Aster Rye

Bittersweet Breadcrumbs: after a tough day at work, Doria ducks into Vespertine Books to escape a downpour. She’s never noticed the shop before, but immediately feels drawn to it. Miles, the good looking owner doesn’t hurt, even if Doria doesn’t like his taste in literature. Miles loans Doria books in an effort to show her romance isn’t all bad, and of course, to see more of her. But Doria notices the shop isn’t always where she expects, and suspects Miles might have some secrets. show more But his secret isn’t anything she could have expected.
Ok, this book was so cool. A magical, mystery romance! Miles lends Doria books of fairy tale retellings, and the stories are fully included in the text of BB, so you get to read along with Doria. Books within a book! I’ve read books with a framing device like this before, but the frame was just there to house the shorter stories. Not here, where the stories are more like fun little excursions inside the novel, which has its own thing going on. I just love it! I also love that Doria is so mad about romances when she first meets Miles! She doesn’t know she is IN a romance and that greatly pleases me. I think the only thing I don’t like is that I have to wait to read the next book and see how the mystery resolves!
Thank you Aster Rye and Library Thing for the ARC!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

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I received a copy of this through LT's early reviewers. I really enjoyed this. It was a quick read but also part of a series so the story isn't over at the point the book ends, in fact in many respects it's barely begun. Interesting use of short stories within the main story. I liked the way the two main characters grew their friendship over a shared love of books, if not genres. Plenty of potential for the next in the series, I shall be looking out for it.

I quite enjoyed this book; it was a study in subtle progression of events and slow burn. The author took us on a realistic journey of two strangers meeting each other and continuing to bump into each other, and I loved the added elements of mystery (plus suspense) as Doria tries to find out more about Miles. Doria's exploration of new stories was hilarious, charming and absolutely steamy, as well as, I think, incredibly relatable for readers trying to expand their reading territory. show more Bittersweet Breadcrumbs was a lovely, fairytale-like story. I adored the rather prickly Doria and her (very relatable) pickiness over books, and I really enjoyed the author’s stories within a story! Doria’s little commentaries on each character and plot was so entertaining, plus they really pulled us closer to Doria’s personality, both as a person and a reader.

This was a fun, spicy read with an expected-yet-unforeseen twist at the end. Quite a slow burn, but I thought that Doris’s sudden acceptance of the romance was more than a little abrupt.

Personally, I feel that there’s a lot more potential for the characters to be fleshed out in the story, especially Elenor, Cassondra and Felicity. It’s a wonderfully mysterious atmosphere, but towards the end things get a little too coincidental. Vespertine Books has definitely made its way onto my travel dreamlist, all the same! It’s such a cozy, bookish place, even if it can’t actually exist.

I'd definitely recommend this for cozy romance readers and lovers of mysterious, brooding love interests! Thank you to Aster Rye for the ARC! show less

Bittersweet Breadcrumbs is an unabashed romantic fantasy that manages to chronicle an adult love story without using a tired bodice-ripping narrative. Like Doria, the main character, I prefer books that deliver more solid storyline and character development than graphic sex. The author creates a credible female hero, her intriguing love interest, and an interesting plot and leaves the reader ready for the next stage of her journey. Characters are multidimensional rather than tired tropes.
I show more received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily submitting a review. show less