Moonbright, Maine reminds me of the town from Hocus Pocus. It's perfectly Fall themed and makes me want to curl up with a nice soup and pumpkin spice latte. I really enjoyed the 3 novellas and how they all tied together with the town and fall atmosphere, etc. My critique is that they all seemed too short. I wanted more details and backstory and growth. Bree and Caleb from the first story Sweet Magic was my favorite story of the 3. Bree was desperate to have the magic her family had seemed to inherit which could help their customers find love. Apparently, she couldn't use the magic because Bree herself hadn't found love. Interesting concept that I haven't seen before! I found it really sweet and they had a little bit more drama than I've seen in recent books by the same author so that was nice because it added some suspense to an otherwise very cute story.

"The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice" is the perfect Autumn reading. As the weather turns colder and as you feel the frost in the air, curling up with a cozy blanket, a pumpkin spice latte, and "The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice" is almost perfection.

Comprised of three short novellas, this title takes readers into the charming town of Moonbright, Maine, where magic, romance, and wonder are interwoven. In this town, Halloween is a serious business and is not taken lightly.

In these three novellas we are introduced to wonderful characters who could easily be characters of their own book series.

Delightful set of novellas for the holidays. I love that this is "fall" instead of Christmas. I've said for a long time that we readers get summer novels and then bam...Christmas. This meets that in between need perfectly for when I'm too busy to sustain interest in a novel but want something to read.

This is a collection of Fall short stories centered in the town of Moonbright, Maine. The town goes all out for Halloween and even has a magical bakery filled with delicious baked goods. The cover of this book is so cute and gives all the Fall vibes. I wanted to love this book but I thought the stories were just okay. If you are looking for a few light short stories to get you in the Fall mood this is the book for you.

The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice is the perfect fall read. I didn't realize when I started reading that this book is made up of 3 short stories. My favorite of the 3 was the first one. I loved the family aspect tied up in their love story,

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Three novellas/short stories make up this book. They are all set in a small town Moonbright, Maine. The town and bakeshop are in all three novels, but only figure prominently in the first. After reading the stories, my first reaction was that they really all should have been longer. In the first story, we are introduced to the town where the bakeshop is located. Moonbright goes all out for Halloween, with all sorts of activities and a well-known parade, where all the townsfolk participate and/or watch, and tourists come from all around to watch. In this first story, Abrianna, affectionately know to all as Bree, granddaughter of the bakeshop owner, is grappling with her current life. She really wants a life, complete with husband and children, but just has not gotten around to meeting the right man. In the story, the magic of her grandmother Sophia and her baked foods takes over, and things take a turn for the better for Bree. In the second story, Cassie has her eyes on Sam, her boss, but cannot seem to get him to notice her at all. Cassie tries everything she can think of, to include several love spells, to no avail. However, she may just be looking at the wrong man to pursue, missing the proverbial forest through the trees, and not noticing other men around her, who might just be more suitable. In the third story, Lara, just dumped in a very public place by her boyfriend, is trying to figure out what she should do. To make matters worse, her job is going away, leaving her with no money and not much else. In comes the town mayor, Jack, who hires her as the town event planner, to put the town Halloween parade together—he is tired of trying, with little success and is about out of patience. Lara gladly accepts the position and jumps right in, though time is working against her. Working long hours to make this seminal town event a success, Lara finds more in her life than the everyday drudge of town event planner, working on an event where everyone in town has an opinion on how it should run and what it should look like.

The three stories were well-done, but I think each would have been better as a full-length book. As they are, there is not much time to develop the characters, all of whom are interesting, not to mention the romances. I like the idea of Moonright, a magical town, as the setting, and the bakeshop, also magical in its own way, was a great way to tie the tales together. It was also great to have characters from one story pop up in the other stories, though each story was a stand-alone. These did a good job of tying the three separate stories together. As I said, however, at the end of each story, I felt like I had just been given a glimpse of something that could be far better, were it only longer. Perhaps the authors should write each of the stories into separate books, using the stories as a basis, and fleshing out more about the characters and the town. They could be then put out as a group together. Still, the stories do help put one into a Halloween state of mind, which I know I needed right now, as it is only a few weeks before the big holiday. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

An Autumn-themed three-some of small town romance novellas by all new to me authors that I’ve wanted to try for ever so long was just the thing. While I usually gravitate toward dark and chilling reads at this time of the year, my mood called for these sweeter tasting, gently-paced heartwarming stories with just a pinch of matchmaking magic as one of the ingredients.
Review

As I said, these were all new to me authors and I thought it was neat that they got together and set their stories all in the same small town in Maine with the Bellaluna Bakery at the center of it all. Each story is standalone and separate, but had a nice flow in from one to the next.

The first novella, Sweet Magic, gives the origin to the Bellaluna Bakeshop and the Italian family who inherit a dash of kitchen magic that allows them to help some of their customers find true love. Sadly for Bree, she has not inherited her magic yet because she hasn’t found her own true love. But then a handsome, geeky-looking Greek walks in and speaks her language in more ways than one. Caleb loves to cook and family is important to him just like Bree and her baking and family. But, Caleb’s stay to take care of his uncle’s restaurant is temporary right?

This one was sweet and engaging with a little conflict to give it some spice.

Love Spells Disaster was the second novella and it started off with plenty of spice and conflict when Cassie gets her knickers in a knot that the wrong guy sampled her box of ‘special’ Bellaluna cookies. She’s got a crush on her boss, Sam, who doesn’t notice her and she wants his attention and not the annoying Chip who overhears just what she thinks of him, but still turns up to do the contractor job she hired. Will Cassie see the real opportunity of love under her nose before its too late?

Cassie was a jerk at first and I wasn’t sure if there would be enough to turn things around and sell me on the romance. It was a near thing since I honestly didn’t think she gave enough to Chip for encouragement and it was a novella so I saw it through and got some warm fuzzies in the end for this pair.

The final novella, Sweet On You, turned out to be oh so delectable. Lara is having the worst day ever- dumped by boyfriend and given a raise in rent that she can’t afford by her landlord while working a job that is under-paying her. Fortunately, its Nonna Sofia to the rescue with some magic cookies and a handsome mayor who joins her at her table and gives her a job helping him plot out the town’s big Halloween Parade and festivities. This one was a savory friends to lovers and finished this book strong for me.

All in all, I saw something in each author’s story that drew me into their writing and made me want to grab more of their books. My desire for romance with a fall holiday setting was fulfilled and I enjoyed the cozy, warm quality to these that put me in the mood for the season. Contemporary Romance fans who love the autumn small town settings should give this one a go.

Halloween themes, you have a perfect mix of sweet, sexy, magical and romantic. All three authors hit their lovely stories right out of the park.

THE BAKESHOP AT PUMPKIN AND SPICE is a Halloween-themed anthology with stories by Kate Angell, Allyson Charles, and Donna Kauffman that are all set around the same time period in the small town of Moonbright, Maine. Readers who enjoying reading about this small town, will also enjoy the previous anthology THE COTTAGE ON PUMPKIN AND VINE which includes stories by Kate Angell, Jennifer Dawson, and Sharla Lovelace. I normally don’t read many anthologies, but both collections are loads of fun.

Each story in this anthology has Bellaluna’s Bakeshop play some role in the lives of the featured couple. In “Sweet Magic” by Donna Kauffman, the heroine is Abriana “Bree” Bellaluna O’Neill. Bree is the granddaughter of Bellaluna’s owner Sofia. For Bellaluna women, baking and magic are a birthright and Bree is a little conflicted about her magical baking skills. When Caleb Dimitriou and Bree first meet, the attraction is almost instantaneous. In addition to the obvious physical attraction, Caleb and Bree seem in perfect harmony about everything in life – especially cooking. For Caleb, the only thing stopping him from diving into a relationship is a logistics problem. Caleb only plans on being in Moonbright temporarily and he doesn’t think Bree would leave her grandmother and the family bakery to be with him. For Bree, she worries that their attraction is only magic- induced and not real. These two characters are such sweeties and this story has a fairy tale feel to it. This first story does a nice job of setting up the sweet and sexy tone of the anthology.

In “Love Spells Disaster” by Allyson Charles, office manager Cassie Hie turns to magic in order to get the kind of man she thinks she wants. Disappointed by men she’s dated in the past, and determined not to repeat her mother’s mistakes, Cassie tries to cast spells to catch her boss’ eye. Instead, she catches the eye of handyman hottie Chip. With an inauspicious introduction, Chip is under the impression that Cassie only wants somebody with money or social status. That’s not the case. It’s not so much that Cassie wants someone with money, but she wants companionship and security. In the past, she’s fallen for men who were physically attractive, moochers, and unreliable. Cassie and Chip eventually realize that their initial impressions of each other were wrong and they can’t help falling in love. I like how designing a haunted house together brings this couple closer. This is a good story for readers who enjoy a love story that has a rocky beginning.

I’m a huge Kate Angell fan, and “Sweet on You” is a prime example of why. At the opening of this story, Lara Shaw finds herself at a crossroads. She’s recently and rudely dumped, informed that her rent will increase, and she needs to start looking for a new job. Rather than wallow in self-pity, Lara runs into Mayor Jack Hanson as she’s going over her options. Lara and Jack went to school together and when fate throws them together and has them working together, an old attraction is allowed to bloom. As with the other stories in this collection, the balance between sexy and sweet is perfect and I love these characters. Kate Angell focuses on the main characters and the development of their relationship while still drawing an interesting and touching portrait of small- town life.

THE BAKESHOP AT PUMPKIN AND SPICE is the perfect blend of sexy, sweet, and small-town quirkiness wrapped up in Halloween scrumptiousness. I hope to read other books by these authors in the future, as well as more Halloween- themed anthologies.

The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice is a delightful and delicious anthology of stories by Donna Kauffman, Kate Angell, and Allyson Charles.
Once I started reading I read all 3 in one setting, total page turner and I couldn’t put it down.

Loved it. This is a perfect book for when fall is on the way, in the middle of fall and when we're missing fall. It has all the warmth and richness of the season, throughout each of the novellas, rich experiential details, naturally-grown romances and a sweet setting that feels like home. I love the ribbon of magic that weaves throughout all the stories, and with that magic comes hope that we can tap into something creative and powerful to fill the spaces in any heart. Definitely pick this one up for a, easy, quick read that's perfectly not too sweet but so very satisfying. I'll read more from all of these authors.

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!

Edit to add: I finished the other 2 stories and loved them both! The magic in each one for this small town was a delight to read about!

The perfect fall falling in love story. This book should be read every year right at the beginning of fall to get you into the fall spirits. Three sweet storys all in one book.

This is a sweet anthology with three authors. I asked for a NetGalley advanced readers copy because I'm a fan of Donna Kauffman's worlds. I've never read Allyson Charles or Kate Angell before and I looked forward to that. All three stories are set in a small town who embodies Halloween year round. The holiday itself is a huge town wide celebration with a parade and celebrations.

Kauffman's story, Sweet Magic is about Bellaluna's Bakeshop that's owned by a family of true love magic makers. They imbue love's magic into special batches of cookies they offer to individuals they feel are mates. Her heroine is Bree who has not come into her magic yet, much to her frustration. When she meets Caleb Dimitriou her life changes. He's come to town to take over his uncle's restaurant while his uncle is on his second honeymoon. I loved the crafting of their time together and falling into their HEA.

Allyson Charles' Love Spells Disaster was a sweet story of finding love where you're not looking. Cassandra is turning over a new leaf and trying to get her boring, steady boss to fall in love with her. He's everything opposite of what she's been attracted to in the past. She's desperate enough to try love spells that never work. Handiman Chip Gneiss walks into the insurance office just in time to give her the Heimlich when she chokes on one of Bellaluna's special cookies. He takes time to help her build her haunted house for the celebration. This is a sweet story of finding love right in front of you.

Kate Angell's Sweet on You was a delightful surprise. Lara Shaw is having a very bad day when she gets dumped by her boyfriend, has her rent raised and is on the verge of being laid off of work. On top of that the best costume just went up at the town's costume shop and she can't afford it as she can't pay rent. The Mayer Jack Hansen sees her distress and crafts a job for her at City Hall as the Events Coordinator. He is a few years older than Lara and was the high school hockey star in their youth. He's had his eye on her for years and now is the time to spend time with her to explore their chemistry. I really liked this story and the character Edna Milner almost stole the story with her cranky demeanor and nick naming everyone in town. This was a great story of taking time to look into people's hearts.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. From the publisher, as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it as they do it better than I do

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 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

The book lived up to the publishers description and more. It gets 5 stars from me.

These three short stories all take place in Moonbright, Maine just before Halloween. There’s a special magic in this town, sort of like Cupid’s arrow, that creates instant love matches. Each story revolves around Bellaluna’s Bakeshop with their love enhancing Italian iced cookies as the common element. Nothing special, nothing deep . . . just three lighthearted romances.

This was fun. I love romances and fall, so it was great to find a group of stories that are happy romances that are set in the fall. I know this will be a big hit with my friends who also enjoy sweet stories and lovely fall settings. I've already been telling them all about this one.

I love fall when the weather begins to turn cooler and the leaves begin to change. "The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice" definitely put me in the mood for Halloween. In Moonbright, Maine, Halloween is a huge deal. The shops go all out with decorations in which adults and children alike dress up. There is even a huge parade. The three stories included in this book have lots of Halloween magic and even some in the tune of Bellaluna's Bake Shop where you may be given the magical treats where love could be in the air whether you are ready or not. I loved the stories and the way they tied together. If you like a sweet romance that will have you wanting to get the pumpkins and skeletons out and sit out on the porch with a pumpkin spiced latte, this is a book to read. Even try the yummy recipes included. Thanks to the authors, Kensington Publishing, and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy which I received in exchange for my honest review.

“The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice” contains three novellas about love that are set in Moonbright, Maine, and all are touched with a bit of magic at Halloween. I thought the main (magic) premise of the stories was cute, and the emphasis on family ties in the first story added depth to the plot. I also appreciated that the female main characters were curvy women and highly admired by their men. No skinny little girls here, just mature women! Another plus (no pun intended) is the respect accorded to elderly folks in the stories. Too often they are portrayed as curmudgeons, cranky, feeble or ill. Although the cranky and curmudgeon characteristics are present, they are not the main features of these senior folks. More emphasis is placed on the good they do for others and their community contributions. The setting is delightful and the time of year adds interest to the plot. The stories contain a common thread with the town, Halloween celebration, and characters.

My main objection was the inclusion of so much sexual detail. This definitely demonstrated the passion between the lovers, but I did not really want to know whose body parts were where. The plot and humor of each story was enough to carry the character and relationship development without it. A little mystery and lack of detail is a lot more spicy than all the particulars. I prefer that the writer leave something to the imagination of the reader. And I guess marriage is just incidental and comes after the consummation of the relationship any more. I guess my morals are different. Readers should be warned about the spicy hot scenes in these stories.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

I had the hardest time with this. Starting with the names of the characters, a mouthful. Couldnt really get into it . Not a fan of mulitple stories in one book.