This is the third novel in the Dove Pond series. The magical realism series features the seven Dove sisters, each of whom has a special, highly unusual ability.
The third novel focuses on Ella Dove. Ella loves to bake and has an instinct for the flavors that need to be combined in each creation. In addition, anything Ella bakes is guaranteed to trigger memories for you, leaving you lost in the past for a bit.
Ella comes home to Dove Pond from Paris to handle some unfinished business. She's been having the same dream each night that ends in front of the Stewart house - home of her former close friend and family of an ex. Every morning, Ella awakes with a splotch of pink frosting somewhere on her body. She has GOT to do what needs doing, because she can't keep walking around with pink frosting on random body parts. She thinks she knows what her mission is, but she might be a little misguided.
I have enjoyed each book in the series so far. I love the mix of getting to know new characters but still being familiar with the previously introduced characters. The writing is funny and the magical aspects are just enough; not anything over the top crazy. I'm absolutely invested in the Dove sisters and can't wait to read the next one!

This the third book in the Dove Pond series. I read the other two books and enjoyed them so much! I was excited to see there was another book in the series and hope for more to come!

I like reading series books since I already know some of the characters, the town setting and the author’s style. This book has several characters from earlier books. While I would encourage a reader to read the previous books, this book and the other can be read independently.

This book takes place in Dove Pond a small town that has the legend that if the Dove family has seven daughters, the daughters will have a special ability that will show itself as the children mature. I really enjoy this bit of mystical sprinkled into the plots. The gifts are not superpowers, but things that guide people to happiness.

Ella Dove is the main character of this story and one of the Dove family daughters. Her gift is that her baked goods will bring vivid happy memories to the people that eat them. The memories are almost like reliving the moments again. I think this is such a blessing. While I can remember treasured moments from the past, how wonderful would it be to actually relive them!

This is a romance, there is a guy out there meant for Ella, but she is reluctant to accept that fact. From losing her father at a young age, she shields herself from pain by not allowing others to get too close to her. Gray was a childhood friend, and later more than that, but she broke off the relationship since it was getting too real for her and moved far away.

Now she is back in Dove Pond and so is Gray. Will they find each other again and find out if they are truly meant to be together?

Wonderful characters and believable storyline. Characters of various ages, which is always a plus for me in a book.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for giving me the pleasure of reading the advance reader copy, with no obligation to write a review. My review is written freely as a hobby, and is totally my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

This installment of the series didn't draw me in like the first book. I found a few of the characters annoying to the point of not wanting to keep reading. Overall, I'll rate it three stars mostly for the food part - that was great! I wish I liked the story itself more but you can't win 'em all. On to the next book.

Title: The Secret Recipe of Ella Dove
Author: Karen Hawkins
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5

Ella Dove is an acclaimed baker whose desserts spark vivid, cherished memories in those who taste them. A restless soul, Ella goes wherever the wind takes her—but driven by a haunting dream, she’s coming home to Dove Pond for an extended visit. Ella believes the dream is a sign it’s time she confront and reconcile with her mentor, Angela Stewart Harrington. Years ago, Angela falsely accused Ella of stealing her coveted family recipe book, known as the Book of Cakes.

Angela has her own share of amends to make. Her daughter Jules has never forgiven her for divorcing her father, and they’ve been estranged ever since. But just as Angela begins to hope that she and Jules might mend their tattered relationship, a miscommunication turns into a lie that could destroy everything.

Meanwhile, Jules’s son Gray is shocked that Ella, his first love and his first heartbreak, has returned to Dove Pond. But even though he knows Ella is a wanderer and will soon leave, he’s unable to stop himself from falling for her once again. Can Gray find a way to convince Ella to give him, and their town, a serious chance? Or is he once again on the road to a broken heart?

With so much at stake, Ella, Angela, and Gray must learn to accept each other—flaws and all—forgive the many mistakes of their pasts, and trust that love can, and will, always find a way. For fans of Alice Hoffman and Sarah Addison Allen, The Secret Recipe of Ella Dove is a delicious and magical read that will warm your heart and charm your senses.

I did not enjoy this quite as much as the other Dove Pond books, but Angela and Jules were pretty unlikable to me—like really unlikable: selfish and hateful and judgey. I loved reading about Ella and her sisters’ lives and the quirky people in Dove Pond, but I found Ella’s dreams about the giant cupcake chasing her a bit ridiculous, when I think the author might have been going for cute. This was a solid read; I just didn’t like it as much as the first two books in this series.

Karen Hawkins is a bestselling author. The Secret Recipe of Ella Dove is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Gallery Books in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 8/10.)

This was a really cute story about family, grudges, life lessons and baking! Love the little bit of magic in Ella Dove’s story. I would have given it 5 stars except there was too much mention of the Baptist church which is a sore spot since one of those is trying to ban LGBTQ books in our public library right now. 🤬

I've read the other Dove Pond books and this one is pretty consistent with the others. The recipes at the end were a nice touch and I liked hearing about the other sisters (and waiting for their books). However, the whole thing with Ella deciding to stay at the end (which obviously we knew was coming) felt really abrupt to me like it was quickly all tied up.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

This third novel in the Dove Pond / Dove Sisters series is just as enjoyable as the previous ones. This time around we get the story of the sister who is an internet-famous pastry chef, coming home for a short visit in order to (hopefully) resolve some unfinished business with the Stewart family. We get family keeping secrets from family, past romances being reignited, and lots of wonderfully described foods. Plus a few bonus recipes included at the end of the book. Yummy!

Despite their magical abilities, the Dove sisters are not immune to trouble. Ella thought she'd escape her problems by being on the move and returning to Dove Pond only once a year. She believes she can avoid heartache and loss by avoiding love. And that works until it doesn't. The stories and denizens of Dove Pond are so engaging that I don't want to miss a single one!

Ella was the rolling stone of the Dove family. Not one to be tied down to place or person, she finds herself coming home in order to solve the mystery of her recurring nightmare. While searching for answer to that problem, she discovers answers to many other questions in her life.

This is my fourth trip to Dove Pond, and it was lovely as expected. This story had several concurrent storylines, similar to the structure of the other Dove Pond books, which Hawkins tied together quite nicely.

This was a story of homecoming. Both Angela and Ella were returning to Dove Pond. Angela came in hopes of mending the relationship with her daughter, while Ella was hoping to find the root cause of her cupcake nightmares. (Yes, you read that correctly)

As a mother, my heart ached for Angela. She simply wanted a relationship with her only child, and it pained her that there was a rift between them which started with Angela's divorce and departure from Dove Pond and grew due to her friendship with Ella. I didn't think it was so wise of Angela to let a misunderstanding go uncorrected for so long, but it did result in some amusing situations. I was happy to see the bond between Angela, her daughter, and her grandson's grow stronger, and I had a lot of hope for this family in the end.

Homecoming is always an interesting theme, and I liked the angle explored in Ella's situation. She felt a lot of pressure in Dove Pond, the pressure of being a Dove and the expectations that come with the name. Over the course of the story, she did recognize her love for both the people and town of Dove Pond. I liked this part of the story a lot because this town is so charming and has won its way into my heart. I also want to see all the Dove sisters reunited. I keep wondering what it would be like to have them all in the one place.

There was also a romantic storyline at play. I have to give any man who makes a play for Ella a lot of credit because she was so resistant to giving her heart away. She never really recovered from the death of her father and was left a bit scarred by the way her mother suffered that loss as well. Why put yourself out there just to lose it all, that was what Ella thought, but there was a man who wanted to make a life with her. This was a second chance romance (my favorite), and I was rooting for this couple the whole time. They shared a lot of history, and though I understood Ella's fears, I wanted more for her, and this hero was the right person for her to make a life with.

As with the other books, this was packed with warmth, humor, and touches of magic. I adored the rapport between the sisters, seeing Dove Pond through Ella's eyes, her friendship with Angela, catching up with characters from previous books, and seeing Ella finally find a home. This was another wonderful visit to Dove Pond, and I cannot wait to return again.

Karen Hawkins is one of my go to authors for Magical Realism, and The Secret Recipe of Ella Dove does not disappoint.

The Secret Recipe of Ella Dove is the third book in the Dove Pond Series, about seven sisters who have various skills that bring a touch of magic into people’s lives… and couldn’t we all use more of that.

This book focuses on Ella, a social media star and a baker. When you eat one of her baked items you are overcome with wonderful scenes from your past that you associate with what you are eating. Ella is always looking for happiness elsewhere, so when she comes back this time to Dove Pond she hopes it’s a brief visit and she can apologize for a thing she didn’t do and the weird thing that keeps happening to her will stop.

Which leads us to Angela Stewart Harrington, who used to be Ella’s friend, and Angela’s family. Angela wants to be closer to her daughter, Jules, so she too comes back to Dove Pond, but after a miscommunication that Angela doesn’t correct right away, she starts keeping secrets and pulls Ella into these secrets through a bit of blackmail.

Although this may sound confusing, Hawkins incorporates all the drama, love, and story lines perfectly, and leaves the reader with a bit of hope that true love and real magic does exist.

Karen Hawkins' Dove Pond/Dove Sisters series are so enjoyable to read - they're like a Hallmark movie! At the end she has already set up for the next book in the series - about Tay! This is a quick read and a great book for the beach!

A fun story with a bit of magic! I didn't realize it was part of a series when I read this one, but I'd definitely go back and read the two previous stories.

Ella Dove sells her bakery in Paris and moves back to Dove Pond - because some crazy dreams lead her to believe she needs to make amends on a wrongdoing. The story is fun, the characters are intriguing and interesting and the little bit of strawberry frosting is a fun, magical part of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a digital, temporary ARC for my review.

This was my first Karen Hawkins book, and it stood entirely on its own. A charming tale about sisters, misunderstandings, letting go, and a second (or is it third?) chance at love. The characters were enjoyable, with a whole cast of strong women who are finding that no matter your age, you've always got a chance to grow and change and make each person in your life matter. This is a perfect summertime read for a lazy afternoon or evening! And the recipes look amazing!

I'm a huge fan of magical realism and Karen Hawkins is on my list of must-read authors.

THE SECRET RECIPE OF ELLA DOVE returns us to Dove Pond and a story of another of the Dove sisters who has a special gift. Ella's gift is that her baking can bring back a memory so vivid it's as if you are reliving it. She's brought back to Dove Pond because of a recurring dream that results in pink frosting appearing on her body when she awakens, which is causing a lot of concern for Ella (but a fun and quirky situation for the reader.) She believes it's a sign that she needs to right an old wrong.

However, her relationship/interactions with Angela Stewart Harringon - the characters SHE believes she needs to make things right with - were very frustrating, as was her interactions with Angela's daughter Jules (who seems to be the person who really needs to let go of the grudge against Ella). Sometimes it moved the plot forward, but a lot of it felt a bit tedious and weighed down the plot movement.

I did enjoy Ella's character development, as she slowly begins to face her past and how it has affected her ability to hold commitments. Aunt Jo's character adds some lightness to the situation, as this book seemed to have less of a magical element than the others in the series. I would have loved to see a bit more of Ella's gift depicted in the book.

Still, Hawkins kept me engaged and turning pages (as I really did want to know what happened to the cookbook that was lost) and I wanted to see Ella get her HEA. I'll be looking forward to the next visit to Dove Pond.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read the second on the Dove Sisters series by Karen Hawkins. Very enjoyable!

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC. The Secret Recipe of Ella Dove by Karen Hawkins contains mystery, magical realism and romance. This book is the second book in the Dove Pond series. I liked the first in the series and this one was also good.
Ella Dove is a baker and a huge media influencer. She has returned home to Dove Pond. Ella keeps dreaming about strawberry frosting. She comes home to Dove Pond with hopes of resolving her dream about the frosting.
Ella thinks her dream involves the Stewart family and a Heirloom cookbook. What occurs in the story ends well with the conclusion of the book. I look forward to reading more in future about the Dove sisters.

Love a little mystery, magic, and romance in your books? This one has it all! I’ve enjoyed the other books in this series, and this one doesn’t disappoint. I also liked reading what the other Dove sisters were up to.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was my second excursion to Dove Pond, the first was via “A Cup of Silver Linings.” Put together a storyline based on baking and magical realism, and I was hooked. The common themes between these two books are the paranormal abilities of the Dove sisters, stubborn personalities and conflict based on miscommunication.

The current Dove family consists of seven sisters who can trace their roots to the town founders. It seems that whenever a generation has seven daughters, they exhibit a variety of special (paranormal) gifts. This novel focuses on Ella, a baker who creates delicious baked goods that evoke cherished, feel-good memories. Based on her talent and savvy marketing, she has become a successful, internationally known social media star, but as a free spirit who never stays too long in one place, she has never had a committed relationship.

Reluctantly, Ella returns to Dove Pond based on a troubling dream that seems to relate to a conflict she has with the Stewarts, another well-established family in town. Falsely accused of stealing an heirloom cookbook, she is determined to convince the matriarch of the family that she is innocent. What ensues is a protracted story that ends well with the conclusion of the book.

I enjoyed the character development of Ella, her assistant, Tiff, and Aunt Jo. The relationships between Angela Stewart Harrington, Jules Stewart, and her sons, Gray and Mark, were fraught with deception and meddling; it made for interesting and sometimes frustrating reading. My biggest concerns were the pacing, which was agonizingly slow at times, and a story that was too drawn out.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

This was a good book that I quickly read through. It was good and it kept me wanting more, which was good to get lost into. It was a good book.
I just reviewed The Secret Recipe of Ella Dove by Karen Hawkins. #NetGalley
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Ella Dove, an amazing baker and media influencer queen, has returned home to Dove Pond. I love the small-town feel of this book. Friends, family drama, and a touch of magic pulled me in from the first page and I didn't want to put the book down. I'm loving the Dove Pond series. I'm truly hoping for another book in this series to come soon. Thanks to author Karen Hawkins, Galley Books, and NetGalley for this enjoyable read. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.