Truffles By The Sea by Julie Carobini-KINDLE

This is the sequel/companion to Chocolate Beach. In Truffles by the Sea we read about Gabrielle's story. Everything seems to be falling apart in Gaby's life. Her employee robbed her business, her apartment burned down. She has miraculously been offered a loft apartment to live in. It is in a more upscale part of town, but the rent is amazingly low. From the day she moves in though her nosy neighbor Iris plants in her head that her landlord is a philandering Lotherio that she needs to steer clear of.

Problems continue to assail Gaby. With all of her overhead stolen from her she has very little money to keep her in her floral business. Top that off with being sued by a disgruntled bride, her best friend Bri being too busy to sit on the beach and eat brownies, and two men vying for her attention and Gaby's world seems to be falling apart.

At first Gaby feels attracted to Max. After all he owns property, he's established, and he's extremely attractive. Gaby's new landlord Jake on the other hand confuses her with his kindness. She is wary of him because of Iris's warning, yet there is an attraction between the two.

Gaby has never given up, but she doesn't know where to turn when her life seems to be falling apart. While out driving to find perspective and clear her head she happens upon a group of women having a Bible Study at the foot of a cross. Gaby is reminded of the Lord in her life and determines to live for Him from here on.

I thought this was a fun read. In Chocolate Beach I loved Bri's sarcasm and Gaby's feisty-ness. I missed Gaby's personality at the beginning of Truffles by the Sea, but was happy to see it back once she found her confidence in who she was in the Lord.

I read this on my Kindle. Which reminds me that I am going to make August my READ ON MY KINDLE month. I have so many books that I have downloaded but have been unable to get to. So I am devoting August to that task.

Chocolate Beach by Julie Carobini(Kindle)

Brianna Stone has the perfect beach life. She has the perfectly hunky/lawyer husband, the perfect son, the perfect home on the beach and the perfect job. Things seem to be spiraling downhill though.

Bri's perfect husband Douglas is working long hours. When a snide remark from one of her acquaintances points out to her that maybe her life isn't so perfect, Bri begins to feel that maybe she needs to make some changes in her life to keep her husband interested in her.

Bri embarks on a mission to change things. She takes her mother-in-laws advice to remodel her livingroom to make it more presentable for Douglas as a rising lawyer. She buys a new wardrobe to make herself look more dignified instead of the beach/comfortable that she normally wears. She has her hair streaked with new color. She even takes some cooking classes so that she can present home-cooked meals to her family instead of the take-out fare that they are used to.

Things are not rosy at her work either. Bri loves her job as a tour guide. When the owner of the company decides to leave the business in her son's hands things start getting weird there for Bri. She tries setting the son up with her best friend Gaby. She thinks that Gaby and Ty are hitting it off, but Bri misses the subtle hints that Ty is more interested in her.

Bri realizes finally that she needs to be who God made her to be. She needs to be herself. Bri's spunk and sarcasm had me smiling and laughing throughout the story. I even shed a tear at a tender moment between Douglas and Bri. I especially enjoyed the sailing off into the sunset ending!