Unbeknownst to me Secrets of the Chocolate house is the second in a series of novels written by Paula Brackston. But fear not, it’s written in a way that is quite easy to piece the history together from the first novel although on reflection I would have made it easier on myself had I stopped an read the first instalment titled Little Shop of Found Things.

Unfortunately I don’t have any particular gift .... for anything!

The heroine Xanthe has two gifts - one for singing (literally) and a gift of interpreting where inanimate objects ‘sing’ to her. When the item sings to Xanthe she is transported (referred to as ‘spinning’) backwards and forwards in time. It’s a relatively new gift Xanthe has discovered and she has yet to fully understand her abilities.

Xanthe is hell bent on going back in time to help Samuel, as she has forseen his death and she fears she could have done something to prevent it. With this aim, we observe Xanthe as she tries to juggle her present life as co-owner of an antique shop in present day England, and right the wrongs of the past. Can she do so without significantly impacting the future in a negative way?

She meets some remarkable characters on her journey to the past - such as the owner of the Chocolate House who coincidentally is also a spinner who sees so much of herself in Xanthe, as well as Benedict Fairfax who will stop at nothing to achieve his own end and control the future. Harley, from Xanthe’s present proves to be an interesting character as well

The questions for readers are will Xanthe alter the course of history by rescuing Samuel and find love in the past? Will she sacrifice herself to Fairfax in order to save those she loves or will she leave the past in the past?

This is an enjoyable read, with a somewhat historical Sliding Doors-ish vibe (though in a good way). For lovers of historical fiction this book is rich in historic detail about life in the 1600s. At times however, I thought there was so much detail I was distracted from what was happening and I haven’t quit figured out the purpose of Marcus, Xanthe’s ex-boyfriend as that part of the story didn’t really seem necessary.

The characters are likeable and Xanthe shows promise as a recurring character in a series. She can tend toward being frustrating with her agonising though.

Thank you to Paula Brackston and St Martins Press and Netgalley for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Posted to goodreads and will also appear on my instagram @aplace_inthesun.

After reading "The Little Shop of Found Things," I joined Paula Brackston's Facebook Group- it's such a friendly and welcoming group and I recommend Paula Brackston fans and those new to her work to check it out!

I like Brackston's writing style- the books in this series so far have been a quick, easy reads. They are entertaining and I can tell that she has planned quite a bit for the series- a lot of the story lines come together nicely. The series plot progressed quite a bit in this second book, so I highly recommend reading "The Little Shop of Found Things" first before reading this one- without it, this book won't be nearly as enjoyable. And if you enjoyed the first book, you will probably like this one as well :)

My only real complaint is about the main character. Xanthe is <spoiler> particularly dishonest with her mother and her lies are exhausting to keep track of- her character is otherwise smart and kind and it's frustrating to read. I ended up skimming these bits- pages of explanation of how to adequately lie to her mom is just too much. I partially understand her motivation, but I don't think that she is justified in her actions. This "lying to protect you" trope been done so many times in stories- and it'll most likely end with the revealing moment where mom finds out anyway and there's this big dramatic fall out followed by forgiveness... because that's what almost always happens. If it turns out differently, I'll eat my words later! </spoiler>

Brackston wrote on her FB page that she has a lot more plans for Xanthe- I look forward to reading them and hope I will be able to get more ARC copies of this series. It's a win so far!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't care for this book. I liked the first one in the series and thought for sure that I would like this one as well, but couldn't really be excited for this.

Xanthe has a special gift of being able to time travel using antique objects that 'sing' to her. This sounds like a bit of a far-fetched idea and I nearly gave up reading after the first few pages as I thought the writing was dire. However it soon gets into its stride and the plot is quite fast flowing and engaging and the writing improves. It is a book in a series. I hadn't read the others but, although they were referred to, it didn't affect the plotline much. I liked the descriptions of the 17th century places and the links to the present day buildings. It's a nice light read.

Secrets of the Chocolate House is great follow up novel to Brackston’s Little Shop of Found Things. Xanthe once again travels back to the 17th century where she is needed to save her friend Samuel. This novel contains less romance than the first and puts more of a spin on mastering her time traveling. I like Xanthe’s character and hope to find Liam in the next installment alongside her.
The ending is quite a cliffhanger, I loved it! I can’t wait to see what happens to Xanthe in the next book!
Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC!

This charming book is the sequel to The Little Shop of Found Things and doesn't disappoint. Our main character, Xanthe, buys a shop with her mother in the first book. Xanthe has the ability to hear objects "sing" to her enabling her to "see" the past life of the person who owned the object. This occurs again in this novel.
Brackston has a gift for creating warm characters that the reader cares about. She is also a master at writing time slip novels with a hint of magical realism.
I'll definitely be returning to this quaint little shop via the pages of Paula Brackston's lovely books.
I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was a well written sequel to “The little shop of found things”. I actually liked it better than the first. It was an enjoyable experience following Xanthe on her adventures and watching her life and relationships evolve. This is a series that I am happy to recommend to readers.

This was a complimentary copy from netgalley - thank you

I just knew I would love this book from the cover alone and I wasn't wrong!

If historical fiction is your genre (and it is mine) you will absolutely love this

It is part of a series - the 2nd book - so I must now go and find the first one and then re-read this to get the continuity !!

It is wonderful - time travelling, adventure, secrets, lies with romance tied in - so much going for it - I don't want to give anything away - a must have read. Well written, wonderful characters that you really care about

I so hope there will be more

Cant recommend highly enough - Loved this

You definitely need to read the first book in this series or you won't understand the characters or storyline. I actually DNF the first book at around 50% because it was a little too slow paced for my liking. Even with reading half of the first book I had a good idea of what happened in this book. I enjoyed the story about the chocolate house which is why I was able to finish this book. The writing was still not my style and slow paced. There was a lot of descriptive language about the scenery, clothing, objects, etc. I didn't really feel the connection between Samuel and Xanthe. I wish their lovestory developed more. I gave this book 3/5 stars.

Let me start by saying that I did not read book #1 in this series, The Little Shop of Found Things. While that fact did take away (a bit) from the story it wasn't a deal breaker. I will go back and read book 1.

This was Outlander ish to me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will continue with this author.

My thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for this advanced readers copy. The release date for this book is scheduled for October 2019.

This is a fun add to the series which I enjoyed very much. The story is compelling and well written. I am not sure how long it can go on though.

In this second book with time spinner, Xanthe is back in her own time and modern day Marlborough. She is still missing Samuel and wonders if he thinks of her. 

Helping her mother in the shop and buying new stock, getting involved in the town and planning a special event for all of the shops.

While looking through the mountains of stock in the shop, Xanthe clearly hears something singing to her. An old and dented chocolate pot. When she holds it she immediately gets a vision of Samuel in danger. Knowing she must go back to the seventeenth century to save Samuel gives her some pause. Her mother is crippled, events are coming up and lo and behold the ex Marcus is in town.

This time Xanthe will learn what it is to be a Spinner of time. She will face a powerful foe and fellow Spinner. While Xanthe travels to put things right, This man wants power and he is willing to kill to get it.

No one does the slip time better than Paula Brackston. This is a series I hope will continue. The characters are so engaging and the mystery must be solved so you are turning pages to the very end. And now we wait.

Well Done!

NetGalley/ October 22nd, 2019 by St. Martin's Press

Very surprising to me! I was shocked by how much I thoroughly enjoyed it and how effected I was afterward. Very lovely read.

I wasn't able to fully immerse myself in this book, it didn't grab me like the books that I love. I tried to love it, but it just came up short. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read in exchange for an honest opinion.

Round up to 3 1/2 stars. I consider a 3 rating a good solid read, and this is rounded up a bit for entertainment value, and dinged a bit for the last 6 percent dragging on to an obvious conclusion. I like the main characters and love visualizing the setting.

Having recently finished “Secrets of the Chocolate House” by Paula Brackston, I am happy to have had the chance for the preview; thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press!

The time travel continues in the second book in the Found Things series. Although I was familiar with the characters and story having just finished the first book in the series, "The Little Shop of Found Things", I didn't enjoy Xanthe's journey or choices as much in this story. Spinning through time and being surrounded by a shop full of antiques are fascinating ideas for a series, but the story, and reasons for Xanthe's travels have to be a bit more interesting for a third book to be worth my time.

Xanthe and the cast of characters from the first book in the series, "Little Shop of Found Things" returns for another time traveling adventure. The story further develops Xanthe's place as a "Spinner" and she once again travels to help friends from the 1600's, while learning more about her ability and meeting others who have the same gift. The story was well written, easy to read and enjoyable. I look forward to the next adventure. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This second installment in the Found Things series by Paula Brackston is an expertly written tale that you'll find hard to put down. I'm a sucker for time travel stories, and the idea of an object like a copper chocolate pot being the conduit for the protagonist is a fun little detail. Unfortunately, I hadn't read the first book in the series, so I think that I missed some of the importance of some of the little details. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book a lot. It will make a wonderful read to sit on the porch and enjoy a cup of tea or hot chocolate while smelling that distinctive smell of fall.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Paula Brackston, and NetGalley for allowing me access to a digital copy for me to review. As always, all opinions are my own.

Beautiful atmospheric novel, fans of time travel will not be disappointed. I didn’t realize that there are other books in the series, will definitely be picking them up.

When starting this book, I noticed that I should read the first book in the series. They do not make much sense as stand-alone novels. Anyway, I splurged on the nearly 15 Euros for the first book and tried to read it quickly before getting back to this ARC.

I neither liked the first book and hence was very disappointed to discover that the second book in the series wasn't much better.

There are a lot of descriptions of scenery, rooms, furniture, clothes, but there is little action. A lot of the plot items in the novel don't make sense. For example, why can't Xanthe talk to her mother about the time travelling? Her mother knows about her ability to "listen" to antiques, so why not tell her about the time travelling? Why the need to tell lies? Just one of the things that annoyed me.

And for the record, the 17th century is not the Middle Ages, hence the clothes aren't medieval!