Then, Now, Always by Mona Shroff
Contemporary own voice multicultural romance. Dual time line. Second chance and secret baby troupes.
Maya Rao is a single mother and owner of a successful cafe and bakery in New York. When her sixteen year old daughter gets in more trouble than can be easily fixed, Mayo knows it’s time to ask for help from a lawyer, who also happens to be her daughter’s father. Problem is that Sam has no idea there was a child or even why Mayo left him, so he’s not too happy about this change in his life. But he’s soon more than thrilled to spend time with his daughter and make some changes in his own life.

I’ve never been a fan of manipulative parents or lies and unfortunately this story has both. Both get resolved as Samantha gets to know her father and Sam and Maya reconnect and truly start talking. The time line goes from present to when Maya and Sam were dating in college. There are several cultural influences as part of the story, some for cause, some for enrichment of environment. The romance blooms again for a lovely second chance for the family.
Endearing. ( )