The perfect vengeance with help from chocolate!

Synopsis

Ellie Sanchez wants revenge. Spurned during her school days at prestigious Monty’s academy when she was plain Eleanor Finch, and played second fiddle to her idol, Barnaby Westwood, and his show-off sister, Clementine, Ellie will stop at nothing to turn the tables now she’s all grown up. The siblings and their snubbing have been the catalyst for everything that’s gone wrong in her life, from parental neglect to her divorce.

When the Westwood travel merchandise company advertises for a new HR manager, Ellie decides her unique combo of karma and Law of Attraction has finally come good. And she’ll be bagging herself a cherry-on-the-cake, second, and richer, husband in the process – once Barnaby sees how much she’s changed, anyway. 

Fast forward two years and he STILL doesn’t recognise her! 

Fast forward two years and the company is in a financial mess.

Last Chance Saloon-style, Ellie coerces the siblings and their older sister, Brooke (the perpetual spanner in her works) to a rustic gîte in Normandy for a spot of team-building… over a very ‘special’ box of artisan chocolates.

Cue ALL the fireworks in the cocoa bean version of Jumanji…

My review

Ellie Sanchez has a plan. And that plan all starts with applying for the job of HR Manager at the Westwood travel merchandise company.
It’s not the job she is truly interested in, but more in getting back at the Westwood siblings. Because they have a history…
While at school, Ellie was plain Eleanor Finch, and rather invisible for her crush Barnaby Westwood and his sister Clementine.
Now that her appearances have changed, she has  planned the perfect revenge. Because those siblings were the catalyst for everything that went wrong in Ellie’s life.

Not only is she planning on getting Karma to do its thing, but she also relies on the Law Of Attraction, sure that Barnaby will see how much she is changed and that she is the woman of his dreams.

But when after several months the company is in deep waters and the Westwoods still don’t have a clue who she truly is, she devises the ultimate revenge. All it takes is a rustic gîte in Normandy, under the pretence of team – building, and a mysterious box of artisan chocolates.

How to make sure I read a book? Put chocolates on the cover and I won’t be able to ignore it!

I have to admit, there is a lot of going on, but it took me a while to see the whole picture.
When Ellie starts working for the Westwoods, it’s obvious that there is something that happened in the past. But that is not completely revealed immediately. So I had some difficulties understanding her true motives.

Despite her secret agenda that isn’t so innocent, Ellie is someone I quickly warmed to. Because there are so many things that makes her recognizable. Anyone who wasn’t part of the popular gang at school, has felt the same way Ellie felt. And who hasn’t even once devised a way to get revenge to the people that hurt you?

I had so much fun reading about the silly games she invented under the pretext as bonding. Everything Ellie does, has a secret agenda. And yes, you can think of it as it may be a bit over the top everything that Ellie is planning, but I found it very entertaining!

When Ellie puts the chocolates into action, it takes a bit of imagination, because I surely hope that the effects they were having on the eater was something completely made up!
Yet it was an eye – opener, not only for the readers but also for the characters.
The message that got through to me was that nothing is what it seems.

I found this very entertaining, and surprising towards the end. Getting revenge can be a main reason for acting like Ellie did, but is it truly the main purpose? Because without giving anything away, in the end Ellie did not get the revenge like she planned, but she found more than bargained. And isn’t that eventually all that matters? Not having the revenge like you planned, but just having closure and ending with surprising people by your side.