New York Times bestselling author of The Witch’s Daughter Paula Brackston returns to her trademark blend of magic and romance guaranteed to enchant in The Little Shop of Found Things, the first book in a new continuing series. 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 … 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.
The story continues in October 2019 with book two in the Found Things series, Secrets of the Chocolate House.
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This book started out a bit slow and a little depressing. Xanthe and her Mom are relocating to a small village to open an Antiques store. This is a fresh start for both. Flora from a divorce and Xanthe from past problems. Xanthe has the ability to sometimes have antiques “talk” to her. In this case, it is a chatelaine from the 1600’s. Along with the new house and the chatelaine is a ghost. This ghost insists Xanthe travel to the 1600’s and save the ghost’s daughter.
I had to get about 50 pages into the story before it caught my attention. There is a bit of mystery to the story and the history is interesting.
Thanks to Goodreads Giveaway for the opportunity to review this book.
This is the first book of Brackston’s I’ve read. I enjoyed the original plot line and the characters. If this turns into a series, I will definitely read the rest of the books.
I love Paula Brackston. Her books always have a little magic and hope in each one.
Paula Brackston gives us a delicious escape to a vividly-imagined 17th century England. Sweet and haunting, The Little Shop of Found Things will remind readers of Daphne du Maurier with perhaps a hint of Nancy Drew
This book starts off very slow. Once Xanthe met Samuel I didn’t want to put the book down. The lengths Xanthe goes through to help Alice is quite something. The love she has for Samuel will not be lost through the centuries. I really do hope that there are more books because I really need to know what happens with Xanthe and Samuel. You find a lot of history and antiques in this book. You also find a little magic.
*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*
Fall is the time for magic and romance, and I’m so excited to read Paula Brackston’s latest, The Little Shop of Found Things. No one does romantic fantasy better than her. I love how she weaves the supernatural into rich, realistic settings. I hear this one is a bit of a ghost story too. I need this book now!
I’m fascinated by old things and this novel appealed to me because of the antiques and the main character’s ability to channel the past history of objects she touches.
Xanthe, a young woman who moves to the historic town of Marlborough in order to help her mother own and operate an antique stop, has a past to overcome. Starting a new life in Marlborough ends up taking her on a path she’d never imagined.
As Xanthe goes on her journey back and forth into the past, she has some help from a few Marlborough villagers that will most likely be returning characters in future novels.
For readers who love time travel, history and a bit of romance, this is a great choice. There were a few nail-biting moments and a not-so-friendly spirit lurking about that created a sense of suspense.
I enjoyed this one and will certainly consider reading the next book in the series when it comes out.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read and review an advance copy, giving my honest review.
“Every soul that once trod this brutal earth leaves their imprint upon the things that mattered to them. The things that they held, the things that once echoed to the beat of their hearts.”
I love that quote from Paula Brackston’s new novel THE LITTLE SHOP OF FOUND THINGS. When I read it somehow I knew I was going to enjoy this book. However, I didn’t enjoy it …I LOVED it! For a few delightful hours Ms. Brackston took me into the life of Xanthe Westlake.
Xanthe and her mother have bought a small antique shop in the quaint little village of Marlborough. The shop is filled with items left by its previous owner who is now deceased. This is perfect for Xanthe, having the gift of a “connection” to objects, picks up images and messages from the objects’ former owners. Now at an antique auction Xanthe is drawn to a silver chatelaine from the 1600s. But she is not the only one interested in the chatelaine. Lingering in the shop is a ghost that recognizes Xanthe as the person who can save her daughter. Against her will, Xanthe finds herself tumbling back through the centuries to 1605 to the home of the chatelaine’s original owner.
This beautiful and magical story is a blend of time travel and romance. Unlike the last book I read in this genre, this one shows true mastery in allowing the reader to suspend reality for the moment. The pacing was perfect with its slow buildup that then took off “like a rocket” and never slowed down after that. Don’t forget that there is romance, but that is all I will say as I do not want to spoil anything. This is one of those books that I truly did not want to end, so I am excited that it is the first in a new series. Please, Paula Brackston, do not keep us waiting!
Intersecting ley lines provide a mystical energy source for Xanthe, a psychometric, to travel in time to see the people who “sing” to her through the antiques she and her mother sell. With this premise, Paula Brackston’s new series will certainly provide readers with many delicious tales of time travel and romance.
Ms. Brackston’s latest story is abounding in historical detail. Her writing style really draws you into the story. The present-day characters in the small English town of Marlborough are delightful. The ease with which Xanthe and her mother, Flora, become part of the community made me long for life in a small, cheerful town. From the teashop owner, to mechanic to pub owner and history buff, each of the secondary characters made the story richer. There were a couple instances of unexplained tertiary characters that left me wanting. Was the character meant to set the tone of the scene? Was it part of an abandoned story line that didn’t get edited? Either way, nothing was added to the story by the inclusion of the character, nor did it detract much from the novel.
I thoroughly enjoyed the historical romance as well as the present-day playful banter between Xanthe and Liam, a handsome, young mechanic in town. The charming mother-daughter story is quite sweet. I love Flora’s upbeat, positive attitude. Both the past and present have their own antagonists who are at cross-purposes. This creates a complex conflict spanning centuries.
I fell in love with Paula Brackston’s writing when I happened upon The Witch’s Daughter at my library. I’ve ready many of the author’s books since, and her storytelling never disappoints! The Little Shop of Found Things is a delightful time-travel story with just the right amount of romance and mystery to be a truly engaging read.
The start of a series featuring a heroine who can connect to past souls through antique objects found in the present. So there’s time travel (17th century, Marlborough, England), a ghost (not friendly like Casper), a mystery and a tiny bit of romance. While I found the story well-written, I also found it perhaps overly long and a bit slow in parts (I was easily distracted) until closer to the resolution. However, the characters were fairly endearing (I especially liked the character of Samuel), and I found myself wondering at the end what further adventures were in store for Xanthe (our heroine). So…I’ll probably give the next one a try.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.
The Little Shop of Found Things is a fabulous new book by Paula Brackston. I absolutely loved the story, so well written, full of action, history, love, mystery, split time and unusual time travel. It certainly left me wanting more of Xanthe and Samuel. Now I can hardly wait for the next book in this series. My thanks to the author, the publisher and netgalley for making this book available to me to read and review.
I was so excited to read this book and I wasn’t disappointed. This is brand new take on time travel books. The description of the settings, artifacts, clothing and even the time travel were so captivating, that the author must had done a massive amount of research for this book. I found Xanthe, who is the main character, to be a wonderful and very real heroine. The rest of the characters were just as interesting and had such depth that by the time I was done with the book I found that quite a few felt like friends. This is one of those books that is so well written you “see” it playing in your mind as you’re reading. There is romance, some suspense and a few twists. Toss in time travel and some great characters and the book is definitely a winner. This is the first time in a very long time that I have been excited by the thought of a series and I can’t wait for the next installment!
The Little Shop of Found Things by author Paula Brackston will be appreciated by fans of time travel, suspense. and romance. Xanthe and her mother Flora have moved from London to the small historic town of Marlborough to open a shop to sell antiques and collectibles. Sometimes the items Xanthe sees or touches leads her down paths of mystery. She has had the gift of psychometry since she was a child. Her mother Flora understands this ability and encourages Xanthe to release the mystery of an object and then they are free to sell the object for a profit in the shop.
Flora has an arthritis condition which is debilitating and painful. Her ex-husband has protested the terms of their divorce agreement in respect to the division of joint accounts, which leaves Flora and Xanthe in dire need of money.
During a buying trip for the shop, Xanthe is drawn to a silver chatelaine which is coming up for auction. She feels a sadness and spirit of desperation within the piece very strongly. She must acquire the chatelaine and solve the mystery which leads her to bid a high amount for the piece. Once she has won the piece and cleaned the silver he feels an urgency to follow the leading of the energy which will take her places she could never have dreamed. Xanthe learns the property Flora purchased for their shop has a small outbuilding which has a convergence point within the ley-lines. When Xanthe falls within this area while holding the chatelaine she is transported back in time!
The story is written with wonderful characters and a very interesting plot.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.