The third installment of The Meraki Series: 
All Krystina wants is to travel to beautiful locations, promote her blog, and achieve Insta fame. But with Loukas, her pesky frenemy from childhood, in tow, she hardly has time to breathe. If only he would leave her alone! But when the unforeseen strikes, forcing her to face challenging situations she never thought possible, it’s Loukas that helps her through it all. 
And then there’s the search her sisters began to find out what happened to her missing grandfather¾the man her grandmother has pinned all her faith on, believing he will one day return to her. Krystina is determined to find and bring him home, even through the most challenging of times. This quest will test everything she has come to know. But she may learn that through it all, when everything else crumbles around you, love is worth fighting for.\nA note to readers\nWhen I began writing The Meraki Series, I had mapped out in my mind who the main characters were and how I wanted their stories to unfold. However, I had no idea that Love is What You Bake of it would publish when much of the world suddenly went into lockdown due to an unforeseen pandemic. 
During this period of isolation, I wrote Love by Design, never thinking that we would still be hostage to this virus by its release day. Both of these books brought some levity to a dark period for readers, though there were some serious aspects to the story. 
I had always planned to solve the mystery of the missing grandfather in this third book in the series. What I hadn’t expected was for COVID to drive my plot, changing the course of events for these characters, just as it had in our own lives. 
The characters traveled to beautiful locations in both The Gift Saga Trilogy and earlier books in The Meraki Series. Unfortunately, in keeping this book realistic to the times, there was only one brief but necessary trip to Athens, Greece. 
Regardless of these limitations, all your favorite characters are back to push Krystina along in her quest for love and to make sure everyone around her finds it as well. 
Thank you for reading and supporting me all these years to continue writing. I couldn’t do this without your loyalty and encouragement.

Love is Worth Fighting for (The Meraki Series)

Literature & Fiction

Kammenou, Effie

Genre Fiction

Effie Kammenou Speyer

The only love Kally Anadarakis is baking is in the form of the sweet treats she whips up in her café, The Coffee Klatch.Kally never believed herself to be a person worthy of love, but when an intoxicating man she considered out of her league pursues her, she risks everything to be with him. Later, when tragedy strikes, truths come out that leave Kally brokenhearted and untrusting.Eight years later, Kally is a successful pastry chef running the café she'd always dreamed of owning. With a home of her own, a profession she's passionate about and the support and love of friends and family, Kally is content with the life she carved out for herself. Until the day Max Vardaxis walks into her café?Add arguing parents, meddling relatives, an overly energetic grandmother, a man-crazy best friend, and the long ago, mysterious disappearance of a grandfather, and this new man in town is one more complication in Kally's life, if not the main one.Kally must decide whether to keep her heart safe or if it's time to once again take a 'whisk on love.'

Love is What You Bake of it (The Meraki Series)

Romance

Contemporary

Effie Kammenou

Mia Andarakis just landed her dream job at a luxury magazine. And even better, her boss is the handsome and enigmatic Nicholas Aristedis, a man she has crushed on from afar. But Nicholas isn't who she imagined. Irascible and mercurial, his instant dislike for Mia makes it almost impossible for her to work with him.Nicholas has faced many losses and heartaches in his thirty-two years. Determined to avoid heartbreak, he has closed his heart to love. But Mia awakens feelings in him he had long since denied. And soon he discovers their connection is deeper than he realized.Mia and Nicolas embark on an adventure across picturesque locations as they launch a new publication and uncover the mystery behind her grandfather's disappearance. But perhaps the greatest challenge is in learning to set aside their insecurities and fears. Can the two forget the traumas of their past? And will they ever learn to trust in the possibility of love? Find out in the second novel of The Meraki Series.

Love by Design (The Meraki Series)

The Gift Saga concludes with the next generation coming into the forefront of the story during their tumultuous years between adolescence and adulthood.Evvie has lived through more tragedy than a young girl should ever endure, having lost both her father and a most beloved grandmother at a young age. Her rebellious ways are her only defense to mask the ever-present pain in her heart. Closing herself off emotionally, Evvie vows to never let anyone into her heart. But will her determination to keep everyone out see her lose the only person who could heal her broken soul?Over-achieving, focused, talented, determined to succeed. Those are the traits Stella envies in her siblings and cousins. Her insecurities and lack of confidence stunts her ability to realize her own worth. When an older, handsome young man claims her as his own, Stella believes she has finally found who she has been looking for—someone to love her enough to mold her into the best version of herself. But has she fallen in love too quickly for a man she barely knows anything about?Chasing Petalouthes (Chasing Butterflies) is the coming of age story of two flawed, young women who push their way out from the confines of the cocoons they’d built around themselves and discover how to soar.Chasing Petalouthes can be read as a standalone novel. For the full emotional impact of the character's histories and lives, read Evanthia's Gift &amp; Waiting For Aegina.

Chasing Petalouthes (The Gift Saga)

Sophia Giannakos will settle for nothing less than the rare love her parents share. At a tender and impressionable age, she has found her soul mate in Dean, the boy she has known her whole life -- until secrets and deceptions pull them apart. No stranger to heartache, Anastacia, Sophia's mother, attempts to comfort her, without revealing ugly family truths that could haunt her daughter's future.In the year 1956, Anastacia, a former NYU student, finds herself in the challenging role of a single parent. Left with emotional wounds from a bad marriage, she is reluctant to trust and resists her growing feelings for Alexandros, an old acquaintance. But his persistence and unconditional love for Ana and her child is eventually rewarded and his love is returned. In a misguided, but well-intentioned effort to protect the ones they love, both Ana and Alex keep secrets -- ones that could threaten the delicate balance of their family. The story continues in the 1970's, as their daughter attempts to negotiate between two cultures. Greek-American teenagers, Sophia and Dean, have shared a special connection since childhood. Although their desire for one another is undeniable, Dean resists her, rebelling against the pressure his father places on him to uphold his Greek heritage. When he can no longer fight his feelings, Dean asks Sophia to conceal their love. She hesitantly complies, until it becomes too much for her. Like her mother, Sophia loves with every fiber of her soul, leaving her shattered when Dean pulls away from his family, culture and ultimately his love for her, leaving her no choice but to find a life different than the one she'd hoped for. Evanthia's Gift is a multigenerational love story spanning fifty years and across two continents, chronicling the lives that unify two families.

Evanthia's Gift: Book One in The Gift Saga

Book Two in The Gift Saga: The continuation of Evanthia’s Gift …In 1961, five little girls moved into a suburban neighborhood and became inseparable, lifelong friends. They called themselves the ‘Honey Hill Girls,’ named after the street on which they lived. As teenagers they shared one another’s ambitions and dreams, secrets and heartaches. Now, more than thirty years later, they remain devoted and loyal, supporting each other through triumphs and sorrows.Evanthia's Gift follows the life of Sophia Giannakos. In Waiting for Aegina the saga continues from the perspectives of Sophia and her friends as the story drifts back and forth in time, filling in the gaps as the women grow to adulthood. Naive teenage ideals are later challenged by harsh realities, as each of their lives takes unexpected turns. Now nearing their fiftieth year, Sophia, Demi, Amy, Mindy and Donna stand together through life-altering obstacles while they try to regain the lighthearted optimism of their youth.

Waiting For Aegina (The Gift Saga)

An anthology of original stories inspired by the music of The Beatles.Universal. Romantic. Experimental. Timeless. Emotional. Fearless.Twelve short stories that all share a chord.All proceeds will benefit the World Literacy Foundation, a global non-profit organization working to ensure that every young individual regardless of geographic location has the opportunity to acquire literacy and reading skills to reach their full potential.Foreword by Sylvain Reynard.Paperback writers featured:Beck AndersonKris BabeMJ GraceRumer HavenShari IveyEffie KammenouJennifer LocklearMorgan LocklearSydney LoganMelanie MorelandSusan K. SwordsAubree Valentine

Paperback Writers

Moreland, Melanie

Logan, Sydney

Haven, Rumer

Anderson, Beck

Locklear, Morgan

Locklear, Jennifer

Babe, Kris

Grace, MJ

Ivey, Shari

Short Stories & Anthologies

Independently published

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