Product Description
Juanita Lucas is a young woman living in a housing project in Brooklyn. Although she has a very light complexion, she is proud of her blackness, even as she takes a beating from the very sistahs she tries so hard to emulate. Her only friend, Scooter Morrison, is an upwardly mobile brother who also happens to be young, gifted, and gay. Then a chance encounter with two fine Puerto Rican men changes Juanita’s and Scooter’s lives in ways they could never have imagined. There is Conan, a hardworking man who wrestles with both his love for Juanita and his guilt over his brother’s death; and Jorge, an unscrupulous bad-boy thug who has no problem using what he’s got to get what he wants, until he comes dangerously close to getting scorched by his own flames.

Fast-paced, suspenseful, and unpredictable, Chocolate Sangria explores the hearts of two lovers who get caught in the great cultural divide—
and the devastating consequences of keeping secrets, telling lies, and betraying those you love.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 37 reviews)

Cute and insightful read

Juanita is young bi-racial (Haitian/Jewish) woman at the turning point in her life. She is adopted and unaware of her true identity...raised in an African American community, she is proud to be black but is hurt and confused by her peers rejection and jealousy(unbeknownst to her)...She meets Conan who is also biracial (Irish/Puerto Rican). Unlike Juanita, Conan knows who and what he is... he is very comfortable with his dual heritage and his sense of self.

I enjoyed this story....the author showcased how environment, more than genes, can shape the individuals character. Juanita's journey to self-awareness calls out a sad truth about how color/cultural conflicts within each group shapes self-image and stereotypes.

Overall, the story moved at a good pace...the Romance between Juanita and Conan was old-fashion and sweet...Scooter was an enjoyable character who was going through his own "coming-of-age" dilemma's and he balanced out Juanita's more low-key personality perfectly...I even liked Jorge, with all his treachery, I was looking forward for the eventual confrontation between him and Conan.
April 14, 2007

Suspenseful and Unpredictable

Juanita Lucas is a young woman living in a housing project in Brooklyn. Although she has a very light complexion, she is proud of her blackness, even as she takes a beating from the very sistahs she tries so hard to emulate. Her only friend, Scooter Morrison, is an upwardly mobile brother who also happens to be young, gifted, and . . . gay. While Juanita spends her time finding ways to fit in with the girls in the 'hood, Scooter's frustration over his sexuality makes him an easy target, and in his tough inner-city neighborhood he finds himself catching hell coming and going.

A chance encounter with two fine Puerto Rican men changes Juanita's and Scooter's lives in ways they could never have imagined. There is Conan, a hard-working man who wrestles with both his love for Juanita and his guilt over his brother's death, and Jorge, an unscrupulous bad-boy thug who has no problem using what he's got to get what he wants, until he comes dangerously close to getting scorched by his own flames.

Chocolate Sangria was a fast-paced novel. It was a real page turner. I found myself reading this book rather quickly because I wanted to find out what was going to happen next. Admittedly, the explicit sexual content was a bit much. It was more of a hinderance to the storyline. Had I not committed to reading the book as part of a book club selection, the graphic scenes would've been enough to stop me from reading any further. Some of the things Scooter did were degrading for both black men and homosexuals. At times it made me angry. However, the story itself was good, and overall it was an enjoyable read. I wasn't crazy about the ending because it didn't give me a real sense of closure or "happily ever after."
April 10, 2007

Okay

This book was okay. It was kind of sad and easy to figuare out how it would turn out. Besides that it was an okay book
July 11, 2006

"A So-So Novel"

This novel left me disappointed. Ms. Price-Thompson is an excellent storyteller, but I didn't like the dialect of "Aunt Hattie". Not all black people talk like that. "Juanita" and all the other characters were just plain boring.
March 14, 2006

GOOD BUT NOT GREAT

I ENJOYED CHOCOLATE SANGRIA. IT WASNT MY FAVORITE BOOK, BUT IT WAS A GOOD READ. EVEN THOUGH I LOOK A LOT LIKE JUANITA, WE ARE NOTHING ALIKE!! THERE WAS A LOT OF DETAILS IN THE BOOK BUT THE CHARACTERS LACKED SOMETHING. ALL AND ALL AN ENJOYABLE READ!!
February 22, 2006

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