A wonderful surprise this book turned out to be. One of those serials with different authors and events with fortune cookies and the fortune Cafe linking all the books.

I have to admit that I have not read any of the authors before, but I have placed them all on my TBR list. A wonderful heartwarming book about love and the little bit of magic sometimes needed to help people along. ( )

The Fortune Cafe (A Tangerine Street Romance, #1) consists of three contemporary romance novellas by three authors who were new to me. They all are inter-connected through a magical restaurant/cafe where the fortunes seem to come true.
The premise is interesting, but the execution of the stories was not to my taste. The stories seemed a little disjointed to me, and I did not enjoy them very much.
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Sissy: Here's a novel idea for a novel--three stories in one, all stand-alone but briefly sharing characters and/or locations with the others (especially the Fortune Cafe'), and each story written by a different author. Lucky for you and me, the concept works well! See full review at www.bubblebath-books.com ( )

Romance can be found almost anywhere, and these three stories based around one small cafe prove that. First off is Emma, a girl who is boldly making her way in the world of comics while waitressing at The Fortune Cafe. When she serves an old high school friend, sparks fly. Emma just has to get past the issues in her life first. Next is Lucy, a girl who has lived a charmed life. Everything is going great until she and her future husband meet with their families. When her lucky jade necklace breaks, Lucy's luck starts to go downhill fast. With the help of her smart neighbor, Lucy has to get past a nasty break-up. Finally there's Stella. She dropped out of school to help take care of her ailing mother and run their jewelry shop. When a handsome stranger and his daughter drop into her life, Stella starts to believe that there may be such a thing as good fortune after all.

If you're looking for three quick, fun, and clean romances, look no further. Romance isn't always one of my favorite genres, but I was intrigued by the premise of these three stories. I was not let down. I particularly loved Emma and her outlook on life. She was taking what seemed like a "lazier" way to some, dropping out of college and working as a waitress and pursuing her passion in art and comics. The struggles she had with her mentally ill mother seemed all to real. What a hard situation. I was so happy when Harrison just wanted to help this girl who had helped him so many times.

One of the things that always bothers me about romance stories is that I feel like they throw in unneeded obstacles to keep our destined pair apart. I particularly enjoyed Emma's and Lucy's stories for seemingly avoiding that. Emma was able to talk through everything with Harrison, while Lucy's obstacle was more herself and her need to establish a life and routine for herself. I felt like Stella's was a little more stereotypical in that respect. Overall though these were fun reads. I read them very quickly and found myself not wanting to put the book down. They are perfect reads for relaxing and having a great time. You'll feel like you're among friends at The Fortune Cafe.

Book provided for review. ( )

4 STARS

I liked all three stories. They are good clean fun. Each story can stand alone, so they are great if you just want to read one at a time. It is hard to pick a favorite story but I am going with Mis-Fortune. Because of all the humor. All three are positive stories. Each one gets a fortune cookie that comes true. I would read more books from all three authors in the future.

I was given this ebook to read and asked in return to give honest opinion of them.

Mis-Fortune was a fun read at times funny, sad, overwhelming that ended on high.
Emma is funny, responsible, talented and hard working. Emma has a hard life taking care of her mom, working as a waitress and writing a web comic that now she has a book made of her comic and is going to sale and promote it.
I really like the characters in it. Would love to see a picture of Emma's comic.

Love, Not Luck started out to be sad story. It had a couple of good messages in it. A lot of things that happen can be lucky or unlucky it depends on our perspective. Hard work makes us lucky. I really like Carter. He is a positive, good neighbor to have. He sees a problem and goes out of his way to help instead of turning away. He is fun and silly not making jokes that hurt anyone. Carter has a plan to help Lucy get through her breakup.

Takeout is the last story in Fortune Café. I like the characters. They care and sacrifice for their families. They are a good example for me.
Stella's mom has some serious health problems. So Stella came home from college to take care of her and run there jewelry shop. Her boyfriend did not like that and broke it off with her. Evan is a divorced father who loves his daughter. He wants her to spend the summer with him and not a babysitter. They both make choices because they are needed and they love and care about their families. ( )