Every autumn, Moonbright, Maine, is the picture of charm with its piles of crisp leaves, flickering jack-o’-lanterns … and a touch of the sweetest kind of enchantment. Witches, goblins, the occasional ghost—they’re all sure to be spotted at the annual Halloween parade, where adults and children alike dress in costume to celebrate Moonbright’s favorite holiday. And no place has more seasonal … place has more seasonal spirit than Bellaluna’s Bakeshop, a family business steeped in traditional recipes, welcoming warmth—and, legend has it, truly spellbinding, heart-melting treats …
Between good-natured Halloween tricks, frothy pumpkin lattes, and some very special baked goods, for three Moonbright residents looking for love—whether they know it or not—the spookiest thing will be how magical romance can suddenly be …
PRAISE FOR THE COTTAGE ON PUMPKIN AND VINE
“This wonderful, well-written collection calls to mind brisk autumn nights cuddled with a loved one.”
—Publishers Weekly
“This diverse trio of stories bring three couples to love with a charming, slightly sexy Halloween flair … Sassy, funny, and dusted with magic.”
—Library Journal
“Delightful and spicy. . . . With humor and a little mysticism thrown in, each story winds its way to a happy ever after. Every pairing comes to fruition in a unique way.”
—RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars
Includes cookie recipes!
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All three of the novellas of this anthology are set in Moonbright Maine, revolving around the Bellaluna Bakery, a staple in the small town for generations. It was said that if you shared a special cookie with the person you were supposed to be with…. well…
Donna Kauffman’s contribution focuses on Sofia Bellaluna’s granddaughter Abriana or Bree, the cook at the Bakery they both love. But the Italian cookies weren’t coming out as she expected, until….
Then along comes Allyson Charles who introduces us to Cassandra Hie, a recent addition to Moonbright who’s ideas about Halloween may be a little overboard but when the wrong man comes to the rescue, even disaster can be averted….
And, finally, Lara Shaw, a Moonbright native whose need of a full time job brings her full circle into an old secret crush, who, this time, is paying better attention….
Included with each story is a recipe sure to delight. This whole book is a delight! From New England in the fall, crisp leaves and weather, you can almost taste the caramel-Apple pie and the pumpkin spice coffee. Magic changes things, and each story will add a bit of magic to an ordinary read. [As a personal aside, I just won another ebook from Goodreads by Donna Kauffman and can hardly wait to read it!] I highly recommend this lovely book no matter what time of year! 5/5
[disclaimer: I received this book from Goodreads and the publisher as a giveaway and I have voluntarily reviewed it]
The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice is a collection of three novellas, written by one author I have read previously (Donna Kauffman) and two new-to-me authors (Kate Angell & Allyson Charles). I love all three of these author’s styles and I adored each story. They were effortless to jump into the plots (all three of them) and I was immediately drawn into the stories!
All three stories take place in Moonbright, Maine, which is a small town that has a huge celebration of Halloween. The town celebrates Halloween on the scale that most others celebrate Christmas, including the highlight of the festivities, a parade including bands, pets, floats and the Pumpkin Queen!
There was excellent character and plot development in such a short amount of pages. I honestly did not want each story to end. I wanted to continue to read about the special people of Moonbright. I definitely wanted to try every item at the bakeshop, eat at the Greek restaurant and watch the parade.
There is a magical element to each story, which is a nice touch to the romance that each couple has, on their way to a happily ever after, Magic cookies give fate a little push to help couple find their way. The novellas are sweet romances with a little Pumpkin Spice thrown in.
I always have loved Halloween. As a child, I had great times visiting with friends, trick or treating and enjoying a simple pleasure of being a carefree youth. This book brought back those great simple times that I enjoyed so much.
I enjoyed this book so much! I want to thank NetGalley.com and Kensingston Books for allowing me the great pleasure of reading the ARC. My review is my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.
Sweet Magic by Donna Kauffman is the first story in The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice. The bakeshop owned by Bree and her grandmother, Sofia, has a bit of magic to bring about love, and that’s just what Bree is looking for. Just as she’s wondering if that will ever happen for her, in walks Caleb. Will the magic happen for this charming couple? The story combines Halloween, magic, and romance in the delightful small town of Moonbright, Maine. Laughter and emotion make this an easy, feel-good read. Just the thing to kick off the fall season. I highly recommend it!
Sweet Magic by Donna Kauffman
5
What an adorably sweet romance filled with a bit of magic. Abriana (Bree) and Caleb were so cute together. For a short story it sure packed a lot of emotion. Caleb and Bree’s love story brought tears to my eyes as well as some very big smiles. And it definitely got me craving those italian iced cookies. So glad there’s a recipe at the end of the story for me to make some.
Love Spells Disasters by Allyson Charles
3
I really wanted to love this story. It had some cute moments but I loved the hero, Chip, more than the heroine. Usually I fall in love with the couple as a whole but I just couldn’t like Cassie. I kind of understand why she didn’t think Chip would be the one for her but I felt like she hurt him a lot by pushing him away and I did not agree with her reasoning. I felt Chip was super sweet and very forgiving. He was the only reason why I kept reading til the end.
Sweet on You by Kate Angell
4
A very cute and sweet story. Really liked how Jack and Lara’s relationship developed. It was also fun reading about the Halloween festivities going on in town. Really love all the cookie recipes at the end of each story.
*I voluntarily read an advance copy of this book*
Bree and Sofia own a little bakery and they make some wonderful items. George owns a restaurant a couple of blocks over and he and his wife take a trip to Greece for a very belated honeymoon. George asks Caleb to come and fill in while he and his wife are gone.
When Caleb gets there is shocked to find what he finds. He asks his sister to come and help him figure out this mess. They decide not to let the rest of the family in on what’s going on here until they get everything sorted out.
This is a great book that will keep you intrigued and on the edge of your seat through the whole book. Another great book by Donna Kauffman.
The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice written by Donna Kaufman, Kate Angell and Allyson Charles is a delightfully charming anthology of three sweet love stories set in a quirky town in Maine during the magical time of Halloween festivities, decorations and ghosts and goblins and love was definitely in the air. Each author did a great job in creating the characters in each story. It was a fun, easy read that I thoroughly enjoyed.
This is a review for Sweet magic part of this anthology.
Stories about cooking/baking are some of my favorites and I knew I was in for a treat with this novella by Donna Kauffman. I instantly fell in love with Moonbright and Bellaluna’s Bakeshop. Family traditions or histories can be so powerful and influence our actions and both Bree and Caleb felt the pull to do the right by their families. This story reminds you that you should listen to your heart and follow the magic to your happily ever after, even if there are obstacles in your way. Full of humor, touching moments and a little heat, it’s a quick read to start your fall season. Usually holiday books are my favorite, but this story has led to a new love of fall themed stories
Review is for Sweet Magic by Donna Kauffman:
I loved the magical element of this story. It didn’t feel like a short story to me, but was just long enough. This was a cute novella featuring Bree and Caleb and some special baked desserts. I liked all the characters and am interested to see if the author makes a series off this bakery!
I didn’t read the other two stories but may go back and read them in the future!
So far I have read Donna Kauffman’s entry in this book. I really enjoyed it. Bree has waited a very long time for her magic to come alive. She is trying to be patient, but she is also trying to help things along a little bit. In walks Caleb and everything changes. But you know how it is when you have been waiting for something and it finally arrives? Bree freaks out and backs off. Her magic won’t let her stay away from Caleb, though, and she shows up just when he needs her help. They have a very insightful conversation that lets us see into their hearts. I love how they talk to one another with respect but still tease each other a bit, too. I find that very romantic. They make a lovely couple!
I knew I would be reading The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice after reading The Cottage on Pumpkin and Vine, and really enjoying it. The two books, and I’m hoping they continue to write one every year, take place in the same town of Moonbright, Maine and have characters and locations in the town that interweave between the three stories in each book and between the two books. This is such a fun idea, and it’s interesting to see the different writing styles between all the different authors.
Both books have Kate Angell writing a story in it, but the other two authors, Donna Kauffman and Allyson Charles, are new to the series.
Kauffman has the first story, Sweet Magic, in The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice and I was a bit concerned. Out of the three stories in this book and the three in The Cottage on Pumpkin and Vine, hers was my least favorite. It was well edited and it flowed nicely, but there was too much repetition in regards to one of the main character’s uncle’s restaurant.
Romance novels are known for their repetition when it comes to the main characters continually wondering if they should be together or talking themselves out of getting together. So I’ve come to accept this, and if an author doesn’t use that storyline in their book I am super happy. Unfortunately, I found myself skimming a lot of Kauffman’s contribution to the story collection.
Allyson Charles’ story, Love Spells Disaster, was a fun nod back to one of the stories in The Cottage on Pumpkin and Vine with handymen being hired to get the cottage ready for the huge annual Halloween party. This time it was just one handyman, Chip, and he was building a maze in Cassie’s driveway.
Charles had a nice amount of nods to the town, its people, and to the previous book. And the sexual tension and sex scenes in this book were turned up a notch from Kauffman’s story.
The last story, Sweet on You, by Kate Angell was the star of the book. She weaved together characters and locations expertly from the other stories in The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice, as well as from, The Cottage on Pumpkin and Vine. You can really see her love and dedication to this series.
Out of all the stories this is the one with the synopsis I enjoyed the most. Lara is curvy and a bit unsure of herself. Jack is the mayor who use to be a hockey player in high school. And although Lara and Jack rarely talked back then, he noticed her, and wished they had. So. Darn. Sweet.
Throw in some sizzling sexual tension and hot sex scenes and it was a wonderful story that had me tear up a time or two.
With cooler weather coming to where I live this was the perfect time to read it. Although with all the magical realism in the book, you may want to wait until it’s closer to Autumn or Halloween. Just make sure to go and buy the book now!
This book contains 3 different books.
Sweet Magic by Donna Kauffman
Abriana “Bree” Bellaluna O’Neill comes from a long line of Bellaluna woman who have a certain magical way about them through the family bakery Bellaluna’s Bakeshop in Moonbright, Maine. Since Bree’s parents spend most of their time on the road traveling now, she tends to spend all of her time with her grandma Sofia. Now that Bree is closing in on thirty, she longs to find her own magic and thus is trying to make the perfect Italian cookie. One day when a tall, dark haired, Greek God walks into the shop Bree is captivated. She offers him an Italian cookie and the magic begins.
It seems Caleb Dimitriou is in town to run his uncle’s restaurant while George Castellanos is out of town with his wife on a long vacation. It also seems that Caleb is instantly drawn to Bree. Neither of these two can explain the strong connection they feel towards each other but they both feel like they need to be with other.
As Caleb starts to realize that there is something wrong going on with his uncle’s restaurant, Bree is around to offer help and the two grow very close. When certain secrets come to life, Bree and Caleb must work together to figure out a solution. It will take the help of family and a little magic for Bree and Caleb to find their happy ending but in the end they get their perfect story!
Love Spells Disaster by Allyson Charles
Sweet on You by Kate Angell
I’m really happy to see a fall-themed book. We don’t get enough of them. What a wonderful time for a romance. I know it’s one of my favorites. What’s also my favorite is anthologies. First, I’m able to finish the whole story pretty quickly, and second, I can often read a new author to me. This time there is no new authors but ones I really enjoy.
Sweet Magic by Donna Kauffman
This one starts it off and I really enjoyed it. It let us know what the whole theme of the book was. It did a great job of setting up for the next two stories. Characters are good I only wish for more of a romantic feeling between these two. I needed more.
Love Spells Disaster by Allyson Charles
I love Allyson Charles books so this was a treat for me. I did think that Cassandra treated Chip pretty poorly but got where the author was going. She finally got her head on straight and figured out what she really wanted. I liked how much she enjoyed Halloween and went all out for it. One of my favorite things is to decorate for the holiday’s so this talked to me. I only wish I could build a haunted house in my driveway.
Sweet On You by Kate Angell
The third and final story is by Kate Angell an author I really enjoy. This one is so well done you won’t want it to end. I have to tell you Jake and Lara are up there for my favorite couple of the year. I just loved these two together. They worked perfectly together. I loved them so much that I want more of the town so I can visit with them.
Summary of the whole book
The book is worth buying. You’ll love the fall-themed stories. It’s full of wonderful characters and not all of them are the main characters. More than one of the stories leave you wanting more of their world. I will say that Angell’s book was my top favorite. Her story was the best written. You could tell right off the bat how much she connected with them. Even after I was done I kept thinking about them. Made it hard on me to start something new.
I enjoyed both Charles and Kauffman’s stories but will admit that Kauffman’s was the hardest to get through. Her writing and I don’t always match.
The three novellas in this book are centered around fall and Halloween. I read Sweet Magic by Donna Kauffman. Sweet Magic was a sweet, charming story with a little bit of magic thrown in…if you believe. The characters of Bree and Caleb fall in love at first sight. They don’t think they can possibly have a future, because Caleb is leaving again. Will there be enough magic in their love to make it all work out? Such a delicious love story. Kauffman never disappoints!
If Sweet Magic is any indication of what the other novellas are like, I can’t wait to read them!
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.
I received an ARC for an honest review
What a wonderful story by Donna Kauffman! This time, we were transported to Maine close to Halloween time. Bree is a baker gifted with a little Bella Luna magic, it’s her birthright. In walks Caleb, and it’s as if she is truck with magic! A beautiful love story comes together that I just did not want to end! I am left craving more tales of the wonderful charecters based in this sweet town in Maine!
This review is only for Sweet Magic by Donna Kauffman. I received an ARC through Netgalley.
Great chemistry, romantic, and fun dialogue. Abriana “Bree” and Caleb make the perfect couple. Even though this is a novella, they take the time to really get to know one another and the relationship doesn’t feel rushed. I also enjoyed their respective family members as supporting characters. This story is well-written and engaging. I highly recommend this novella, as well as anything written by Donna Kauffman.
Halloween is a favorite holiday of mine. I was very happy to find this holiday anthology entitled The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice. The stories in this book all center around a small town in Maine called Moonbright. This town is known for all its Halloween festivities which bring big crowds every year to help celebrate Halloween. The main attraction is their grand Halloween Parade. The stories have been written by Donna Kauffman, Allyson Charles and Kate Angell.
In the first story, Donna Kauffman’s Sweet Magic, the reader is introduced to Bellaluna’s Bakeshop. The Bellaluna women traditionally had the ability to bake a touch of “love magic” into their special Italian cookies. Heroine Adriana Bellaluna O’Neill thinks she doesn’t have the family magic touch until Hero Caleb Dimitriou tries one of her Italian cookies.
The next story, Love Spells Disaster by Allyson Charles has heroine Cassandra Hie taking the magic Italian cookies from Bellaluna’s Bakeshop to her office for her boss who she has decided is the perfect “steady” partner for her. After hero handyman Chip Gneiss saves Cass from choking on one of the cookies he helps himself to the other “magic” Italian cookie.
In the final story, Sweet On You by Kate Angell heroine Lara Shaw shares the “magic” cookies with hero Mayor Jack Hanson. Here’s where the reader gets to enjoy all the fun and excitement of the grand Halloween Parade.
I really enjoyed reading all three stories. The main characters were very likeable and the stories had fun storylines. Fans of small town romance and Halloween will love this anthology!
The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice
What a delightful read, I did not know the book had a trio of stories and I was pleasantly surprised.
Each story took on a life of its own. I love to read about small towns and their annual traditions. The small town life seems so easy going and carefree.
The trio of stories bringing three couples together to find their happiness and eventually fall in love was so full of events. Each character was different in their own way.
Moonbright’s favorite holiday Halloween was the center point of this book. With the annual Halloween parade where the entire town participated and fun was had by all even myself as the reader.
Also a plus was the recipes, I love to bake and I will be trying out the recipes.
I love breaking the spooky and thriller reads with some cozy Fall ones too. This series is great for that. This is the 2nd book in the series and I loved it.
The stories revolve around Halloween, are based in Moonbright, Maine and involve its residents. There is a Halloween tradition of some sort involved as well. It’s almost like a Hallmark Halloween Town type atmosphere.
This is a perfect Fall read. Three novellas full of Halloween fun, witty and charming humor, a little magic and lots of fun-loving romance.
After reading the synopsis, I was ready to visit the delightful Maine town where autumn, Halloween, a bakeshop, and a little magic sounded perfectly enchanting. Disappointingly, this was just not for me. As a seasoned reader, there was little in the setting, atmosphere, characters and their situations to find engaging.