Authors: Allison Fuller
Publisher: Self-published
Year: 2016
Genre(s): romance, contemporary, erotic
Part of a Series: No
Rating:
Why I read it: Because I read it when it was a fanfic and wanted to support the author.
Summary: Victoria Mason runs a thriving Manhattan bakery called Forbidden Fruit. She has a dedicated staff, a loving son and a best friend helping her raise said son. The only thing missing in her life is romance. But the handsome professor who comes into her shop each weekday at 8:15 AM might just change all of that. As the year starts to wind down, Victoria finds her love life starting up again.
Review: “Baker’s Dozen” was originally written for the Outlaw Queen (Evil Queen/Robin Hood) pairing for the TV show Once Upon a Time. And I loved it then. I still love it.
Fuller creates a lovely little world in the middle of lower Manhattan. Between Forbidden Fruit, Victoria’s apartment and Gavin’s, it feels homey. The reader is entrenched in this world and the few forays outside it. In some ways, the bakery becomes a character in and of itself as many things happen there, a silent witness.
As for the other characters…We’ll start with Victoria, as the story is told from her perspective. She’s a dedicated mother and business owner, as well as a good friend. Victoria cares for her employees, views them as friends and they see her the same way. It’s especially apparent when she gets sick at one point and they all step up to make sure the bakery runs smoothly. Julie is also the one who sends her home to get some rest.
Victoria is a strong and independent woman who also wants love, though isn’t sure it’s for her since the death of her husband. So much so, she’s convinced Gavin is more interested in Rowan than her at first. It takes a few encounters before she realizes he’s coming to see her, not her staff. When she does and when she starts to fall for Gavin, she never loses her identity or her independence. And she finds another type of strength from being loved. She is happier and freer, though she never lets herself lose her head over him.
On to Gavin…He’s a great romance novel leading man. Funny, sweet, smart, attentive…everything a woman would want. And British! Who doesn’t like a man with an accent? Who is also a single father? Victoria hit the jackpot—and so have the readers. He’s someone we want to fall in love with, so we root for her to do so for us. Not that he isn’t without his faults, especially when it comes to dealing with his ex-wife and Victoria. Yet it is worked out and things improve.
Above all, Victoria and Gavin feel like real people. So do their friends and their little boys. Which makes their story that much more enjoyable.
One more note, on the sex. There are lots of them and they are very detailed. If you want good erotic scenes, definitely give this book a read!
Bottom line: A very good read…but maybe not in public.
Sex: Yes…lots of it!
Moonlight Musing
Where would you consider the least likely place for a romance?
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