Secrets of the Chocolate House needed more Chocolate

Last night I finished reading Secrets of the Chocolate House which is the sequel to The Little Shop of Found Things, both books were written by Paula Brackston. The first book was excellent and I was eager to read Secrets of the Chocolate House. Secrets of the Chocolate House was a shorter book than its predecessor but it took me awhile to get through. It wasn’t the worst book in the world, but I think there were so many directions this story could have taken that would have made it a better sequel. That being said, I’m still looking forward to book three, The Garden of Promises and Lies.

Pros

I do like that some more is explained about Xanthe being a spinner of time and how she isn’t the only one. The new character of Mistress Flyte was a nice add and she’s a spinner herself. We needed someone to explain things to Xanthe. The book also benefited from the villain of Benedict Fairfax even if he’s somewhat of a cartoonish villain that wants to use and bend time that would benefit him and he could rule the world more or less. The very end was a twist that sets up the story for The Garden of Promises and Lies.

Cons

I have to agree with one reviewer on Amazon that Xanthe’s feelings for both Samuel and Liam are confusing. One minute she still has feelings for Samuel and it kind of continues throughout the story, and then at one point toward the end out of nowhere she realizes that what she felt for him faded and she moved on all of a sudden? Then Xanthe misses him again. It also seems prevalent throughout the book that Liam is a rebound from Samuel but yet Xanthe kind of likes him too but is nervous to opening up after her ex Marcus who framed her for his crimes. It’s obvious that Liam likes Xanthe but I don’t see her feeling the same for him and their relationship towards the end seemed random. The story just seemed jumbled and not sure of where it wanted to go. There was some time traveling but not a lot and there were more questions than answered.

Overall

Overall the book wasn’t the worst I’ve ever read, but it had so much potential to be just as great as the first book. I won’t give up on the series just yet. The Garden of Promises and Lies might make up for what Secrets of the Chocolate House lacked. Happy Reading everyone!