The Sweet Shoppe: Tempting Prudence

A candy shop and its mysterious owner provide the catalyst for two people to lose their inhibitions in Tempting Prudence. Prudence Merriweather and Jonas Smith work for the same company. Prudence spends a great deal of time fantasizing about Jonas, but is too much of an introvert to make the first move. After months of lusting after Pru’s body, Jonas decides he’s ready to take a chance.

Tempting Prudence has an entertaining premise which centers around chocolate; everyone knows that chocolate makes everything taste better, even a six foot four male lead who's already yummy. Melissa Schroeder has created characters that you can relate to and easily become attached to. If there’s such a thing as a realistic fantasy, then Jonas is it. Schroeder gives you such wonderful character descriptions and insights that you immediately want these two people to get together. It’s then surprising and disappointing that their ultimate union felt rushed and didn’t live up to expectation. Within the story there were some leaps that weren’t fully explained, seeming to exist in order to support a too-convenient wrap-up of the story, but Schroeder makes us privy to such dynamically written thought processes that you’re willing to overlook it. I thoroughly enjoy the way Melissa Schroeder writes; her ability to put into words some of the wittiest lines I’ve read kept me laughing and happily engrossed in the story. With an extension to the resolution, Tempting Prudence would be even better; still it’s a fun, quick read that’s written with great dialogue and an engaging style.

Reviewed by: Sin