The House of Hope & Chocolate

By: Ava Miles

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Ava Miles, author of the number one national best seller The Chocolate Garden, brings you another feel-good romance about hope, the will to start over, and the power of friendship.

From the time she was a little girl, Alice Bailey dreamed of opening a chocolate shop. After all, chocolate heals everything, from heartache to woes. She’s certainly had plenty of those lately, drilling home the whole “life is precious” motto. It’s now or never—carpe diem time.

Only opening up a chocolate shop in this close-knit Hudson Valley community proves harder than she imagined, especially when other neighborhood businesses are experiencing hard times. She's not only an outsider, but resentment over her circumstances breeds mistrust among some business owners.

Except for Hank O’Connor, the sexy owner of the Irish pub in town. Even though he’s experiencing his own share of troubles, he’s looking for hope. Maybe it’s their instant attraction, but they end up bonding over more than just chocolate as the difficult currents in town swell.

As she struggles to rebuild, she shows her new friends and neighbors that life offers more richness than they realize. Only she discovers it’s her hope that creates her very own happily ever after.

Cassandra Campbell is a prolific audiobook narrator with more than 700 titles to date like Where the Crawdads Sing and The Help. Winner of four Audie Awards and nominated for a dozen more, she was a 2018 inductee in Audible’s inaugural Narrator Hall of Fame as well as a 2021 inductee as a Golden Voice, AudioFile magazine's lifetime achievement honor. She has consistently been an AudioFile Best Narrator as well as a Publishers Weekly Best Narrator of the Year. As an acting teacher, she spent five years as a faculty member of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and has performed in and directed dozens of plays at theaters across the country.

©2021 Ava Miles (P)2021 Ava Miles

Poor narrator. I just couldn't get into the story

Very hard to listen to because of narrator. I have listened to all the other books and I am used to the other narrator voices.

Narrator

I had problems with the narrator. The voices were to close to the same sound and I often confused who was “talking”. I loved the story but also feel it is similar to the Dare Valley books. I loved those so even saying that I will probably continue with this series as they are released. ;)

Another great story but too much reminder on Covid

I so enjoy listening or reading your books but this one was way too much Covid reminders, we all know & felt the pain & the reminders what’s been going on in the world & still. I really did not need all the protocol reminds also, too depressing. I enjoy your books because they take me out of every day life.
I did like the story behind the meaning of the title the friendships with family bonding side.
I so hope book 2 is not going to keep on going on about Covid. Please.

escape

I read to escape the pandemic . I wasn't crazy about the reader but I enjoy other reader that have read Ava's other books .

Unbelievably disappointing

I will never listen to another Ava Miles book. If you want to get a lecture on how stupid, incompetent, inconsiderate people don’t wear masks… this book is for you. So disappointed

I read/listen to avoid COVID!!!!!

I loved all her other books that I have listened too, however I don't want to listen to details of COVID, I listen to get away from that. Not pleased with the narrator. I am sure she does great on other books but much preferred the previous reader. Sorry I wasted a credit on purchasing it, I can't even finish it!

Rough one!

I enjoy this author’s writing style very much. However, this was a rough one to listen to because of the narrator. She did not do this novel justice. I did not enjoy listening to this book at all. It took me forever to finish it, which is very unusual for me.