“The Many Daughters of Afong Moy” by Jamie Ford

Title: The Many Daughters of Afong Moy
Author: Jamie Ford
Publisher:  Atria Books    
Year: 2022    
Genre(s): historical fiction, fiction
Part of a Series: No.

Rating: 

Why I read it: Once Upon a Book Club pick

Summary: Dorothy has used her mental health struggles to fuel her art. But when they get too much and she worries her daughter will face the same problems, Dorothy undergoes a risky and experimental treatment to find the root of her problems. She learns it may not lie in her own past but the past of her ancestors, several women who have faced their own struggles going all the way back to one of the first Chinese women in America, Afong Moy. Will Dorothy be able to break free from generational trauma? Will she finally be able to find the peace and love she wants for both herself and her daughter?

Review Rewind: “Baker’s Dozen” by Allison Fuller

Since it’s fall, I thought I would look back to one of my favorite fall books – “Baker’s Dozen.”

Full disclosure – I do know Allison personally, so you can judge for yourself if I was able to give a fair review. This book also started as a fanfic for the Outlaw Queen (Robin Hood/Regina Mills) pairing in the Once Upon a Time fandom but Allison didn’t just change the names. You can understand the story just fine without understanding the show or the Outlaw Queen story on it.

You may also recognize the title as I mentioned it in my post about stories set in New York. This one takes place mostly within a few blocks in Lower Manhattan and really captures the spirit of the city as autumn descends on the city and then slowly changes to winter as the holidays approach.

Here is the summary I wrote about the book in my review:

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.

You can read my original review here.

I hope you enjoy it and do give the book a try. It’s a great read.

And happy fall! 

“The Cinderella Pact” by Sarah Strohmeyer

Title: The Cinderella Pact
Author: Sarah Strohmeyer   
Publisher:  Dutton Adult    
Year: 2006    
Genre(s): contemporary fiction, romance
Part of a Series: No.

Rating: 

Why I Read It: It was on my Goodreads list but I think I put it on after watching a TV movie based on the book.

Summary: Nola Devlin works as an editor at fashion/gossip magazine Sass! and her main focus is on their popular advice columnist, Belinda Apple. Except Belinda Apple doesn’t exist – it’s all Nola, who pretends to be Belinda since no one gave her a chance, unable to look past her weight. But when Belinda’s advice inspires her friends to lose weight and have their Cinderella moments. Nola agrees and finds that once she starts to take control of her life, everything changes.

“The Spanish Daughter” by Lorena Hughes

Title: The Spanish Daughter   
Author: Lorena Hughes   
Publisher:  Kensington Publishing Corp.     
Year: 2022    
Genre(s): historical fiction
Part of a Series: No.

Rating: 

Why I Read It: Once Upon a Book Club pick

Summary: Maria Purificacion de Lafont y Toledo, better known as Puri, travels from Spain to Ecuador upon the death of the father who abandoned her and her mother when she was still a child. On the voyage over, she is attacked and her husband Cristobal is killed. Puri decides to assume his identity to help find who wanted her dead. She meets the other family her father had in Ecuador and has to work through years of family secrets to find the truth to solve her husband’s murder and claim her share of her father’s fortune.

New York, New York

Welcome to New York, it’s been waiting for you.

Yes, I did just quote a Taylor Swift song. I like her music and I feel this quote is appropriate.

So, New York City. The place I call home.

(Well, full disclosure: I live in one of the outer boroughs of New York City, not in Manhattan, but it still counts).

I was going through my list of read books on Goodreads and I realized that I haven’t really read a lot of books set in New York City. Which seems odd as I know there are plenty of them. One of my favorite quotes from a defunct Disney ride called The Timekeeper was “New York City, home of a million dreams and one parking spot.” I think it does accurately describe New York (including the one parking spot) and why so many people choose to set their stories there.

Mid-Year Check In

It’s July, meaning the year is halfway over. Time certainly flies, huh?

So with another review still a little while off, I thought I would see how this blog is doing at this point in 2024.

Check it out under the cut.

“Not Your Crush’s Cauldron” by April Asher

Title: Not Your Crush’s Cauldron
Author: Rachel Joyce   
Publisher:  Griffin
Year: 2024    
Genre(s): paranormal romance
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 3. Read reviews for Book 1 and Book 2.

Rating: 

Why I read it: To complete the trilogy

Summary: Olive, the third Maxwell triplet, always assigns her class an assignment to challenge themselves to get out of their comfort zone. This year, she decides to do the list along with her student. Her friend and new roommate, Bax, agrees to do it with her but hides important information from her – namely, that he’s been assigned as her guardian angel. As they complete Olive’s list, will their relationship become more than it is?