First of all I love the cover. Very descriptive writing and I enjoyed the story and the baking basically the food and the fact that it was set in Paris was the reason I requested it

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sorry for my late review

A family mystery, chocolate, romance and Paris make ingredients for an enjoyable book to read. Love the ending.

I always enjoy past/present novels and how you can tie the past to a mystery from a found photograph or other keepsake, so that drew me to this story. But I loved the historical Paris setting and it was so well researched, you really felt like you were in the early 1900s. I thought the dual narrative was very well done and liked the chapters set in Cambridge as well.

Set in Paris, in the early 20th century, the story is engaging. The perspectives alternate between Guillaume in Paris and Petra Stevenson in 1980s England. When she discovers that the man writing a book about her beloved grandfather has stumbled upon a potential scandal, graduate student Petra finds herself searching to find answers before he does. In the process, she discovers a picture and sets out to find out who the people in it are.

The story weaves fairly seamlessly between the perspectives. While Gui's life as an apprentice at the patisserie is difficult, it is fascinating. How that world worked. Those who created amazing pastries and decadent desserts were such a culture clash with those who bought them and ate in the restaurant. Gui's forbidden friendship and love with the owner's daughter Jeanne is at the crux of the story.

Petra grew on me. Her dedication to finding out her grandfather's secrets and adventures in doing so compelled me to read further. I loved the descriptive writing and rich narrative. It made me miss Paris and I wanted to bake after reading it.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

At the famous Patisserie Clermont, a chance encounter with the owner's daughter has given one young man a glimpse into a life he never knew existed: of sweet cream and melted chocolate, golden caramel and powdered sugar, of pastry light as air. But it is not just the art of confectionery that holds him captive, and soon a forbidden love affair begins.
Almost eighty years later, an academic discovers a hidden photograph of her grandfather as a young man with two people she has never seen before. Scrawled on the back of the picture are the words “Forgive me.” Unable to resist the mystery behind it, she begins to unravel the story of two star-crossed lovers and one irrevocable betrayal.

*2.5 stars*

What can I say about this? It was good - but not to the point that I could find any aspect of it that deserves a full paragraph, ranting about how great the characters or setting were, or how the dual timelines were amazing told...they were just "good"...

One thing it did achieve (although I am pretty sure the author didn't intend it) was to really want to go to Paris and go to a patisserie. It all sounds delightful!

Would I recommend this? For sure - there are plenty of people who love these historical, dual narrative stories. This is no better or worse than other novels of the same ilk.


Paul
ARH

The story revolves around two timelines- 1988 and 1910. The present reflects the legwork of Petra trying to unravel her late grandfather's past and protect him from public humiliation, and the past reflects the story of a young railway laborer named Gui du Frere, who is trying hard to make a decent living despite aiming high for a successful married life with his beloved, Mademoiselle Jeanne Clermont. The shift from one timeline to another is done quite ideally by the author. There is a bit of mystery element in the storyline which could have been portrayed with finesse and twists, rather than thus spreading it out in front of the readers. This was a delicious love story.I really enjoyed every bit of it.

Sadly on this occasion this one unfortunately wasn’t for me.

A really good debut,captivating and easy to read.Unfolding through dual timelines, The Confectioners Tale by Laura Madeleine is a pleasant blend of history, romance and light mystery.

Wonderful read - really enjoyable novel. Terrific characters and really moves at a great pace.

Wow!! Once you pick this book up you'll want to read it through so give yourself plenty of time to get swept away to Paris. I loved the 2 timelines- the author made both seem so real & exciting.

This book offered so much, love, mystery, chocolate- there isn't anything more to want in a book :) Looking forward to reading more by Laura Madeleine.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

I was unable to get into this book and didn't finish it.

I’m just going to get the boring aspects of this review out of the way first– I love the dual narrative, the characters are fantastic, I enjoyed the writing style, I felt like I was there, I want to eat macarons really badly right now.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. It has everything I look for when I’m searching for a new book to read and/or review– some sort of historical aspect, easy flow, interesting twists, plots that keep you guessing, a gorgeous cover, and, of course, some romance. It doesn’t hurt that it was interesting from the start. Nothing kills a book quicker than a slow beginning. Life is too short to read a boring book, so make it interesting on the first page! Laura Madeleine created engaging characters and was able to depict early 1900’s Paris with ease. In THE CONFECTIONER’S TALE, Petra learns about her grandfather’s surprising life after an autobiographer hints at a scandal. In an effort to maintain his reputation, she takes it upon herself to find out his story before it’s told to the world. In the end, the book made me cry.

With a love story peppered (sugared?) with mystery, I give THE CONFECTIONER’S TALE 4 stars ****.

A dual story that takes place in present day Cambridge, UK (circa 1988) and 1909-10 Paris. Petra is a PhD student whose famous, historian grandfather has just passed away and some evil, biographer has claimed to discover a scandal that may tarnish her sweet, grandfather's legacy. While cleaning out her grandfather's papers, she discovers a secret photo of him in Paris with people she doesn't know and on the back it says "Clermont and Please Forgive Me". What could have been a race against time to uncover the secret before the biographer...instead, seemed more like filler to the story. Going back in time, we learn of the story of a boy from Provincial Bordeaux who goes to Paris to find work and inadvertently stumbles across the rich daughter of a Passtisier owner. A forbidden romance blooms and the cruel portrayal of the dichotomy between the rich and poor was the main highlight for me. When the "scandal" is revealed, I was a little disappointed. I love historical fiction and if written right, it will really tug at your heart...however, this one fell just a little flat and was a little to easy, honestly. I also felt that everything wrapped up just a little too clean. While the description of the the art and architecture that went into creating the decadent pastries that Paris was famous for was practically poetic, the story was just a little to mundane. While a nice read for a plane trip or a lazy Sunday, I would honestly recommend Kate Morton or Susanne Kearsley if this is your type of novel.
I received a copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review