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  • Published: 17 October 2023
  • ISBN: 9781761047015
  • Imprint: Michael Joseph
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 400
  • RRP: $37.00

The Sugar Palace

The gripping historical romantic adventure from the bestselling author of The Pearl Thief




The heart-stopping new historical romantic adventure from the bestselling author of The Orphans.

'The Sugar Palace is a gripping read for fans of Kate Furnivall and Natasha Lester, with skilful storytelling and compelling characters that leap from the page.' Books+Publishing
Under the clamour of the Sydney Harbour Bridge being built nearby, Grace Fairweather is working in her father’s grocery shop in The Rocks when she begins making her own confectionery. Her colourful creations of toffees, lollies and chocolates soon become crowd favourites, and Grace begins to dream of one day opening her own sweetshop.

When the roguish but irresistible Londoner Alfie Sweeting comes to work for the Fairweathers, his ambition for her success thrills her – so much so that she begins to question her engagement to Norman. Perhaps the ‘safe’ option in life isn’t the right thing for her after all. Alfie encourages her to open not just a sweetshop, but a delightful destination for young and old – a sugar palace!

With Grace’s natural business acumen and Alfie’s creative sales skills, it seems like they could be the perfect pairing – in work and in love – but when Alfie’s criminal past catches up with him, both their lives come under threat and Grace is forced to make the most difficult decision of all.

Moving between the colourful world of a carnival-like confectionery store and Sydney’s organised crime world of brothel madams, gambling dens and cocaine dealers, this is a thrilling romantic adventure that shows not everyone is to be trusted, and life isn’t always as sweet as it seems.

  • Published: 17 October 2023
  • ISBN: 9781761047015
  • Imprint: Michael Joseph
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 400
  • RRP: $37.00

About the author

Fiona McIntosh

Fiona McIntosh is an internationally bestselling author of novels for adults and children. She co-founded an award-winning travel magazine with her husband, which they ran for fifteen years while raising their twin sons before she became a full-time author. Fiona roams the world researching and drawing inspiration for her novels, and runs a series of highly respected fiction masterclasses. She calls South Australia home.

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Praise for The Sugar Palace

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. ... 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

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The Sugar Palace by Fiona McIntosh

READ MORE: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-sugar-palace-9781761047015 The heart-stopping new historical romantic adventure from the bestselling author of The Orphans. 'The Sugar Palace is a gripping read for fans of Kate Furnivall and Natasha Lester, with skilful storytelling and compelling characters that leap from the page.' Books+Publishing Under the clamour of the Sydney Harbour Bridge being built nearby, Grace Fairweather is working in her father’s grocery shop in The Rocks when she begins making her own confectionery. Her colourful creations of toffees, lollies and chocolates soon become crowd favourites, and Grace begins to dream of one day opening her own sweetshop. When the roguish but irresistible Londoner Alfie Sweeting comes to work for the Fairweathers, his ambition for her success thrills her – so much so that she begins to question her engagement to Norman. Perhaps the ‘safe’ option in life isn’t the right thing for her after all. Alfie encourages her to open not just a sweetshop, but a delightful destination for young and old – a sugar palace! With Grace’s natural business acumen and Alfie’s creative sales skills, it seems like they could be the perfect pairing – in work and in love – but when Alfie’s criminal past catches up with him, both their lives come under threat and Grace is forced to make the most difficult decision of all. Moving between the colourful world of a carnival-like confectionery store and Sydney’s organised crime world of brothel madams, gambling dens and cocaine dealers, this is a thrilling romantic adventure that shows not everyone is to be trusted, and life isn’t always as sweet as it seems.