It’s always lovely when Laura Florand does a giveaway to celebrate the release of a new book – because there’s often chocolate involved, and today is no exception!
To celebrate the release of All For You and the launch of her new series set in Paris, Paris Hearts, Laura Florand is offering a box of delicious French chocolates that she says are, “worthy of her chocolatier heroine Célie.”
Information about the book? But of course! Here is the cover copy:
Some crushes aren’t meant to be
When her older brother’s best friend left to join the Foreign Legion, eighteen-year-old Célie moved on to make a life for herself as a Paris chocolatier. Now, five years later, the last thing she needs is another man to mess up her happiness.
Let alone the same man.
But five years in the Foreign Legion is a long time for a man to grow up, and a long time to be away from the woman he loves. Especially when he did it all for her.
Half strangers, more than friends, and maybe, if Joss Castel has his way, a second chance…
But wait, there’s more: Chocolats du Cali Bressan was born out of romance when French chocolatier Jean-Michel Carre moved to California for the sake of his homesick American wife and they founded this shop. Laura has been hooked on his chocolates and his ever-amazing caramel Buddhas ever since her brother discovered the shop on a bike trip and sent her a box.
Laura says that it’s a pleasure to share his incredible chocolates with readers, so she’s giving away a box to one lucky person, along with a copy of her new book, All For You.
(Wow. Those are gorgeous.)
Standard disclaimers apply: I’m not being compensated for this giveaway (I do get to look at the picture and try to control my stomach growling, though!). Void where prohibited. Must be over 18 and prepared for decadent treats to win.
As usual with chocolate giveaways, this is only open to US residents (sorry, y’all) since fine artisan chocolates like this are very dependent on an individual chocolatier’s belief that they can be shipped in good condition to your address (and on no personal emergency interfering in his own chocolate making). Laura Florand reserves the right to replace with a box of similar value from a different chocolatier if it becomes necessary.
But for international residents outside the US, we have a prize for you, too. Laura will send a copy of All for You, print or digital, to you wherever in the globe you are! Alas, we cannot send chocolate, too, but we don’t want to leave you all out – that’s no fun.
To enter, please leave a comment below! Comments will close Friday May 8 at 12pm ET, and winner will be selected by random integer that same day.
(I’m still looking at that box of chocolates. How are the lips so shiny? How does that work?)
(I think I just gained a pound. Or three. Just from looking.)
Now Laura wants to know: What are some of your own favorite chocolates? Do you have a good chocolatier in your area? She’s always eager for more recommendations.
We have winners! The winner of the box of chocolates is Stephanie B. and the international winner of a copy of All For You is Tarja! Congratulations to the winners, and thank you for entering!
Some of the chocolatiers at the local farmers market have really good chocolates. Yum!
It’s too bad about the chocolate! I live in Taiwan at the moment, and it’s quite easy to get decent pralines here if you’re into Godiva. I used to live in Vienna, there are some really good chocolatiers there, my favourite is called Xocolat. They sell their own chocolates and pralines, also imported chocolate from everywhere. Awesome shop.
We have a few good chocolatiers here and a yearly chocolate festival. Also, they opened a Godiva right across the road from me. It’s next door to a health food store.
My favourite chocolate shop is the Chocolate Mill in Daylesford (Australia). Sadly it’s about a 2 hour drive from where I live, so I only get there once or twice a year…although that’s probably a good thing for my waistline!
I live in a small town..so Lindt!
Belgian dark chocolate……..sigh!! Thank you Laura and Sarah for thinking of us non-US residents !
Any chocolate with salt on it for me!
I love Neuhaus and Lindt chocolates!
They’re not local to me, but I recently was gifted some William Dean chocolates and they were so decadent and delicious!
Haven’t found a good chocolatier in my area, but we do have Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, so I can indulge in chocolate covered honeycomb, salted caramel chocolate truffles, and caramel apples with chocolate drizzle.
i love dark chocolate with a hint of spice or heat. We have a pretty good chocolate shop here, Baylee’s best chocolates.
My mom loves Bernard Callebaut <>
My special occasion company is Ethel M’s. In particular I LOVE the Raspberry Satin Creme Dark Chocolate and the Lemon Satin Creme Dark Chocolate. Neat feature: you can “design your own box” and fill it with the ones you want.
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Dilettante chocolates out of Seattle. Homemade marshmallows dipped in dilettante semi sweet chocolate.
whups, sorry. the urls didn’t appear.
https://www.ethelm.com/
http://www.bernardcallebaut.com/
I love it all. But, I’ll give a shout out to South Bend Chocolate Company.
Freia used to be my staple when it comes to chocolates, but sadly, a few years ago they improved their production methods. Which sadly dod some not-so-good things to the taste. 🙁 Their white chocolate is still good, though. Nidar’s chocolates have stayed tasty.
When it comes to gourmet chocolates, you might wish to explore Valrhona chocolate. 🙂
A French cafe just opened next door to the bookstore I work in and it looks like they’ll be selling chocolate too! Hopefully it’s delicious because I haven’t found anywhere nearby that’s really wowed my tastebuds.
Wow! Those are gorgeous.
Oooh, good chocolates, you say? Our very own Asheville has the French Broad Chocolate Factory and The Chocolate Fetish and both are very good. My in-laws send me chocolate for Bozeman, MT from La Châtelaine and I’m never, every sorry to get them (and I don’t share ’em either). Happily, all three of these shops ship!
Oh and if you like truffles (of the chocolate variety), my sister is wild about the raspberry truffles and always gets them when she visits from MI.
Favorite chocolate is an easy question: Cote d’Or. I’ve loved it since the first time I had it, a gift from my family in Lux. And honestly, the elephant logo is so cute!
My favorite chocolates are the dark Lindor chocolates by Lindt. They are exquisite.
Sadly, we do not have a decent chocolatier here in the Philippines. The best I can get is some spanish hot chocolate from a local cafe, Via Mare.
When we lived in Oahu, my husband discovered the island’s best chocolatier while delivering Singing Valentines (he was the baritone). Since moving to Baltimore, we’re still on the hunt. It’s hard to compete with European experts we found while living in the Netherlands.
Wow those chocolates look fabulous. I feel like a cliché but I can’t go a day without good chocolate.
My go-to has usually been Godiva–mainly their truffles. We also have a local company, Mrs. Cavanuagh’s, that puts you into a chocolate coma the minute you walk in the door.
Yum! I try to support local chocolatiers as much as possible but, thanks to childhood memories of visiting my grandparents in CA, I have a weakness for the See’s candies kiosks in West Coast airports
The closest artisan chocolate is around an hour and a half a way. I’ve only been once a few years ago. My mom and I had fun picking out some to try and as gifts. Over 20 years ago now there was one in my home town. With them it was the cakes. Very rich and expensive chocolate cake. Only bought at very special times like Christmas.
Sometimes nothing tastes better than a Hershey’s Kiss. But for actual really good chocolate in my area there is Bridgewater Chocolate. YUM.
Oh, boy! Chocolates and a French Foreign Legion story? Sign me up!
It’s tough to get fine chocolates where I currently live beyond Lindt/Godiva. Not that I would sneeze at those, but that box above looks amazing.
I am also a small town girl with no local chocolate makers. If I want handmade chocolates I have to go to tourist towns like Cherokee in NC or Helen in Ga. You are more likely to get fudge there but they usually make chocolates too.
Those do look delish! I am definitely a chocoholic. Hershey’s kisses, Hershey bars, I guess Hershey’s is my favorite!
Wait– America has a Rivera???
Locally, we have a local chocolatier – He’s from Switzerland. Chocolate Covered Strawberries– YUM!
My favorite local chocolatier is Gail Ambrosius from Madison, WI who specializes in fine dark chocolates. Love them. http://gailambrosius.com/
Well I like John and Kira’s, Leonidas, La Masion du Chocolat for starters. Valrhona, callebaut and El Rey.
Those chocolates look so good! Since I live in a small town, I have no chocolatiers anywhere near me. I prefer to eat Lindt chocolates. That’s as fancy as I can get!
I do love me some amazing melty Lindt truffles, or pretty much anything that involves caramel and sea salt.
We don’t have chocolate shops in our town,it’s a small town 🙁
But I love Ferrero Rocher chocolate and Raffaello 🙂
Nothing goes with a book like chocolate. Looking forward to reading it.
I’m honestly not picky when it comes to chocolate. I like it all. 🙂 One of my favorites I head was Green & Black’s Milk Chocolate. It was a really good mix of not too bitter and not too sweet. Unfortunately can’t seem to find it anymore.
CoCo Sala in DC has both fancy chocolates and dessert tasting menus 🙂
Winans Fine Chocolates and Esther Price are popular around here. Really, I’m not fussy…any chocolate will do. I’ve been known to eat chocolate frosting right out of the can or squire Hershey’s syrup directly into my mouth! 🙂