
A Bed of Spices
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $24.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Anne Johnstonbrown
-
By:
-
Barbara Samuel
About this listen
The exquisite Frederica der Esslingen fled from her father's castle to the herbalist's cottage, vowing she could never give in to her father's wishes and marry the man her twin sister loved. Another man, a stranger forbidden to her, touched her very soul. A man who listened when she spoke...a man with a tumble of black curls and clever lips.... He understood her bold, searching heart. Yet he was denied her forever.
A Bed of Spices is a wildly romantic tale of forbidden love set in the turbulent middle ages. Solomon and Rica meet by chance at the herbalist's cottage and fall in love despite the divisions of religion, class, and expectations - but how can they possibly find a happy ending with so many things stacked against them? Dark, beautiful, and ultimately uplifting, this is a romance you won't easily forget.
©1993, 2010 Barbara Samuel (P)2013 Barbara SamuelListeners also enjoyed...
-
How to Bake a Perfect Life
- A Novel
- By: Barbara O'Neal
- Narrated by: Tanya Eby
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a novel as warm and embracing as a family kitchen, Barbara O’Neal explores the poignant, sometimes complex relationships between mothers and daughters - and the healing magic of homemade bread. Professional baker Ramona Gallagher is a master of an art that has sustained her through the most turbulent times, including a baby at 15 and an endless family feud. But now Ramona’s bakery threatens to crumble around her. Literally. She’s one water-heater disaster away from losing her grandmother’s rambling Victorian and everything she’s worked so hard to build.
-
-
Good Listen...
- By L.W. on 08-03-13
By: Barbara O'Neal
-
The Goddesses of Kitchen Avenue
- A Novel
- By: Barbara O'Neal
- Narrated by: Carly Robins, Kim Staunton, Allyson Johnson, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A loving wife and a mother of three accomplished children, forty-six-year-old Trudy Marino has an uncomplicated life—until she’s blindsided by her husband’s affair. But in Trudy’s close-knit neighborhood, she’s not alone in navigating the sudden surprises in a woman’s life. Her neighbor Roberta has just lost her husband of sixty-two years and struggles with bittersweet memories and grief. Roberta’s granddaughter Jade is a divorcée who has taken up a cathartic new hobby to get over her cheating ex. And there’s Shannelle, whose creative aspirations are fracturing her marriage.
-
-
The very slow story line.
- By Angela St. Clair on 04-16-25
By: Barbara O'Neal
-
Breaking the Rules
- By: Barbara Samuel, Ruth Wind
- Narrated by: Libby Clearfield
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mattie O'Neal is on the run. She's chopped off her hair, stolen a car, changed her name, and is hiding in a tiny Arizona town, slinging hash. She thought she was safe - until Zeke Shephard walked through the door. Rugged, hard-edged Zeke doesn't get involved - but there's something about Mattie's courage that catches his sympathy. When the thugs who want to silence Mattie forever show up, Zeke steps in and takes her to his own private hide away, where the two must decide if the link between them is worth fighting for...and if they can stay alive long enough to explore it.
-
-
Perfect Contempary Story
- By Regina on 11-09-13
By: Barbara Samuel, and others
-
Lady Luck's Map of Vegas
- A Novel
- By: Barbara O'Neal
- Narrated by: Teri Schnaubelt, Coleen Marlo
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
India Redding is juggling a web design career, a long-distance romance, and an exasperating promise she made to her late father: keep an eye on her vivacious mother, Eldora. A former Las Vegas showgirl, the flamboyant sixtysomething bombshell never lacks for curveballs. Her latest idea is that she and India hightail it out of Colorado Springs and hit the road for Sin City in her turquoise ’57 Thunderbird. Eldora can revisit the neon strips of her youth, and together they can track down India’s twin sister, Gypsy, a haunted vagabond artist prone to disappearing.
-
-
A window into another world
- By naomipt on 01-22-25
By: Barbara O'Neal
-
This Place of Wonder
- A Novel
- By: Barbara O'Neal
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo, Amy Landon, Alaska Jackson
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When famed chef Augustus Beauvais dies, he leaves behind a celebrated reputation—and four women grappling with loss, anger, pain, and the question of how the world will turn without him...
-
-
Wish I would have waited to purchase
- By Admirer of great books; critic of bad books. on 07-25-22
By: Barbara O'Neal
-
A Piece of Heaven
- A Novel
- By: Barbara O'Neal
- Narrated by: Raquel Beattie
- Length: 14 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Luna McGraw struggles to conquer the addictions that destroyed her marriage and caused her to lose custody of her beloved daughter, Joy. After eight years, Joy is back and Luna aims to rebuild everything that fell apart. She has a therapeutic job as a florist, a loving mother’s support, and a new man in her life who makes Luna feel things she’s been afraid to feel since forever.
-
-
Not for me.
- By Julie Bosen on 04-22-22
By: Barbara O'Neal
-
How to Bake a Perfect Life
- A Novel
- By: Barbara O'Neal
- Narrated by: Tanya Eby
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a novel as warm and embracing as a family kitchen, Barbara O’Neal explores the poignant, sometimes complex relationships between mothers and daughters - and the healing magic of homemade bread. Professional baker Ramona Gallagher is a master of an art that has sustained her through the most turbulent times, including a baby at 15 and an endless family feud. But now Ramona’s bakery threatens to crumble around her. Literally. She’s one water-heater disaster away from losing her grandmother’s rambling Victorian and everything she’s worked so hard to build.
-
-
Good Listen...
- By L.W. on 08-03-13
By: Barbara O'Neal
-
The Goddesses of Kitchen Avenue
- A Novel
- By: Barbara O'Neal
- Narrated by: Carly Robins, Kim Staunton, Allyson Johnson, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A loving wife and a mother of three accomplished children, forty-six-year-old Trudy Marino has an uncomplicated life—until she’s blindsided by her husband’s affair. But in Trudy’s close-knit neighborhood, she’s not alone in navigating the sudden surprises in a woman’s life. Her neighbor Roberta has just lost her husband of sixty-two years and struggles with bittersweet memories and grief. Roberta’s granddaughter Jade is a divorcée who has taken up a cathartic new hobby to get over her cheating ex. And there’s Shannelle, whose creative aspirations are fracturing her marriage.
-
-
The very slow story line.
- By Angela St. Clair on 04-16-25
By: Barbara O'Neal
-
Breaking the Rules
- By: Barbara Samuel, Ruth Wind
- Narrated by: Libby Clearfield
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mattie O'Neal is on the run. She's chopped off her hair, stolen a car, changed her name, and is hiding in a tiny Arizona town, slinging hash. She thought she was safe - until Zeke Shephard walked through the door. Rugged, hard-edged Zeke doesn't get involved - but there's something about Mattie's courage that catches his sympathy. When the thugs who want to silence Mattie forever show up, Zeke steps in and takes her to his own private hide away, where the two must decide if the link between them is worth fighting for...and if they can stay alive long enough to explore it.
-
-
Perfect Contempary Story
- By Regina on 11-09-13
By: Barbara Samuel, and others
-
Lady Luck's Map of Vegas
- A Novel
- By: Barbara O'Neal
- Narrated by: Teri Schnaubelt, Coleen Marlo
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
India Redding is juggling a web design career, a long-distance romance, and an exasperating promise she made to her late father: keep an eye on her vivacious mother, Eldora. A former Las Vegas showgirl, the flamboyant sixtysomething bombshell never lacks for curveballs. Her latest idea is that she and India hightail it out of Colorado Springs and hit the road for Sin City in her turquoise ’57 Thunderbird. Eldora can revisit the neon strips of her youth, and together they can track down India’s twin sister, Gypsy, a haunted vagabond artist prone to disappearing.
-
-
A window into another world
- By naomipt on 01-22-25
By: Barbara O'Neal
-
This Place of Wonder
- A Novel
- By: Barbara O'Neal
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo, Amy Landon, Alaska Jackson
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When famed chef Augustus Beauvais dies, he leaves behind a celebrated reputation—and four women grappling with loss, anger, pain, and the question of how the world will turn without him...
-
-
Wish I would have waited to purchase
- By Admirer of great books; critic of bad books. on 07-25-22
By: Barbara O'Neal
-
A Piece of Heaven
- A Novel
- By: Barbara O'Neal
- Narrated by: Raquel Beattie
- Length: 14 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Luna McGraw struggles to conquer the addictions that destroyed her marriage and caused her to lose custody of her beloved daughter, Joy. After eight years, Joy is back and Luna aims to rebuild everything that fell apart. She has a therapeutic job as a florist, a loving mother’s support, and a new man in her life who makes Luna feel things she’s been afraid to feel since forever.
-
-
Not for me.
- By Julie Bosen on 04-22-22
By: Barbara O'Neal
-
When We Believed in Mermaids
- A Novel
- By: Barbara O'Neal
- Narrated by: Sarah Naughton, Katherine Littrell
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Josie Bianci was killed years ago on a train during a terrorist attack. Gone forever. It’s what her sister, Kit, an ER doctor in Santa Cruz, has always believed. Yet all it takes is a few heart-wrenching seconds to upend Kit’s world. Live coverage of a club fire in Auckland has captured the image of a woman stumbling through the smoke and debris. Her resemblance to Josie is unbelievable. And unmistakable. With it comes a flood of emotions - grief, loss, and anger - that Kit finally has a chance to put to rest: by finding the sister who’s been living a lie.
-
-
Still listening, but barely...
- By katie brinson on 11-11-19
By: Barbara O'Neal
-
In the Midnight Rain
- A Novel
- By: Barbara O'Neal
- Narrated by: Kristen Ariza
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Biographer Ellie Connor is in Gideon, Texas, to research blues singer Mabel Beauvais who, on the verge of fame, mysteriously disappeared more than forty years ago. Gideon holds another mystery for Ellie. It’s the truth about her parents—a restless mother who died young and a father she never knew. They are an unsettled piece of Ellie’s own past. Somewhere in this town is the answer to both of her quests.
-
-
Good story
- By Carolyn on 07-16-23
By: Barbara O'Neal
-
A Beastly Kind of Earl
- Longhope Abbey, Book .5
- By: Mia Vincy
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thea Knight loves a spot of mischief. She especially loves her current mischief: masquerading as her sister, while finalizing her scheme to expose the dastardly knaves whose lies ruined her life. Then big, bad-tempered Lord Luxborough upends her game by maneuvering her into marriage. But it's her sister’s name on the license, so the marriage won’t be valid. Thea’s idea? Keep pretending to be her sister until she can run away.
-
-
A slow burn romance
- By Kika on 06-11-20
By: Mia Vincy
-
The House Witch: A Humorous Romantic Fantasy
- The House Witch, Book 1
- By: Delemhach
- Narrated by: Matthew Wolf
- Length: 17 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Finlay Ashowan joins the staff of the King and Queen of Daxaria, he’s an enigma. No one knows where he comes from or how he came to be where he is, which suits Fin just fine. He’s satisfied simply serving as the royal cook, keeping nosy passersby out of his kitchen, and concocting some truly uncanny meals. But Fin’s secret identity doesn’t stay hidden for long. After all, it’s not every day a house witch and his kitten familiar, Kraken, take to meddling in imperial affairs.
-
-
Mary Sue, is that you?
- By Adrienne on 01-25-23
By: Delemhach
-
Write My Name Across the Sky
- A Novel
- By: Barbara O'Neal
- Narrated by: Joyce Bean, Nicol Zanzarella, Emily Ellet
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Life’s beautiful for seventysomething influencer Gloria Rose, in her Upper West Side loft with rooftop garden and scores of Instagram followers - until she gets word that her old flame has been arrested for art theft and forgery, and, knowing her own involvement in his misdeeds decades earlier, decides to flee. But that plan is complicated when the nieces she raised are thrown into crises of their own.
-
-
Totally a waste of time
- By momaW on 06-27-22
By: Barbara O'Neal
-
Highland Surrender
- By: Tracy Brogan
- Narrated by: Sarah Coomes
- Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Defiant Highland beauty Fiona Sinclair is shocked by her brothers’ treachery. To seal a fragile truce, they have traded her hand in marriage to their sworn enemy, a man she has never met, a man she was raised to despise. With no choice but to wed, Fiona makes her own private vow: Though she may sacrifice her freedom, she will never surrender her heart. Commanded into marriage by the king, Myles Campbell is no more willing than his reluctant bride. Still, she is a rare beauty, passionate enough to warm even the coldest marriage bed.
-
-
I couldn't stop listening!
- By KB on 01-06-13
By: Tracy Brogan
-
The Lost Queen
- A Novel
- By: Signe Pike
- Narrated by: Toni Frutin
- Length: 17 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a land of mountains and mist, tradition and superstition, Languoreth and her brother Lailoken are raised in the Old Way of their ancestors. But in Scotland, a new religion is rising, one that brings disruption, bloodshed, and riot. And even as her family faces the burgeoning forces of Christianity, the Anglo-Saxons, bent on colonization, are encroaching from the east. When conflict brings the hero Emrys Pendragon to her father’s door, Languoreth finds love with one of his warriors. Her deep connection to Maelgwn is forged by enchantment, but she is promised in marriage to Rhydderch, son of a Christian king.
-
-
Lost no more!
- By Beckersly on 09-13-18
By: Signe Pike
-
Seeking Fortune: A Regency Inspirational Romance
- Seeking Series, Book 1
- By: Josie Riviera
- Narrated by: Allyson Voller
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Losing his wife and daughter to influenza shook James Colchester's faith in God. As another epidemic threatens, he's torn between what's best for his fragile son: fleeing to his Welsh homeland, or staying put. In a moment of weakness, the black-haired, green-eyed Gypsy's delicate touch on his palm quells his fears, and her beauty ignites a warmth he hasn't felt in years. Desperate to return to her people, Valentina Rupa goes against every lesson her mother taught her to soothe the Englishman into a false sense of security.
-
-
A story about love, redemption and faith.
- By Julia on 12-11-18
By: Josie Riviera
-
Beauty and the Highland Beast
- Highland Fairytale Series, Book 1
- By: Lecia Cornwall
- Narrated by: Ruth Urquhart
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Powerful and dangerous Highlander Dair Sinclair was once the favored son of his clan, the Sinclairs of Carraig Brigh. With Dair at the helm, Sinclair ships circled the globe bringing home incredible fortune - until one deadly mission drives him mad. When a pagan healer predicts that only a virgin bride can heal his son's body and mind, Dair's father sets off to find the perfect wife for his son. At the castle of the fearsome McLeods, he meets lovely and kind Fia MacLeod.
-
-
A great read all around.
- By victoria porter on 08-31-17
By: Lecia Cornwall
-
The Dark Knight's Captive Bride
- By: Natasha Wild
- Narrated by: Anna Parker-Naples
- Length: 16 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Richard de Claiborne, the dark earl of Dunsmore, serves King Edward Plantagenet well. Sworn to obey his king's every order, he nevertheless chafes at the command he wed the daughter of his enemy - a man who slew his father in cold blood. But King Edward wants peace in his lands, and he will stop at nothing to get it. If he has to order his most powerful Marcher lord to marry a Welsh princess, he considers it a small price to pay. Princess Gwenllian is a political pawn. When she's forced to marry the evil Black Hawk de Claiborne, she quakes at his fierceness and brutality.
-
-
Needs A Male Narrator
- By Judy on 02-03-19
By: Natasha Wild
-
Tapestry
- By: Madeline Hunter, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Lynn Kurland, and others
- Narrated by: Phil Gigante, Chloe Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Welcome to a world of chivalry and honor, of danger and desire, of legend, and of love…. These four original novellas bring to life all the romance and adventure of the Middle Ages, with the common thread of a rich medieval tapestry woven through each tale by an acclaimed master of historical romance….
-
-
Two out of four is not bad.
- By Teresa on 04-24-12
By: Madeline Hunter, and others
-
The Dreamer
- Highland Treasure Trilogy Series, Book 1
- By: May McGoldrick
- Narrated by: Ruth Urquhart
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When her late father was branded a traitor to the king, Catherine Percy found sanctuary in Scotland. But a case of mistaken identity put her in a compromising position with the Highland earl sworn to protect her. Marriage to him saved her reputation, but nothing could save her from the stormy passion that bent her innocent body to his will - and shattered his last defense. The acclaimed author of The Thistle and the Rose presents an exciting new trilogy. Three sisters each hold a clue to their family's treasure - and the key to the hearts of three Highland warriors....
-
-
Change the speed to 0.9!
- By Tammylynn on 12-07-22
By: May McGoldrick
What listeners say about A Bed of Spices
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- AmazonCustomer
- 01-17-24
Interesting
There were some violent scenes TW: r@pe. I loved the couple. Honestly got a little lost and confused sometimes but that’s probably my fault because I wasn’t listening close enough
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Regina
- 09-12-14
Great story of how forbidden love can change lives
What made the experience of listening to A Bed of Spices the most enjoyable?
This a very good story, but there is darkness in it that makes want to throw up you hands and walk away from the story.
What did you like best about this story?
How authentic the story line was from true history.
Which character – as performed by Anne Johnstonbrown – was your favorite?
Frederica because she perseveres under tremendous odds and some how survives.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Yes, when the Jews are gather into a synagogue and burn to death, it my breath stop and made me want to cry for those lose souls.
Any additional comments?
Barbara Samuels or Barbara O'neal stories are fantastic, they will make you think, laugh, sigh and fall in love with all her characters.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- julie
- 08-27-13
Ok...good...hurry up... Better....geez
Would you try another book from Barbara Samuel and/or Anne Johnstonbrown?
Not sure. Mixed reviews on this one. Started slow with barely passable and bearable narration....then it picked up a bit and it got better after I became use to the narration (Really difficult in beginning HALF) .......I got bored again but listened anyway..... then.....it got better. (Hope u get the drift). Finally about 3/4 of the way through I found myself anticipating the end with a keen interest after listening for an eternity (it seemed forever!). Then it ended just as I thought it would with a bit of chagrin. Oh but wait.....THE EPILOGUE! The 'epilogue' really ruined it for me! I really wanted to like this one but just can't.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Too much 'reading' and not enough character distinction
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kate
- 01-26-19
Audio problem
Great book but the prologue appears at the very end of the recording, about the last 10 minutes
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!