The Little Shop of Found Things: A Novel

Found Things, Book 1

By: Paula Brackston

Narrated by: Marisa Calin

Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's Summary

Paula Brackston, New York Times best-selling author of The Witch's Daughter, returns with her trademark blend of magic and romance guaranteed to enchant in the first audiobook in a new 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 17th 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.

©2018 Paula Brackston (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

Great time travel story

This is a great time travel story thrown in with an antique shop, relationships and mystery. The story kept moving and didn't get boring. The narrator was really good doing both male and female voices. The story painted pictures of the locations and made me want to be there.

Really Enjoyable

I’m going to give her Witch’s Daughter book another try. I could not get into that book at all but this one was lovely. Immediately hooked me. Easily went between time periods. I cared about the characters and the outcome. Truly lovely.

Sappy

the narration made the lead female character seem even dumber and sappier than the book storyline. I just wanted to constantly roll my eyes and scream ask question , really no one asks questions.
the first chapter seemed good, then it fell off the deep end and kept falling

unavoidable disappointing ending

The narrator was okay, however, she had terrible "voices" for the differing characters especially the male characters. Like a child's voice trying to sound like her father. The harshness of her British accent was fairly distracting as the accent flowed in and out of proper British Noble sounding accents and Cockney, but not in any context that made sense, just as she was narrating sentence to sentence it would change. Difficult not to make fun of.

What a wonderful idea for a story, fascinating details and creativity. The end sucked all the wind right out of my fantastical sails. Not everyone I'm sure would dislike it, however, basically the whole novel is about how Xanthe will not find another love after her boyfriend betrays her, then she makes these wonderful deep romantic and incredible connections in her travel back in time. The story deepens and encourages this love then just pulls the rug right out from under the reader with a more realistic end. if an entire story is fantasy, why would it need a realistic end. Not my cup of tea and I'm so sad because the story idea is just Amazing.

My favorite themes!

I really enjoyed this book and hope there will be more! Always in search of a good ghost story.... this was very satisfying. Add psychometry AND time travel and it becomes my idea of a perfect story!

The Little Shop of Found things: a time travel

A well written story where the main character is involved with someone with a similar life event in the 17 th century. Romantic, thrilling, historic and gouhlish antique business.

Unoriginal and poorly constructed plot

I cannot believe there are so many positive reviews on this book! I frequently read and enjoy the fiction/fantasy genre but I could not get past the main premise of this book, terrible!

The main character Xanthe is portalled back through time when she touches a magical chatelaine , because an angry ghost wants her help to save her daughter. It turns out her daughter was wrongfully accused and sent to jail for stealing a pair of scissors from her mistress. Yes a pair of scissors, and now she may be hung for her treasonous crime. The plot thickens and we later found out, she did take the scissors but only intended to borrow them!! She got scared when her mistress noticed them missing and hid them somewhere in the house. Seems like a juvenile error to me, perhaps a miscommunication, nothing worthy of sending someone to the gallows (nor a complex mystery worthy of anyone’s time). Just tell us where you put the damn scissors and case solved!! Now instead of seeking help from someone in her own time (or forcing her daughter to come clean about the scissors) the mother waits 400 years to pull someone back into the 1600’s to save her daughter? I’m sorry I just can’t get past the stupidity of this book. I like ghosts, time travel and have read all sorts of nonsensical stories but if your bringing me back 400 years there better be a grander purpose (not to solve a case of missing scissors).

At its essence, this book is a poor version of outlander— girl touches magical object, goes back in time, falls in love… and don’t forget the missing scissors!

If it weren’t for the beautiful narration of this book I wouldn’t have been able to get past chapter 2. I very rarely DNF a book but I just can’t with this one…

Slow Start

I’m happy I stuck with it. I have taken a liking for time travel a la Outlander style. Though this isn’t as gripping as Outlander, it is appreciable. I’m hoping the series gets better and better. There is possibility for this to develop into a gripping story.

Five stars if only...

I liked this book very much, and I know that this book is the first in a series but I just wish that the ending could have left us with closure for Xanthe and Samuel. It's the romantic in me, I guess. Maybe, I hope, we will see him again?

Wanted to love this book

Just as I thought the book was getting good the ending was a huge letdown. Not the ending most people would want. Perhaps another chapter and all those loose ends would not have been left hanging and we would get what we the readers wanted. The characters were just starting to develop and boom, they spiraled into nothingness. The character Ian never quite hooked me in, his part being somewhat removed. Meh...

Another Triumph for Ms Brackston!

This is a gripping and beautifully written story of impossible love in all its form. With a malevolent ghost and time slip adding that frisson of fear. I’m so sorry to have finished it!!

Annoying

Really liked the sound of this story and have tried so hard to listen to it , but the narrators voice! She shouts/exaggerates every few words she reads. I just can’t listen anymore!

Not for me

Liked the narrator and the modern setting. Didn't find the historical characters or setting at all plausible.

Lovely little story

Really enjoyed the story. The cadence to the narrator’s speech was sometimes distracting but by the time the story really heated up and romance was a foot I didn’t get distracted! Can’t wait for the sequel to see how the beautiful story ends. Xanthe is an admirable protagonist too, which always makes for a great story.

Bad storyteller

I'm struggling with this via audible if I'm honest, 100% have been better reading it myself. the story is amazing, but the voice is horrible...seems too forced and unrealistic.
Will try and get through the rest if the book as the story is great. Would be a great read but not to listen to.

wonderful story

The story was really nice I hated when I had to turn it off. As always Marisa Calin and her super relaxing voice was also brilliant.

A fantasy story with a note of this could really be!!

I love the way this grips the imagination drawing you into the story for need of knowing what is going to happen next!! Well read although the female narrator does the male voices which all sound older so surprised you when it was meant to be a young mans voice.
I love the pace in which it is read. The story ticked all my boxes for imagining this could really be. We need this sort of thing to take us away from the reality of everyday and spark our own imaginations!!
Will be purchasing another Paula Brackston as she has a way of keeping me gripped to the story!!

Boring

Kept going to halfway and had to give up sorry
Found characters uninteresting. Waiting for something to happen.

Fabulous story

I liked every moment of this novel.....I was totally engrossed in the characters to the point I really want to know what is next for the heroes....is there a Book 2? If you like time travel fantasy then, this is definitely a must read or listen!

The little shop of found things

I thoroughly enjoyed this book,Great character's great story line, looking forward to the next book,