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pam2375's review against another edition
4.0
This was a wonderful Historical Fiction set during Queen Victoria reign. It mixes history and mystery, my two favorite story lines.
If you are looking for an enjoyable escape, then this is the book for you.
My thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for this advanced readers copy. This book is due to release in February 2020.
If you are looking for an enjoyable escape, then this is the book for you.
My thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for this advanced readers copy. This book is due to release in February 2020.
kiminindy's review against another edition
5.0
Another excellent historical fiction by Ms. Bowen. A young lady has an unfortunate accident and Bella is able to take her spot as a cook for Queen Victoria. The characters were a tad bit confusing but overall excellent.
alikatson's review
4.0
This was an interesting book - a bit of a historical memoir, mystery, and even romance. I enjoyed the whole thing and
Spoiler
was really pleased with the ending. Um, yes to the sexy chefsmithemorgan's review
3.0
A very sweet and light read. The perfect palette cleanser.
I loved Bella and her realness. Although this story is set in the time of Queen Victoria, I could empathize and relate to Bella and her trials. The author did a great job creating a likeable main character and truly awful villains.
I also appreciated the smaller plot twists along the way. It kept the story moving and there was always something going on in Bella's life that kept me interested and questioning how the book would wrap up. I LOVED the ending and it really saved the story for me (so many details about food preparation gets boring) no matter how unrealistic it was. I also loved all the strong supporting characters and Chef Lepin is a French heartthrob.
I loved Bella and her realness. Although this story is set in the time of Queen Victoria, I could empathize and relate to Bella and her trials. The author did a great job creating a likeable main character and truly awful villains.
I also appreciated the smaller plot twists along the way. It kept the story moving and there was always something going on in Bella's life that kept me interested and questioning how the book would wrap up. I LOVED the ending and it really saved the story for me (so many details about food preparation gets boring) no matter how unrealistic it was. I also loved all the strong supporting characters and Chef Lepin is a French heartthrob.
mg_in_md_'s review
3.0
To be rated/reviewed after this month’s book club
I found this to be a pleasant read overall, but it seemed a little unfocused in terms of genre. It's certainly fine to blend various elements/genres together (and I tend to like books that do this), it felt to me like the novel couldn't decide which direction it wanted to take and kept changing its mind as the plot progressed. Was it a historical fiction novel? A foodie novel? A romance? A mystery? It's billed as a mystery, but the murder mystery doesn't appear until well over the halfway point and I felt like it was very hastily resolved. I don't expect a dead body to drop in the first few pages, but it almost seemed like an afterthought to the story. I also felt like when the main character's secret was revealed to the other characters (the reader is in on the secret from the beginning), everyone took it in stride. I suspect there would've been far more serious repercussions in the real world (especially during that period of time). But, this is a fictional tale and sometimes it's nice to have some lightness instead of realism. My favorite aspect of the novel was the fact that it was inspired by Queen Victoria's time in southern France. I enjoyed learning about that piece of history and spending some time in the Victorian Age.
I found this to be a pleasant read overall, but it seemed a little unfocused in terms of genre. It's certainly fine to blend various elements/genres together (and I tend to like books that do this), it felt to me like the novel couldn't decide which direction it wanted to take and kept changing its mind as the plot progressed. Was it a historical fiction novel? A foodie novel? A romance? A mystery? It's billed as a mystery, but the murder mystery doesn't appear until well over the halfway point and I felt like it was very hastily resolved. I don't expect a dead body to drop in the first few pages, but it almost seemed like an afterthought to the story. I also felt like when the main character's secret was revealed to the other characters (the reader is in on the secret from the beginning), everyone took it in stride. I suspect there would've been far more serious repercussions in the real world (especially during that period of time). But, this is a fictional tale and sometimes it's nice to have some lightness instead of realism. My favorite aspect of the novel was the fact that it was inspired by Queen Victoria's time in southern France. I enjoyed learning about that piece of history and spending some time in the Victorian Age.
dksrn626's review against another edition
5.0
Review....A great book to read!
Drove me nuts reading about Bella's decicions. I actually worried so much about her, reading the book. I truly enjoyed reading this book. Servitude is something no one really looked at. I think this world needs to understand history, and how it played a part of shaping our world. Its too bad people want to bring up the past to start issues, instead of realizing history has shaped us. Enjoyed this book a lot!!
Drove me nuts reading about Bella's decicions. I actually worried so much about her, reading the book. I truly enjoyed reading this book. Servitude is something no one really looked at. I think this world needs to understand history, and how it played a part of shaping our world. Its too bad people want to bring up the past to start issues, instead of realizing history has shaped us. Enjoyed this book a lot!!
livres_de_bloss's review against another edition
4.0
If you don’t mind some creative licensing and a heavy suspension of disbelief, this is actually a wonderful story that’s engaging and fun to read.
rhgrimes's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
justbooks46's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
mamap's review against another edition
3.0
In the era of Queen Victoria - a young lady in service takes a risk to take someone's identity and become a cook in the Queen's kitchen,
It's a murder mystery. An interesting read. Good for a summer.
It's a murder mystery. An interesting read. Good for a summer.