Ghosts, time travel, love story. Paula Brackston’s new novel will not disappoint. This is the perfect October read.

Xanthe and her mother, Flora, have recently moved to a small town to open their antique shop. Xanthe has a gift of hearing the story of certain antiques that she acquires. She is drawn to chatelaine. After bringing it home, she is able to see and speak to a ghost living there also connected to the chatelaine. She is thrown back in time on the ghost’s demands to save her daughter in the early 17th century. The book is descriptive and took a little to get into for me. I didn’t feel a quick connection with the characters right away. I would’ve liked to have learned more of Alice’s character as she was a big part of the novel, but I didn’t feel much for her or her mother. I also wish the threat of the ghost wouldn’t have been to harm Flora.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to the next in the series. This could even work for those that only want to read a stand alone novel, but it left me wanting to read more.

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was amazing. Xanthe showed great character development and the author really brought to light the issues between Catholics and Protestants in 17th century England. She showed all aspects; law, punishment, way of life....not just for the past but for the present as well.

I was hoping on loving this book but unfortunately, it just wasn't one that kept my interest for very long so it took me a while longer to read this book.

The story was just ok. Not something I recommend.

What an awesome start to a new series! This is a new to me author but now that I am familiar with her writing she is on my list of favorite books for the year! This is the reason right here why I continue to read historical books. Even though fictional they are filled with truthful facts and continue to teach me things. This is a book featuring modern times with our cell phones and modern conveniences and a time slip back to the seventeenth century. Witchcraft and burning at the stakes were common then and it was because of ignorance. Women were not educated like today,poverty was high and illiteracy was high. There were misunderstandings and rather than take the time to understand these women it was easier to label them as witches and burn them.
Xanthe and her mother Flora leave London for a fresh start in the historic town of Marlborough. Xanthe has the power to feel the story of antiques she touches. She can see scenes of these antiques and is transported back in time with a special antique piece she buys at auction. She does not ask for this power and she is powerless to stop it. When her and her mother buy an antique shop in their new town the backyard has a ley line in it. Now this is fascinating because I've never heard of ley lines before and here's some info on it. https://www.thoughtco.com/ley-lines-m... Now a building on their property contained a ley line which when she had the special antique piece with her she was transported back in time. A ghost of the mother of the accused woman threatens her if she doesn't help her daughter prove her innocence Xanthe's mother will come to harm. While a servant in this time period trying to help prove Alice's innocence she falls in love with Samuel. Her heart is heavy, will she prove the innocence of Alice? What about Samuel, will she stay with her new true love? I need to read part two right now. This book is fascinating and so captured my attention!
Pub Date 16 Oct 2018
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Thank you. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have read other books from Paula Brackston and really enjoyed reading this one also. The summary stated that this is the first book in a series and I will be reading the others in the series. The main character in the story, Xanthe, is very easy to relate to and the other characters were also easy to want to know more about. Xanthe travels through time to help a girl and the happenings in both periods are credible. There are also hints of romance and you want everything to work out.

Many thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Paula Brackston for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advanced copy.

Xanthe and her mother move to the small town of Marlborough to start life over and open up an antique shop. Both are running away from bad men. They are low on funds and there is pressure to open up the shop as soon as possible. Xanthe has a unique ability. She has a special, magical connections to old objects that have a story to tell. She comes across a chatelaine that has the strongest pull she has ever felt. While trying to get the shop ready to open, Xanthe also discovers that there is a sinister ghost haunting the place, who needs her help. The ghost needs Xanthe to save her daughter, four hundred years in the past. The chatelaine allows Xanthe to transport her back in time. Xanthe travels back, but saving the girl is not going to be so easy.

Yet again, I am sucked in by the premise of a book. I love books like “Outlander” and “Somewhere in Time” where the main character gets transported back in time. I love the setting of the book, a small town in England, with all the quaint shops and characters. Magical abilities, a ghost who needs the help of the living, are all things that I get excited about. Yes, I expected some sort of love story to happen, whether in current time or in the past. But all I have to say is Yuuuccchhhhhh!!! How can it all go wrong?

First there are the endless descriptions. On and on and on about stuff that not only I don’t care about, but doesn’t serve the story and isn’t gorgeous English-side scenery. Then we have the worst ghost - she is mean, nasty, bitter, and I don’t know why. What was the whole story with her and her daughter. I wasn’t even convinced she loved her daughter because we never got to see that. She was just super angry. So if you aren’t going to make the ghost a sympathetic character then make her scary, I mean really scary. I never understood why Xanthe would have done anything for her. I just didn’t buy that she would leave her sick mother and go risk her life for this women’s daughter, it was a shaky premise at best. Then, don’t make me wait 60% of the way through before I get a glimpse of the love story and then expect me to be invested in it. There was so too much preamble and not enough substance. The structure was just off for me. Overall, I wasn’t invested in the main characters. I didn’t care much for Xanthe. I liked the townspeople, both present and past, but why was so much time spent on them and nothing interesting happened with them. All the characters were really one dimensional, no depth. It was so slow I just wasn’t invested in the character’s outcomes. There wasn’t much magic and the time travel wasn’t captivating enough to hold my interest.

Honestly, I was bored, and really had to force myself to finish this one. I left it many times before finishing it. Disappointing and just glad to be done with it.

tl;dr Review:

Combining history with the modern day and stirring in some paranormal activity and romance to boot, this book will keep your attention until the last page.

Full Review:

Oh be still, my ever loving heart! Books involving history, a bit of the paranormal, and a dash of romance are like getting to eat an entire cake in one sitting minus the guilt and stomachache. LOL.

As I mentioned in my previous review, I truly love historical fiction but I didn't mention how much I equally love some paranormal activity.

After having  had my tarot cards read and received a reading from a medium in New Orleans back in 2016, I don't NOT believe in the unexplained. (And yes, that double negative is on purpose).

If you add in a dash of romance like The Little Shop of Found Things: A Novel by Paula Brackston does, then that sound you hear is me swooning with joy.

The publisher does well with selling the book from the start with this description:

An antique shop haunted by a ghost.

A silver treasure with an injustice in its story.

An adventure to the past she’ll never forget.

Xanthe and her mother Flora leave London behind for a fresh start, taking over an antique shop in the historic town of Marlborough. Xanthe has always had an affinity with some of the antiques she finds. When she touches them, she can sense something of the past they come from and the stories they hold. When she has an intense connection to a beautiful silver chatelaine she has to know more.

It is while she’s examining the chatelaine that she’s transported back to the seventeenth century where it has its origins. She discovers there is an injustice in its history. The spirit that inhabits her new home confronts her and charges her with saving her daughter’s life, threatening to take Flora’s if she fails.

While Xanthe fights to save the girl amid the turbulent days of 1605, she meets architect Samuel Appleby. He may be the person who can help her succeed. He may also be the reason she can’t bring herself to leave.

But a book's description alone cannot carry it if the actual novel lacks corresponding quality writing. Thankfully, that is not the case here. 

The author manages to make you cheer, cry, love, despair, hope, and smile throughout. Every twist and turn in this story made me unable to put it down and go to bed. I ended up staying  awake well past my bedtime just to finish it. I'm also ecstatic that it's going to be part of a series. (Though it stands brilliantly on its own as well).

If you're the type that wants an escape from the horror show that is America right now and to be wrapped up in a tale that will keep your heart and mind engaged throughout, then this is your book.

I give it 5 out of 5 thumbs up.

Fresh, interesting, lost myself in the pages of total fun escapism. I look forward to future books by Paula Brackston. The Little Shop of Found Things is the perfect ghost story with a twist of history as Xanthe untangles her ghost haunts. Xanthe is a believable unconventional character who demonstrates the power of love to protect her mother. A enjoyable fun read from beginning to end.

Xanthe and her mother floras arrival in a small village of Marlborough was supposed to be the beginning of a fresh new start for both of them. They decide to run an antique store together and xanthe finds herself feeling a strong connection to the previous owners of the items they sell in the shop. With one touch she’s transported back to 1605. A ghost demands xanthes help with righting an injustice. I truly enjoyed this book it’s blend of supernatural and mystery and romance. This is has me excited for book number two!

I LOVED this book! So much, that I could not wait to get home from work to finish it! There seems to as of late, a flurry of books that have to do with time travel, and this is the best one yet that I've read. The story of Xanthe and the chatelaine, a word I had never heard before, is simply terrific!! And she goes back in time to my favorite time period, England, 1600's. This is a terrific read! Thank you to NetGally and St. Martins Press for the perusal. More books like this, PLEASE!!!

Promising start to a series, My expectations were high as the comparison to my girlhood favorite Nancy Drew plus my adult love for the Outlander book series drew me in. There was some definite sleuthing and certainly some time traveling but I feel like the book would have been better served to not use those comparisons.

I was drawn more to the supporting characters (Samuel, Liam, Harley, Alice) and feel like Xanthe just was missing something. I was intrigued by her touching objects and feeling connections to the past. I just wanted to feel more for HER.

I would definitely read another book with these characters. I just hope the next one is a little more. I would give it more like 3.5 stars but 3 was too low.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

This was the perfect book to curl up with during this Autumn/Halloween season. There was a bit of spookiness in the air, a lot of mystery and a very quaint setting and I enjoyed every moment I spent reading it. I loved the time travel, the gorgeous English setting I was transported to and the brilliantly written characters. I am so looking forward to the next book in the series.

I recommend this book to lovers of time travel, gorgeous scenery, a good mystery and everything English. This one is delicious.

I picked up THE LITTLE SHOP OF FOUND THINGS by Paula Brackston because I liked the description and the idea of a new series from her with supernatural elements. This story follows Xanthe, a devoted daughter and antique collector that finds sensations from objects that she cannot ignore. When she comes into possession of a piece shrouded in mystery, she must save a daughter to save someone closer to home. It’s a great story set in two time periods different enough that you don’t get confused. The characters are well written and the mystery pretty good. I was a little confused by part of the ending but I blame that on me as a reader and staying up late to finish it. A good read for fans of hers and this genre and I look forward to seeing what happens in the next installment.

I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I received a free copy of The Little Shop of Found Things by Paula Brackston from NetGalley for my honest review.
I have enjoyed her previous series so excited to start a new one and this book is such a nice blend of supernatural, mystery and romance. I found it to be a nice paced read with just the right elements to keep you going! Excited that the story will continue.

Brackston showcases her unique iconic blend of magic, mystery and history in her latest genre-bending literary treasure, The Little Shop of Found Things.
With breathtaking backdrops, period perfect dialogue and conduct for the current and early sixteenth century timelines this master storyteller takes fans on a fantastical and believable journey introducing them to convincing characters including a vengeful ghost and treating them to action adventure and an ill-fated love story while solving a cryptic mystery and meting out justice. Xanthe is the stand out in this novel, the perfect star, victimized but not a victim, empathic and compassionate enough to want to travel through time to make things right in spite of the threats of a malevolent specter. Fans of history and mystery who love a little woo-woo thrown in will devour this soon to be bestseller.
SUMMARY:
Xanthe Westlake and her mother Flora are hoping for a new beginning after the men they loved betrayed them; she was sent to prison for a crime her now ex-boyfriend committed and her mother is going through a painful divorce from her philandering father.
So they’ve moved house from the bustle of London to the quiet hamlet of Marlborough where they've purchased an antique shop. But what they don’t know is that someone has been waiting for their arrival –– someone who’s been haunting the shop for a very long time, someone who’s counting on Xanthe’s gift of connecting with certain found treasures of the past to solve an ages old mystery and save a lost soul.
During a purchasing trip to a nearby grand estate Xanthe is drawn to purchase an antique chatelaine that connects her with it’s tragic past, a vengeful ghost that haunts their shop and a trip back through time to right a centuries old wrong.

An antique shop haunted by a ghost.
A silver belt chain with an injustice in its story.
An adventure to the past she’ll never forget.
That's the premise to bestselling author, Paula Brackston's new novel, LITTLE SHOP of FOUND THINGS (St.Martin'sPress). Xanthe Westlake has a special gift - she's always had an affinity with some of the antiques she finds. When she touches them, she can sense something of the past they come from and the stories they hold. It started when she was only ten years old. So when she has an intense connection to a beautiful silver antique she has to know more.

It’s while she’s examining the chatelaine behind her and her mother Flora’s antique shop that she finds herself transported back to the turbulent days of 1605. Upon her return, a ghost confronts Xanthe, tasking her with changing the past to save an innocent girl’s life,  or else it’ll cost her Flora’s

While Xanthe fights to save the girl, she meets an architect who may be the key to fulfilling her promise. He may also be the reason she can’t bring herself to leave.

This is the first in a new Paula Brackston series. She'a new author for me and I didn't quite know what to expect. I enjoyed the magic, mystery and romance of this witchy novel. I got caught up in the magicial fantasy. Perfect for the upcoming season of fall and Halloween. Perhaps something pumpkin spice to drink while reading?

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of The Little Shop of Found Things (from NetGalley). All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh boy, am I glad there will be a sequel for this one!!! I very much enjoyed the down-to-earth and strong, modern-day-woman character of Xanthe. Her special gift(s) demanded my interests and full attention. Though I wouldn't have guessed it at first, her time spent in the 17th century was undoubtedly my favorite part(s) of this novel. (I could have just stayed right there with her!) The target of her affections won me over also, and I cannot wait to see what happens next in the adventures of Xanthe! Thank you to NetGalley and Paula Brackston for the ARC.

A gracious thank you to St Martin's Press and Paula Brackston for an advanced copy. The plot lives up to its promise of ghosts, time travel and romance. It reminded me very much of The Outlander and I can see readers who fell in love with that series, gravitating towards this one too.

Unfortunately for me, and it appears I'm in the minority here, I just wasn't able to connect with the characters and plot. I tried hard to invest myself fully but struggled to care. I think what made it a challenge for me is that the plot moved along quite slowly and was more on the descriptive side than narrative.. Many 9f the conversations felt one dimensional and were difficult to invest in emotionally.

There appear to be many high reviews so this is most likely just a story that didn't work for me. I wasn't captivated like others by The Outlander series either, which says something about my reading preferances.

The Little Shop of Found Things is a magical and charming story. Readers looking to invest in a new series that involves time travel back to the early 17th century, has a cozy mystery feel and some paranormal and romance aspects may want to try this one out.

I have never read any of Brackston's previous titles and now I am truly going to have to rectify that. This started a little slow but it quickly morphed into a page turner. There are some similarities to M.J. Rose's The Library of Light and Shadow and The Secret Language of Stones. It was both heart wrenching and endearing to see Xanthe make the choices she felt she needed to for both her own peace of mind and safety. It was fun seeing the differences in how she was so quickly accepted in the town in one timeline but not the other. Although it was a quick read it was not lacking in depth.

3.5

I cannot tell you how excited I was to discover I had gotten in on the ground floor of this new series by Paula Brackston. A wonderful mix of a mystery, time travel and a little romance, along with delightful characters made this an enjoyable read. I'm looking forward to future books is the series.


My thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley.