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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
This is the second in series about a young woman living in Marlborough and helping her mum run an antique shop.
Xanthe has a gift for hearing certain antique objects “speak” (in this case a copper chocolate kettle from the 17th century). She has a vision that Samuel (an architect she fell for in the previous book) may be in trouble and travels back to try and help him. In the process she learns more about her gift of “spinning” time from a former Spinner, gains a vicious enemy, and resolves her feelings for Samuel.
This second book does a good job of expounding on the first by answering some questions and further developing characters. And it also leaves a convenient cliffhanger for book three.
Thanks to #StMartinsPress and to #NetGalley for providing the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.
Xanthe has a gift for hearing certain antique objects “speak” (in this case a copper chocolate kettle from the 17th century). She has a vision that Samuel (an architect she fell for in the previous book) may be in trouble and travels back to try and help him. In the process she learns more about her gift of “spinning” time from a former Spinner, gains a vicious enemy, and resolves her feelings for Samuel.
This second book does a good job of expounding on the first by answering some questions and further developing characters. And it also leaves a convenient cliffhanger for book three.
Thanks to #StMartinsPress and to #NetGalley for providing the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.
What a great follow up to The Little Shop of Found Things.
In this installment, we find Xanthe trying to move forward with her life in the present even though her memories of the past still haunt her.
While helping her mother get inventory for their antique shop, a chocolate pot calls to Xanthe. While not unusual for someone with her talents, soon Xanthe discovers that this particular antique is tied to her life in the 17th century, forcing her to travel back in time and back into Samuel's life.
I'm slowly getting obsessed with this series and was so excited to read on Goodreads that Paula Brackston thinks she will probably write at least 4 books in this series. I have so many questions about the time travelers and their purpose, so I'm so glad to know more books are forthcoming.
In that way, Secrets of Chocolate House reminds me of Outlander. The travelers have something that makes them able to travel and it appears there is some sort of overall purpose to their journeys. I get the exciting task of trying to figure it out while reading about Xanthe try to figure it out.
Don't get me wrong, Samuel isn't Jamie Fraser (who is, though honestly?) But his heart keeps bringing me back to him. I feel the scenes where Xanthe and Samuel are together, and I'm hardcore shipping them. Even with everything that happens in this book... I'm looking at you ,Paula Brackston... I still want them to end up together.
However, and this is weird given my previous sentence, but I can totally see Xanthe settling down with her present day friend and possible love interest, Liam.
Xanthe is a strong, female character who is being torn in two different paths. Going forward, I want her to be honest with her mother about her life and time travels. Just to save both of them the uncertainty. Being honest is the only way I can see Xanthe moving forward with her life and being able to make a honest, sure decision about her future.
Thank so much to Netgalley for my copy!
In this installment, we find Xanthe trying to move forward with her life in the present even though her memories of the past still haunt her.
While helping her mother get inventory for their antique shop, a chocolate pot calls to Xanthe. While not unusual for someone with her talents, soon Xanthe discovers that this particular antique is tied to her life in the 17th century, forcing her to travel back in time and back into Samuel's life.
I'm slowly getting obsessed with this series and was so excited to read on Goodreads that Paula Brackston thinks she will probably write at least 4 books in this series. I have so many questions about the time travelers and their purpose, so I'm so glad to know more books are forthcoming.
In that way, Secrets of Chocolate House reminds me of Outlander. The travelers have something that makes them able to travel and it appears there is some sort of overall purpose to their journeys. I get the exciting task of trying to figure it out while reading about Xanthe try to figure it out.
Don't get me wrong, Samuel isn't Jamie Fraser (who is, though honestly?) But his heart keeps bringing me back to him. I feel the scenes where Xanthe and Samuel are together, and I'm hardcore shipping them. Even with everything that happens in this book... I'm looking at you ,Paula Brackston... I still want them to end up together.
However, and this is weird given my previous sentence, but I can totally see Xanthe settling down with her present day friend and possible love interest, Liam.
Xanthe is a strong, female character who is being torn in two different paths. Going forward, I want her to be honest with her mother about her life and time travels. Just to save both of them the uncertainty. Being honest is the only way I can see Xanthe moving forward with her life and being able to make a honest, sure decision about her future.
Thank so much to Netgalley for my copy!
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This series was a delightful surprise for me. I feel like it’s a hidden gem that’s been found on my travels to find a good audiobook, that promised adventure, magic and a hint of historical fiction. This had it all.
I loved the sense of adventure in this. Going back in time with Xanthe splitting her time between the 17th century and her own present day times. She hears the familiar sing of an artefact, except this time it wasn’t a chatelaine. An old chocolate pot leads her back in time, reunited with familiar faces and tasked putting history back to rights.
This one added a lot more answers and flesh to the world Xanthe inhabits. It was so intriguing and I was just as hooked as I was with the first one! I’m so glad there’s another in this series for me to get stuck into as I’m not ready to leave this world yet.
I loved the sense of adventure in this. Going back in time with Xanthe splitting her time between the 17th century and her own present day times. She hears the familiar sing of an artefact, except this time it wasn’t a chatelaine. An old chocolate pot leads her back in time, reunited with familiar faces and tasked putting history back to rights.
This one added a lot more answers and flesh to the world Xanthe inhabits. It was so intriguing and I was just as hooked as I was with the first one! I’m so glad there’s another in this series for me to get stuck into as I’m not ready to leave this world yet.
I really wanted to like this after Little Shop of Found Things. I really, really, did. But it didn't meet my expectations - the writing seemed forced, stilted. The premise was ok, maybe not as interesting to me as it was when I encountered it in LSoFT. Not a bad book, but not as good as the first.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really loved the first book, and was VERY into the second book...until the last sentence. WHY?! It was too obvious and didn't need to be stated. It turned a book I really liked into one I could not recommend. Readers are intelligent: treat them as such!
I find it hard to know how to rate books like this. It was not ground breaking, it will be easily forgotten, the characters are not developed as much as I would like, and the writing is just okay. HOWEVER, it was very fun and I absolutely raced through it. So on that note alone I would recommend it.
This is a sequel to The Little Shop of Found Things and picks up a few weeks after the first book. This story builds on the first one and so I highly recommend reading them in order. I loved The Little Shop of Found Things.
After returning for the last time from the seventeenth century, Xanthe goes about trying to settle back into modern life. She longs for Samuel, but must deal with her obnoxious ex-boyfriend instead. When she is drawn to an old chocolate pot while searching for antiques for the store, she realizes it has a connection to Samuel and she knows she must return to the past.
This trip to the past doesn't follow the same pattern as Xanthe's first one did. She meets other people who can also travel as she has and she gains more control over her abilities and learns that she is a "Spinner" and comes to understand more of what that means. Her journey this time is fraught with more danger as she tries to help Samuel.
Xanthe returned to the future more this story and there was a lot of skulking and lying about where she was and what she was doing. We learned more about friends in the village and a better understanding of how the past intertwines with her present.
While this one didn't resonate with me as much as the first story, I enjoyed it. Magical realism, suspense and a bit of romance all compelled me to keep me reading. The story is resolved, but there is a cliffhanger at the end to lead into the next book in the series. I am so very curious to see what happens next.
After returning for the last time from the seventeenth century, Xanthe goes about trying to settle back into modern life. She longs for Samuel, but must deal with her obnoxious ex-boyfriend instead. When she is drawn to an old chocolate pot while searching for antiques for the store, she realizes it has a connection to Samuel and she knows she must return to the past.
This trip to the past doesn't follow the same pattern as Xanthe's first one did. She meets other people who can also travel as she has and she gains more control over her abilities and learns that she is a "Spinner" and comes to understand more of what that means. Her journey this time is fraught with more danger as she tries to help Samuel.
Xanthe returned to the future more this story and there was a lot of skulking and lying about where she was and what she was doing. We learned more about friends in the village and a better understanding of how the past intertwines with her present.
While this one didn't resonate with me as much as the first story, I enjoyed it. Magical realism, suspense and a bit of romance all compelled me to keep me reading. The story is resolved, but there is a cliffhanger at the end to lead into the next book in the series. I am so very curious to see what happens next.
Surprised to share I enjoyed this book so much more than the first!