This is a fantastic book! The main characters are “spicy” in their attitudes and interactions with each other which makes the romance such a great entertainment. I loved the history woven into the plot of this book. I would recommend it to anyone.

Elizabeth Camden has once again written a fabulous historical fiction in The Spice King. I absolutely loved her characters and the depth of their interaction.

Annabelle Larkin is determined to win a donation from the Delacroix plant collection. Fresh out of school in Kansas, she feels somewhat at a lose to be living and working in Washington DC. Working in the Smithsonian for only two months, she tried every way she knew to contact the elusive Gray Delacroix. After writing two times to Gray, she refuses to give up, being the latest of in a long line of botanist who'd tried and failed to make headway with Mr. Delacroix. If she can obtain the coveted Vanilla Orchid, she would secure her position with the Smithsonian. Boldly she makes her way to the Delacroix home. Along the way she spies a Spice map and hopes to gain entrance to entice his interest. As she meets Gray she notices that he is quite ill, the effects of Malaria, but he demands to see the map. Adamant that he doesn't trust the government, Annabelle charms her way into the man's greenhouses.

This is the most charming tale. The story is full of historical insights from a time when there was no regulation on foods stuff. I love how the relationship between Gray and Annabelle progressed and how they learned to trust each other. A definite 5+ star on my scale.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are my honest opinion.

Camden is my new favorite historical fiction author! No matter how many I read, I just can't find one I don't like! Camden is a master of this genre.

Annabelle Larkin is an adorably naive and innocent character, but that's not to say she doesn't have a backbone. She is passionate, tender-hearted, and nearly always optimistic, as well as patriotic with strong morals. I quickly fell in love with her sweet character. Grey Delacroix is quite the opposite. Embittered against the government for having wronged his family in the past, he is reclusive and sarcastic, yet he too has a strong moral code and is incredibly loyal to his family, which is a trait I am always drawn to.

The story starts out with a series of (rather humorous) letters, and quickly draw the reader in. I was a bit surprised by how quickly the romance took place in the course of the book, but it definitely made sense plot-wise and still was very realistic. (No insta-love either, thankfully.) But the story is certainly not all about romance. There is suspense, treason, betrayal, politics, intrigue, sabotage and more. This is a jam-packed story that is sure to keep your interest! And, of course, the book is well-laced with Camden's trademark humor and witty banter. I found myself laughing out loud at times.

All in all, The Spice King is an epic opening to Camden's newest series, and I am greatly looking forward to the rest of the series! I highly recommend checking this book out, as well as any of Camden's numerous other works!

Elizabeth Camden is a master at crafting a story that brings unknown elements of history to life. In her latest novel, The Spice King, Camden catches the world of artificial flavorings into a delightful story. From the moment her heroine, Annabelle walked onto the page, I admired her ability to leave the plains of Kansas and move to Washington D.C. That took guts. Plus, to bring her blind sister with her and take care of her while following her dreams is a huge accomplishment by itself. The plot was fascinating to learn and taught me more about the history of artificial flavorings versus the real stuff. It moved at a nice pace. I didn't find it slow at all. I flipped through the story at a nice rate and enjoyed what I was reading. While the romance isn't the point of the story, I think the romance between Annabelle and Gray moved a little too quickly for my taste. They barely knew each other and were dying to be together again. Overall, The Spice King was a delightful read filled with fascinating characters who taught me something about the importance of buying the real stuff.

I received a complimentary copy of The Spice King by Elizabeth Camden from Bethany House Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.

(4.5 stars) - excellent... and thought-provoking

Elizabeth Camden's new book is a really well done story with thoroughly engaging characters that also poses some challenging questions.

It contains all the fascinating historical insights we've come to expect; this one covering some of the major contributions to the development of food labeling laws (as well as touching on aspects of the development of the Agricultural Agency, President McKinley's presidency and our relationship with Cuba at the time).

The romance between Gray and Annabelle is fun and warm and sweet. Then comes the conflict. And it's a doozy.

While I thought the story was told fairly plausibly, and wanted to see them back together, I suspect the resolution of the story is going to be controversial with readers. I loved the book and am eagerly looking forward to the next, but confess to struggling a bit with the resolution myself.

SPOILERS
I think the one part that would have made it easier for me to believe they could reconcile would have been if, once Annabelle knew it wasn't Gray, she had arranged to meet him somewhere publicly like a park or outdoor café & let him know what she had been more or less forced to do, rather than trying to continue on with him as if she knew nothing & hope that Gray never found out.

That she did try to hide it was very human & understandable, but still less than upright & made her own actions look far more suspicious, devious even. Had she been completely open with him as soon as she was able, though, it would have made it easier for me to see Gray's eventual willingness to accept her, to view her as a woman of integrity and want to be with her again.
END SPOILERS

Clean romance level: sweet kisses
Religion: fairly generic Christianity, completely organic to the story, not preachy

Elizabeth Camden is one of my favorite authors and I eagerly look forward to each of her latest releases. The Spice King is the beginning of a new series and it is set in America's capitol, Washington. I found the cover to be both attractive and intriguing, and it definitely caught the eye of this occasional "judge a book by its cover" reader.

While the story started out a little slow for me, I highly recommend that if you feel the same...keep reading! The Spice King takes place before there were laws against adding fillers, untested preservatives and undisclosed ingredients to canned foods. Can you imagine eating food laced with formaldehyde?!!! That was shocking to me! The characters are diverse and the plot is interesting with twists and turns to keep things interesting. Themes of betrayal, forgiveness and impossible choices make this novel well worth reading.

Thank you Bethany House and Net Galley for the free advanced reader copy of The Spice King. The opinions expressed here are my own.

The Spice King is an absolutely delightful historical romance novel. It tells the story of two sisters from Kansas who move to Washington DC together. There, one sister works while the other sister volunteers. Each sister finds romance in the most unexpected places. Meanwhile, the "Spice King" and his family are caught up in politics and business @ the turn of the 20th century as they discover the strengths and weaknesses among the siblings and fight for each other. The book is full of unexpected twists and turns with believable characters. Very difficult to put down - & I'm really hoping for a book 2 to tell "what happens next" in each of the main characters' lives!

THE SPICE KING by ELIZABETH CAMDEN is a romantic historical novel, with quite a bit of intrigue and politics, and a really good Christian message. The story is based on true history, and takes place in 1900, at a time when unscrupulous businessmen were making money by putting untested and potentially dangerous ingredients into tinned and bottled food, which they were passing off as the real thing.
Annabelle Larkin and her blind sister, Elaine, leave the family farm in Kansas, which is in financial trouble, and move to Washington where Elaine has found a position with the braille library, and Annabelle has a temporary job at the Smithsonian. Annabelle is a botanist and is passionate about plants. In fact she is passionate about life in general and is friendly, optimistic and loving. She is also patriotic and determined, and makes up for her short stature by not being afraid to speak her mind.
She has been told by Dr Norwood, her superior, that in order to obtain a permanent position in Washington, she needs to find a very rare Vanilla orchid, which may be in Gray Delacroix' possession.
Gray is a businessman who has built up Global Spice, travelling the world to find rare plants and increase his business holdings. Gray is a grumpy man, all business and no social graces. He does not trust the government, because of what happened in the past, nor does he want to help them in any way, let alone in their botanical research.
I will not tell you any more about the story, as I do not want to spoil the read for you, excepting to say that it is an interesting and exciting book, with great characters that are very well portrayed, and I can highly recommend it.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.