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Chocoverse #2
Pure Chocolate
In a galaxy where chocolate is literally addictive, one celebrity chef is fighting back, in the delicious sequel to Free ChocolateTo save everyone she loves, Bo Bonitez is touring Zant, home of the murderous, shark-toothed aliens who so recently tried to eat her. In the midst of her stint as Galactic paparazzi princess, she discovers that Earth has been exporting tainted chocolate to the galaxy, and getting aliens hooked on cocoa. Bo must choose whether to go public, or just smile for the cameras and make it home alive. She's already struggling with her withdrawal from the Invincible Heart, and her love life has a life of its own, but when insidious mind worms intervene, things start to get complicated!File Science Fiction [ Death by Chocolate | Can Cook, Will Cook | Galactic Promise | Addicted to Love ]
- GenresScience Fiction
490 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 5, 2019
70 people want to read
About the author
Amber Royer
27 books348 followersAmber Royer writes the CHOCOVERSE comic telenovela-style foodie-inspired space opera series, and the BEAN TO BAR MYSTERIES. She is also the author of STORY LIKE A JOURNALIST: A WORKBOOK FOR NOVELISTS, which boils down her writing knowledge into an actionable plan involving over 100 worksheets to build a comprehensive story plan for your novel. She blogs about creative writing technique and all things chocolate at www.amberroyer.com. Much of this knowledge has come from teaching creative writing for both UT Arlington Continuing Education and Writing Workshops Dallas. She has been teaching and serving as an author coach for going on a decade and a half, and before that she was a youth librarian. Amber lives in Texas, with her husband who is sometimes her co-author – but always her alpha reader and cheerleader. Much of what she writes is to amuse him, or has been inspired by one of her friends. (Check the last names of her protags – they’re often homages.) She grew up in a half Cajun, half German household, which gave her early ideas about fusion cooking, which are still present in her cooking style and recipe offerings today. She loves to travel, and has drunk coffee in seven different countries. Her cookbook, THERE ARE HERBS IN MY CHOCOLATE started as a project for her local herb society, where she and her husband were at the time active members and presenters. If you are very nice to her, she might make you cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes, obviously.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 1, 2019
Pure Chocolate takes off where Free Chocolate let off, and it doesn't let Bo off the hook for a single second. Action packed, full of emotional twists and devious plots, I loved the whole thing. I think Pure Chocolate is suprior to book 1, which is always a good thing. I have high hopes for Book 3. Amber Royer managed to even instill a ton of characterization and investment into characters that only grace the pages for a slim portion of the book. I hope I get to see a specific Duracell in the future. :-)
#TeamBrill
#WTFFrank
#TeamBrill
#WTFFrank
June 2, 2019
Pure Chocolate brings us back to the brilliance of Amber Royer’s Chocoverse, filled with all of the enticing drama, danger, and epicness of a space opera. We’re immediately thrown into the action and it never slows down. Our favorite holo-star finds herself caught up in any number of telenovela-style dramatics, including, but not limited to, a squid riding fiasco, an assassination attempt, the disappearance of a close friend, and the never-ending shadiness of the villainous HGB corporation. Prepare to gasp, laugh, and devour every page of this endlessly entertaining read.
In the first book, Free Chocolate, we were introduced to wonderful characters, intense aliens, and a universe obsessed with Chocolate. In this second addition to the series, we see Bo and Brill still making it work as they fly between planets intent on making their lives difficult. This series is so much fun. As I’ve said many times before, I’m a HUGE fan of space operas and Royer is an expert at dramatic timing and flash-bang plot incursions that excite and fuel a fast-moving narrative. There are always new developments and they’re as fun as they are bizarre and unexpected.
The series really shines in terms of character development and settings. We get to see a lot of this universe, traveling to new planets filled with wonders and dangers alike. Drama and hardship has brought Bo’s friend group closer together and we get to know them better. We see Brill at his most vulnerable, and we get a sense of just how much Bo means to him. We see Chestla in her element, stalking around her terrifying planet and protecting Bo at all costs. We spend a lot of time with the Zantites which, if you’ve read the first book, is a terrifying premise. It’s character growth I was excited to see.
Above all, Pure Chocolate shows us how exciting and adventurous space can be. There are dramatics and near-death experiences aplenty and, after all of the mayhem and international incidents, we’re left with a group of closely-knit characters you want to root for.
NOTE: I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
In the first book, Free Chocolate, we were introduced to wonderful characters, intense aliens, and a universe obsessed with Chocolate. In this second addition to the series, we see Bo and Brill still making it work as they fly between planets intent on making their lives difficult. This series is so much fun. As I’ve said many times before, I’m a HUGE fan of space operas and Royer is an expert at dramatic timing and flash-bang plot incursions that excite and fuel a fast-moving narrative. There are always new developments and they’re as fun as they are bizarre and unexpected.
The series really shines in terms of character development and settings. We get to see a lot of this universe, traveling to new planets filled with wonders and dangers alike. Drama and hardship has brought Bo’s friend group closer together and we get to know them better. We see Brill at his most vulnerable, and we get a sense of just how much Bo means to him. We see Chestla in her element, stalking around her terrifying planet and protecting Bo at all costs. We spend a lot of time with the Zantites which, if you’ve read the first book, is a terrifying premise. It’s character growth I was excited to see.
Above all, Pure Chocolate shows us how exciting and adventurous space can be. There are dramatics and near-death experiences aplenty and, after all of the mayhem and international incidents, we’re left with a group of closely-knit characters you want to root for.
NOTE: I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
April 8, 2020
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.25 of 5
Bo Benitez doesn't hold a grudge. She is currently visiting the planet Zant, which is home to the aliens who recently tried to eat Bo. But she's a holo-(television)-star and this is great for her image, even if it's really hard for her to do.
But things only get harder for Bo as she learns that Earth has been exported bad chocolate while at the same time getting the rest of the galaxy hooked on the sweetened, refined cacao. Should she go public with the news? She's already in the hot seat with so many different people and companies. Or should she just keep smiling and play the game she's paid to play? But when a new threat appears she doesn't have much choice as to what she must do next.
This is the second book in a series and I was only mildly interested in the first book. This volume, however, steps it up a notch with the characters and action.
The characters were a little more clear to me, and the relationships stronger. And while it only bothered me a little bit in the first book, I thought the blending of English and Spanish was better here. And I still really love the fact that this is a Latina protagonist - it just makes a lot of sense.
Like the first book, there is a lot of 'out-of-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire' action here. It's non-stop, which is what you would expect with a space opera.
And still ... there's something here that doesn't connect with me. I want to like this. I live the general concept and the characters, but I still don't feel drawn in to the story. it's getting better, but still not there.
Looking for a good book? Pure Chocolate by Amber Royer is the second book in the Chocoverse series and better than the first, but still not quite sweet enough for my palette.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss and Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Bo Benitez doesn't hold a grudge. She is currently visiting the planet Zant, which is home to the aliens who recently tried to eat Bo. But she's a holo-(television)-star and this is great for her image, even if it's really hard for her to do.
But things only get harder for Bo as she learns that Earth has been exported bad chocolate while at the same time getting the rest of the galaxy hooked on the sweetened, refined cacao. Should she go public with the news? She's already in the hot seat with so many different people and companies. Or should she just keep smiling and play the game she's paid to play? But when a new threat appears she doesn't have much choice as to what she must do next.
This is the second book in a series and I was only mildly interested in the first book. This volume, however, steps it up a notch with the characters and action.
The characters were a little more clear to me, and the relationships stronger. And while it only bothered me a little bit in the first book, I thought the blending of English and Spanish was better here. And I still really love the fact that this is a Latina protagonist - it just makes a lot of sense.
Like the first book, there is a lot of 'out-of-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire' action here. It's non-stop, which is what you would expect with a space opera.
And still ... there's something here that doesn't connect with me. I want to like this. I live the general concept and the characters, but I still don't feel drawn in to the story. it's getting better, but still not there.
Looking for a good book? Pure Chocolate by Amber Royer is the second book in the Chocoverse series and better than the first, but still not quite sweet enough for my palette.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss and Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
January 30, 2022
Recent Reads: Pure Chocolate. Amber Royer's space telenovella gets more convoluted as Bo finds herself involved in a cooking reality show on the homeworld of the race that was trying to kill her. That's the easy bit. Now there's a hive of brain worms to mess up the story. Uh oh!
November 16, 2020
A good sequel to Free Chocolate. I's no wonder Chestla is a fan favorite. I can't wait to finish book 3.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews