The Sugar Palace (Fiona McIntosh, Michael Joseph)

Set in 1920s Sydney, The Sugar Palace is a pacy historical adventure with the perfect dose of romance, and shifts between the shadows of Sydney’s criminal underbelly and The Rocks. Our strong female lead, Grace Fairweather, is a shopkeeper’s daughter who has a dream as colourful as her handmade confectionery—to open her own sweet shop. With her hand in marriage promised to esteemed local policeman Norman Jenkins, Grace is facing a secure but stifled future. In sweeps Alfie Sweeting, a charismatic Londoner trying to outrun his shady past. Sparks fly, and Grace begins to question her engagement to Norman. Alfie believes in her and shows a dogged determination to help her realise her dream. With Grace’s creativity and business savvy, and Alfie’s street smarts and a gift of the gab, the pair seem unstoppable in their mission to open Sydney’s very own sugar palace. But despite Alfie’s best intentions to win Grace’s heart, his questionable choices invite a trail of trouble that threatens to destroy everything. As the criminal world collides with the colourful world of licorice, toffees and peppermint cakes, moral lines are crossed, lies are spun like fine sugar, and a high-stakes game of cat and mouse drives the story forward at a nifty pace. The Sugar Palace is a gripping read for fans of Kate Furnivall and Natasha Lester, and is true to form for The Orphans author Fiona McIntosh, with skilful storytelling and compelling characters that leap from the page.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Erin Coyle is a writer, reviewer, and bookseller. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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Category: Reviews