The Chocolate Factory
Mary-Lou Stephens
Reviewed by Helen
A beautiful story, it tells the story of the people involved in the start-up of the Cadbury’s Chocolate factory in Claremont, Tasmania, (known as The Firm) we get to know Dorothy, Maisie, Sarah, Frank, Gertie and Thomas to name a few, we learn of their friendships, their loves and the secrets that are coveted by many and that must be kept, come along and take a journey back to 1921, this one is sure to keep you turning the pages, and maybe eating your favourite chocolate while doing so.
Dorothy Adwell has worked for Cadbury’s Bournville since she was a very young girl she is now a widow, thanks to the Great War and missing her husband Freddie very much, when she is offered the chance to come to Australia and be there for the set-up of the new factory she jumps at the chance to put the past behind her and it is a promotion, during the long voyage she meets a man Thomas Mooreland who reminds her so much of her Freddie and she can see that the is suffering the same as Freddie did and she is determined to help him.
Maisie Greenwood is eighteen, she lives with her widowed mother and younger brother and sister and life is a struggle but she is thrilled to apply for a job at the Cadbury’s Factory, Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate is her favourite and very much missed, she is interviewed at home by Mrs. Dorothy Adwell and is accepted and with the help of Mrs. Adwell is soon a supervisor and she is also getting along very well with Mr. Frank Sutton, life is very good, that is until Percy enters her life at the factory.
The recipe for the famous Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate is on that is coveted by many especially the Australian confectionary companies and there are many spies in this industry and when Dorothy and Maisie get caught up in a blackmailing plot to uncover said recipe, reputations are on the line. How far will they go to save their reputations and their jobs and who can they trust? Will they find happiness and fulfill their wishes for their own lives?
I loved this one from cover to cover, MS. Stephens has researched this so well, I loved learning about The Cadbury family and what they did for their staff and their beliefs. The characters are fabulous and so easy to get to know the setting beautiful and the mystery and plot intriguing, obviously that recipe is worth a lot. I highly recommend this one, it is wonderful story, and I loved learning about the making of my favourite chocolate.
My thanks to Harlequin AU for my copy to read and review.
Dorothy Adwell has worked for Cadbury’s Bournville since she was a very young girl she is now a widow, thanks to the Great War and missing her husband Freddie very much, when she is offered the chance to come to Australia and be there for the set-up of the new factory she jumps at the chance to put the past behind her and it is a promotion, during the long voyage she meets a man Thomas Mooreland who reminds her so much of her Freddie and she can see that the is suffering the same as Freddie did and she is determined to help him.
Maisie Greenwood is eighteen, she lives with her widowed mother and younger brother and sister and life is a struggle but she is thrilled to apply for a job at the Cadbury’s Factory, Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate is her favourite and very much missed, she is interviewed at home by Mrs. Dorothy Adwell and is accepted and with the help of Mrs. Adwell is soon a supervisor and she is also getting along very well with Mr. Frank Sutton, life is very good, that is until Percy enters her life at the factory.
The recipe for the famous Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate is on that is coveted by many especially the Australian confectionary companies and there are many spies in this industry and when Dorothy and Maisie get caught up in a blackmailing plot to uncover said recipe, reputations are on the line. How far will they go to save their reputations and their jobs and who can they trust? Will they find happiness and fulfill their wishes for their own lives?
I loved this one from cover to cover, MS. Stephens has researched this so well, I loved learning about The Cadbury family and what they did for their staff and their beliefs. The characters are fabulous and so easy to get to know the setting beautiful and the mystery and plot intriguing, obviously that recipe is worth a lot. I highly recommend this one, it is wonderful story, and I loved learning about the making of my favourite chocolate.
My thanks to Harlequin AU for my copy to read and review.
5 stars
January 31, 2024 by HQ Fiction
