The Chocolatier's Wife by Cindy Lynn Speer

What a delightful book! Cindy Lynn Speer weaves a tale of murder, mystery, magic, fantasy, history, and romance that keeps the pages turning. Seriously, it would fit in all of these genres. The story of William and Tasmin is sweet and charming, told through letters and narrative beginning at their births, when a spell chose them for each other to be married. William lives in the South, and, horror of horrors to his family, his intended is an herb witch from the North. William, who owns a chocolate shop, is framed for the murder of the bishop, and Tasmin decides it's time to go South and save his butt, even though he still hasn't called for her to be married yet. She starts investigating, and their love grows as they turn over clues and tease each other with playful flirting. Speer has a wonderful imagination and talent for spinning words, drawing us into a world we never knew existed. I didn't want to put this one down!