I received a copy of The Union Street Bakery by Mary Ellen Taylor in exchange for an honest review. I was immediately intrigued from the synopsis because I love a good mystery, have a thing for ghosts, and can’t resist history. This book has it all – and then a sweet family story, a bit of romance, and a heroine that doesn’t give up when the chips fall around her. Daisy McCrae is out of a job and back living at home and working in the bakery that has been in the McCrae family for generations. The same bakery where Daisy was abandoned by her birth mother when she was three, only to be adopted by the McCrae’s and given a chance at life. Just days back at home, Daisy is bequeathed a journal from the 1850’s from an elderly resident who passes away. Daisy – and both her sisters – are confused why Daisy got the journal. But as Daisy starts reading the story of a young slave girl named Susie, more than history is being brought to light.
I thought The Union Street Bakery was a marvelous read! If you like ghost stories and history, don’t pass this one up. I was so intrigued about Susie and her life, and fitting all the puzzle pieces together throughout the course of the book was enthralling. Daisy is a sweet character who has lost her way after getting the pink slip, and I liked that she wasn’t quick to just start anew. She struggled with her new role in the bakery, she struggled with her sisters, and she struggled in the romance department after her ex-fiancé shows up in town. The adoption story of hers really tugged at my heart, especially the rejection she feels. I loved the ending and how everything was revealed to the reader, and this is a book I highly recommend!
