Book Summary and Reviews of The Little Shop of Found Things by Paula Brackston

The Little Shop of Found Things by Paula Brackston

The Little Shop of Found Things

by Paula Brackston

  • Critics' Consensus (1):
  • Readers' Rating (4):
  • Published:
  • Oct 2018, 320 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

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 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.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Brackston wonderfully blends history with the time-travel elements and a touch of romance. This series debut is a page-turner that will no doubt leave readers eager for future series installments." - Publishers Weekly

"A solid, enjoyable read with a hint of magical time travel." - Booklist

"Fans of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander collection will delight in Brackston's new series and eagerly await its second installment. A bewitching tale of love across centuries." - Kirkus

"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." - Emily Croy Barker, author of The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic

This information about The Little Shop of Found Things was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

DFox

Awesome Reading
A very good book that pulls you into the story right from the start! I would recommend this book to those who love mystery and romance!

Betty_Taylor

Magical!
"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!

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Author Information

Paula Brackston Author Biography

Paula Brackston lives in a wild, mountainous part of Wales. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University, and is a Visiting Lecturer for the University of Wales, Newport. Before becoming a writer, Paula tried her hand at various career paths, with mixed success. These included working as a groom on a racing yard, as a travel agent, a secretary, an English teacher, and a goat herd. Everyone involved (particularly the goats) is very relieved that she has now found a job she is actually able to do properly.

When not hunched over her keyboard in her tiny office under the stairs, Paula is dragged outside by her children to play Swedish tennis on the vertiginous slopes which surround them. She also enjoys being walked by the dog, hacking through weeds ...

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