Theft by Chocolate by Luba Lesychyn

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     Mystery, Mayans and Mayhem: looking for chocolate, love and an international art thief in all the wrong places. Chocolate addict Kalena Boyko wasn’t prepared for this. Heading to work at Canada’s largest museum as an administrator, she hoped for quiet and uninterrupted access to her secret chocolate stash. Instead she’s assigned to manage the high-profile Treasures of the Maya exhibition with her loathed former boss Richard Pritchard. 

     With no warning, her life is turned inside out and propelled into warp speed as she stumbles across an insider plot that could jeopardize the exhibit and the reputation of the museum. After hearing about a recent botched theft at the museum and an unsolved jewel heist in the past from security guard and amateur sleuth Marco Zeffirelli, Kalena becomes suspicious of Richard and is convinced he’s planning to sabotage the Treasures of the Maya exhibition. Her suspicions, and the appearance of the mysterious but charming Geoffrey Ogden from the London office, don’t help her concentration. The Treasures of the Maya seem cursed as problem after problem arises, including the disappearance of a key artifact – the world’s oldest piece of chocolate.  (-synopsis from Goodreads)

    Kalena is a fun main character to follow.  At times she presents as a ditzy woman who’s love for chocolate stands in the way of everything else in her life.  At other times she is the strong museum administrator who is able to handle all the problems thrown at her as the Mayan exhibit comes to her museum.

    Throughout it all Kalena is surrounded by men that love her and hate her.  Geoffrey is a rich, sexy administrator from the London office.  Kalena spends a glorious few days with him in London only to later see a picture of him in the newspaper with another woman the very same week.  Then there is Marco, the new, much younger, security guard.  He quickly works his way into her world by being a great friend and by hinting at the future.  Finally we have Richard, Kalena’s former boss and the cause of all the trouble with the Mayan exhibit.

     I found some of the details surrounding the chocolate in the story to be excessive and a little over the top.  Kalena is constantly eating chocolate in all forms throughout the book though manages to maintain her figure.  Her focus waives from the important whenever a piece of chocolate enters the room.  Other then that I found the book to be a fun, light read.  The mystery surrounding the theft of museum pieces gets tense and the ending has a twist I didn’t see coming.

I give this book 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

 

9 Comments

  1. Congratulations to the winner of the eCopy of “Theft By Chocolate.” From your email handle, sounds like you could use a light, amusing escape.

    Once you’ve read the book, please pass on your comments. I’d love to hear them! You can contact me at http://www.chocolativore.com.

  2. Thanks so much for featuring “Theft By Chocolate.” Very much appreciated. I hope it will help to unite chocolate lovers and lovers of sassy museum mysteries.

  3. I wonder what kind of chocolate would be most appropriate to read this book with. I am guessing each chapter would deserve a different kind or way to eat it. Thanks for sharing!

    1. In “Theft By Chocolate,” I don’t discriminate against any kind of chocolate. It’s all wonderful! I featured a large variety of chocolate from Crunchie Bars, Toblerone and Lindt to Thorntons, Choccywoccydoodah, Maison du Chocolat, Jeff de Bruges, and so much more.

      I think it would be a delicious idea to read this book with a group of friends and to get together once a week to discuss the latest chapter or two with a supply of the chocolate highlighted in those pages. Hmm, I think I’m going to go call a bunch of my friends and set up my own chocolate tasting/reading group.

    1. Many of my readers have confessed that reading “Theft By Chocolate” has triggered chocolate cravings. I suggest that like the main character, Kalena, you keep a secret stash of chocolate near by so you don’t have to venture far if you have already settled into your PJs for your evening read. However, like Kalena, you might discover that there’s really no such thing as “a secret hiding place” for chocolate. So, it might also be a good idea to plan some long walks or hikes in between reads. 🙂

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