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The Galamere Chronicles #1.5
Once Upon a Cake
A baker’s daughter, their new employee, and a royal baking competition.
Nathaniel Alder is finally getting his chance to explore the big city, but things aren’t the same as back home. With barely enough coins to pay his way for three days, he’s looking for work–and as a cake nearly falls into him, he may have fallen into a job.
Winning the chance to provide the cake for a royal event is Thea Greene’s main aspiration right now–although avoiding her mother’s matchmaking is a close second. When a cheerful young man prevents her from dropping their competition cake and destroying her first goal, she finds herself in danger of failing the second…and as the baking competition goes on and Nat become part of their world, it’s becoming harder to remember why she wanted to avoid it in the first place.
Once Upon A Cake is a grumpy/sunshine novella loosely inspired by the story of The Little Mermaid. Each standalone book in the Galamere Chronicles has the swoon-worthy sweet romance of a Hallmark movie and the wholesome and heartwarming feeling of cozy fantasy, and can be read in any order.
Nathaniel Alder is finally getting his chance to explore the big city, but things aren’t the same as back home. With barely enough coins to pay his way for three days, he’s looking for work–and as a cake nearly falls into him, he may have fallen into a job.
Winning the chance to provide the cake for a royal event is Thea Greene’s main aspiration right now–although avoiding her mother’s matchmaking is a close second. When a cheerful young man prevents her from dropping their competition cake and destroying her first goal, she finds herself in danger of failing the second…and as the baking competition goes on and Nat become part of their world, it’s becoming harder to remember why she wanted to avoid it in the first place.
Once Upon A Cake is a grumpy/sunshine novella loosely inspired by the story of The Little Mermaid. Each standalone book in the Galamere Chronicles has the swoon-worthy sweet romance of a Hallmark movie and the wholesome and heartwarming feeling of cozy fantasy, and can be read in any order.
90 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2024
About the author
Gabrielle Landi
19 books211 followersGabrielle Landi lives in Southern Indiana with her husband and children and has a soft spot for every stray cat that ends up on her front porch. When she’s not writing, she spends her time chasing children, wishing there was more coffee, and eating chocolate like it’s her job. If she had to write her own love story in tropes, it would include second chance romance and a secret relationship, and would be entirely unbelievable.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
December 17, 2024
3 stars ✨ Clean Fiction - Fairytale Retelling
62 pages and I read it within thirty minutes, so I don’t have too many thoughts:
1- I didn’t get the Little Mermaid retelling at all besides Nat being new in an area.
2- He instantly fell for her, but it was cute so I wasn’t too upset by the insta-love.
3- His confession felt a little oddly timed, but it worked well enough, I suppose.
4- I wanted to read what I thought this book was—a prequel novella—before starting the first book, but it’s apparently book 1.5? Oh well. It was overall cute! Very short but had its cute moments.
Content details to come.
62 pages and I read it within thirty minutes, so I don’t have too many thoughts:
1- I didn’t get the Little Mermaid retelling at all besides Nat being new in an area.
2- He instantly fell for her, but it was cute so I wasn’t too upset by the insta-love.
3- His confession felt a little oddly timed, but it worked well enough, I suppose.
4- I wanted to read what I thought this book was—a prequel novella—before starting the first book, but it’s apparently book 1.5? Oh well. It was overall cute! Very short but had its cute moments.
Content details to come.
October 24, 2025
It was okay. It was pretty short. I enjoyed the cake making as I’ve been obsessed with watching cake decorators on YouTube so that satisfied my itch of reading it lol. The romance was way too sensual in my opinion though. I wanted to swoon over character not over physicality/kissing imo. But it was enjoyable. The characters were cute enough! I just wanted more of a romance rooted in character not just feelings of attraction. 🤷♀️ 😊 ok byeeee 👋
August 3, 2024
Having a kitten's point of view is such a cute idea! It was well written and so enjoyable. I'm looking forward to obtaining the accompanying books!
January 12, 2026
Read and reviewed this one with the prior novella in the collection, "Tales of Cake and Comfort".
Review with content info Here!
Review with content info Here!
January 25, 2025
This was a sweet, cute little story. I liked both Nat and Thea, and the relationship they eventually built was adorable. It did feel like some backstory threads were left hanging, but I don't know if they'll become more relevant in another book, since I see there's at least one more connected story. The plot was a little bit fluffy, but overall it was a sweet story that I enjoyed.
August 27, 2025
I read this a few weeks ago, but decided to write a review! 😁
I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was so cute. Personally though, I didn’t get why it was a Little Mermaid Retelling. Didn’t really have anything to do with that?! 🤨
Oh well. It was still super cute, and I adored it. Can’t complain too much!
I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was so cute. Personally though, I didn’t get why it was a Little Mermaid Retelling. Didn’t really have anything to do with that?! 🤨
Oh well. It was still super cute, and I adored it. Can’t complain too much!
December 24, 2025
Loved this cute little romance between Thea and Nathaniel! Meet cute when he almost made her drop a cake she was submitting into a competition which he then turned into an opportunity.
He followed her, helped her and eventually her family hired him.
They were so cute and he fit right into her life and all round HEA with the romance and cake competition and her parents all united. So cute 🥰
He followed her, helped her and eventually her family hired him.
They were so cute and he fit right into her life and all round HEA with the romance and cake competition and her parents all united. So cute 🥰
July 16, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
A cute story, short and sweet, I read it in about 30 minutes. I didn't really get the retelling aspect, except for a couple really subtle nods to the story, but overall a good read.
A cute story, short and sweet, I read it in about 30 minutes. I didn't really get the retelling aspect, except for a couple really subtle nods to the story, but overall a good read.
December 10, 2025
cute novella! very short and easy read, but enjoyable! it definitely lives up to cheesy Hallmark romance, with a Disney vibe to it.
June 8, 2024
**Once Upon a Café** is a cozy tale centering around Thea, a determined woman with a dream of owning a café, and Ginger, a tiny orange kitten she rescues from a bitter snowstorm. The bond between Thea and Ginger is immediate and touching, and their journey to bring the Cozy Cat Café to life is charming. The story is told from Ginger’s point of view, adding a unique and endearing perspective that enhances the novella’s overall charm.
Gabrielle Landi masterfully creates a warm and inviting atmosphere in the cold Northlands, where the Cozy Cat Café begins to take shape despite challenges posed by the local tavern owner. Thea's persistence and the support from her found family of friends provide a wholesome and comforting narrative, perfect for a short cozy read and setting the stage for the upcoming series by introducing plenty of characters to explore.
This was my first time reading work from Gabrielle Landi, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m eager to read more of her work in the future.
**Once Upon a Café** is part of the new Galamere Chronicles series, with each standalone book offering a retelling of a beloved story or fairy tale. This novella sets a high bar, and I can’t wait to dive into the rest of the series.
Gabrielle Landi’s storytelling is sure to leave you feeling warm and fuzzy, and eager for more adventures in the Galamere Chronicles.
Gabrielle Landi masterfully creates a warm and inviting atmosphere in the cold Northlands, where the Cozy Cat Café begins to take shape despite challenges posed by the local tavern owner. Thea's persistence and the support from her found family of friends provide a wholesome and comforting narrative, perfect for a short cozy read and setting the stage for the upcoming series by introducing plenty of characters to explore.
This was my first time reading work from Gabrielle Landi, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m eager to read more of her work in the future.
**Once Upon a Café** is part of the new Galamere Chronicles series, with each standalone book offering a retelling of a beloved story or fairy tale. This novella sets a high bar, and I can’t wait to dive into the rest of the series.
Gabrielle Landi’s storytelling is sure to leave you feeling warm and fuzzy, and eager for more adventures in the Galamere Chronicles.
July 7, 2024
Content:
Language: None.
Violence: None.
Sexual: None.
This is around 40 pages, and it felt more like a prologue or an extra side story for the main series for those who have already read it. As a stand alone, I suppose it can give you a glimpse into the tone and set up for the series, but it really doesn't have much of a point? It's cute and I smiled at it being from the cat's perspective, but I was neither wowed or disliking it. It was solidly average. I may try the series out of curiosity at some point, because who doesn't need more cozy fantasy in their life?
Language: None.
Violence: None.
Sexual: None.
This is around 40 pages, and it felt more like a prologue or an extra side story for the main series for those who have already read it. As a stand alone, I suppose it can give you a glimpse into the tone and set up for the series, but it really doesn't have much of a point? It's cute and I smiled at it being from the cat's perspective, but I was neither wowed or disliking it. It was solidly average. I may try the series out of curiosity at some point, because who doesn't need more cozy fantasy in their life?
December 24, 2025
This story was in a cats pov but bring in characters from the series. The story was about when Thea started her café and the struggle it was to get it settled once it became an issue between an old love of hers and his brother. All ended well but left me with a lot of questions and left the romance unsettled. Dont remember much more of this story in Once Upon an Apple so just wish it had more and a better ending.
June 22, 2024
Super cozy little novella to introduce the characters in Once Upon an Apple!
December 5, 2024
This was such a cute and cozy short story! I love how much sweetness this author fits into her stories. They're just adorable and absolutely delightful!
June 8, 2024
**Once Upon A Cake** is a sweet addition to the Galamere Chronicles, blending a grumpy/sunshine dynamic with a light, gender-swapped retelling of "The Little Mermaid." The story centers around Nathaniel Alder, a young man eager to explore the big city, and Thea Greene, a baker's daughter with aspirations of winning a royal baking competition.
The Little Mermaid elements are light and subtle for those seeking a strictly authentic retelling, with the main similarity being Nathaniel's longing to leave his hometown and explore. Nevertheless, the sweet romance found within this story makes up for it.
Nathaniel arrives in the city with barely enough coins to last three days and desperately seeks work. His chance comes when he nearly collides with a falling cake, landing him a job at Thea's bakery. Thea's primary goal is to win the competition to bake for a royal event, while also avoiding her mother's matchmaking attempts. Nathaniel's cheerful demeanor and helpful nature make him an asset in the bakery and a growing distraction for Thea. Nathaniel and Thea’s evolving dynamic, from strangers to coworkers to something more, is engaging and sweet. The baking competition adds an exciting backdrop to their budding romance, with Nathaniel’s enthusiasm contrasting Thea’s more serious nature.
**Once Upon A Cake** takes place before **Once Upon A Café**, which introduced key characters and laid the groundwork for the series. Indeed, we first meet Thea and Nathaniel in **Once Upon A Café**, where hints of their past are intriguing. This novella provides insight into their history, making readers question what else happens in their relationship to get it to the point we see in **Once Upon a Café** and leaves you eager to see how their relationship evolves in future books.
In conclusion, whilst possibly light on the fairytale retelling elements, Once Upon A Cake delivers a sweet, feel-good romance read that leaves you keen to read more adventures in this enchanting series.
The Little Mermaid elements are light and subtle for those seeking a strictly authentic retelling, with the main similarity being Nathaniel's longing to leave his hometown and explore. Nevertheless, the sweet romance found within this story makes up for it.
Nathaniel arrives in the city with barely enough coins to last three days and desperately seeks work. His chance comes when he nearly collides with a falling cake, landing him a job at Thea's bakery. Thea's primary goal is to win the competition to bake for a royal event, while also avoiding her mother's matchmaking attempts. Nathaniel's cheerful demeanor and helpful nature make him an asset in the bakery and a growing distraction for Thea. Nathaniel and Thea’s evolving dynamic, from strangers to coworkers to something more, is engaging and sweet. The baking competition adds an exciting backdrop to their budding romance, with Nathaniel’s enthusiasm contrasting Thea’s more serious nature.
**Once Upon A Cake** takes place before **Once Upon A Café**, which introduced key characters and laid the groundwork for the series. Indeed, we first meet Thea and Nathaniel in **Once Upon A Café**, where hints of their past are intriguing. This novella provides insight into their history, making readers question what else happens in their relationship to get it to the point we see in **Once Upon a Café** and leaves you eager to see how their relationship evolves in future books.
In conclusion, whilst possibly light on the fairytale retelling elements, Once Upon A Cake delivers a sweet, feel-good romance read that leaves you keen to read more adventures in this enchanting series.
August 21, 2024
Nate has always wanted to visit the capital city of Riyel and finally sets out and does just that. Arriving
there looking around a girl stumbles into him and he catches her and the cake she is carrying keeping both from falling. Feeling responsible for the mishap he accompanies her to where she is going to make sure she gets there safely. When her cake wins the first round her parents invite him back with them to the bakery and give him a job and a place to stay. As time goes on his attraction to Thea grows and grows and they win the second round of the competition as well. The morning of the third and final round, however, brings about a disaster and Nat has to be the one to mix up the frosting as he sends Thea out for the finishing touches needed for the substitute cake they’re going to use to replace the one that was ruined.
It was a happy ending though as they won the competition and things look bright for a happy future!
I enjoyed this short story of how Thea and Nate met and how he was able to win her over with his sunshine personality and optimism! It certainly helped in the end when he was able to turn a disaster
into a triumph by taking what was available and using it to recreate another cake to replace the one that was ruined.
I give an enthusiastic thumbs up recommendation to you to pick up and read this delightful book! It will warm your heart to see that kindness and sincerity still exist and in the end are rewarded!
I urge you to pick up the rest of the books in this series, Once Upon A Cafe and Once Upon An Apple as you’ll get reacquainted with Thea and Nate once again as well as Sophia and other characters mentioned in this story!
This is a delightful series and I know you’ll enjoy them as much as have!
there looking around a girl stumbles into him and he catches her and the cake she is carrying keeping both from falling. Feeling responsible for the mishap he accompanies her to where she is going to make sure she gets there safely. When her cake wins the first round her parents invite him back with them to the bakery and give him a job and a place to stay. As time goes on his attraction to Thea grows and grows and they win the second round of the competition as well. The morning of the third and final round, however, brings about a disaster and Nat has to be the one to mix up the frosting as he sends Thea out for the finishing touches needed for the substitute cake they’re going to use to replace the one that was ruined.
It was a happy ending though as they won the competition and things look bright for a happy future!
I enjoyed this short story of how Thea and Nate met and how he was able to win her over with his sunshine personality and optimism! It certainly helped in the end when he was able to turn a disaster
into a triumph by taking what was available and using it to recreate another cake to replace the one that was ruined.
I give an enthusiastic thumbs up recommendation to you to pick up and read this delightful book! It will warm your heart to see that kindness and sincerity still exist and in the end are rewarded!
I urge you to pick up the rest of the books in this series, Once Upon A Cafe and Once Upon An Apple as you’ll get reacquainted with Thea and Nate once again as well as Sophia and other characters mentioned in this story!
This is a delightful series and I know you’ll enjoy them as much as have!
October 24, 2024
Content:
Language: None.
Violence: None.
Sexual: Mild. Only kissing, not described to the point of being steamy; clean.
Cute. I enjoyed this read, it was indeed very cozy. It made me want to watch British Bake-Off.
This was much more fun to read than the other novella I grabbed, (Once Upon a Cafe) which I discovered is also about Thea, and I'm confused as to how she gets from this book to the previous novella (which confusingly is said is 0.5 in the series and this book is 1.5 in the series, is chronologically after this story? At least that's what it seemed like).
Nathaniel is a fun happy-go-lucky sort of guy, and Thea is a serious ambitious girl. Put them together and it's sweet as the cakes they bake. I enjoyed the dual POV for this one, seeing how Nat falls fast, and how Thea is just doomed and trying not to admit she fell almost as quickly.
The thing that I found to be head-scratching was this being a Little Mermaid retelling. The only thing that made me think little mermaid was using the line "part of your world" twice. If I think hard I can probably find some vague correlations but I think it's a bit misleading to call this a retelling at all. Still cute, but I raised my eyebrow a bit because of that.
I'm looking forward to reading the full novels now, and sorta wish I'd hopped on the Kickstarter for them with those pretty covers. I love that art.
Language: None.
Violence: None.
Sexual: Mild. Only kissing, not described to the point of being steamy; clean.
Cute. I enjoyed this read, it was indeed very cozy. It made me want to watch British Bake-Off.
This was much more fun to read than the other novella I grabbed, (Once Upon a Cafe) which I discovered is also about Thea, and I'm confused as to how she gets from this book to the previous novella (which confusingly is said is 0.5 in the series and this book is 1.5 in the series, is chronologically after this story? At least that's what it seemed like).
Nathaniel is a fun happy-go-lucky sort of guy, and Thea is a serious ambitious girl. Put them together and it's sweet as the cakes they bake. I enjoyed the dual POV for this one, seeing how Nat falls fast, and how Thea is just doomed and trying not to admit she fell almost as quickly.
The thing that I found to be head-scratching was this being a Little Mermaid retelling. The only thing that made me think little mermaid was using the line "part of your world" twice. If I think hard I can probably find some vague correlations but I think it's a bit misleading to call this a retelling at all. Still cute, but I raised my eyebrow a bit because of that.
I'm looking forward to reading the full novels now, and sorta wish I'd hopped on the Kickstarter for them with those pretty covers. I love that art.
August 29, 2024
Thea is solely focused on winning the king’s baking competition until she literally bumps into Nat, a newcomer to the city. Now he’s working in her father’s bakery and she doesn’t know what to do with the cheerful stranger who’s slowly working his way under her armor, one cup of tea at a time.
Nat didn’t expect to feel like such a fish out of water in the city, but stumbling into Thea definitely helped things. His goal for leaving home was to learn to stand on his own feet, and the job at the bakery was a huge step in that direction. He’s falling hard for Thea, but can he convince her to let him become part of her world?
“I wasn’t looking for love when I came to Riyel, but somehow I ran right into you the moment I arrived, and I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since.”
This was such a cute story! Landi has the most adorable writing style and it fit perfectly with this story set in a bakery. The cakes were soooo creative and sounded delicious!
Nat and Thea are so cute together! I loved the Little Mermaid vibes, and I’m so excited for more books in this series.
5 Roses
A few sweet kisses
No violence
No swearing
Nat didn’t expect to feel like such a fish out of water in the city, but stumbling into Thea definitely helped things. His goal for leaving home was to learn to stand on his own feet, and the job at the bakery was a huge step in that direction. He’s falling hard for Thea, but can he convince her to let him become part of her world?
“I wasn’t looking for love when I came to Riyel, but somehow I ran right into you the moment I arrived, and I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since.”
This was such a cute story! Landi has the most adorable writing style and it fit perfectly with this story set in a bakery. The cakes were soooo creative and sounded delicious!
Nat and Thea are so cute together! I loved the Little Mermaid vibes, and I’m so excited for more books in this series.
5 Roses
A few sweet kisses
No violence
No swearing
Read
February 19, 2025In a vacuum, not as part of a series or retelling, this was a really good story. For how short it was the characters were really well fleshed out and likeable. If you like kinda sappy, instalove, then this is the perfect book for you! I genuinely enjoyed reading it.
It isn't in a vacuum though. It is labeled as 1.5 in a series. That means, chronologically, .5 would come first. Except this clearly takes place before .5. She meats Nathaniel here and they are ex's in .5. They also seem to be completely different people in the two stories. Time passed, sure. But I was thoroughly confused trying to figure out the time-line. The two characters worked so well together that the discrepancy between their relationship between 1.5 and .5 was really disappointing.
As a retelling... there are no mermaids would be the complaint from the 8 year old I tried reading this with before previewing it. She made it half way through the first chapter. The only reference to the Anderson story is that his feet hurt. That's it. The other token references were to Disney, and those don't count as A Little Mermaid retelling. Disney was a retelling.
It isn't in a vacuum though. It is labeled as 1.5 in a series. That means, chronologically, .5 would come first. Except this clearly takes place before .5. She meats Nathaniel here and they are ex's in .5. They also seem to be completely different people in the two stories. Time passed, sure. But I was thoroughly confused trying to figure out the time-line. The two characters worked so well together that the discrepancy between their relationship between 1.5 and .5 was really disappointing.
As a retelling... there are no mermaids would be the complaint from the 8 year old I tried reading this with before previewing it. She made it half way through the first chapter. The only reference to the Anderson story is that his feet hurt. That's it. The other token references were to Disney, and those don't count as A Little Mermaid retelling. Disney was a retelling.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2025
A fun, fluffy little read. This was a freebie from another author’s newsletter, and listed as a Little Mermaid retelling. I’ll be honest- I didn’t see a whole lot of Little Mermaid? Someone left home, but daddy never came out and tried to ruin their life…and there were no villains at all. But there was a wingleplucker, so that’s cool!
A young man sets out from his home for the big city, despite his father and brother doing their best to dissuade him. When he arrives in the city, the first thing he does is nearly trip a young baker bustling her way through town square on her way to a competition, nearly destroying her entry cake in the process.
This is a very short story, and fairly predictable. It starts with a fish out of water (heh) and ends in a happily ever after. In between, he still can’t bake but does learn how to help. She learns to relax a little and express some emotions. And there’s a kiss or two.
Three stars for me- nothing wrong with it, not really my jam.
A young man sets out from his home for the big city, despite his father and brother doing their best to dissuade him. When he arrives in the city, the first thing he does is nearly trip a young baker bustling her way through town square on her way to a competition, nearly destroying her entry cake in the process.
This is a very short story, and fairly predictable. It starts with a fish out of water (heh) and ends in a happily ever after. In between, he still can’t bake but does learn how to help. She learns to relax a little and express some emotions. And there’s a kiss or two.
Three stars for me- nothing wrong with it, not really my jam.
July 2, 2025
3 stars
I received this novella in a FaroFeb email, and in hopes to boost my books read count up, I decided to give this novella a read. It's a cute story, with a brief look into two people who have a clumsy meet-cute and end up working together in her family bakery and falling in love.
This is marketed as gender swapped A Little Mermaid retelling, and aside from the red hair on the MMC, and him calling a utensil a "wingleplucker", there is absolutely no true reference to the original story which I felt was misleading. The writing style was safe and leaned more towards telling than showing, so when the love confession happened, it was a bit lacklustre. However, the story is complete by the end, and it was an exceptionally easy story to get through, so I think is someone is looking for something quick and sweet to get through, then Once Upon a Cake might serve well.
I received this novella in a FaroFeb email, and in hopes to boost my books read count up, I decided to give this novella a read. It's a cute story, with a brief look into two people who have a clumsy meet-cute and end up working together in her family bakery and falling in love.
This is marketed as gender swapped A Little Mermaid retelling, and aside from the red hair on the MMC, and him calling a utensil a "wingleplucker", there is absolutely no true reference to the original story which I felt was misleading. The writing style was safe and leaned more towards telling than showing, so when the love confession happened, it was a bit lacklustre. However, the story is complete by the end, and it was an exceptionally easy story to get through, so I think is someone is looking for something quick and sweet to get through, then Once Upon a Cake might serve well.
April 7, 2026
This was SO cute!!
✨️Age recommendation: 13+! Maybe even 12+?✨️
Content (including romance): There are a few mentions of parental loss and running away from home! Ginger thinks a character would "kick her just for existing"
scenes in snow/ snow storms, and struggling to find warmth.
it's implied a character could have died in a snowstorm, but she ends up safe!
It is implied that two characters dated and broke up. A character says she's trying to matchmake her best friend, and another character jokes that a guy is trying to steal Thea's attention (he's not)
I love a good sassy writing style, and this had just that with all the cozy feels!!
I definitely want to try some of this author's other books here soon! (I've started "Beastly Dreams" by her, but I think I'll like her other books better! Hopefully, I'll finish reading that one soon, though!)
Also, seeing a cast of adult characters was sooo interesting!! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading from the perspective of a cat, and all of the humor was amazing!
Overall, I definitely recommend!! 🩷
✨️Age recommendation: 13+! Maybe even 12+?✨️
Content (including romance): There are a few mentions of parental loss and running away from home! Ginger thinks a character would "kick her just for existing"
scenes in snow/ snow storms, and struggling to find warmth.
it's implied a character could have died in a snowstorm, but she ends up safe!
It is implied that two characters dated and broke up. A character says she's trying to matchmake her best friend, and another character jokes that a guy is trying to steal Thea's attention (he's not)
I love a good sassy writing style, and this had just that with all the cozy feels!!
I definitely want to try some of this author's other books here soon! (I've started "Beastly Dreams" by her, but I think I'll like her other books better! Hopefully, I'll finish reading that one soon, though!)
Also, seeing a cast of adult characters was sooo interesting!! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading from the perspective of a cat, and all of the humor was amazing!
Overall, I definitely recommend!! 🩷
March 3, 2025
Once Upon a Cake is another beautiful fairytale adaptation from Gabrielle Landi, full of charm, sweetness, and cozy fantasy vibes. The bakery setting was absolutely delightful, making me wish I could step right into the story and taste the cakes myself. Thea and Nat had such a fun dynamic—her grumpiness and his sunshiney charm balanced each other perfectly. The royal baking competition added just the right amount of excitement and Hallmark charm, and I loved how each character felt distinct and memorable. If you enjoy sweet romance, fairytale whimsy, and a cozy setting, this novella is a perfect treat. Enjoy!
September 5, 2024
This was a really cute little novella. I will admit there really wasn't much of a connection to the Little Mermaid.... But it is still a fun little cozy fantasy. Ms..Landi has a knack for writing the cutest, coziest, novels. They are perfect to curl up with on a cool day with a warm beverage.
Now I read Once Upon a Cafe and Once Upon an Apple so I know what happens with Nat and Thea. Lest just say I am glad I read the author's note.
Definitely recommend for a quick, light read.
Now I read Once Upon a Cafe and Once Upon an Apple so I know what happens with Nat and Thea. Lest just say I am glad I read the author's note.
Definitely recommend for a quick, light read.
March 7, 2025
it ends SO ABRUPTLY, but it’s apparently a set up for a future book so i guess that makes sense? very cute very cozy, but again, not a little mermaid retelling- i mean he has red hair and says silly words but that does not a mermaid make. i’m interested in this being the story choice to retell in a world without magic, just because this one is such a supernatural fairytale, but it was a cute story nonetheless. just probably not a fairytale retelling per se.
July 28, 2024
It was a nice enough story, but to be honest I expected something more heartbreaking than this. But since I usually forget that nowadays it's the disney-fied retellings of classic fairytales that inspire, I suppose it's my mistake. I grew up with the Andersen tale and never got into the Disney version (and don't see much of that in this one either).
November 24, 2024
Another fantastic read! I am so glad I found this author! She is now on my auto buy list of authors. The way she does cozy fantasy is like no other! The theme of this book was fantastic especially the “competition” setting is fantastic and you can’t help but love the MMC. If you love cozy fantasy, “competition”, and baking this is the book for you!
July 9, 2025
A nice short story about how Nat and Thea got together despite their differences.
Well-constructed story with plenty of threads that can be used for future adventures.
Wished there was a bit more world building and characterisations to make it more Novelette size, but overall, it is enjoyable and easy to read.
Well-constructed story with plenty of threads that can be used for future adventures.
Wished there was a bit more world building and characterisations to make it more Novelette size, but overall, it is enjoyable and easy to read.
July 12, 2025
Such a lovely short story, full of adventure and love. I got more "Princess and the Frog" vibes over Little Mermaid vibes, the MC's made me think of Princess Tiana and her prince but either way, I loved it! I have a soft spot for baking as well, so that also attributed to my appreciation for this book.
Looking forward to reading more from this author!
Looking forward to reading more from this author!
July 16, 2025
It didn’t have any elements of the little mermaid tale. Unless you count him having red hair (which isn’t even mentioned until half way through) and naming objects with nonsensical words as such. It’s clean, and it’s short, but the MCs didn’t have much chemistry. The competition didn’t make much sense either.
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