The Chocolate Maker's Wife: A Novel

By Karen Brooks

Australian bestselling novelist Karen Brooks rewrites women back into history with this breathtaking novel set in 17th century London—a lush, fascinating story of the beautiful woman who is drawn into a world of riches, power, intrigue…and chocolate.

Damnation has never been so sweet...

Rosamund Tomkins, the illegitimate daughter of a nobleman, spends most of her young life in drudgery at a country inn. To her, the Restoration under Charles II, is but a distant threat as she works under the watchful eye of her brutal, abusive stepfather . . . until the day she is nearly run over by the coach of Sir Everard Blithman.

Sir Everard, a canny merchant, offers Rosamund an “opportunity like no other,” allowing her to escape into a very different life, becoming the linchpin that will drive the success of his fledgling business: a luxurious London chocolate house where wealthy and well-connected men come to see and be seen, to gossip and plot, while indulging in the sweet and heady drink.

Rosamund adapts and thrives in her new surroundings, quickly becoming the most talked-about woman in society, desired and respected in equal measure.

But Sir Everard’s plans for Rosamund and the chocolate house involve family secrets that span the Atlantic Ocean, and which have already brought death and dishonor to the Blithman name. Rosamund knows nothing of the mortal peril that comes with her new title, nor of the forces spinning a web of conspiracy buried in the past, until she meets a man whose return tightens their grip upon her, threatening to destroy everything she loves and damn her to a dire fate.

As she fights for her life and those she loves through the ravages of the Plague and London’s Great Fire, Rosamund’s breathtaking tale is one marked by cruelty and revenge; passion and redemption—and the sinfully sweet temptation of chocolate.

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Aug 20, 2019
• ISBN: 9780062686602

Karen Brooks

Australian-born Karen Brooks is the author of nine novels, an academic, a newspaper columnist and social comentator, and has appeared regularly on national TV and radio. Before turning to academia, she was an army officer, and dabbled in acting. She lives in Hobart, Tasmania.

Reviews for The Chocolate Maker's Wife

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book a lot. I honestly got a copy because of the word "chocolate". Yet, this book is more than just about "chocolate". Ms. Brooks weaves a lovely story about empowerment, equality, enduring loss, survivor, love and a rich history of chocolate. Fans of time period piece books as well as fans of this author's will enjoy reading this book. I know I sure did. Rosamund needed to go away from her family. They were kind of poison to her. Therefore, it was great that Sir Everard ended up being Rosamund's knight in shining armor. Although, Rosamund would have been fine on her own in the long run. Sir Everard treated Rosamund as an equal. Ms. Brooks just brought to life this story with great and enjoyable characters. It was a breeze reading this book. The Chocolate Maker's Wife is a delectable read.

[erinclark_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well researched and as far as I can tell historically correct, the Chocolate Maker's Wife by Karen Brooks is an interesting and delicious novel set in London in the mid 1600's. Our heroine and main character is Rosamund, born a bastard of a wealthy nobleman and raised by her grandmother. When the grandmother passes she is taken back by her mother who is nothing if not despicable. She is raised in neglect, tortured by her step brothers and step father until one day she is hit by a carriage by Sir Everhard, a visiting elderly nobleman. Sir Everhard deduces Rosamunds situation and offers to marry her. A deal is struck and Rosamund is basically sold off for a purse of coin. She then travels to London to become the Chocolate maker's wife. Many twists and turns present themselves and we find out that not everything is as it seems. Interesting history of chocolate and it's preparation as well as the political climate of the times. I really enjoyed this book even if it is a bit long. It had some very good drama to it. Highly recommended.(To the editor: there is a typo in page 258 of my ARC copy, 4th sentence down - "againSt")

[godsgirl_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I'm sorry but I did not like this book. It was so wordy explaining everything in an over kill fashion. The history part was fascinating when you got glimpses of it among all the writing. Perhaps I will try another book of hers. I do like the topics of her historical writings.

[wagner5sarah35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

*I received this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.*For some reason, it took me quite a while to get through this book. The story did have a bit of a slow start, but once I got through enough rounds of family drama, the plot picked up and, of course, the drama increased. Set in Restoration London - one of my favorite periods - and involving a family with more than its share of scandal, this novel follows a young woman who marries into the Blithman family and becomes heavily involved in running a chocolate house. I highly recommend reading this book while sipping on some hot chocolate yourself - it certainly helps smooth out the many twists and turns of the story.

[janerawoof · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Set against the background of Restoration England [Charles II, latter part of 17th century] an enjoyable historical romance novel about a young woman, Rosamunde, whose mother sells her into marriage to a lord, Sir Everard Blithman, [Did such things really happen back then?] who rises from poverty and degradation to become an assertive and canny businesswoman, managing a chocolate house--we'd probably call it a café-- where men come to enjoy the new drink, chocolate, spiced with various seasonings, sugar, and herbs and to discuss the events of the day. The family into which she marries holds secrets and various members reveal their true selves, hidden at first. Sir Everard is attracted to Rosamunde because of her striking resemblance to his dead daughter, Helene; because of that, he concocts his nefarious plans for revenge. She discovers pages ripped from the diary of Lady Margery, Sir Everard's first wife, which reveal the horrific events in the family after which the noblewoman had committed suicide. All London goes through the Plague and the Great Fire. The novel details how these events affect Rosamunde and those around her. Because she has lost everything in the Fire, she and her now-lover, Matthew Lovelace, face a momentous decision.The extensive author's note was a joy to read: how she became interested in the this period, the history of chocolate and how a chocolate house probably functioned. She also included an extensive bibliography which indicates to me she researched extensively. I'm sure she included so many names of historical personages in her narrative to give some color and make it seem more authentic, but I wish she had limited her List of Characters to those who actually contributed to the action and that she'd left out those people only mentioned. I thought the epigrams at the head of the chapters a good touch; each hinted at the action therein.

[ang709 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I found this book to be a mixed bag. It was a time period I'd never read about before, and I enjoyed the way the author brought it to life. Also, and especially given the length of this book, I found it to be a quick read. Often it takes me about 100 pages to settle into a story, but I had no such problem here. The ending, however, seemed to drag a bit, and I was never moved by the story. Perhaps this was because the characters felt flat to me. The villains were completely evil, incapable of doing good. While there are no doubt people who are that bad, the number of them that Rosamund encountered in this book seemed a bit far fetched. Additionally, once all pertinent details were revealed at the end, the reason for the blame some of the villains placed and the hatred they felt didn't quite make sense. The heroine, Rosamund, meanwhile, was almost too perfect to be believable. Her only flaw, if you can call it that, seemed to be her constant laughing, even if nothing was funny. I could have dismissed that as an annoying quirk, but frequently those around her would join in laughing for no reason. It was a bit odd (And while on the subject of Rosamund, how many times in one book do I have to be told the color of her eyes?).Some of random thoughts: Why would you send three people to carry one basket, especially if it's being taken to a plague stricken family in a plague ravaged neighborhood? I could have done without some of the cursing. Mostly it was the villains who did it, but Rosamund did once too which seemed out of character. The blurb on the back isn't quite accurate, and that annoys me. Overall, this was an interesting book, but I don't know that I'd pick up anything else by this author. Thank you to the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program for the copy of this book.

[lynnsoprano · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Within this book is a good story in an interesting time period, but the tangle of plot threads, an overabundance of characters, the author's determination to include every last bit of research that she's gleaned on the English Restoration and the introduction of chocolate (plus its preparation) tended to overwhelm the main story. In my opinion (and it's strictly mine), this book would have benefitted from judicious editing.At the opening, Rosamund is a young woman at the mercy of a cruel stepfather and stepbrothers. And there was where my frustrations began. There are vague hints that she was sexually abused, but it's not until close to the end of the book and several years later in the narrative that this is confirmed, by which time the point is moot. She is rescued by an older London merchant who is struck by how much she resembles his deceased daughter. He hatches a plan to use her to gain revenge on the daughter's former husband. There are so many twists and turns, characters who appear, disappear, reappear, that I feel as if I would be writing another book to put together a synopsis of the plot. The story includes a great deal of history and historical figures from the time period, and, being familiar with this history, it is quite well researched in that regard. I found mysef skimming at times, because there was so much repetition. Rosamund's laughter and descriptions of it became annoying after a while. How many times did we need a listing of the patrons who were at the chocolate house? And there seemed to be a tendency to throw a little bit of everything in here: incest, a gay couple, the slave trade, religious tolerance, not to mention plague and the Great Fire of London (although these last two are historically accurate). It just got to be over the top, with a feeling that modern day values were being imposed on seventeenth century characters. Too many of the characters were one-dimensional, either completely virtuous or heartless villains.Finally, although I know that this was an uncorrected proof copy, there were a remarkable number of errors, and instances of questionable grammar and usage. Most notable, "no one" was always printed as "noone." I checked a few sources on grammar and usage, and consistently found this listed as incorrect. It was, for me, very distracting, because it interrupted the flow of my reading. There were other examples, as well, but this was so frequent that it deserves mention.I really had high hopes for this book, but at the end of the day, it was just okay. I wouldn't recommend it without the caveats listed above.Thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewers and William Morrow for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[bookczuk · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Received via Early Reviewers program. I really wanted to like this book. It has English History and Chocolate in it, so it should have been a shoe-in. Unfortunately, I found the story rather ponderous and slow paced.Liked the information on chocolate and its introduction to Europe, but never found myself fully invested in the story-- which was 565 pages long. It was a testament to my love for LibraryThing that I kept reading. Many thanks for sending the book. Not every book can be a hit with every reader.

[smallwonder56_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While I love historical fiction, writing in the style of the time was a little cumbersome for me to navigate. That aside, though, this was an interesting novel. There as a little of everything--romance, adventure, drama (as well as several other things that would be spoilers if I listed them). Something's always happening. The bad guys are bad, the good guys are wonderful. The plague was devastating. While it wasn't exactly what I was expecting and was a little too long, it was interesting.

[whitreidtan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Can you imagine a world without chocolate? Or a world where chocolate was brand new and extremely expensive, a luxury? A world where you couldn't just go to the pantry for a chocolate bar or some hot cocoa? Restoration London was such a place. Chocolate was just being introduced as major historical events swept through the capital and political intrigue and persecution were rife. Karen Brooks has set her latest novel, The Chocolate Maker's Wife, smack dab in the middle of all this foment, stirred in some family drama, secrets, and scandal, and poured out a complex and swirling historical fiction.Rosamunde is the illegitimate daughter of a nobleman. She was raised in her late father's household until the death of her grandmother when Rosamunde was eight at which time she went to live with her mother, stepfather, and step-brothers in the family's tavern and inn. Blossoming into a beautiful girl, she is abused by her stepfather and step-brothers and mostly ignored by her mother. She is rescued from this terrible existence when she is run down by Sir Everard Blithman, who is persuaded to marry the filthy, smelly young woman. Roasmunde doesn't fully understand why her new husband, after a closer look at her, agrees to pay her parents for her and beyond that to actually marry her. Even once she understands that she greatly resembles his much beloved, late daughter, she doesn't fully comprehend his intentions, nor will she for many years but she is determined to be an asset to the Blithman name, loyal and obedient. Sir Everard acquaints her with the sad history of his family and all of the losses he's suffered, laying several of those losses at the feet of Matthew Lovelace, his former son-in-law. When Everard marries Rosmaunde, he is in the midst of creating a chocolate house, akin to a coffee house, complete with a Spaniard who knows how to brew the most delectable chocolate drink and Everard intends to install Rosamunde in the chocolate house to pour chocolate, increase their profits, and to enact an exquisite piece of revenge. The chocolate house, his beautiful young wife, doppelganger of his daughter, his former son-in-law's appearance, and the secrets and lies underneath everything are just the starting point for this sweeping historical novel.Brooks has clearly done an immense amount of research into the time period, the plague, the Great Fire of London, and the preparation of chocolate. The details she includes are fascinating and impressive. Real life historical figures stroll through the pages of the novel with Samuel Pepys even becoming one of the major characters. She has captured the sense of chocolate houses as gathering places for the dissemination of news and gossip, for aboveboard and under the table planning, and for being one of the beating hearts of an area. Her evocation of place is completely on target. As for characters, Rosamunde has a few too many modern sensibilities to be entirely believable. She is also painted as an absolute paragon of strong and capable womanhood, smart, beautiful, and caring. She cares about the personhood of slaves, she is religiously tolerant, she sees the terrible plight of the poor and hires them in order to help them, she ignores society's views of women and is determined to chart her own course. She has been sorely used in her life but she is forgiving and gentle and kind. In opposition to Rosamunde, who is frequently described for her beautiful smile and her contagious laugh or as a ray of sunshine, the baddies here are completely evil with not one redeeming or pitiable quality at all. Instead they are brutish and horrifying or they are nefarious and scheming. And in fact, there is a strand of good versus evil running through the book but there seem to be no shades of gray. This is a story of the power and danger of words and literacy, of created family, and of the sordidness of the world and the triumph of love (and chocolate). There is a very strong romantic element here and the story is very dramatic and action filled. It is a long novel, spanning only five years but a five years that changed London as quickly and irrevocably as any time period before or since.

[bookscookslooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Rosamund lives with her mother, stepfather and stepbrothers at an inn where she is severely mistreated. One day as she is trying to escape her stepbrothers she encounters Sir Everard Blithman when his coach almost runs over her. He is struck by her close likeness to his first wife and in this he sees an opportunity. One that he does not explain to Rosamund. But he does offer to take her away from her miserable life. Her mother insists that he marry her before she will let her go – he agrees and a quick ceremony is performed and suddenly Rosamund is Lady Rosamund and heading off to a new life.What she finds when she gets to her new home is far more complicated than she expected. Her husband does not treat her as a husband should, but rather as a pet or a project. He keeps her hidden for as he says, he wants to keep her a surprise until he can formerly introduce her. He tells her of certain people he feels are his enemies and she is to all cost avoid them. Other than that she is free to go about her business. He also introduces her to his business – a new chocolate house. For he is introducing this magical drink to the people of England. Rosamund starts to learn all she can about chocolate and soon becomes a master of the drink.As her husband’s plans move forward Rosamund starts to learn more about him and his family. Soon she finds out that all is not as it seems and that she might have traded one bad situation for another. But before she can sort out all of his machinations London is dealing with the plague and the Great Fire.The Chocolate Maker’s Wife is a well written and compelling tale of the lengths someone will go for revenge. There are a myriad of subplots that all weave together to form a tapestry of life in Restoration England. A little tidbit from the early part of the tale is important later in the story. Ms. Brooks is rather brilliant at bringing all of the pieces together into such a page turning tale. I rather liked learning about the introduction of chocolate to society. I had a cup of this kind of chocolate in Italy and it is a far cry from what we know as “hot chocolate” here. I’m sure the taste was mind blowing when it was first introduced to the masses.If you are looking for a book rich in character and history with some romance, betrayal, hope and yes chocolate this will satisfy you on many levels.

[hes7 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Chocolate Maker’s Wife delivers a Cinderella-esque story as Rosamund Tomkins is whisked from her abusive family into a life of chocolate and intrigue. Set against the backdrop of 17-century London, Rosamund’s experience intertwines with history in fascinating ways, and I couldn’t help but stay interested until the very end.Still, this novel could have benefited from some serious editing. It is no small book, as the paperback has 608 pages, and many parts felt bogged down with repetition or unnecessary words and details. I think with a little less, I could have enjoyed this book much more. As it is, The Chocolate Maker’s Wife offers an interesting story, but in a way that does not make it an easy one to read.I received a complimentary copy of this book and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.

[hobbitprincess · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This novel is set in London in the 17th century. I learned a lot about chocolate and the history of it, which was interesting, plus a few historical facts about London during that time period. That's about where it ends. I found this book to be much too long; the story could have been condensed into a much shorter book, and I might have enjoyed it more. I did want to choke a few times on the continual narrative about Rosamund's perfection. It bordered on the ludicrous at times. I can almost see birds and butterflies fluttering around her, Disney-style. Every man in London was falling at her feet. I had a hard time getting past this, although I stuck with the book and read it to the end. I received this book for free through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review.

[bookhookgeek · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I received a copy from the Early Reviewers program, but it took me over a month to finish this book. It is over 500 pages long but seems like an outline - characters are one-dimensional, events occur with little explanation, etc. Disappointing because I wanted to like this book!