The Sugar Palace cover art

The Sugar Palace

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Sugar Palace

By: Fiona McIntosh
Narrated by: Ainslie McGlynn
Try Premium Plus free

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $34.99

Buy Now for $34.99

About this listen

This audiobook features an exclusive Author's Note narrated by Fiona McIntosh.

'How about we call it the Sugar Palace? And when people enter, we'll make sure it feels like a colourful fairytale spun from sugar.'

One woman's ambition
Sydney, 1925: When Grace Fairweather meets the irresistible Londoner Alfie Sweeting, dreams of selling her homemade confectionery are spun into reality.

A criminal past
When the truth about Alfie's roguish past is revealed, Grace and Alfie's fairytale sweetshop - and their lives - comes under threat.

An impossible decision
Up against razorgangs, brothel madams and cocaine dealers, Grace will be forced to make the most difficult decision of all. Who can she trust to save the Sugar Palace?

©2023 Fiona McIntosh (P)2023 Penguin Random House Australia 20th Century Action & Adventure Historical Historical Fiction Romance Crime

Critic Reviews

'A gripping read for fans of Kate Furnivall and Natasha Lester, with skilful storytelling and compelling characters that leap from the page.' Books+Publishing
All stars
Most relevant  
Made my mouth water have such a sweet tooth. Not good for the wait line 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Sugar sugar sugar!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
An enjoyable novel mostly set in 1920’s Sydney mostly in The Rocks and nearby areas of the city. Interestingly during the construction of the Sydney Harbour bridge. Famous underworld characters like Tilly Divine are woven into the story.
It was entertaining but occasionally the reader’s emphasis was a bit overdone.

Entertaining novel

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
My first Fiona McIntosh book outside the Jack series. I loved it as much and now keen to read more while I hope another Jack book is being written.
Thank you Fiona for some escapism on my rides! My 40 minute commute to work feels like 10 minutes x

Excellent and engaging writing style!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Love Fiona’s books and was excited to listen to this one, however I found it very average at best. Very little to the storyline. Super disappointing

Average at best

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The Sugar Palace was such a sweet story, I loved the characters and reading/listening to what The Rocks and other parts of Sydney would have been like in the 1920’s!

Definitely recommended!

Loved it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Nostalgic of a time no longer touchable. It was beautiful to follow the story of characters living in a time of my grandparents' younger years. My husband and I both enjoyed the book and would love a follow-up book.

Enjoyable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Not up to Fiona’s usual standard. I found it a bit boring with not much substance.

Slow and boring

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I love Fiona McIntosh but this story really disappoints. Weak story, characters not investible and just a bit ‘fluffy’ compared to her other books.

Not her best

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
While listening to the beginning of the book I had wondered if I'd made a mistake as it seemed quite boring but I perservered. I believe there were some redeeming moments, only due the introduction of Holly, otherwise all other characters lacked substance.

Storyline initially dull, gets mildly better

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I have suffered through 2/3 of it, hoping it would get better. Had I been reading it, I would have skipped pages of dialogue and explanation, but that is not possible with an audio book. I have previously enjoyed Fiona Macintosh's work. This is just boring.

awful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.