My Lady Marzipan: Rare Confectionery, Book 3

This is the last book in this trilogy of three sister who run the family Candy store, Rare Confectionery.The eldest daughter Amity who is the chocolatier for the shop married a Duke. She now spends much less time in the shop as they are expecting their first child. Amity still makes the chocolate treats but from home. The middle daughter Beatrice married and American who received a property from his Grandfather in Scotland that needs a lot of repair. Beatrice does the Toffee for the shop. But is also away a lot with her new husband.This leaves the running of the shop to the youngest daughter, Charlotte and her mother.Charlotte is the happiest, carefree, and grounded of the three. She loves working with the customers, she loves showing and telling them about the different kinds of candy. Till her life changes a lot. The brother of her friend Lucy is in the same paint class and Charlotte is in love with him. He takes advantage of her feelings and gets her to meet him after class and in dark hallways for steamy kisses.Then breaks her heart running off with other. While going thru this heartbreak she learns her mother is leaving her in charge of the store to go the sea with her father.Without her sisters to help she hires a young boy to help. Then everything goes wrong.The only one who seems to be around to help and be there for her is a friend of her sister husband the duke . One Viscount Charles Jeffcoat.There is a lot going on in this book, from Charlotte and Charles attraction to each other.Problems form Charles past that makes him distrust others. People from her past out to ruin her.Decisions that she makes that almost cost her and her family everything they hold dear.This was a great read and I hope you give it a try. The books can be read as stand alone but much better read in order. I was disappointed that one of the characters that helps in each book didn't get his own story. It would have been great to see what happens to Lord Waverly.

Will her choices endanger her family’s business and her burgeoning romance ...Fun how I liked Charlotte’s personality in the previous books for the cheerful character she was but as soon as she encounters her first hardship she becomes bitterness personified and blinded so much by her broke heart to act quite carelessly with her actions and words to hurt others who were kind to her. Hopefully she quickly corrected her slip of behavior, a lapse of temper from her side and was quite chastised with a taste her own medicine by a very nasty customer’s visit.Still as the youngest sibling, she is also the more carefree and not very aware of the damage a tainted reputation can cause, and she is lucky others have a care for her or she would have been ruined many time because of her impulsiveness and easy trusting nature.Charles is a straight solemn diligent young man, so much he can’t stand scandal, and while attracted to Charlotte, her easy-going and some time jaunty attitude disturbs him. And while he let first his fear of the busybodies choose for him, he soon decides she is the woman for him, her zest for life and kind disposition go so well with his more straight laced person.Both are flawed persons, she acts a bit too promptly at time yet for a barrister he acts detrimentally when he refuses to hear Charlotte’s side of her story.Mrs Sydney Jane Baily with this last book partners once again very different individuals, which in their own way complement the other. They answer one another needs if they can overcome their own grief.My only complaint is the blurb gives too much of the story, thus I wondered when the said second shoes would drop for most of the story.Outside this, it is a much entertaining read with humorous dialogues inner or plainly spoken and great characters.5 stars.I was granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

Trays of Toffee, bunny shaped chocolate, chocolate eggs filled with creamy fondant, fruit shaped Marzipan.. must I go on? Another decadent visit to the Rare Confectionery, where sweets reined and three sisters find their happiness. Oh yes and now it is Charlotte's turn, the youngest who enjoys seeing the customers become joyous when they taste one of their confections for the first time!Robin Hood, I mean Lord Jeffcoat was a friend of Charlotte's brother in law. They had spent time together several times, of course casual with others around, but he had begun to feel attraction for her. But he was worried because she had not given him any hint if she was interested in him!A short winding path as courtship begins and then he kissed her. Oh yes and what a kiss it was!I adored Charlotte and Charles! She such a free spirit, who was not as diligent as she could be about her behavior, but a born charmer of customers and yes, Charles. He on the other hand, a barrister, more serious and solemn, took quick to change his mind.They have a winding path but with Sydney Jane Baily's magical prose, she brings us to a sweet conclusion! Now if we can find out what happens to Waverly! Simply scrumptious!

I have read all three of the Rare Confectionary series and I would consider this to be the second best of the three (the best one being the first: The Duchess of Chocolate). In this one, it moves from being slightly Jane Austen influenced to a little Dickens influenced. I did, however, feel the ending should have been edited down quite a bit. In fact, I got so impatient with it, I started skim reading. The main character of Charlotte is a reasonably likeable heroine, but I thought more could have been done to make her love interest, Charles, a more interesting character. He bored me. The writer has a good handle on details of Victorian era London so she “paints” the scenes well. But I did not fall in love with this story.

Charlotte simply was not a favourite character of mine, her childish whistling really grated on my nerves. Charles on the other hand was kind and caring.Charlotte had so many flaws yet having older sisters they could have helped.The girl is at times so very immature. I kept wanting to slap her face and tell her to grow up. Worth checking out though

Absolutely lovely book, very well written, I'd definitely recommend reading the whole series, starting with the first-The duchess of chocolate!