Vanity Fare: A Novel of Lattes, Literature, and Love

By Megan Caldwell

Vanity Fare is a charming tale of food, family, literature, and romance in which a 40-year-old newly single Brooklyn mother embarks on a culinary writing career and finds herself at the center of a deliciously tempting love triangle.

Molly Hagan—“a heroine who’s wittier than Ellen DeGeneres on speed” (New York Times bestselling author Sabrina Jeffries) is overwhelmed. Her cheating husband left her for a younger blonde, her six-year-old son is questioning her authority, and she’s starting a job as a copywriter for a local Brooklyn bakery.

She doesn’t need the complications of a new love. But the bakery’s sexy British pastry chef is determined to win her heart. And there is his intimidating and oh so irresistible business partner...who happens to have a secret that might prevent Molly from getting her own Happily Ever After.

Funny and sweet, Megan Caldwell’s charming romantic novel includes five delicious recipes developed with the pastry chef from Union Square Café.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Dec 26, 2012
• ISBN: 9780062188434

Megan Caldwell

Megan Caldwell grew up in a remote town in New Hampshire where she devoured every book of fiction in her well-read parents' library. An English literature major at Barnard College with double minors in political science and religion, Megan wrote and edited reviews for a music industry magazine for fifteen years. Eventually, she became editor-in-chief and went on to develop conference programs for the industry. Now she is the community manager for Heroes and Heartbreakers, a romance novel website, where she blogs daily as Megan Frampton about the fiction she reads. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son.

Book preview

Vanity Fare

Delicious. Inviting. You can’t wait to savor every bite.

Are we talking about a book or a bakery item? At Vanity Fare, you don’t have to make the choice. Our baked goods—Tart of Darkness, for example—are classics in their own right. Never stale, never half baked, our offerings are as fulfilling and worthwhile an indulgence as the best in fiction.

Pull up a comfy chair, grab a book from the shelves, and revel in the experience.

1

AIDAN WAS ESPECIALLY MUSHY THAT MORNING, CLINGING to me as I dropped him off at school.

But, Mom, why can’t I stay home with you?

I sighed and patted his shoulder as we walked. Because you have to go to school, honey, it’s part of knowledge, and knowledge—

—is power, I know, he finished. It’s just so boring!

I waved at another parent who was shepherding an equally sad child—a classmate of Aidan’s—into the school building. So is moving boxes, and that’s all you’d be able to do if you quit school now. Besides, if you stayed home with me, all we’d do is drink coffee and read. That’s no fun, right?

He wrinkled his nose. No, that’s boring. He heaved a six-year-old’s sigh. Okay, but can we do something fun after?

Yeah, fun after school, I repeated. I love you. I leaned down and kissed him, and he wrapped his arms around me in a tight squeeze.

He released me, and swung the door open—all by himself!—and headed into the school, turning so I could blow him one last kiss. He returned it, the sweetheart, and my chest felt tight with emotion.

I wore one of those goofy mom smiles on the way home. That was worth it all. He was worth it all. And he was why I had to get over myself. He thought I was pretty great, and I trusted his opinion.

I went up the stairs to the apartment, determined to figure out just what the hell I was doing with my life. Besides planning postschool activities.

It sure didn’t help when his father threw spokes in my wheels, a wrench in my works, and some third thing I was just too upset to recall at the moment.

I picked the phone up on the third ring, my hands shaking from what I’d just seen on the news feed scrolling across the bottom of the TV.

The caller ID told me who it was before I even answered, so he didn’t get a chance to even say hello.

So, were you going to tell me about Blumenthal Jackson or did you just think I’d miss it because Aidan was watching the Yu-Gi-Oh marathon or something?

The bastard didn’t reply. I heard him breathing, though.

I saw it on CNN. I had to keep myself from shrieking into the phone. Your company? Collapsed? Ring a bell, Hugh?

I didn’t know myself. Wait. He actually sounded like he didn’t. But he was a lawyer, he was used to lying well. Until today. His voice was worn out. Shredded.

I felt a momentary pang of sympathy, the way I used to when he had a tough day at the office. And then I remembered what he’d done, and how he’d left.

What, you had no idea? Come on, Hugh. I walked to the window and looked out on the street below: nannies hustling their charges to the local Tot Time at the library, a few delivery trucks double-parked, and a group of Catholic girls in their short, pleated skirts walking slowly up the street.

Normal life in Brooklyn. Which I loved, but would have to leave if I didn’t do something about it. Because Hugh sure as hell wasn’t going to be able to. Which his next words proved.

I won’t be able to send money next month. His next few sentences sounded as if they were shot out of a cannon. I could barely keep up. For the rent. Aidan’s health insurance is okay for a while, but you’ll be dropped from the policy in thirty days. I’ll try to get situated as soon as possible. I’m sorry, Molly.

There was a silence, and I heard Hugh swallow.

What about COBRA? And there must be something that’s being done for the employees, right? Hugh had always left the bookkeeping details to me, since he was too busy. Maybe he’d forgotten.

Um, well, I didn’t tell you, but about four months ago I went freelance for the firm. It was either that or they were going to let me go entirely, and I needed the job.

Oh. He hadn’t forgotten. In fact, he’d managed to do some of his own bookkeeping. That was newsworthy in itself.

He continued, So my benefits were cut, then. I’ve been paying for your insurance myself.

I swallowed as it hit me.

So what you’re saying is—I closed my eyes and felt my jaw clamp—that not only is your company going belly-up, but it’s not even your company?

I didn’t think it could get worse than it had six months ago when he’d left.

Yeah, well, I didn’t want to make things any tougher for you than they were—he paused, and I heard him take another deep breath—and I thought the firm would be okay in a few months, but . . .

Where the hell does that leave us, Hugh? You know, me and more importantly, your son?

I’m sorry. He hung up. Running away from the problem, as usual.

I put the phone down. Yeah, I’m sorry, too. Sorrier than you’d ever know.

CNN was still on, detailing the fallout: Top story tonight is the collapse of venerated Wall Street investment group Blumenthal Jackson. According to the New York district attorney’s office, the company’s chief executives will be charged with violating the RICO Act. Investors stand to lose up to fifty billion dollars. More as the story dev—

I flipped the channel, not wanting to hear any more of the details.

VH1. Safe choice. I just needed a minute to process it. Then I could figure out what the hell I was going to do.

A commercial. How come my life wasn’t like the movies, where an appropriately themed song would just be starting as I turned the channel on? I’d sit down and my expression would soften, and I’d nod my head.

Oh, geez. Be careful what you wish for: I will survive.

Yeah, thanks for spelling it all out for me.

I’m afraid and petrified right now, Gloria.

If this moment were any more ironic, it’d be a hipster movement, replete with coy T-shirts and rainbowed unicorns. Gaynor herself was wearing more glitter than a drag queen, while a tiny spandexclad girl spun on roller skates.

I plopped down on the couch. Six months ago, it wouldn’t have crossed my mind to notice how so many songs—scratch that, all of them—were about love or falling in love or losing a love.

Hugh had never said he loved me.

I was an idiot not to realize that meant something. I sure as hell knew it now.

I had to get a job. Fast. Now. Yesterday.

After Aidan went to sleep that night clutching his stuffed Pikachu, I changed into my sweatpants and padded out to the living room in my bare feet. Damn, I needed to give myself a pedicure. I hadn’t had one since the fancy wedding Hugh and I had attended the previous summer. Hugh had told a story about his administrative assistant and some Wite-Out that had made everyone howl, me included.

That night, we’d slow-danced under the stars to Always and Forever, like we were in high school.

It galled me that he had already been cheating on me, even then, and I was too naïve to recognize the signs. At one point, he got a call on his cell phone and dashed to the parking lot to take it. He’d come back about ten minutes later, shrugging apologetically.

I sat down at the dining room table with a notebook and the classified section. I tried very hard to ignore the cover of the latest romance novel I was devouring, a world where husbands didn’t leave and insurance didn’t run out. I picked up an animal cracker, a humpless camel, from the leftovers in Aidan’s lunch and munched on it to buy some time while I thought.

I was going to make a list of what I could do. And would do, I reminded myself sternly. After all, lists were only good if one actually was able to check off the items on the list. I had plenty of unchecked lists in my life. First one, of course, was the list where I had written marry someone and stay with them until one or both of you keeled over.

Unchecked.

How about the one that said establish a career in your thirties so you can be comfortably ensconced in it in your forties and never have to worry about paying the bills again?

Unchecked.

Mm, how about have the possibility of ever having sex again?

Definitely unchecked.

I glared at the notebook as if it were its fault I was so . . . unchecked. This whole finding-a-job thing was a pain in the ass. I thought I had more time. A month. Two. I had poked around and sent some résumés out, but between cursing Hugh’s name and taking care of Aidan, I honestly hadn’t done enough.

I’d never thought I’d have to.

Six years ago when Aidan was born, Hugh had supported my decision to stay home. The prospect of entering the work-force again was terrifying, maybe even more than being a divorced mom. But if we were to recover from Hugh’s latest mess, I’d have to.

I wrote at the top of the page: Find a job. I leaned back and stared at the paper.

What kind of job could I get?

Before Aidan, I’d done marketing for an online start-up. There were so many problems with having that as your prime résumé skill: First of all, marketing is the most nebulous term imaginable. A guy prancing around the block in a sandwich board could say he did marketing. Second, having worked at an online start-up was practically as bad as admitting you wore culottes back in the 1970s. Which I also did.

And third, I hadn’t worked full-time in six years.

And I was forty years old.

Not to mention cranky, tired, stubborn, and mad as hell.

But they would only discover that if they hired me.

Which they wouldn’t, because my résumé read like crap.

Okay, Molly, I told myself, focus.

I had a degree in English literature. That and experience doing marketing for an online start-up would get me an interview at Starbucks.

Heck, at least I’d never run out of coffee again.

Focus. Caffeine should not be the center of the universe.

I rose and went down the hall to peek on Aidan, whose head was smothered underneath his blue Power Rangers bed-spread. I uncovered him, kissed his smooth, sweet-smelling cheek, and padded back to where my doom, er, list lay waiting for me. Was it wrong I wished I could set it on fire?

Thank goodness the phone rang.

Hello?

Hi, sweetie. Suddenly it felt like a couple of weights had been lifted off my shoulders.

Hi, hon.

At least I had chosen my friends wisely. Keisha had moved from Brooklyn a little over a year ago to California, but we still talked as much as we had when we first met in college. Maybe even more.

I tucked the phone up to my ear and grabbed the throw from the floor. Hold on, I’m tucking in, I said.

I lay down on the couch, feeling the groove where my body had imprinted itself. Apparently, I had lain in this position a lot. I pulled the blanket up to my chin, relishing the cozy warmth of it against my skin.

Okay. Settled.

You all right? Keisha asked, a soft tone to her voice. She always knew. I sighed. No, not really. Hugh’s company collapsed. I stared up at the ceiling. Funny how widening one’s eyes and staring at one spot was what people always did when trying not to cry, and it never worked. I gulped. Which means he can’t send money anymore.

What about Sylvia? Her tone dripped with disdain.

I laughed. "I don’t think she’s going to send me money, either."

Ha, ha. No, I mean, I wonder if she’s going to walk if he’s not pulling down the big bucks anymore.

Keisha and I had speculated more times than I cared to remember about just what kind of person Hugh’s new girlfriend was. Morbid speculation on my part, and rampant curiosity, I guess, on hers. Anyway, we’d decided she was smart enough to suss out Hugh was vulnerable, but not smart enough to realize he usually had to rely on others to help him through the rough spots. I’d had a lawyer friend do a Lexis-Nexis search on her and discovered her age (younger), her address (tonier), and her profession (more professional). Now we were taking bets on when she’d wise up and dump him.

I dunno, I said. Hugh can be pretty sweet when he’s needy.

Keisha’s moment of silence spoke of her derision more than her words would have.

All right, I admitted, raising my hands in a gesture of defeat. Not that she could see me. I fell for his ‘find my keys’ puppy look. Anyway, enough about him. What am I going to do? I tried to keep my voice steady.

Is Starbucks hiring? Keisha replied in a matter-of-fact voice.

Fuck you, I said in my most outraged tone. I didn’t think it would fool her for a moment.

It didn’t. She laughed. Well, you do have that English degree. You could teach.

Don’t you need more than a B.A.?

Not to substitute teach, I don’t think. It could help you out for a little while. Maybe some tutoring?

In what, romance novels?

"You could finally put that English literature degree to good use."

Like the way you’re using your film degree?

Ouch, that’s cold. Keisha had moved back to Cottonwood, California, to take over managing her father’s art cinema when he had gotten too old and tired to do it all by himself. She loved her job, even if it was as much about Goobers as Godard, so my teasing her wasn’t nearly as mean as it sounded.

The idea took hold in my brain. "I was pretty good at figuring out the leitmotifs and recurrent imagery and all that mumbo. Although teaching probably pays about as much as Starbucks." I began to feel a ribbon of excitement thread through my body.

You’d probably like the clientele a little more. And the hours would be good for Aidan.

It’s an idea. A damn good idea, actually. Glad I thought of it.

She snorted. Why do you have to pay that Dr. Lowell anyway? Just send me a wad of cash each week and I’ll hear all your problems.

You already hear them for free.

She gave an exaggerated sigh. You’re right. Good thing I like you so much.

Bye, hon. Love you.

I hung up and found my latest book—Love’s Scoundrel, or something like that, and headed to bed, stopping in to check on my son one last time.

And I swore, as I kissed Aidan’s fragrant cheek, I would not let anything I wanted go unchecked again.

Green Eggs and Ham Croissant

Food is a fancy a coogle may coggle,

And this snack’s no match for the zeep-wearing schmoggle,

But if you want taste in,

And a bit of green egg paste in,

This one’s the one you’ll want to partake in.

2

THE NEXT MORNING, I WAS STANDING IN MY BEDROOM IN MY underwear, contemplating the future.

Which right now meant pants. But not jeans. My therapist, Dr. Lowell, was always urging me to take a step forward, and for me that meant no jeans.

Jeans were the go-to pant of the Brooklyn Moms generation. Brooklyn Moms were usually formerly fabulous women who’d given up any semblance of fabulousness to stay at home with their little darlings. Brooklyn Moms read literary fiction, didn’t care how bad their asses looked in high-waisted Levi’s, and thought putting on makeup was bowing to the cosmetics proletariat.

I was a Brooklyn mom, but I wouldn’t be a Brooklyn Mom. My ass would thank me later.

If today was the first day of the rest of my life, I wasn’t going to do it wearing jeans. Not that I blamed the jeans.

I could have tried a little harder to keep Hugh, not accept the role as boring wife and mom. I could have surprised him at the door wearing only Saran Wrap, like I read in that forbidden book at the library back in the 1970s. But I was usually too cold to wear so little, and Saran Wrap was not a good look for my thighs.

And Hugh was at fault, too, even before he cheated on me. He certainly didn’t try very hard. As soon as he got his JD, he became Mr. Big Lawyer and seemed almost embarrassed to have a Brooklyn Mom as his wife. So instead of talking to me, Mr. Run Away from Problems had gone out and had an affair.

And now there was no money. Not even for jeans.

I was saved from my musings by the phone. I sprawled across the much-too-big-now bed to grab it from the nightstand.

Hello?

Hi, Molly. It’s John. I’ve got something for you.

John was a friend from college who was friends with both me and Hugh. Now he ran a marketing company and hired me to do occasional copyediting on his medical journal clients. A job. Which usually meant cash!

I’ve got an assignment for you. Something more involved than what you usually do for me. He continued, Can you come in today to discuss it? I want to give you some samples of the work, or else I’d just tell you over the phone. I tried to figure out if I could make it in and out by the time I had to pick Aidan up. I checked my watch, hopped off the bed, and walked to the closet, opening the door wide.

Sure, I replied, pulling my shoulder up to hold the phone so I could start going through the clothes. Can you give me a clue?

He laughed. Let’s just say it’s one of your favorite things. Is an hour okay? I know you have to be back by three.

An hour. I’ll be there. I hung up and stared at the closet, the phone dangling from my hand. The black pants? Or maybe the black pants? Hm, how about the black pants? God, there must be at least ten pairs in there, and I hadn’t worn one of them in over a year.

I tossed the phone on the bed and pulled one of them out, resolving to wear the remaining nine by this time next year. A woman’s got to have goals, after all.

At last I was ready. My black pants were on, my black sweater was on, my makeup (black eyeliner, natch, although my lipstick was red. I had thrown out my black lipstick when I gave up the Mohawk) had even gone on without a fight. I was ready.

I looked at myself in the mirror, checking for obvious damage. Besides the smattering of gray threading through my black hair, I didn’t look too bad. I might even be so bold as to say I looked pretty good. I wasn’t fat, I wasn’t too wrinkly, and my eyebrows were as close to perfect as I could get them, at least without fifty dollars’ worth of hair removal help. If I squinted and turned to the side, I really did look like Sela Ward, like Keisha kept telling me, only minus the fame and the acting career. Maybe there was hope for me after all.

Ignoring the seductive raised script of Love’s Scoundrel beckoning from my nightstand, I grabbed a copy of Henry James’s The Ambassadors off the bookshelf as I walked out the door. If I wanted to do any teaching at all, I had to refresh my memory of the classics, right?

The wind whipped through my coat as I walked the few blocks to the subway. Although it was midday, there were loads of people walking the streets. What did they do to make money? Were they all independently wealthy? Maybe some of them were writers. Maybe one of them had written Love’s Scoundrel. Maybe she was the Mom-jeans-wearing woman holding an enormous cup of coffee from the super-pricy café up the block.

After I passed her, a man almost bumped into me but hopped the curb right before impact. He wasn’t wearing a jacket, but had on a megaheavy fisherman’s sweater, a cranberry-red cashmere scarf, and a matching hat perched on top of his dreadlocks. He apologized to me in a lovely Caribbean accent, then walked quickly ahead, stopping to buy a Styrofoam cup full of the mysterious hot liquid the tiny Hispanic women sold on the street. One of these days, I was going to buy some myself and figure out what it was.

I loved Brooklyn.

Once on the subway, I avoided having to delve right into James by reading the subway advertisements ranged along the walls.

There were ads for a series on HBO that was Compelling. Breathtaking. Beautiful.

If they made a show of my life, it’d be Boring. Weepy. Forty. Fuck, even I wasn’t interested in that, and it was my life. Another ad caught my eye: What would it be like to make a difference in a child’s life?

I got up, ignoring the furtive glances sent my way by my fellow passengers. Ever since 9/11, people—that is, New Yorkers—had been friendlier, but also much more suspicious of out-of-the-ordinary behavior. Giving up your seat in a full subway car was definitely out of the ordinary.

I went over to the ad. Its plain, simple font declared Become an NYC Teaching Fellow, and teach in a low-performing public school while getting your master’s degree. Applicants receive a full salary as well as subsidies toward your degree.

An answer to my prayers, and I hadn’t even been praying. Not for that, at least—if Hugh suddenly gouged his own eyes out, then I’d know my prayers had been heard.

I pulled out a pen I’d jammed into my purse and scribbled the URL down on the back of a Citibank statement. Twenty-four hours ago I would have been grateful just to have a job with free coffee. Maybe there was actually something I could do that I’d enjoy. That would be a career.

Plus John had an assignment important enough to necessitate an in-person meeting, a deviation from our normal e-mail correspondence.

What kind of job was it? It certainly couldn’t be anything remotely like what I had edited for him before: medical equipment journals with meaty (ugh, literally) advertorials on the proper procedure on removing a kidney (so much easier with the Kidney-You-Not 3000!) or the ten best ways to distinguish vaginal warts from herpes with a do-it-yourself kit, no less.

I got off at the Twenty-third Street stop and trudged up the few blocks to John’s office, feeling virtuous because I passed Starbucks without stopping for a venti. Or an application.

John was in the reception area, a nicely appointed room in soft, muted colors, the kind with names that would be better in a sandwich: avocado, eggplant, mustard. He looked up as if he had been waiting for me, although I was guessing he might have been motivated by the receptionist. She had dark red hair, which she was tossing with insouciance as I walked in. Her emerald-colored blouse was so low cut I could see a light dusting of freckles on her chest, which was as impressive as her insouciance.

Ah, there you are, Molly, John said, giving his receptionist one last look. She lowered her lids, then gave me a sidelong glance that said Yeah, I’m hot, you’re not.

Yeah, well, at least I’m not spotted like an overripe banana.

John had always been the most fashionable of Hugh and my college friends, and since his business had taken off, he had allowed himself the luxury of looking good in an expensive, pampered metrosexual kind of way. Today he was wearing jeans—definitely not Levi’s—even I knew cost well into the triple digits, and a boldly patterned dress shirt with its tails hanging out. His short brown hair was cut just so, and his five o’clock shadow was perfect for noon.

Come on in here, John said, propelling himself off the desk and walking farther into the office. He took my coat and hung it up on a silver hook, then tossed a piece of paper onto the desk and poked his head over one of the cubicles. Hey, Matt, can you fax that agreement back? He looked at me and jerked his head toward his office. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll get coffee. Milk, one sugar, right?

I nodded. There was a special place in heaven reserved for people who remembered how you took your coffee. I sat down in the chair on the left, facing John’s desk. It was made of glass and tubular steel, the kind of desk fancy male executives had in the movies. In the movies, though, they never had reams of paper spread out all over it, or a fuzzy, waving gremlin wearing an I MYRTLE BEACH T-shirt. John had kept some of his roots, at least.

Here you go. John set the coffee cup on the edge of the desk. I picked it up and took a sip. John reached down to the floor and pulled some sort of pastry from a bag. Even from across the desk, I could smell the butter. He tore it in half and handed me the bigger piece.

I took a bite of the pastry. Double mmm. It was light, flavorful, and had just enough cinnamon. I wasn’t sure what it was, some sort of Danish muffin hybrid—a Duffin? A Manish?—but I knew I was going to eat every bite. And, if I wasn’t careful, I might end up licking the bag, too.

Well. John leaned back in his chair, still holding on to his uneaten pastry. If he didn’t eat it soon, I was going to lunge across the desk and snatch it with my teeth.

I have a new client. A company that needs something a little different from our usual expertise. John was using his Corporate America voice, a language I had mastered about as well as I had being able to tell my local Chinese restaurant that I did not want green peppers in my hot spicy tofu. Which is to say not at all.

I almost dropped the whatever-it-was in my lap, especially since I had just discovered an escaped crumb resting on my upper lip. Gotcha! No crumbs allowed. Not since the bastard walked out on me, at least.

So what kind of client is it? I tried to look as if my most pressing thought wasn’t how to wrest the remainder of the pastry away from him.

The bakery that makes what you’re eating is my client.

I was confused. Is this some sort of pharmaceutical thing? Because, ugh, if it was I didn’t want to know what it cured. Reading John’s usual clients’ work was enough. I didn’t want to actually ingest it.

He laughed, waving the food around in his hand. My eyes followed it like a tracking device.

No, a bakery. Just a bakery. It’s going to open in a couple of months, and the owner-chef is a new client. I don’t know if I told you, but I’ve got a new partner. She’ll be the lead on the project, but she needs help, someone who’s clever with words and knows a little bit about how we do things here. So of course I thought of you.

John poked the fuzzy gremlin with a fancy fountain pen, not meeting my eyes. I wondered what his new partner was like.

Me as the point person? I haven’t done copywriting before, not really.

"The rest of my staff just got a huge project thrown on them, so I don’t have anyone else who can.

Reviews for Vanity Fare

[jkgrage · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. Megan Caldwell wrote a funny, touching story that took you through Molly's personal growth. I highly recommend it.

[aam_mommy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

cute. I enjoyed the literature/food references. The main character and the author both enjoy romance novels so that tone is there; it was kind of like 50 shades of proust. haha. overall, an easy, entertaining read. No real suprises plot-wise but a cute quasi-survival-story of a recently divorced single mom.

[oldblack-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The library had labelled my copy as "romance" - maybe they'd run out of "chick lit" stickers. On the other hand, I was listening to a BBC book show discussion of romance literature the other day and all the romance writers and researchers seemed to agree that the one common feature that united the diverse 'romance' genre was the happy ending. On that basis, Vanity Fare is definitely in the romance category - and that's its big problem. Much of the book is quite good reading: many realistic characters in kind-of-believable situations with an interesting underlying story (who's not interested in food?) containing plenty of sub-plot but not too complex. The self-actualization element (which I reckon is one of the defining aspects of the 'chick lit' genre) was presented in an up-front but not too obtrusive way (IMHO...but other reviewers disagree!).

[kittenfish_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a good chic lit type of story. I enjoyed it.

[dragonflydee1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Vanity Fare: a novel of lattes, literature and love by Megan Caldwell

Challenges read for: Goodreads, EBook

Book Cover: I think it tells the story quite well

Food, coffee, great literature, romance, heartbreak and a happy ending--this was a fun, easy read.
Molly is troubled at the beginning, but we get to follow her progress to happiness through her love of reading, her son, her amazing friendships, and coffee. If you need something light to read, this is the book for you. Megan Caldwell can weave a great tale!

[marycrear · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A perfect read, curled up in your favorite chair, to escape the rain or snow. Ms Caldwell has mastered the fun escape into Chick Lit. Megan is a master of the pun. You will find good friends and good reciepes. Grab a bottle of wine, some dark chocolate and Vanity Fare.

[foreigncircus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Molly and her 6 year-old son Aidan are struggling to find their footing six months after husband and father Hugh left, but the struggle becomes more acute when his company implodes and Molly is left with the need to find a job fast to keep a roof over their head. As Molly learns to trust herself and to forge a new path, she also of course finds love again.This story of one woman's journey to find herself after her husband leaves her for a younger woman doesn't break any new ground, but is an enjoyable weekend read. At times I found myself very irritated by Molly who surely should have seen some of her troubles coming. Aidan is a delightful character, certainly a better choice to spend a life with than any of the men Molly is involved with throughout the book. At times quite enjoyable, at time quite frustrating, this is an OK chick lit offering.

[annie.michelle · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a fun book to curl up on the couch with and read.Molly Hagen’s husband left her and their 6 yr. old son for a younger, blonder woman.At her wits end with no child support, help finally comes in the form of an old friend whogives her a job as a copywriter for a new bakery in town. The last thing on Molly’s mind is romance but, with a sexy baker and an arrogant handsomeBusiness partner romance is exactly what she finds.The food puns are fun and the recipes at the end were a welcome “the end” for me.

[lrobe190 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[kristib41 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story of a spouse running away with a younger lover and the remaining spouse picking up the pieces seems to happen a lot these days. Molly's husband left her and her young son and now she must find a job quickly in order to afford rent and things for her son. A friend suggests a job in copywriting and while Molly is desperate for work, she never realizes that she might fall for her new boss or his grumpy business partner.

[crazy4reading · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Vanity Fare is an awesome read. This is the story about Molly Hagan. A woman whose husband left her for a younger woman. She had quit her job to take care of their son Aiden and now she is a single mom trying to figure out how she will pay bills and feed her and her son.Molly's old friend John offers her a job copy editing for a new bakery and this is when the fun begins. She is still worried about making ends meet but at least she has a temporary job. Romance starts to flourish once she meets the British pastry chef and his business partner.I loved how this story unfolded and seeing the changes Molly goes through and she discovers who she really is. I saw similarities between Molly and myself while reading the book. Some of the similarities were going through a divorce, low self esteem and confidence. Just seeing how she grew made me think about how I had changed too over the past few years.This is a delightful read that will make you laugh, smile and maybe shed a few tears.

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Molly Hagan must get her feet wet and enter the working class world again. Her husband has left her and their son, Aidan for a younger woman. This means that Molly must find a way to support her and Aidan and pay for insurance. Molly’s friend, John offers Molly a job opportunity being a copy writing for a new bakery. The chef is Simon, who is one of the most in demand and hottest chefs around. Besides working with Simon, Molly will be working with Nick. This would not be a problem if Nick was not such a bore. I enjoyed this book a lot more then I thought I would. Molly and her son, Aidan were good. I am glad that Molly ended up with the right guy. I was rooting for Nick way before Molly realized that he was the one for her. I knew exactly why he was acting aloof when it came to Molly and Simon. There were some funny moments. Like the ones between Molly and her psychologist. It was the lists that Molly would write up to give to Dr. Lowell during their sessions together. Lists like: Thing Every Newly Single Woman Must Do. As much as I did enjoy reading this book, I did feel like it could have been shortened about a hundred pages and still have been good. All of the write ups on the pastries had my mouth watering. I could picture each one and imaging how they would taste. Now I get to actually taste some for real. There are about four recipes inserted in the back of the book for me to make and try. Of course, I would love to have all the recipes as they all sounded wonderful. In addition, I could not believe all the different book references. I admit that I was not familiar with some of them so I will have to check up more on the books called out by the author. Vanity Fare is a good beach or book club read with the ladies.

[alaskabookworm · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Molly Hagan is single-momming-it, having just been dumped by her husband. She is depressed, overwhelmed and almost broke. Surrounded by caring and concerned friends, a job opportunity presents itself and Molly's life begins on a whole new romantic course.This is a playful story about the pain of rejection, and second chances, with an enjoyable mix of word play, realistic struggles, friendship, the wonder of good therapy, with a few appealing recipes thrown in.Maybe not the most memorable literature you'll ever read, but it is heartfelt and sweet.

[pattylouise_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Vanity FarebyMegan CaldwellMy " in a nutshell" summary...Divorce turns Molly into one heck of a new woman.My thoughts after reading this book...I found this book to be fun, absorbing and thoughtful. Molly's husband Hugh leaves her...alone with their son and almost no money. Molly steps up, grows up and deals with life. Molly has great friends, an amazing therapist and a fab sense of humor. These attributes help her to deal with her new life circumstances. What I loved about this book...Molly and her situations. The problems were believable. The way she dealt with them relatively real. She was funny with a unique sense of humor.What I did not love...The way she fed her son...she never had anything in the house except for stale cookies, crackers and chicken nuggets and pop tarts.Final thoughts...A fun book about dealing with life when you are dumped!

[whitreidtan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am a complete sucker for puns, especially groan inducing puns. Make those puns tie in to literature and I'm forever yours. So a book called Vanity Fare with a cover photo of charming old books topped with a dish of luscious looking chocolate chip cookies was always going to make me swoon with delight. That the insides are as sweet and punny as the cover of Megan Caldwell's new novel promises is just icing on the cake.Molly Hagan is having to figure out how to hold onto her life. Her whiny, cheating ex-husband left her for a younger, blonder woman and now he's lost his job and can't pay child support. She adores her six year old son Aidan and wants to keep everything stable for him but how do you explain to a young child that he can't have the newest Power Ranger because they have to pay the rent and eat? Molly can't even afford to continue to go to therapy except that her doctor figures they'll work out the money eventually. So it's a godsend for this stay-at-home mom with a degree in English when old friend John offers her a freelance job writing copy for a new and different account he's just landed: an in the works bakery located close to the New York Public Library wants to integrate the themes of baked goods and books.While her personal life is in such turmoil, Molly jumps into the writing job, determined to do it well. And it turns out that working on the bakery might just help her get some things straight in her own head. Of course, it also means the added complication of very hot, very sexy, rising food star and chef Simon who is used to getting everything he wants. And it seems Molly might just be tops on his list. Then there's his aloof, intimidating, and restrained business partner Nick who seems sceptical that Molly is the right person to work on this campaign. Meanwhile Molly's mother, with whom she has a difficult relationship, has moved in with Molly and Aidan because she's lost all her money and could be losing her house.As Molly works on the bakery, coming up with the fantastic idea to name the baked goods for famous works of literature through hilariously groan-worthy puns, she also works hard on herself. With the support of her wonderful and supportive friends and her understanding therapist, she learns to value herself and even, on occasion, put herself first. She opens herself up to new experiences and new relationships and learns to recognize what's good for the moment and what's even better for the long haul. She gains confidence in herself and can truly look to the future happier, more settled, and strong.Caldwell has written a delightful and witty novel here. Her characters are appealing and realistic. Molly's frazzled existence in the beginning, her caffeine obsession and love of sweets, her deep desire to sink into depression over her situation coupled with the tiniest hold on determination to keep it together, and her unique quirks all serve to make her a very realistic and sympathetic character. The several plot lines come together neatly and the pace of the novel is quick and consistent. The many references to great literature and the wordplay here are fun and the dialogue is snappy. Starting each chapter with a sample of the sort of thing that Molly creates for the bakery is charming and the handful of recipes included in the end look tasty. Over all, this is a delectable, sweet, and pleasing read.

[itsjustme_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loooooooved! So close to getting 5 stars (probably more like a 4.57 stars, LOL) This book was hilarious! I was texting my daughter parts and she would "LOL" back. Then I had to just call her and read her a whole page because it was too long to text. There were parts where I was laughing so hard I had tears running down my face. This book was very quirky, quippy, snarky, and sarcastic and I loved it for it! A book after my own heart!All in all this was a very fun book to read! I really enjoyed reading it! I hope she writes more like this one. This book is really more for mature audiences only. there was no sex, just a lot of swearing and references to sex.

[epkwrsmith · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

SummaryMolly's husband Hugh leaves her for a younger, sexier, more successful blonde. With a degree in English literature and the past 6 years spent at home as a mommy, Molly knows she has to find a way to support herself and her son Aidan, especially after Hugh announces that his business has gone belly up.Through a mutual friend of theirs, John, Molly gets involved in a copyediting opportunity on the ground floor of a brand new bakery positioned next to the NY Public Library. Her task is to come up with a way to meld the two...come up with a gimmick of sorts to bring in the customers and satisfy the English baker, Simon, who accepts nothing but the best and is accustomed to having things his way. Molly, Simon's partner Nick, and John put work out the professional details while Molly, her mom, her friends Keisha and Lissa as well as little Aidan, work on the personal. And, then, of course, the personal and the professional intersect...of course ;) What I LikedClassic literature is embedded everywhere in Vanity Fare...I loved that!Molly is in therapy...and that's not a big deal. Geez, we need so much more of this kind of attitude in the media. Molly is a sad divorcee and she is tempted to fall into some of the stereotypical pitfalls of her situation...but she doesn't. She is smart, she takes her life one day at a time (sometimes minutes at a time) and works to make it better. She takes her life into her own hands and doesn't allow what someone else has done to her to define her. I keep telling myself that I'm not a romantic...but I do like a little romance when it's wrapped up in a story like this one. Real life romance on equal terms.Even though this story has a couple of real winners in its female characters, there are several more who are true female friends. We also need more of this in the world...more people who have our backs...through thick and through thin and over long periods of time.What I Didn't LikeSimon - didn't like him from the first time he entered the story.Hugh - what a whiner...that's all.Natalie and Sylvia - why do women have to be such bitches to other women? Ridiculous.Some of the humor at first was a little corny...but it grew on me as I got to know Molly. Overall RecommendationIf you need a quick feel good read in front of the fireplace with coffee (specifically a latte) and a mouth-watering pastry, and don't mind some girl talk as well as a few thumping hearts along the way, this is your next read.

[bookdivasreads · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Molly Hagen is an almost-divorced, single, stay-at-home mom. Her life is turned upside down, literally and figuratively, when he soon-to-be ex-husband informs her that he's been "fired" from his law firm and he can no longer provide child support. It's been years since Molly was in the workforce but she quickly finds work and plans for her and her son's future. First step is getting a job with a former friend as a copywriter. The job is to help with the marketing plans for a new bakery. Molly quickly develops a marketing plan and begins to work with two hunky men, one the business manager for the baker and the other the pastry chef. VANITY FARE provides a few laughs and a few smiles as Molly learns acceptance for herself and embraces her freedom. Her son Aiden is positively adorable and her friends Lissa and Keisha are the best friends any woman could ever have. Molly's relationships have their ups and downs as she discovers what she wants and what she doesn't. Throw in massive amounts of coffee and literary references and what you'll find is a great, fast-paced read that you won't want to put down.

[smallwonder56_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A delightful novel of food and books. Megan Caldwell's writing style and story are witty, literate and well-written. I could identify with the main character, Molly Hagan, in her desire to have a full life after her separation from her husband, and her fear of doing so. Caldwell handles the worries of being a single mother with bills, responsibilities and a libido that is not yet dead, with humor and intelligence.This is not chicklit. It's well written, thoughtful and funny, especially if you're familiar with a broad spectrum of literature. The numerous play-on-words jokes that are included were a delight. Loved the book--I'm looking forward to more from Caldwell.

[emthomas_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I highly enjoyed reading this story this week while a storm blew through our area; it was exactly what I needed to get lost in and keep cosy. The characters were delicious; the plot rich; the ending sweet. A perfect treat to sink into!

[juliec0802 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A great novel about accepting the path that life has thrown your way when you least expect it. I loved all the literary tie-ins and how there was romance but it wasn't the focus.

[bookfanmary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thanks to LT Early Reviewer program I received an arc. I was thoroughly entertained by Megan Caldwell's modern day take on a historical romance. It was filled with a few possible heroes and a heroine coping with the end of her marriage and the need to make a new life for herself and her young son.Molly, our heroine, has serious self-esteem issues to work through - which she does with the help of her therapist. I won't go into the male characters because I don't want to spoil the reading for others. It was a fun way to spend a few hours. I'll be watching for Ms. Caldwell's next book!PS There are recipes :)

[nyiper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a delightful book! It always helps to almost immediately like the main character a lot----and have the attachment grow as you find out more about her. The food descriptions were so much fun and made such a good way to have the book flow together for this creative woman who felt underwhelmed with herself. And of course the way the males in the picture wound around her life made it just plain fun to read.

[voracious_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When the book starts off, Molly, a 40 something year old mom, is trying to pull her life together after being left by her husband. Molly had left the working world to raise her son and she is unprepared to go back to work when her ex suddenly announces he has lost his job, leaving her to try to provide for 6-year-old Aiden on her own. With her health insurance set to end and her rent and bills piling up, Molly is met with another setback when her mother moves in with her after losing all of her money in the stock market. Fortunately, Molly is approached to write copy for a celebrity chef's new bakery, which is opening in NYC, across the street from the library. The celebrity chef is a hot piece of British perfection who takes a break from self-worship to pursue a romantic relationship wtih Molly. At the same time, Molly's other project partner, Nick, takes an interest in getting to know both Molly and little Aiden. Mixing these ingredients together makes for a somewhat predictable chick lit recipe, though the story is an intoxicating mix, with morsels of bitterness counterbalancing sweetness and fun. I enjoyed this story, though I found some parts of the story somewhat confusing. I was not clear about the roles of the individuals involved in the bakery project and why the celebrity chef was surprised that Molly was working with Nick. I also thought Molly's friends were a little too similar in personalities and she seemed to have a lot of supportive friends to feel so helpless in the face of her divorce. However, I enjoyed watching Molly grow and take risks as she attempted to follow her therapist's advice. In all, a fun and heartwarming romantic novel which would likely be enjoyed by female readers who enjoy books, hunky men, pastries and coffee.

[marcyjill · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Vanity Fare, the story of a 40-something woman, Molly, recently left by her husband for another woman is a cute, light read. I enjoyed the parallels to famous romances like Pride and Prejudice and the recipes and clever descriptions of the baked goods were a fun touch.I appreciated Molly's journey (although it was a bit unrealistic) but I have to say that even though this was a romance I was a bit disappointed that she found her happiness wrapped up in a man, even if he was a Mr. Darcy.Overall, it is a fun, light read. Perfect for a vacation, but not good to read when hungry or dieting!

[bookczuk · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"A novel of lattes, literature, and love"? Sounds like the story of my life, if you change "lattes" to "coffee" or "espresso" and don't mind the loss of alliteration. Fortunately for me, but unfortunately for Molly, the 40-something discarded wife/single mother involved, my life is safely my own. Still, this made an amusing diversion from some of other stuff I'm reading of late (Sholem Aleichem for a book club, sequel to a complex science fiction as an AR, a Nordic noir that's being passed around amongst friends, and some occupationally related reading.)Molly's left facing a future of no money, no job, no support from the scummy ex, and has to reshape her world. Lucky for her, she's able to get work from an old college friend, who plops her in as the marketing/copy-writing person for a new bakery opening up near the New York City Library. Did I mention that the chef/owner is handsome, and sexy, etc? Yeah, well, he is, as is his associate who appears to despise Molly as much as I despise the word "sexy" as a descriptor.So here were the problems for me. Molly loves "literature" but is busy reading romance novels (which is fine to do, but own it, don't be ashamed of a good bodice. Heck, act it out, even. It's great fun.) And when her non-reading friend wants to start reading good literature, Molly starts her out on Ethan Frome. Ethan Frome??? I'd be surprised if the chick ever picked up a book again.Molly loves "coffee", but thinks nothing of drinking stuff that's been sitting on a warmer all day. The coffee geeks I know would be horrified at that, or by the pre-ground coffee she scoops out to make her bucket 'o coffee. I know there's the whole crowd out there that thinks Starbucks or Dunkin' Doughnuts reigns supreme, but not the folks I hang with. They'd shudder, and that's before knowing that the perfect cuppa in this book has milk and one sugar in it. Undoubtedly perfect for some, but not for the purists.So if I put my judgmental snob hat aside, and focus on the story, it was fine. Molly is faced with some really awful stuff, and faces challenge. She also has a son, who she wants to keep unharmed from his father's desertion. Her mother is a little off kilter, but Molly deals with it well. She's got two great girlfriends to help her, with good shoulders to cry on and ears for listening. She's got a great shrink, another friend who gives her a job, and her health is insurance covered for at least a little while. And she's got a good enough head on her shoulders to not be ruled by her libido. All in all, a fine escape read for a chilly autumn day. The references to books, in the copy Molly supposedly came up with for the bakery products, were entertaining. The recipes for those products a nice touch. A little more of Brooklyn would have been just great. The best thing would have been if the bakery was real, and I could order one of those muffins to have with my freshly brewed, black coffee.Many thanks to LibraryThing and the publisher for sending along this copy of Vanity Fare.

[cinnamonowl_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I won this book from Library Thing, and it arrived the day after I finished Heading Out to Wonderful. I was in a funky frame of mind, suffering from book hangover, so I picked it up and immediately started reading it. It was fun and silly, and the perfect antidote to the heaviness I was feeling. This is normal for me, I do usually try to balance the books I read so if I read something pretty emotional I follow up with something easy. I started this when I was reading Joyce Carol Oates books’ back to back to back and started feeling grumpy and depressed. Her stuff is so good, but so dark! So I don't like to be all serious all the time. Vanity Fare is about a forty year old rich woman named Molly whose husband abruptly leaves her, and not only is he gone, but so is their money and his job. She is forced to get a job, but after being a stay at home with a liberal arts degree, she feels she has few options. In the past, she had dabbled in freelance proofing and editing for her friend’s marketing firm, and when he calls with an opportunity, she has to check it out, for the sake of herself and her son Aidan. The job is writing copy for a celebrity chef, Simon from Britain, who is opening a new bakery – and he wants his products tied into the library next door, hence the name Vanity Fare. She writes lots of puns, reworking book titles to have to do with baked goods. Molly ends up dating Simon a few times, but really has her eye on Nick, the financial guy behind Simon. There are a few hiccups along the way to happiness for Molly, but ultimately this book has a happy ending. One thing did bother me- Molly was always going on about her internal editor, and would mentally note if someone used the same word more than once in a paragraph or a document. But I counted the author using the word surreptitiously at least 6 times, and 3 times out of the 6 was on the same page. I wasn’t sure if this was supposed to be ironic or if it was a mistake, but it bugged me after reading how the character hated when that happened. This book is an easy feel good book. Not too serious or dramatic, just something to read when you need a pick me up. I could easily see reading it, while drinking a peppermint mocha latte and eating something equally indulgent.

[samaree_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This novel started out with the typical "husband leaves wife for a younger, more glamorous woman" scenario. However, the jilted wife does have custody of her young son, while most of these stories are child free. After years of being a stay at home mom, the protagonist, Molly, must find a job to support herself and her son. She find some work doing copywriting and it leads to a quite typical love story. Should Molly pursue a relationship with the rich and gorgeous rogue chef or the dark and brooding business partner, even though he doesn't seem to like her. Predictable and banal, this slow read could have been much better.

[sdbookhound · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book started slow for me - it took me over 100 pages to get into it, but once I did I really enjoyed it. I liked seeing how Molly changed into a more independent woman by the end of the book. I would recommend this to friends.

[tammychristine · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I got this book from Early Reviewers and I really liked it. The characters were realistic and not what they seem at first. The relationgship between Molly and her mother was interesting to watch how it changed. And it did not have a slam dunk happy ending. I did find the chapter openners to be a bit distracting but then found the recipes in the back so it made up for them.