The Chocolate Maker's Wife cover art

The Chocolate Maker's Wife

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The Chocolate Maker's Wife

By: Karen Brooks
Narrated by: Willow Nash
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About this listen

 When Rosamund Tomkins enters the world she is so different, with her darkling eyes and strange laughter, that the midwives believe she will lead a charmed life. But Rosamund’s life is set to be anything but enchanted. Born into poverty, brutalised and ignored by her family, it is only when she is married off to a nobleman that her life undergoes a wondrous transformation. Clever, quick and irrepressible, Rosamund soon becomes the darling of the haut ton, and presides over her luxurious chocolate house where the rich go to be seen and indulge in their favourite pastime, drinking the sweet and heady drink to which they’ve become oddly addicted. But in the shadows a web of conspiracy is spinning. The return of a man from the past brings Rosamund into mortal peril and up to the brink of destruction. As she fights for her life and those she loves through the ravages of the Plague and London’s Great Fire, Rosamund begins to realise she will be forced to make a choice: walk away from all she knows and has grown to love with her soul intact, or make a deal with the devil …©2019 Karen Brooks (P)2019 Bolinda Publishing Fiction Historical Fiction Renaissance Women's Fiction World Literature England

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Critic reviews

'Brooks has a talent for building a world that is both familiar and new ...' (Books+Publishing)
All stars
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I am a massive Karen Brooks fan - the Good Wife of Bath being my favourite - but I just couldn’t get into this.. I’m not sure whether it’s because it’s set around the same time as ‘Forever Amber’ and the descriptions are just so real and vivid in that book that this one feels insipid and uninspiring? Anyhow I’ve paused it for now and will return when I have nothing else to listen to.

Ok

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Love historical fiction and may have found my new series of books until I’m through them all!

Loved it

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Captured me straight away. Fantastic information of London history in the 1600. Great read. Brilliant.

Brilliant

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I was riveted from the very beginning with Rosamund’s Life and times in this book.
It certainly taught me a lot more than I knew about this period and also about chocolate and chocolate houses, of course.
I also thought that the narrator brought this book to life extremely well too.

Oooh, A Chocolate Delight of a Book!

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Good storyline, very well narrated, I agree that it could have been shorter as some things repeated a little. But it was easy to listen to and overall a good story. Well researched, even enjoyed the last part from the author.

Enjoyable but a bit too long

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Interesting to consider the similarities between the social issues faced in the 1600s and the parity with today

Didn't want it to finish

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Such an amazing writer. I’ve never really been that interested in the restoration period but I must say that this book has whetted my appetite. I think Rosamund is amazing and Bianca too. Thanks Belinda.

Simply Amazing and Addictive

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The writer has clearly researched this novel meticulously and comprehensively. I adore historical fiction and really wanted to like it! But for me it’s overly-long, could have been a third fewer words. Even the author’s note and acknowledgements take up the best part of an hour in their own right! I found myself willing it to come to a conclusion, and with books I love, I experience the exact opposite of that.

None of this was helped by the narrator, who sounded like she was reading the news from an autocue, albeit with a convincingly good range of accents and voices. The narrative passages between the dialogue were flat and perfunctory. I did warm to the protagonists, but overall, an unsatisfying experience.

Failed to captivate me...

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It was ok, nicely read, likeable characters, well researched but the plot lines were pretty predictable and the main romance was total Mills & Boon. Reasonably enjoyable but wouldn’t chose to read more from this author.

A touch of the Mills & Boon

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Loved the story line, just didn't want my litery tasty cup to finish! The narrator made the story come to life.

A truly wonderfully flavoured tale

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