When Lucy Kendall returns from her trip on the Continent, she finds that her father's candy business is struggling. So is his health. She wants to do anything she can to save both, and she won't let anyone get in her way.
Charlie Clarke comes to help his father's candy company, which is Lucy's father's biggest competition. He wants to leave everything behind him from Chicago where he fell in with a rough crowd in order to provide money for his family after his father left them. He now has a chance to reconnect with his father and enter into an entirely new way of life.
While Charlie and Lucy meet without knowing who the other is, how will they respond and interact when they know the truth? How can Lucy possibly save her father's business when Charlie and his father have developed ways to sabotage it?
When I first started reading this book I didn't think I would enjoy it because it felt like there wasn't much happening other than the discussion of candy and the family business. It took me about halfway through the book before I could finally get into it. While the growing relationship between Lucy and Charlie is very predictable, I like how the author used the concept of the candy and family business. That made a cliche story a little more unique. One thing I really enjoyed about this book was the use of historical context. The division of class was evident, and I liked how Lucy didn't want to succumb to the pressures of being like the women of this time period. She had a dream, and that was what she wanted to go after, so I liked her determination and passion. Each chapter is told from either the perspective of Lucy or Charlie, which is helpful for the reader to get into both their heads. This certainly wasn't my favorite book, but there were some redeeming qualities.
This book was reviewed for Bethany House Publishers.
