A Touch of Moonlight: A Novel

by Yaffa S. Santos

""A delicious culinary romance."" — Booklist

From the author of A Taste of Sage comes another charming and engrossing novel in which a young woman must navigate her family’s expectations, the demands of her job, a new love, and a secret about her magical identity.

Larimar Cintrón works hard at three her job as brand manager for Beacon Café, a New York based corporate bakery chain; taking care of her parents and her abuela; and hiding that she’s a ciguapa—a mythical creature of Dominican folklore with long, straight hair and backwards-facing feet. Larimar may only be a ciguapa on full moons, but she feels like an outsider in her family the rest of the month too. Her love of ’90s punk rock music and style further sets her apart. But when her best friend introduces her to Ray, a bakery owner and fellow punk rock lover, Larimar thinks she may have finally found someone with whom she can be her true self.

As Beacon’s brand manager, Larimar oversees all new location openings, including its newest store in New Jersey, which could be the project that finally lands her a coveted promotion. But when she discovers the location is right across from Ray’s bakery, Borrachitos, Larimar is torn between impressing her boss and saving Ray’s business.

As Larimar continues to grow closer to Ray and the new store’s opening looms, she struggles to hide the truth about herself and her job. But embracing her magical nature may be the only way Larimar can have everything she wants. Witty and poignant, A Touch of Moonlight is a celebration of heritage, culture, and identity—of embracing yourself and finding your place in the world.

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal, Audiobook, Magical Realism, Mythology

Audible Audio

First published October 25, 2022

Reviews

[Lydia Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yaffa S. Santos you are a great author. I really enjoyed your book. A delightful entertaining and touching story 2 people finding love and acceptance in each other. Heartwarming uplifting and satisfying. This was such a cute, magical romance filled with Dominican lore, culture, and food (there’s recipes interspersed throughout the book, which I can’t wait to try)! I instantly fell in love with Larimar and watching her navigate her ciguapa abilities all while finding love. Ray is an absolute cinnamon roll and perfect for Larimar. I loved their chemistry. There’s lots of bumps along the road for these two, but it’s all worth it in the end! Highly recommend.

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down

I liked Larimar and Ray, but was frustrated that she told him about her super secret family secret and not her job that was going to directly impact him! I mean—why let someone think you're a florist when that is not your job? C'mon.

But the romance was cute and I did like how Ray talked about the perceptions people have of soldiers being "tough" (read: aggressive, alpha, assertive, type A) when servicemembers do not all possess the same personality trait.

[Toya (thereadingchemist) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute, magical romance filled with Dominican lore, culture, and food (there’s recipes interspersed throughout the book, which I can’t wait to try)!

I instantly fell in love with Laurimar and watching her navigate her ciguapa abilities all while finding love. Ray is an absolute cinnamon roll and perfect for Larimar. I loved their chemistry. There’s lots of bumps along the road for these two, but it’s all worth it in the end!

Thank you Harper Perennial & Harper Audio for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

[Camila Rondon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book, solely due to the poor writing by the author. The story itself was very intriguing but there were many inconsistencies and everything seemed so random. The fact that the story was very rushed from the beginning with no real introduction to any of the characters, let alone to the main character and her abilities, was confusing.
Through the lack of proficient writing, the story was rushed and due to that it was difficult to become invested and engrossed into the story and have a connection to the characters. The characters lacked in personality and I wanted to so much more.
One of the biggest set backs are the recipes in-between chapters. These were completely unnecessary and pulled one out of the story to contemplate the recipe.
Overall I would give this a 1.5 star review, on the fact that the concept was interesting and new but the author's inability to give life to the story made the biggest impact.

ARC kindly provided by Netgalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks.

[bookishcharli · Rating 3 out of 5]

The romance was cute enough and the plot was a good read, two people trying to find acceptance and love with each other is usually a win for me! The information on Dominican culture and folklore throughout the book was really interesting to me, as I knew nothing about it before picking up this one. There was also a good diverse set of characters in here, and at the end of some of the chapters there were some recipes that look amazing!

One of my dislikes was that I hated the amount of Spanish used without any attempt to translate it. I found it too confusing and off putting to be able to focus on what was happening around it.

I’m not sure how to rate this one if I’m being honest, I went in with high expectations and I’ve finished it confused about how I want to rate it because although I didn’t dislike the book, I did feel annoyed and confused while reading through it.

Thanks to Insta Book Tours and Harper 360 for sending me a proof and having me on the blog tour.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed A taste of sage, so this newest book from Yaffa S. Santos was high on my most anticipated reads list. Full of the her trademark magic and delicious food, this story features Larimar Cintrón, a Dominican American woman working a corporate job as a brand manager while also hiding the fact that she's a ciguapa - a mythical Dominican creature whose legs change during the full moon.

I was not expecting such a perfect #SpookySeason romance in this book! Torn between doing her job and helping to save a local bakery, Larimar has to learn to embrace her culture and identity and take a chance on love with the baker next door. Great on audio narrated by Diana Pou. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Kristy Johnston · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story is told in third person primarily from the point of view of Larimar. I had similar issues with the format of this book that I had with Taste of Sage, assuming they are unchanged in the final version. Many chapters end with recipes that relate to the story, and while some of them look scrumptious and worthy of trying, paging past them in an ebook while reading was distracting. At one point, I had to page 23x to get to the next chapter. As in my previous review, at least in the ebook version, the recipes would be better off placed and indexed at the end of the book.

While I found the character of Lumi in Taste of Sage to be delightful, I had a difficult time relating to Larimar, since she spent most of the book lying about herself to the male love interest. I found her cultural mythical creature to be very interesting and I get that her previous relationships may have had difficulty accepting her as a ciguapa, but she was also lying to Ray about her profession, which came about in a strange way that could have been easily corrected. Not to mention the repercussions it would have to his business when it was revealed. This was not really a miscommunication trope, it was straight up lying for the majority of the story and I couldn’t find much empathy for the professional situation especially when she was devising ways to sabotage her own project.

Limited recommendations to those interested in Dominican culture and the ciguapa knowing the relationship contains predictable and exposable lies.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Paperbacks for a copy provided for an honest review.

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up

I really enjoy magical realism stories, especially when they feature creatures and magic I'm not familiar with. This book is about a ciguapa, a Dominican mythological being that takes a female form, has backward facing feet, and long glossy hair. I thought the magic was incorporated well into a modern setting and liked seeing how Larimar navigated her other side.

The romance was sweet but pretty predictable. Larimar works for a chain bakery/cafe and her work may result in her new love's small bakery closing. There are misunderstandings that turn into lies and eventually it all has to come to a head. It was still cute, I just hoped it would be a little different.

This has a lot of Dominican culture and food and I got hungry reading it. If you want a fun romance with a twist, add this to your list.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Harper Paperback and NetGalley for the copy.

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25*

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book through a Goodreads Giveaway, and I LOVED it. It was an easy to read rom com centered around baking and mythical creatures.

[tre be · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moonlight was a fascinating and original tale of love, Dominican heritage/food/culture, and self-acceptance.

I liked Larimar as a real life ciguapa living life in the big city, keeping watch for a full moon so that she could change in isolation and her magnetic pull to her ancestors. Also, the natural hair club meetings. I would’ve loved to have read even more about the ciguapa facet.

I liked that Larimar was up front with Ray from the beginning about who she was, but wish she’d been just as honest about the job situation. I wish there was a little more steam; this was a very kid friendly romance.

I had no idea what a ciguapa was, and there wasn’t much detail about it in the book so I went to my trusted source, Google. I have to admit I was quite intrigued about the mythical folklore and would love to know if there’s some truth to it.

The author included several delicious recipes throughout the book that I’d love to try, especially The Larimar: Vanilla Cupcake with Turquoise Coconut Rum-Infused Frosting!

🎁 Thank you @harperperennial for my arc copy!

[Tomes And Textiles · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded to 4.

My feelings about this one are so mixed. On the one hand, it's based on Dominican folklore, but on the other, the deceit trope was used and I find it so hard to root for a couple whose whole start of the relationship is rooted in one person withholding very important information from another. Larimar told Ray about her generations-old closely guarded family secret, but couldn't tell him that she was going to open his direct competitor? I don't know. Larimar didn't lay the foundation for trust, which is a big thing for me in romance.

I loved the banter and Larimar's relationship with her family, plus the food descriptions had me drooling.

Also, this is a closed door romance, so if you're looking for spice, this isn't it.

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[Samantha Verant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come.

[dovesnook]

Withholding rating and review in support of the Harper Collins Union workers.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh to be a ciguapa jumping across the Hudson River

[natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a massive whiff for me. It was like a mashup of Dating Dr. Dil and "You've Got Mail," but with the maturity level of a bad teen sitcom. Think, like, Wizards of Waverly Place or iCarly.

I liked the premise of a modern Ciguapa, and the inter-generational magic element was fun. However, the slow reveal of Larimar's midnight self was ultimately boring and unsatisfying. The romance was unfortunately even MORE unsatisfying. There was so little chemistry between the two leads that I failed to realize Ray was Larimar's love interest until their second or third scene. The storytelling was weak overall, with lots of filler scenes where Larimar simply drove between locations, and the third act's development around a "misunderstanding" felt tired and predictable.

Finally, the dialogue read like something pulled directly from a Marvel film. The protagonist repeatedly said, "Can it, bro"? And once in response to her brother pointing out she ate a lot of food?

Not for me.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won a free copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

This read more like a YA book to me, even though the main character is 34. She acts very immature at times, the way she hides and avoids situations. She drove hours to Philly just to freak out and leave. She could have handled that better. She was so nervous about telling Ray she’s a ciguapa, but then agrees to a date the night she turns. Then, he doesn’t connect the reveal to how she was acting strange the night before. He should have put two and two together. I read an ARC, but there were issues that hopefully were resolved. For example, a side character says both of Ray’s parents are dead. Then, some chapters later, Larimar asks about his father and is surprised to find out he died. Time also seemed to be weird. How often are there full moons? Ray wants to see her as a ciguapa, but it was just a full moon the night before. She wants to make things better, but wants to wait for a full moon. That’d be like a month away. The punk music elements seemed forced in. Overall, the book needs to flow better.

It was a fast read, and I read it in three days.

[Susan Ballard (subakkabookstuff) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Larimar Cintrón works hard and cares deeply for her parents and her abuela. She loves her punk music, and she has a secret. Larimar is a ciguapa. Unlike some of her other family members, she only turns on full moons.

Larimar is set up with a fellow punk rock lover named Ray Antonio Concepción. Ray also owns a local bakery, and Larimar loves butter. But how will Ray react to her secret identity? And now her company, a large bakery chain, wants Larimar to open a store across from Ray’s little town bakery.

This was a fun, sugar-sweet romance. My favorite parts were learning about the ciguapa and seeing Larimar come to accept her true identity, backward-facing feet and all. However, all the baked goods didn’t hurt either.

🧁I listened to the audiobook, but I’m glad I have a physical copy because there are great recipes between the chapters.

[Ancillar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A huge thanks to the publisher for my complimentary copy and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This is my first read by Yaffa S. Santos and it was one of my most anticipated reads of the year .I loved that the book had a wonderful blend of magic and food. . The book tells the story of Larimar, a hardworking woman in corporate who also happens to be a mythical Dominican creature whose legs change during the full moon. This book is perfect for fans of spooky /fantastical romance with a hint of yummy. Loved it! It's so perfect for Halloween.

[Chapters of Chase · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you, Harper Books and Harper Audio, for the gifted copy and audiobook of A Touch of Moonlight {partner}

Genre: Fantasy
Trope: Romance
Format: 🎧
Pub Date: 10.25.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆

A Touch of Moonlight was such a delightful book to read! The characters were fun, and I loved the ease of Santos' writing style. One of my favorite parts of this book was the baking AND the author included recipes in the book!

The only complaints I have are that I didn't love the dishonesty of the MC (and subsequently the third act break-up that ensued). I also didn't think that the Ciguapa element added much to the novel - it could've been left out, and I think the book would've been fine.

💨 Easy & quick read
💯 Audiobook narration (thank you Harper Audio)
🤌🏼 Vivid descriptions of food and baking
🙄 Third act break-up
🇩🇴 Loved learning about the Dominican Culture and folklore
🤩 Recipes included
🥰 Light Romance (not steamy at all)


If you're looking for the perfect cozy read for this spooky season, I recommend adding A Touch of Moonlight to your reading list!

______


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[Brianna Abbate · Rating 1 out of 5]

So incredibly bad. There is no character development. The story seemed rushed and was riddled with inconsistencies. The bits of Dominican culture and folklore were so interesting. I wish the author had focused more on that than the boring and immature social/romantic/work relationships of this main character. Each chapter has a recipe at the end of it which was unnecessary but made the book feel shorter so I kind of appreciated it.

[Celena Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Larimar was so scared of losing Ray she was willing to hide almost everything that made her, her. She thought if she just kept working hard to provide for her family then her happiness could come after when life doesn’t work like that all the time. Ray was so sweet and soft I just wanted to put him in my pocket when he made a cupcake at his bakery inspired by Larimar.

[Melissa Veras · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Sadie Hope · Rating 2 out of 5]

Women's fiction masquerading as romance. Loved the diverse cast and paranormal aspects that weren't as Western normative as typical in fiction. But honestly a let down.

[Anna J · Rating 3 out of 5]

A unique story about Dominican lore, romance, food and delicious recipes in it. I enjoyed seeing the love develop between Ray and Larimar.

[Jemma Bolton · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Kara Harte (KattitudeReads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘A Touch of Moonlight’ by Yaffa S. Santos fully stole my heart. ATOM was full of delicious food with delectable descriptions that had me ravenous, stunning recipes throughout, family, friendship, community, music, and the sweetest romance with a really cool supernatural twist. I adored Larimar (and not only because she owns my dream car), learning about ciguapas, and there were parts that hit me in the gut, just had me so full of emotion I felt like I was going to burst, like this quote from Larimar’s grandmother to her: “You’re not living the dream I dreamed, Larimar. You ARE the dream I dreamed.” Excuse me while I go cry again. I come from a different background than Larimar, but I always, always wonder if I’d make my immigrant ancestors proud or if I’d be a huge disappointment to them, wonder if I’m doing enough to honor the choices they made that brought our family here to the US, and this quote just caught me so off guard in the most beautiful way. No matter how many times I reread it, I’m still a mess. 😂

Gorgeously written, full of so much heart, originality. an amazing cast of characters, and beautifully, perfectly narrated by Diana Pou, ‘A Touch of Moonlight’ was by far one of my top favorite reads of the year and I highly, highly recommend it.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the Dominican cultural references and found the ciguapa myth fascinating. As a whole this book missed the mark for me, for a couple reasons:

1. I don't like when romance books create tension with unnecessary lying.

2. I wasn't compelled by Larimar or Ray as main characters. They fell flat for me.

3. There were several facts that were completely incorrect and had no bearing on the plot or characters, they were just included to be wrong! Granted, it was only a handful, but they bugged me.
(Succulents vs. varietals is a nonsense plant comparison.)
(A pumpkin field cannot be a strawberry and blueberry field in the summer. That's not how any of those crops work.)
(We're told Oliver hates chocolate, but then his favorite cupcake is chocolate cinnamon. It doesn't matter, but why be inconsistent for no reason? Oliver isn't even in either scene where it's mentioned)

[Felicity · Rating 4 out of 5]

thank you to harper teen for giving me this arc on behalf of a goodreads giveaway

I thought the premise of this book was creative, I love when authors taken something from their culture and bring it into a story. It was nice learning a little more about Dominican culture and myth with the ciguapa.

I enjoyed reading Yaffa'a writing style, it was descriptive and helped me transport into the story and relate to the characters. Her book flowed well and I was hooked throughout the entire book.

I really loved reading about Larimar and her journey of accepting herself and letting people in. Watching her struggles and seeing how she overcomes them was inspirational. I liked how Yaffa didn't make things easy for Larimar, she struggled and made wrong turns and had regrettable decisions. It helped show that Larimar could just be another person and not just an idealized character in pages.

I'm always a fan of romcoms and A Touch of Moonlight , although not specifically a romcom, did not disappoint. It was so fun seeing Larimar and Ray's relationship develop and grow throughout the story and it was definitely a sweet romance.

Overall I thought this book was definitely worth the read. Yaffa did an amazing job with the storyline, characters, and descriptiveness. I also really appreciated that she gave the readers an epilogue so we are able to see where Larimar ended up. I was satisfied with the ended and thought it wrapped the story up nicely.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I finished it a little while ago and I’m kind of sad that I don’t get to go back to it in the morning.

Larimar is a ciguapa when the moon is full. A ciguapa has backwards facing legs and long, straight hair. It runs in Larimar’s family, her mother and grandmother both are too. It’s resulted in her keeping men at a distance because she’s afraid of not being loved by someone who really knows everything about her.

Her best friend introduces her to a wonderful man named Ray. Larimar feels and instant connection to Ray. She keeps several secrets from Ray that could be their relationship’s undoing but Larimar is so used to no one staying past a full moon that she’s never expecting for the secrets to be an issue.

I’m addiction to a storyline and characters I really enjoyed, there’s also recipes at the end of almost every chapter.

I just really thought this was a wonderful book and I’d highly recommend checking it out.