The Tea House on Mulberry Street

Muldoon's Tea Room is the backdrop for this debut novel by Sharon Owens. They are famous for their cherry cheescake (recipe included in the book) but the owners and their patrons are what bring this book alive. Penny Stanley inherited the tea room from her parents and her husband, Daniel is a chef. Penny hopes to revamp the place and start a family. Daniel hopes to save money and is trying to avoid any talk of babies. The book revolves around this couple and Muldoon's but there are so many other interesting characters in the book.

One of my favorite story lines revolves around Brenda Brown. She's a starving artist that is obsessed with Nicolas Cage and writes him letters often.

This would be a good book for discussion in a group. The book is pretty "safe". There is adultery (no graphic descriptions--very PG) but no cussing or violence.

The book has a sugary finish to match the tasty pastries from Muldoon's. It is a nice change of pace from a lot of contemporary fiction where the endings leave much to be desired and/or resolved.