I tend to prefer Timothy Janovsky’s books that have an element of magic to them. As I read One Week to Win the Chocolate Maker, I realized that Dario’s wealth is essentially a magical power. One Week to Win the Chocolate Maker is a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory retelling with an adult Charlie, the character closest to Willy Wonka’s vibe is a deceased grandfather, and Dario, the chocolate maker, is a pansexual short king.
Charlie is in a desperate situation. He lives with his parents and grandparents, is the caregiver for his grandparents, and works a full-time job. Despite his and his parents’ best efforts, the house is threatened with foreclosure, and Charlie doesn’t know what to do. Dario is also in a desperate situation. His recently deceased grandfather has made marriage a requirement for inheriting the chocolate making business. He doesn’t feel like he can go out in the world and fall in love because he is in treatment for anxiety and agoraphobia. Naturally, the most reasonable thing to do is to hold a contest in which 5 people are selected to spend a week at Dario’s villa in Italy with a possibility of a marriage offer at the end. Charlie enters, is selected, and must figure out how to get this wealthy man to choose him.
One Week to Win the Chocolate Maker is lovely and if you have been reading Timothy Janovsky, you will feel right at home. If you haven’t, this is a good introduction. Even as each is pursuing their own interests, they see each other. Janovsky builds a relationship between them that feels grounded in a fantastical situation. He makes their blooming romance even sweeter because they need each other. Truly, Charlie’s only option for saving his family is Dario. What an indictment of the US that three people can’t maintain a house or care for their elders with three full time jobs. For Dario, Charlie is the only contestant who accepts him as he is.
I received this as an advance reader copy from Harlequin Afterglow and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.
