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Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1) by Alex Bailey – Review by Jessica Leombruno

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1)Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey was just the little bit of “magic” I miss at Christmas time. I lived in Florida most of my life and a “Disney Christmas” was a favorite of mine for years; nobody does Christmas better than Disney. This book brought back so many amazing memories for me. This author was detailed in everything that you will see, that I felt like I was on the Magical Disney trip right alongside Sophie and Ariel. Everyone needs to experience the “Magic” of Disney once in their life no matter how old you are.

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Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1) by Alex Bailey – Review by Erin Davidson

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True, #1)Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once Upon a Romance is the first book in Alex Bailey’s a Dream Come True series. All books will be set in Walt Disney World, and follow different couples as they find love in the most magical place on earth. Once Upon a Romance focuses on Sophie and her adorable niece, Ariel, as they make their way to Disney World for Christmas, as per Ariel’s Christmas wish. Except it is all sunshine and rainbows for Sophie. After losing her sister to breast cancer, the last place she wants to be is the Magic Kingdom, reliving her childhood, without her sister. But as fate would have it, she meets Professor Disney, that vows to help her make sure Ariel has the most magical Christmas she could ever dream of.
I really enjoyed this fluffy Christmas romance. It may or may have not made me plan my next holiday to Disney World. I absolutely adore all things Disney and romance, and could not turn down a book that ticks all the boxes. I fell in love with Ray, and his extensive knowledge of Disney and all things nerdy. I’ll take two of him any day. I also really enjoyed the building chemistry between Ray and Sophie, and how they interacted with Ariel. I also loved the level of description Bailey went into when describing the park, and all the rides; it felt as though I was right there next to them. Which only made me even more desperate to get to the nearest Disney Land, which happens to be on the other side of the world (the joys of living in Australia). I do wish there was more of an ending and I got to see a bit more of the characters, but it still ended very cute and fluffy.
I gave Once Upon a Romance 5/5 stars

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Once Upon A Romance (A Dream Come True #1) by Alex Bailey – Review by Kerry Baker

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True, #1)Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey is the first book in A Dream Come True series. This book has everything you could want – romance, Disney magic and Christmas magic.
It is an emotional book about a little girl who has lost her mum and her aunts determination to make the first Christmas without her special. The author tells the story so well it is easy to imagine what the characters are going through.
Christmas story’s are not my favourite ones by any stretch but there was something about this book that just drew me in. It is easy to read but difficult to put down once you’ve started. A great book and one I thoroughly enjoyed.

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Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True #1) by Alex Bailey – Review by Ashleigh Whitwell

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True, #1)Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once Upon a Romance is the first instalment of the A Dream Come True series and, simply put, it is the perfect romance read. If you’re starting to get in the Christmas spirit, or just love a holiday read, this is exactly the read you need. It has a cute child, plenty of romance and is set in the most magical place on earth, Disneyland!

Our leading lady, Sophie, is everything her sister wasn’t, including not being a Disney fan. So when her niece, Ariel, reveals her Christmas wish is to spend the holidays at her recently deceased mother’s favourite place, Sophie begrudgingly agrees. And then the miracles start. Not only does Sophie manage to find a hotel room for her and Ariel at such short notice, she’s also able to make sure her boyfriend, Dean, can join them, too. As for Sophie and Dean’s relationship, I’ll let you make your own minds up!

This book has magical written all over it. From the setting to the characters, I just fell in love with everything about this read. While at its core it’s dealing with quite a difficult issue, the loss of a family member, this author doesn’t let this overshadow the amount of love between the characters. Rick and Ariel’s bond is one of my favourite elements of this book and I loved reading the scenes where they were together. The change in Sophie’s character was also something I loved, especially when it came to her life and romance choices; no spoilers her, but I was rooting for her to get her happy ending!

If I wasn’t already feeling Christmassy, I definitely am now. In fact, I’ve gone and put my Christmas tree up! This is a feel-good read and could quite happily sit here all night and tell you just how much I loved it. Instead, I’m going to tell you how much you should go and grab your own copy and snuggle up a blanket and devour it in one go. I did just this and can safely say, it was a Saturday afternoon well-spent! I cannot wait to read the rest of this series and now have a new author to fall in love with!

Review by @ashleighw

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Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey – Review by Roxana Yoss

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True, #1)Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey came as a surprise for me. This was my first book by this author, and I have to say that I absolutely loved everything about this book. It was such a sweet and endearing story with a beautiful theme. I fell in love with the characters, individuals that held and captivated my attention from the very beginning. The emotions that I experienced while reading this book were ones that I like to cherish the most, because it means that I’m experiencing the book just as the author planned for. This was definitely a 5 Star Book

Reviewed by @ryoss

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Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True, #1) by Alex Bailey – Review by Jana Teppih

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True, #1)Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once Upon a Romance is the first book in Alex Bailey’s A Dream Come True series. What an opening it was! It hit just the right spot for the holidays as it takes place in “The Most Magical Place on Earth” during Christmas holidays! I am curious to see what direction she will take her series and who will be the leads in the next story!
Once Upon a Romance is the story of Sophie O’Connor and Ray Bueno aka Professor Disney. Sophie’s sister Natalie died ten months ago and this is the first Christmas without her and Natalie’s daughter Ariel’s Christmas wish is to spend Christmas day at Disney World riding her mother’s favourite amusement ride … the only snag is that Sophie is not a Disney fan like the rest of her family!
It is a beautiful heart-warming story of magical meetings in a magical place, it is a story of healing and new loves … It is just what doctor prescribed for these dreary dark nights leading up to holidays!

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Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Series) by Alex Bailey – Review by Renee Ullery

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True, #1)Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey
Stars: 5

This a very sweet Christmas love story that includes Disney theme. The two main characters are great. Sophie is a loving, caring aunt. She is willing to do anything for her niece even visit her least favorite place….Disney! Ray seems like the opposite of Sophie. They both are kind, living, and caring people, but Ray is much more laid back. He also LOVES Disney! They learn so much about each other and themselves. In this book, I loved Sophie’s niece, Ariel. She is a little ball of energy who is very perceptive.

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Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1) by Alex Bailey – Review by Emily Walsh

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True, #1)Once Upon a Romance
By: Alex Bailey
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1) was a light hearted, sweet read, that gets you in the holiday feels.

My first read by this author, I was caught by the shiny christmas hallmark like read. I was sucked in right away and, even though I knew how this story was going to go, I loved every cheesy minute of it.

I liked the relationship between Sophie and Ariel, it was more then just aunt and niece. Sophie is mothering and puts Ariel first, even if her boyfriend doesn’t get it. She was a great character and I won’t hold her hate of Disneyland against her.. too much. Ariel is a sweet, smart kid, but I will say that some of the things she was saying, seems a little to, advance for her age. I do get that some kids are more advance, I just wasn’t getting that feeling from Ariel, so her speech patterns and dialogue weren’t matching. Other than that she was a great child character and really added that extra magical layer to this fairy tail like read.

As for the actual story, it’s a sweet romance, and with the magicalness of the setting it has all the things I love about these type of good feel books. Sweet tender romance, heart gripping feels, beautiful setting, attention to detail and, a sweet hot man, that is too good to be true but, you can’t help but root for. Even if his love interest is already taken.

Overall I can’t stress enough how good and just, awesome this book is. It will put you in the holiday mood while making you want to go to Disneyland in the same breath. This book is a super high recommendation from me and, it gets my cheesy, Christmas movie stamp of approval.

Happy Reading.

-Review by @eawalsh

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Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1) by Alex Bailey ~ Review by Liz Vrchota

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True, #1)Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There is just so many good things to rave about with Once Upon a Romance from Alex Bailey! I must first start with that gorgeous cover! It screamed pick me up, you will find a swoony prince and a hapless princess who doesn’t know her worth somewhere amongst the storyline, much like one of my favorite tales of all time, Cinderella, or better yet a Disney love story in general is a theme that is ever present throughout Once Upon a Romance. I adored that theme and this was also collectively portrayed in the cover.

The Disney theme is strong in other ways throughout the book, even in the character names. I really loved how this author was able to bring to life the characters that I so loved and my kiddo loved, but in a new and older, reimagined and modern way. This isn’t your classic fairytale, but rather with a twist that will keep you swooning and on your toes from the very first page till the end. I was so excited to learn that this novel is book one of a series so there will be more to come as well!

Sophie O’Connor has the life she has always dreamed of, including her dream job as a text book editor. However, her recent loss of her sister has her main focus on her eight year old niece, Ariel. Her current dilema is Ariel’s Christmas wish; spend Christmas day in Disney World riding the rides her mother loved. This just happens to also be Sophie’s worst nightmare. When a little Disney magic and a little Christmas magic combine with a man named Ray Bueno, a wonderful, romantic, whimsical, and cheerful story unfolds right before you eyes. It is almost as if you are watching one of your favorite Hallmark Holiday romance movies. Grab your hot drink, warm blanket, and fuzzy socks, you won’t want to get up till you finish this one in one sitting!

Review by @lizaileen
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Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True book 1) by Alex Bailey – Review by Lisa Boltiador

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True, #1)Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once Upon a Romance brings the magic of the holidays back. It brought forth the feelings of joy and love and warm fuzzies. Also, it reminded me of the wonder of Disney, like it was when I was younger. Sophie seems to be the one in need of change and almost rescuing, she’s kind of broken and going through the motions, and her only real joy comes from spending time with her niece. Ray is a breath of fresh air and it’s amazing they end up on this journey together. Things do get emotional and touching in all the ways you want in a holiday novel. It has a happy ever after, though I wish I got an epilogue or just more of them. It was that good.

Review by @lisaboltiador
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Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1) by Alex Bailey – Review by Heather Bahm

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True, #1)Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Alex Bailey’s Once Upon a Romance is the first book in A Dream Come True. This holiday themed story was beautifully written. My favorite character was Ariel, the niece. Even though she was not a main character, she shined in this story. That is not to say that I didn’t like Sophie. I felt her character had a lot of self-discovery and growth as the story progressed and it was handled in a way that felt natural. With most of the story taking place in Disney, this tale was magical in so many ways – from the locale, to the emotions, to the people that were passing characters in the store – it all brought together the theme of a dream come true. Alex Bailey is a talented author and I felt that she did it effortlessly within this romance that focused on the emotional ties more than the physical – you don’t always feel that passion in some stories.

Reviewed by @hbahm

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Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Series Book #1) by Alex Bailey – Review by Angela Hayes

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True, #1)Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 

Once Upon A Romance is the first in A Dream Come True Series by Alex Bailey. I love a Christmas romance, so when I saw this pop up on my recommended feed, I snapped it up. The thing I most love about this book, is the way the Ms. Bailey interweaves the love of all things Disney, with the magic of Christmas- whilst also showing a heartfelt and tender romance. This is your quintessential ‘feel-good’, and romantic Christmas story. One with all the wonder, charm and emotion I adore about Christmas stories. Ms. Bailey writes beautifully- creating wonderful quirky characters that I would love to call friends, and explore the theme parks with. She was also easily able to capture the magic of the season, and I loved the minute attention to detail that makes this story come alive.
Sophie O’Connor loves her job working for a large publishing firm as a text book editor. She is dedicated, focused and organised. She is still coming to terms with the death of her beloved sister, 10 months earlier, and is devoted to her eight-year-old niece, Ariel. With Christmas fast approaching, she is determined to make it as special as she can for Ariel, as it is the first Christmas without her mother. But when she finds out what it is that Ariel wishes for, Sophie fears she won’t be strong enough to see it through. Ariel wants to spend Christmas day at Disney World, riding her mother’s favourite amusement ride. Sophie’s sister, Natalie, was a huge Disney fan and adored everything Disney- and so did their parents. Sophie, not so much, plus add the fact that Disney would hold so many memories of her sister, and Sophie wasn’t relishing the idea of spending time there. But this was Ariel’s special Christmas wish- so Sophie was determined to make it come true in every way.
But what happens when a fairly straight-laced, non-Disney Aunt has to contend with a fun-loving, and imaginative little Disney-aficionado? She might need a little help- which comes in the form of a fun-loving, Disney devotee- Ray Bueno- who adds a little magic to their Disney experience and helps to fill the hole that the loss of her sister left in her heart.
Holiday Romance at its best!!

Thank you, Ms. Bailey!

Reviewed by @angelahayes

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Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1) by Alex Bailey – Review by Bobbi Wagner

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True, #1)Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Christmas story that both warmed my heart and pulled at my heart strings at the same time. This story took me on not just a magical Christmas journey but also an emotional roller coaster. The characters are fun, connectable and lovable. Eight year old Ariel and her Aunt Sophie need a little Christmas magic and a stranger just might be what they need. A Christmas story to warm your heart. I highly recommend reading this story as it will put a little Christmas spirit and magic in your heart.

Review by @bjwagner
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Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1) by Alex Bailey – Review by Heather Lovelace

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True, #1)Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you love a good holiday story with happily ever after at its core, you’ve found the book for you. I loved this book and it had me grinning like an idiot like a good Hallmark movie. If you are a hopeful romantic, this is definitely a book you need to pick up. Wonderful characters. Easy pace and plot development. Just a wonderful read and perfect for the holidays.

Reviewed by @heatherlovelace

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Once Upon A Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1) By Alex Bailey – Review by Dawn Daughenbaugh

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True, #1)Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 Star
Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True book1) by Alex Bailey is a good holiday story that I absolutely loved reading. This book was a page Turner and I couldn’t read fast enough. This story pulled at my heart strings at times. Sophie learns of her niece’s wish to honor her mother’s memory by going to the place that her mom loved. Sophie knew she had to make it happen.Find out what happens next. I highly recommend this book you won’t be disappointed I know I wasn’t. I look forward to reading more from this Author.
@ddaugh35

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Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1) by Alex Bailey – Review by Maura Harper

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True, #1)Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You know how they say “Don’t Judge a Book By It’s Cover”? Well I totally judged this one by the cover and I was not wrong. Between the cover and the blurb, I could not pass this story up. It’s the first I’ve read by the author and I look forward to reading more in the series.

A simple tale, yet so complex with so many feelings. Granting a Christmas wish for a beloved niece should never be a chore – yet sometimes it’s just that.

The characters in this sweet romance are complex and layered. They are well developed and helped to pull emotion from me that I wasn’t necessarily feeling that day. The aunt and niece complement each other well – they are the ying to the other’s yang and it was wonderful to watch the relationship grow.

This is absolutely one of those romance stories that I would recommend to YA and my mom’s book club. It’s full of lovely visuals and brought back memories of my own travels to Disney both as a kid and as an Auntie.

Review by @mauraharper

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Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1) by Alex Bailey – Review by Jenni Bishop

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1)Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1) by Alex Bailey is a story that is beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time and I absolutely enjoyed reading it. Making one little girls dream come true is the one thing Sophie is dreading. Pulling up her big girl panties is going to be harder than anything she has to do. That is until she comes face to face with a stranger that turns her world upside down.The story caught me from the very start of the book. I fell in love with the characters due to Alex’s attention to detail and writing skills and could picture it clearly in my mind. This heartwarming story will linger even after you have finished it. There was a lot of love weaved into this story and there are so many emotions that you will find yourself laughing and in tears the next, so grab a good drink and a box of tissues. I highly recommend that you partake in this wonderfully written story. It is a great start to the series and I can’t wait to see what is next.

Reviewed by @jennadb

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Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1) By Alex Bailey – Review by Laura Furuta

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1)Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1)
By: Alex Bailey
5 out of 5 stars

The story Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1) by Alex Bailey is a book that I absolutely loved reading. The story caught my interest from the moment that I read that it involved a famous theme park. It hooked me in from the very beginning of the book and the “magic” of both the theme park and the holidays took over so I couldn’t put it down until I had read the final page. I loved reading about the characters of Sophie and her niece Ariel. From the moment that Sophie learns of Ariel’s wish to honor her mother’s memory by going to the one place that her mother loved so much, she knew that she must make that wish come true. Even if it meant reliving past, sometimes painful, memories. She says she will find a way to get through it for Ariel. Ariel is a young girl who although has lost her mother she is loved and supported by family. I found Ariel to be someone who takes notice of details in life and seems to be able to understand things beyond her years. When they run into a kind, friendly, and charming stranger who offers his knowledge about the theme park Sophie feels relief. Could her attitude regarding the vacation to the theme park be changing? Sophie has a boyfriend who is reliable and stable. Her heart belongs to him, doesn’t it? What does the future hold for Sophie? Will she find herself guided by the magic all around her? Will that “magic” help the charming stranger win over Sophie’s heart? Read this book to find out. This is a heartwarming story that I found myself thinking about even after I had finished the book. I love the attention to detail that the author gives. I felt like I was right there with Sophie and Ariel seeing what they did. It is also a book that had my emotions going up and down all throughout. This is a wonderfully written story that I would highly recommend reading.

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Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1) by Alex Bailey – Review by Lisa Helmick

Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1)Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once Upon a Romance(A Dream Come True Book 1)
By Alex Bailey
Rated 5 stars!

First off I LOVE the cover! Very holiday and Disney-ish. A Perfect Mesh! It drew me to this and after reading the synopsis I grabbed it. The story just appealed to me. A WDW fan and the love of family. Both are Win-Wins for me. One of my favorite things is how the magic of Christmas mixes with the magic of Disney.

The characters were well thought out and grew over the story. I enjoyed how grumpy and grouchy Sophie was at the beginning. She off-set Ariel’s nice attitude. Ariel was a sweetheart and a little matchmaker. The families and that one “special guy” were full of fun and happiness as well. Even the crazy characters they run across on their trip were lots of fun. They were all a great addition to the story.

I loved all the Disney themed comments, actions and fun. The rides and the lines as well as their days planned throughout each park. I really felt like I took this adventure along with them. So Fun!

This book will appeal to Disney fans and all of those who believe in a little magic. A wonderful story of learning to get over loss while opening yourself up to new possibilities. There are so many reasons to love this book.

P.S.
I enjoyed reading the acknowledgments and was surprised at all the different Disney websites that were listed. I plan to keep them for reference for my next trip.
Thanks!

Review by @lisahelmick
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Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1) by Alex Bailey

 ~  ~  ~  ~ BOOK SPOTLIGHT ~  ~  ~  ~  ~
Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1) by Alex Bailey
BUY NOW – https://amzn.to/2ROQoY8
#christmas #christmasromance #OnceUponaRomance
Hosted by Itsy Bitsy Book Bits
Genre – Sweet Romance
Series – (A Dream Come True Book 1)
Page Count – 222
Cover Designer – Agape Author Services
Publisher – Maiden Voyage Publishing
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42532144

When Sophie’s eight-year-old niece, Ariel, asks Santa Claus for a single wish to honor her mom’s memory, Sophie knows she must grant it. Unfortunately for Sophie, Ariel’s wish is to ride her mom’s favorite ride on Christmas day, and it’s at the last place on earth Sophie wants to visit—Walt Disney World. It will be the first Christmas without her sister, and reliving childhood memories of her best friend is not how she wants to spend her holiday. Sophie’s only desire is to spend Christmas on the slopes with her reliable and stable beau, Darren, who has reluctantly agreed to postpone their trip until the day after Christmas.

But when Sophie runs into a charming stranger, who offers up his extensive Disney knowledge, he instantly becomes her hero. A wave of relief washes over Sophie—he may just be the one to give Ariel the magical experience she desires. And, even though Sophie doesn’t realize it, he may be exactly what she needs too.

Can a bit of Christmas magic help this ruggedly-attractive stranger win Sophie’s heart when she believes it already belongs to Darren? And will Sophie continue to allow her painful past to haunt her, or will she let it go?

~ AMAZON ~

~ ALL OTHERS ~

Alex Bailey was a bored writer/editor of documents as humdrum as vacuum cleaner manuals. She left that life behind to create more exciting worlds than the one she lived in. The Future Memoir of Ann Jones was the first book under her (absolutely necessary) assumed identity (in order to hide Ann Jones’ identity). When she’s not dreaming of being swept away to the “happiest place on earth,” she’s tending to her organic garden while belting out Disney tunes. Some of her favorite hobbies include: telling her children that “Mother knows best”, attempting to convince woodland creatures to clean her house for her, wishing upon stars, and Disney-ing.

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