Review of Postcards from Cedar Key

Rating - 3

 Berkley Whitmore moved to Cedar Key, Florida to open a chocolate shop. She quickly makes new friends, and learns to love her new home. But Berkley moved to Cedar Key for another reason. Her mother lived on the island years ago when Berkley was a child and left Berkley behind. Berkley has never understood why her mother left her and why she went to Cedar Key. Now a series of postcards she found after her mother died, draws Berkley to Cedar Key, hoping to find the answers to her questions about her mother.

This is the 4th book in the Cedar Key series, but the only one I've read. It seems to stand on it's own pretty well. The book is very slow-paced, suitable to the genre, but there is way too much description and information provided, which slows the story down and makes it difficult to stay interested in the plot. It's entertaining and heart-warming and will be enjoyed by people who like to read about small towns and the quirky characters who live there.

Review of Vanity Fare by Megan Caldwell

Rating - 4

 Molly Hagan's husband left her for a younger woman and now she finds out his business has just gone bankrupt. So now she has to find a way to support herself and her 6 year old son with no support from her ex-husband. Through a former colleague, she finds a job copywriting for a new bakery just opening up. Molly finds herself experiencing all of the ups and downs and "politics" in the business world, but she loves what she's doing and maybe has found romance in the process.

Vanity Fare is entertaining and funny and romantic. The premise of the new bakery is that it is opening near the New York Public Library, so the owner is trying to combine the idea of food and books. Molly suggests that each item in the bakery should be named after a famous book. In fact, the name of the bakery  is "Vanity Fare", a take off on the book of the same name.One of my favorite parts of the book were the food descriptions that opened each chapter in the book, such as "Portrait of a Ladyfinger" or "Tender is the Bite". At the end of the book, there are recipes for each of the bakery items. Molly is a strong character and faces her new life with trepidation and humor. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.