Bittersweet Surrender by Diann Hunt

Carly Westlake is living the dream. She spends her days at a spa (okay, so she owns the place), she's dating a hunk, and she's surrounded by chocolate—milk chocolate, her favorite—that she uses for the chocolate facials that made her spa famous.

But when long buried secrets threaten Carley's business and her friendship with business-partner Tom, she fights like crazy to keep the dream—and the illusions—afloat.

It takes a miracle of grace to get Carley to finally make that bittersweet surrender to love and real life.

Carley Westlake mustered up all kinds of emotions for me in this book.  After reading of her of her struggles through cancer, having a mastectomy, and having her husband leave her, the compassion was just oozing out of me.  I was angry on her behalf!  I think every woman will be able to relate to Carley's feelings of loss and insecurity over losing her breast to cancer.  Such a real struggle for so many women.  I was totally rooting for Carley.  I wanted her to find love and feel valued again.

I think it was the chocolate that really sealed the deal for me with this book.  Please!  A chocolate spa?  I could just smell the goodness as I read.  Okay, maybe I could taste it too as I just had to grab me a little chocolate to go along with the book!  I think they should have put a bit of chocolate smell in those pages or maybe a scratch and sniff?  I love chocolate.  <sigh>  I think I bonded with Carley right away just because of that fact.

This was a very enjoyable read.  I was happy and satisfied in the end.  This is a Christian fiction book, but light on the Christian.  A clean read all the way around.  I picked this book through Book Sneeze in exchange for my honest review.