I loved this whimsical grouping of three stories that all begin in Bellaluna's Bakeshop. Each is heartwarming, full of family, delightful characters and lovely romance all based in Moonbright, Maine. It is great to read a book and end up feeling good and happy when you are done. This was 'The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice' and I highly recommend it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions express in this review are entirely my own.

I love the concept of this Halloween themed story collection: a small town bakery where the cookies have magical powers. It reminded me of The Good Witch on the Hallmark Channel, so if you like that show this might work for you. I found the writing uneven. My favorite story was Allyson Charles’ romcom Love Spells Disaster. A heroine who loves Halloween reluctantly falls for the handyman she hires to build her dream haunted house. There are no sexy witch costumes here, just an adorable commitment to scary and weird Halloween fun...and attempts at love spells. I personally didn’t enjoy the other two novellas as much, I found them hard to get into. The first follows the granddaughter of the bakery owner, and the last a woman whose boyfriend just dumped her. There are lots of delicious descriptions of baked goods and each story ends with a recipe. I recommend having cookies nearby.

A unique compilation of 3 fun autumn set romances.

Living in Florida where Autumn is non-existent I loved visiting Moonbright, Maine and getting lost in talk of leaves, Halloween and romance. The three authors did a good job in integrated the stories with 3 unique couples.
I received an advance reader copy via Netgalley.

I do not think I expected three novellas when I started this book and was therefore somewhat surprised when the first story ended. While each of these stories were sweet and romantic, I found them lacking in depth of the characters. However, I do attribute a lot of that to the shortness of each story since they were novellas. I was just left wanting with each of the characters. I do wish this town was real because it seems adorable and I would love to visit.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the eARC!

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.

This was a lovely compilation of stories that brought the phrase happily ever after to life in the best possible way. Each tale has a story filled with the holiday spirit, warm characters and magical happenings. I loved the way each author weaved a sweet tale of romance and had magic jumping off the page and into my heart. My favorite of the tales was the story of Bellaluna's Bakeshop and how the young baker tried her hardest to bring her own magic to life. She so wanted to make her magic happen and worried that it never would. When a new man comes to town and has her magic working for the first time she isn't sure what to make of it. The two dance around the feelings that seem to come to life between them and it looks as if things may not work out. Dive in and see if the magic that has come alive between them brings a romance like no other to life. I will definitely be reading.more from each of these authors!!!

This book was THE perfect start to my Fall season filled with everything I love about Halloween mixed with a bit of magic and romance! This book had 3 cozy romance stories each different from the last all surrounding the fabulous town of Moonbright and its little bakery Bellaluna's Bakeshop! I immediately fell in love with each character and the three stories and loved how they all entwined. A feel good happy read I would love to recommend this book to everyone! If you love romance and the fall season this is the perfect read! Loved it!!!!!!

The description led me to believe it was a stand-alone novel. I should’ve paid more attention and realised it was actually a collection of 3 stories all set in the same place.

At first, I was enjoying the Good Witch vibe I was getting. It was about a young woman who is supposed to receive some magic, but doesn’t know how it will come about. But, quickly it all turned into a sexy romance, and I lost interest because the stakes weren’t all that riveting. I thought it was going to be a light chick-lit about some quirky shop sprinkled with a love story, but it was not where this was going.

Not for me, but you might like it.

<i>Sweet Magic</i> by Donna Kauffman
Bellaluna's bakery is run by Abriana "Bree" Bellaluna O'Neill and her grandmother, Sofia. Their family has owned the shop for generations and every year at Halloween, Sofia makes special cookies that can help people find true love. Bree is ready to be the one making the cookies but she just can't get the recipe right but you have to be in love. Sofia thinks that Caleb, who is in town to run his uncle's restaurant business, might be the one. But Bree isn't sure... Caleb is a short timer. Can he really be her true love?

A typical Kauffman book. Regular readers will be satisfied.

<i>Love Spells Disaster</i> by Allyson Charles
Cassandra Hie wants to get married but she wants to find the "right" kind of guy. Someone like her boss, Steve. But then Chip, a local handyman, eats the cookies meant for Steve. Suddenly, blue collar's not looking so bad... plus, he loves Halloween as much as she does.

There was so much time spent on Cassandra changing her mind that not as much was spent on their relationship building.

<i>Sweet on you</i> by Kate Angell
Lara's rent has just gone up and she's in danger of losing her job. Plus her boyfriend recently dumped her. But, Mayor Jack needs help. So he creates a job for Lara, who he is attracted to. And she rocks it.

An okay story but I don't love boss/employee romances, especially if someone has created a job for someone else.

This book comes out August 27th
Three stars
ARC kindly provided by Kensington and NetGalley

These stories are so cute. I want to move to Moonbright, Maine and eat all the cookies while enjoying the Halloween revelry. And I love when authors include recipes for the things they're making you want to eat.

The parade of Halloween 🎃 themed books continues...😂

𝕊𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕥 𝕄𝕒𝕘𝕚𝕔 by 𝓓𝓸𝓷𝓷𝓪 𝓚𝓪𝓾𝓯𝓯𝓶𝓪𝓷 🍬
🌟🌟 - I'll be honest I almost DNF this story. 👎 It had all the ingredients ⬅ (see what I did there 😂) to be a great story. 🍛Magic. 🎇 A bakeshop. 🎂 Great family. 👫 Insta-love, but I found it just really lackluster. 🙈 It bored me. 😴 I wish the author had spent less time on family dynamics and more on developing the romance which was pretty much nonexistent. 👎

The cookie recipe though...YUMMO! 🍴

𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕤 𝔻𝕚𝕤𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣 by 𝓐𝓵𝓵𝔂𝓼𝓸𝓷 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓵𝓮𝓼 🎃
🌟🌟🌟 - I enjoyed this story more than the previous one. 🙌 It was more couple focused, and I really liked Chip. 💕 Cassie, well, her attitude was pretty damn rude and some things she said to Chip were awful. 😠 What he saw in her I have NO clue. 👀 However, she apologized, and they made a cute couple...so I went with it. 💑

Bonus...we get another cookie recipe. 🍪

𝕊𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕥 𝕠𝕟 𝕐𝕠𝕦 by 𝓚𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓐𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓵𝓵 🍰
🌟🌟🌟🌟 - This one was my favorite story of the bunch. 💗 Jack and Lara were both great characters. 💑 The romance was sweet. 🍬 It was suitably festive. 🎃 I loved Edna. 🙈 I just have one question...who the heck was Wonder Woman and Clark Kent??! 😳 Since that was brought up in the first story I assumed that the couple would feature in one of the other two stories, but nope...it is never brought up again. 👀

And as with the first two books we again get a delicious sounding cookie recipe! 🎃

4 - "You had me with that first smile..." Stars!

Review for ~ Bookshop at Pumpkin and Spice ~ by Donna Kauffman

I love a Donna Kauffman novella, they never feel like a shorter story, and you always get the feels, emotions and heart of each character. Bree and Caleb's story was no different, and its filled with yummy baking too.

"Be the magic…"

This novella reminded me a bit of the film Practical Magic, you know the part where Sandra Bullock sees her future husband for the first time, and literally cannot stay away from him after that first zing of awareness, and the feeling is mutual.

The Bellaluna women were a bit magical and mystical themselves…

One lives in Philly and is in town to help out extended family go on a trip of a lifetime, the other is rooted in the town and particularly Bellaluna’s Bakeshop, so how would they make a long term relationship work…

"I can’t predict the future… But I think we both know this feels like it could be a whole lot more than nothing…"

Like Bree’s cookies and cakes this story was seductively sweet, devoured too quickly, and left me with a smile on my face.

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

Three stories set around Halloween was a wonderful and delightful read. As far as "trick or treat" goes, this was more than a treat, it was outstanding and so very enjoyable. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Moonbright, Maine sounds like a delightful place to visit and my first stop would be Bellaluna's Bakeshop! The descriptions of their selections made me want to taste everything, but especially the "magic" cookies they serve to special customers! There are 3 short stories written by Donna Kauffman, Kate Angell and Allyson Charles. All stories end with their HEA, but I enjoyed reading them and finding out how the couples get there.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review from Netgalley and the fabulous Donna Kauffman.

Fall is my favorite season of the year and these three novellas just get me more excited for fall to arrive. The three stories are see in Moonbright, Maine and are centered around the fall festivities near Halloween. There is a family owned bakery, Bellaluna's Bakeshop that the stories all have in common, that has love in the air that offers a little magic from baked treats. Three magical couples that find their HEA. I must say though, Edna was my favorite character out of all them. So, pick up your pumpkin latte and start reading!!

The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice (Kindle Edition) by Donna Kauffman Thanks to the publisher and #NetGalley for letting me preview this book. Three stories, one town, a whole lot of love and a little magic!
I loved these short stories full of laughter and Halloween cheer! You will fall in love with the Characters and the town. I recommend reading The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice!

Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Whimsical Entertaining Great world building Romantic Page-turner Wonderful characters Happily Ever After Funny Easy-to-read

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!

Book 1: Sweet Magic
With the help of missing money, a bit of fate and a bit of magic Caleb and Bree find themselves falling for each other. This was a sweet quick small town story that gave me the perfect ending.

Book 2: Love Spells Disaster
Cassie believes she has found the man meant for her however her head and her heart seem to have a difference of opinions in the form of Chip. The man she feels is all wrong for her. The story was a quick read that gave me a few chuckles a cute love story.

Book 3: Sweet on You
Lara is having a bad day, her boyfriend dumped her, her rents going up and shes going to lose her job at the end of the season. Along comes Jack, Mayor of Moonbright along with a little magic and things suddenly take a turn for the better. This book was written by one of my go to authors when I'm in the mood for something guaranteed to make me smile. This story was everything I expected. Short, sweet and enough humor to get a giggle out of me.

Three stories, one town, a whole lot of love and a little magic!
I absolutely loved these short and sweet stories full of laughter and Halloween cheer! This is one book you will not want to end as you will have fallen in love with the characters, the town, the traditions and most importantly the love stories. I highly reccomend reading The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice!