enjoyable. What a blessing to read.
I loved this White Chocolate moments. This book has so much truth in it. In a lot of Christian fiction, a person "gets saved" but there is no repentance, no turning from self, no reality to their profession. I like that this book, while not using a lot of scripture, did go into depth on how to be saved. It was very believable. If there is a bad point to the book, it is the standard she holds on music. I don't do rock or dancing. I didn't as a teen in the 70's and I don't now. I went to Chicago once several years ago and the book brought back several good memories of my time there. I read this book in less than 24 hours and found myself picking it back up the next day and flipping through it. It was very good, and one I know I will read again, as well as loan to others.
I truly enjoyed the "White Chocolate",I just wish I could find more of the hard cover books, I am trying to get all of Lori Wick books. I hope you keep writing,thank you for great books to read.......
I really enjoyed this book. I hope Lori Wick keeps up the good work! As a rule I like her series better that her stand alone novels, but this one was an exception!
I have always loved to read Lori Wick's books. I am somewhat partial because I am from Wisconsin and it is fun when I read her books and she refers to familiar places. Growing up in Southern Wisconsin, we went into Chicago a lot, and right now my son lives there and so does my brother-in-law, so reading about the Shedd Aquarium was so much fun, and I could picture it very clearly. We were just there in Chicago two weeks ago. I love her characters and could not put the book down. I bought it at around noon, went home and was finished with the book by time I went to bed. I can't wait for the next one.
My expectations for this book were not high, but I purchased it anyway because it was a great price and I have all of Lori Wick's other books on my shelf. I added it to my shelf collection and let it sit there until I had some major projects out of the way, then unenthusiastically pulled it down to start reading... What a pleasant surprise! I had a very difficult time putting this book down and finished it easily in less than two days. Lori Wick's more recent books have become completely predictable and easy to yawn through at a leisurely pace and I was fairly certain this would be more of the same. The plot did not take the road I expected and had some pleasant twists and turns along the way. I can honestly recommend this read...even if you haven't been impressed with her recent past, Lori Wick seems to have returned to her writing abilities with fresh and original ideas! Hurrah! =)
Stayed up until 5 am reading this book over the holidays...couldn't put it down. Fascinating story about family reconcilation. Ms Wick shows her true talent yet again.