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Baker's Dozen
Bryan has been making sweets for a long time. Too long, maybe, especially when he's missing his dead lover. But he has a calling, a special talent that makes his confections more than they seem. Just the thing to help sweeten a life here, spice up another there.
Magical truffles make for wonderful stories from their customers, and assistant James is pleased for the people Bryan helps, but he thinks his maddening boss needs a little help in the happiness department. Can he help Bryan in and out of the kitchen?
Magical truffles make for wonderful stories from their customers, and assistant James is pleased for the people Bryan helps, but he thinks his maddening boss needs a little help in the happiness department. Can he help Bryan in and out of the kitchen?
152 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2007
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39 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
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May 18, 2009Love and Chocolate together, Joanne Harris taught, could lead only to magic. And so this novel it's all about the healing power of love, served with a chocolate truffle. But, and here is the surprise, there is no magic, no paranormal events, but only simple stories of new and old lovers, at least till the end.
Bryan is a more than 80 years old maitre chocolatier. He owns a little candy shop and for thirty years he was alone, after his lover Alan passed away. Many assistants passed under his teaching, but no one remained, until James. James is special, he has the same gift that Bryan has, he knows exactly how to mix the ingredients to create the perfect truffle for the right person. And so every chapter of this novel tells us a different story, sad or happy, about new found lovers, or about old ones who need to re-learn how to love. To all of them Bryan prepares a special treat, but he never once allows to James to treat him with one.
There is the abandoned lover who finds a new man, better than the previous one. There is the man who lost his lover in an accident and now is scarred in body and soul, and feels guilty. There are the two long-term lovers who want to celebrate. There is the southern boy who comes back home to his first teen love. There are the two lovers that were torn apart by life and need to find a way to be together again. There are the two high school friends who meet to the funeral of one of their schoolmates. There are the two long-term lovers who didn't go unarmed through the illness of one of them. There is the college professor who doesn't want to fall for his assistant. There is the two brother in law that meet when their relative is having a baby. There is a biker with a secret admirer. There is a straight cowboy that maybe is not so straight. There are two friends that find love nearer than expected.
All of them find love, but not through magic, only giving a chance to love, only taking a little risk and a bit of courage, maybe also thanks to a piece of chocolate that inspired them. But for Bryan it's possible to find love without magic? It's possible for an 80 years old man falling in love with a fifty years younger man, one that was born when his lover passed away? No for Bryan, the power of chocolate is not enough, for him maybe it's necessary a bit of magic.
I like all the stories, I like the feeling of magic with which they started and then the fact that they resolve to be all too normal, vignettes of life linked only by the same candy shop, and the magic all remains inside that shop and its candies. It's like if all the stories saved the magic for last, for the only story that need it.
It's a strange book, there is almost no sex, but there is a lot of love, not always of the romantic type: the men in the stories are good boys or bad boys, cheaters or long term lovers, from North to South, from East to West, all the shades of love are represented.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002UUT342/?...
Bryan is a more than 80 years old maitre chocolatier. He owns a little candy shop and for thirty years he was alone, after his lover Alan passed away. Many assistants passed under his teaching, but no one remained, until James. James is special, he has the same gift that Bryan has, he knows exactly how to mix the ingredients to create the perfect truffle for the right person. And so every chapter of this novel tells us a different story, sad or happy, about new found lovers, or about old ones who need to re-learn how to love. To all of them Bryan prepares a special treat, but he never once allows to James to treat him with one.
There is the abandoned lover who finds a new man, better than the previous one. There is the man who lost his lover in an accident and now is scarred in body and soul, and feels guilty. There are the two long-term lovers who want to celebrate. There is the southern boy who comes back home to his first teen love. There are the two lovers that were torn apart by life and need to find a way to be together again. There are the two high school friends who meet to the funeral of one of their schoolmates. There are the two long-term lovers who didn't go unarmed through the illness of one of them. There is the college professor who doesn't want to fall for his assistant. There is the two brother in law that meet when their relative is having a baby. There is a biker with a secret admirer. There is a straight cowboy that maybe is not so straight. There are two friends that find love nearer than expected.
All of them find love, but not through magic, only giving a chance to love, only taking a little risk and a bit of courage, maybe also thanks to a piece of chocolate that inspired them. But for Bryan it's possible to find love without magic? It's possible for an 80 years old man falling in love with a fifty years younger man, one that was born when his lover passed away? No for Bryan, the power of chocolate is not enough, for him maybe it's necessary a bit of magic.
I like all the stories, I like the feeling of magic with which they started and then the fact that they resolve to be all too normal, vignettes of life linked only by the same candy shop, and the magic all remains inside that shop and its candies. It's like if all the stories saved the magic for last, for the only story that need it.
It's a strange book, there is almost no sex, but there is a lot of love, not always of the romantic type: the men in the stories are good boys or bad boys, cheaters or long term lovers, from North to South, from East to West, all the shades of love are represented.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002UUT342/?...
September 18, 2013
A very entertaining story after reading a couple of harsh books. Bryan makes truffles with just a little touch of fae magic in them. I liked the way the story revolved around Bryan and James but had very short stories about the people who received the special chocolates. It was an interesting way of writing that showed just enough that I didn't get bored with the candy shop but did not get wrapped up in the outside stories. The story was well put together, not terribly sweet and you get just enough of each secondary character to not feel cheated. Solid writing in an easy read that just left me feeling good.
September 22, 2009
This was a Turn of the Screw serial. It is a fun trip that's full of romance and love.
It was very interesting because so many different customers came in needing help even if they didn't always know it. The way that they were secretly helped by the baker and his candy was always unique and fulfilling for everyone.
At points I had to re-read paragraphs to understand who was talking. Because of the mystical side and the Mentor/trainee relationship it was important to know who was speaking and that was very difficult to tell at times.
It was very interesting because so many different customers came in needing help even if they didn't always know it. The way that they were secretly helped by the baker and his candy was always unique and fulfilling for everyone.
At points I had to re-read paragraphs to understand who was talking. Because of the mystical side and the Mentor/trainee relationship it was important to know who was speaking and that was very difficult to tell at times.
February 28, 2010
firstly, the cover made me crave chocolate so i had to wait to start reading while i made a grocery run. totally necessary b/c chocolate and other goodies mentioned throughout. dont read if you're either hungry or have no self control.
Now, for the book itself- I enjoyed Coleman's writing style, the story was really sweet and comprised of several mini-stories tied together by Bryan and James presence in the other characters' lives...
each character has a different voice, and although a lot of authors who try to write books with multiple subplots often fail, Coleman did quite well keeping their personalities distinct. Fun, thoughtfully written, engaging read!
Now, for the book itself- I enjoyed Coleman's writing style, the story was really sweet and comprised of several mini-stories tied together by Bryan and James presence in the other characters' lives...
each character has a different voice, and although a lot of authors who try to write books with multiple subplots often fail, Coleman did quite well keeping their personalities distinct. Fun, thoughtfully written, engaging read!
October 3, 2020
Unique world building
This is a series of short love stories bound together inside another story. It’s a unique approach. There is little explanation on the universe, it is revealed through the storytelling. It was not at all what I was expecting, but I thought it was fabulous. I’d love to read more in this world.
This is a series of short love stories bound together inside another story. It’s a unique approach. There is little explanation on the universe, it is revealed through the storytelling. It was not at all what I was expecting, but I thought it was fabulous. I’d love to read more in this world.
August 12, 2016
Short stories - a good way of dealing with many plot bunnies that wouldn't survive into a novel. I liked the diversity of the stories, although some of them were quite unique while others we read hundred times. Eating chocolate while reading is inevitable. Just give in.
August 9, 2012
Mysterious bakery that seems to know who needs what to get the love of their life.
But Byron the baker needs his apprentice James , but he is still grieving for his dead lover.
Interesting and mysterious, but too many short stories to get very invested in .
But Byron the baker needs his apprentice James , but he is still grieving for his dead lover.
Interesting and mysterious, but too many short stories to get very invested in .
November 24, 2014
2 star review by Vicki
What an odd story! I picked this one for November’s theme week, which is all about food…. I’m a big fan of chocolate so I searched Goodreads for a book and found Baker’s Dozen. The plot sounded interesting, and come on, chocolate? Yes!
Bryan has a magical talent, and I do mean magical. He makes magic truffles. He has been for many, many years, now working with an apprentice named James. The two of them make lovely sweets for couples. So this story follows the couples as they enjoy their sweets from Bryan.
Unfortunately there isn’t enough to it to really be interesting. We see Bryan and James flirting and making the chocolate for a specific person or couple, then we see the little short story of the couple. But the chocolate didn’t really do anything for the couples. Yes, they were a tasty treat, but other than one couple they didn’t seem to have any magical quality. They didn’t solve any issues, create any magic, bring anyone together, or anything really interesting. The short stories were too short, not enough time for me to really care about the characters. There were a couple that had the potential to be interesting but there wasn’t enough to them. Some had sex, but not many.
Then there is the flirting and the story between Bryan and James. That had the potential to be very interesting, but it was broken up so much by the short stories that I didn’t feel like I had a chance to know them enough to care one way or the other. The ending was really good, it was the best part, but by then I was so bored it just slipped on by me…. I wanted to know more about Bryan, how this all came about, who he really was, what started this, etc. That would have been more interesting to me than so many short stories. And I wanted to chocolates to be magic and actually do something for the couples, one did and it was really cool, but the rest not so much. Sex magic, relationship magic, bring them together, something.
The writing wasn’t bad, not great but not bad, the plot had so much potential that didn’t manifest for me, the characters were interesting but there wasn’t enough about any of them to truly develop them. The chocolate sounded yummy and I wanted it! I did like the ending though!
A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review. Please visit www.lovebytesreviews.com to see this and many more reviews, author interviews, guestposts and giveaways!
What an odd story! I picked this one for November’s theme week, which is all about food…. I’m a big fan of chocolate so I searched Goodreads for a book and found Baker’s Dozen. The plot sounded interesting, and come on, chocolate? Yes!
Bryan has a magical talent, and I do mean magical. He makes magic truffles. He has been for many, many years, now working with an apprentice named James. The two of them make lovely sweets for couples. So this story follows the couples as they enjoy their sweets from Bryan.
Unfortunately there isn’t enough to it to really be interesting. We see Bryan and James flirting and making the chocolate for a specific person or couple, then we see the little short story of the couple. But the chocolate didn’t really do anything for the couples. Yes, they were a tasty treat, but other than one couple they didn’t seem to have any magical quality. They didn’t solve any issues, create any magic, bring anyone together, or anything really interesting. The short stories were too short, not enough time for me to really care about the characters. There were a couple that had the potential to be interesting but there wasn’t enough to them. Some had sex, but not many.
Then there is the flirting and the story between Bryan and James. That had the potential to be very interesting, but it was broken up so much by the short stories that I didn’t feel like I had a chance to know them enough to care one way or the other. The ending was really good, it was the best part, but by then I was so bored it just slipped on by me…. I wanted to know more about Bryan, how this all came about, who he really was, what started this, etc. That would have been more interesting to me than so many short stories. And I wanted to chocolates to be magic and actually do something for the couples, one did and it was really cool, but the rest not so much. Sex magic, relationship magic, bring them together, something.
The writing wasn’t bad, not great but not bad, the plot had so much potential that didn’t manifest for me, the characters were interesting but there wasn’t enough about any of them to truly develop them. The chocolate sounded yummy and I wanted it! I did like the ending though!
A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review. Please visit www.lovebytesreviews.com to see this and many more reviews, author interviews, guestposts and giveaways!
January 21, 2011
DNF Reason -- This book started out great, but the myriad of vignettes all with new and different characters got old. We never really learned anything about the two people the story is really supposed to be about, and I couldn't force myself to read all the other stuff just for a little payout.
December 4, 2020
Each chapter is a vignette, some humorous, some sweet, some poignant. All worth reading.
April 4, 2024
Delightfully wicked...with a magical and romantic joining of folks who were unaware of the gift they received.
The writing is wistful and rewarding. We feel like we can see them all, one by one, two by two, following their destiny. The candy's magic is working to get the results.
We meet quite a few couples, they're each different and the final couple is extremely special.
Along the way we are treated to hot, sizzling sexy times and tons of passion.
Set yourself free of the normal expectations and enjoy the magic.
Have fun.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews