Nicki works in the accounts field in Virginia and views herself as a plain Jane who can't be successful in a relationship. She lives in a cabin near her sister, Rachel, who is going through a divorce. They help and support each other with whatever they need. When Nicki meets adorable butch Carter at the pumpkin farm, Rachel encourages Nicki to talk with Carter.

Carter has moved to Virgina from the Pacific Northwest where she lived with a girlfriend in a yurt in a sustainable environment. Carter is also the family name, but Carter has taken that as her adopted first name since she does not like her first name and won't reveal it to other people.

Nicki and Carter start running into each other at the local bakery/coffee shop and start getting to know each other over pumpkin spice lattes and pastries. Nicki asks Carter to take it slow as they begin to develop a friendship. This eventually turns into more.

The relationship between Nicki and Carter was solid with no conflict. Then all of a sudden as the book approached the end disagreement arose. It almost felt fabricated and not keeping with the context of the other eighty percent of the story. 3.5 stars
  
I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Pumpkin Spice is a feel-good Holiday romance set in a small town in Virginia. The protagonist, Nicki Russel, is a thirty-something woman working in the financial department of the University of Virginia. She lives in a cottage alone, but her sister Rachel lives right next door. Rachel is divorced, with two lovely and funny children – Lilly and Blake. Nicki and Rachel have a close relationship and can always lean on each other. Visiting the local pumpkin event with Rachel and her nephews, Nicki meets the hot new butch in town – Carter. Carter's parents own Carter Farms, where they will be hosting this year's Halloween festival. Being the clumsy, awkward woman she is, Nicki volunteers to help with the preparations for the festival, earning herself a chance to befriend Carter. Despite her crippling fear of rejection, Nicki gathers the courage to ask Carter on a date. Will the two women find a shared love language, or will their past experiences in love get in the way?

I don't typically read romance novels, but this one blew me away. Reading Pumpkin Spice melted my cold heart and made me believe someone would love me in all my damaged glory. Nicki is a relatable protagonist. Before she met Carter, she hadn't dated in a while, and her last relationship was a disaster. Whenever Nicki is with Carter, she either trips or drops something, but Carter does not look down on her. During one scene at a Haunted house at Carter's Farms, Nicki attempts to fake being scared and fling herself into Carter's arms only to fall and hit her head against a chest. She almost suffers a concussion. At first, I was apprehensive about the author overusing Nicki's clumsiness, but that was not the case. As a clumsy girl myself, I had to laugh and nod emphatically.

I loved Nicki and Carter's dynamic. It felt raw and realistic, and I desperately wanted them to remain together. Carter seems like she will be the braver one in their relationship, but her stoic appearance is flimsy. While spending more time with Carter, Nicki realizes that Carter is more reserved than she initially appeared. Carter never tells Nicki her first name and only vaguely tells Nicki about her ex-girlfriend. Nicki is so head over heels that she does not register Carter's hesitation about completely opening up to her. I liked how Nicki and Carter had internal struggles, which eventually became a problem in their relationship. The third act conflict of the novel was believable and expected. The two women knew that to preserve their relationship, they would have to have a serious conversation and lay all their cards on the table.

I would classify Pumpkin Spice as a slow-burn romance. There is only one spicy scene, for anyone wondering. It is such a wholesome, funny, and sweet book. It made me laugh out loud and giggle so many times. It is now one of my favorite romance novels.

Thank you Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for the free review copy!

Todays the first day of fall, and I live in New England. (Massachusetts) This was a perfect cozy and heartwarming read. I am part of the LGBTQ+ community and the representation was beautiful.
I also love pumpkin spice just as much as the main character does, so it’s perfect for me.




Thank you to Tagan Shepard, Bold Strokes Books, and Netgalley for an ARC to review in exchange for an honest review.

This was a sweet read to get you in the mood for Fall and Halloween.

Nikki Russell is an accountant who is shy and full of self doubt. Carter had recently moved back to Virginia to help out on the family pumpkin farm.

There is a lot of fun teasing between these two main characters and with Nikki’’s sister snd niece. The romance was a slow burn and had a HEA ending.

ARC received from Neg Galley for an honest and voluntary review.

Pumpkin Spice and everything nice!
Nikki and Carter have both been spurned from the idea of relationships, but after a meet cute at Carter's family pumpkin patch, their romance begins. Add in some forced proximity, a sister who just gets it, and apple pie moonshine, and you have a recipe for a fantastic romance.
This book was the perfect start to my fall TBR. It was a cute and cozy romance with characters who are all adults (why is this such a rarity, I love it). The feelings are raw and real. The characters made me laugh and cry. The spice is spicy.
Overall, I couldn't think of one thing to make this book better.

I received an ARC of this book for review consideration but all opinions are my own.

Saying that, I wish it was better than it was. It was okay, but I didn’t quite like how the characters and ending were handled.

The book is about a small-town lesbian who doesn’t date and a new hot butch that rolled into town after moving from California to help her parents with their pumpkin patch. After a few run ins, Nicki has a crush and is oblivious about how Carter, clearly, feels the same way.

It was okay. It was very much Hallmark for the gays, which I appreciate. We need more of this. However, I was bored most of the time. I really think the story just needed some rearranging and deeper dives into the characters, especially the main character.

I think that Nicki is supposed to be a stand in name for a y/n, but it leaves her feeling…plain. Yeah, she has a job and likes pumpkin spice lattes, but what else does she really like? Her family, sure, but that’s a lot of people. She had a couple of bad relationships, but so what? That’s supposed to be one of the main issues that she’s perpetually single, but we barely see why. (I have a feeling the author MAY make another book centered around Christmas time as Nate’s brother opens a Christmas Tree farm near the end, but maybe not. Hopefully this would answer this issue.)

For carter, I think she’s mostly well rounded, but I wish we would’ve seen some of her stubbornness throughout the book.

As for the ending…the turning point or issue happened too late. There was absolutely no conflict until the very end and I really think it needed to be moved forward some. It left the resolution feeling a bit rushed.

All in all, it was fine. Not great. I thought the ending was cute, tho

This was my first book by this author and I enjoyed it a lot.

Nikki Russell is a 40 year old homebody who loves her sister along with her niece and nephew. She also lives next door. She's an introvert who hasn't done well in the past with relationships. That is until she goes to pumpkin patch and meets Carter.

We don't get Carters pov as this is all in first person which isn't my favorite. Carter just moved to help our her family's farm and meets Nikki.

Nikki is clumsy and accident prone, which Carter seems to find adorable. They have a few mishaps while they start to date and this book is low angst which was nice.

I loved the bond between Nikki and Rachel and how close they were and I adored Lily, the niece who reminded me a lot of my own niece.

I highly recommend this book. Perfect read to get ready for fall and Halloween.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

<b> Thank you to Tagan Shepard, Bold Strokes Books, and Netgalley for an ARC to review in exchange for an honest review. </b>

Nicki Russel has a fairly average life for a single, almost 40-year-old, lesbian in a small town in rural Virginia. Generally, she goes to work, avoids anyone who isn't her sister, niece or nephew and repeats. But when her sister's divorce forces her to take a more public role in her niece and nephew's life (filling in when her now single-mom sister needs help) Nicki is pushed outside of her comfort zone and forced to explore all the things she's been hiding from. -- Carter (she goes by her last name only, thank you very much), has just emerged from a long-term relationship, taken a step back from her work and is helping out during pumpkin season on her parent's new farm. She too is trying to figure out what it is she wants in life and where she's going from here.

Things I liked:
- Both characters are around 40. They've both made plenty of life choices that didn't pan out for them as they had hoped and are both "licking their wounds". It was nice to see that "coming of age" feel for older characters - not everyone get their life together in their 20s and even if they do, that doesn't mean you're not trying to reinvent yourself in your 40s all over again. I liked that this is shown in this book.
- the town and all side characters were well fleshed out and written.

Things I didn't love:
- Nicki is very insecure about what she wants romantically. It's fair she's been burned in the past.... she spends a lot of the book on this "does she like me"/"oh I'm awkward and a clutz"/"she can't like me" merri-go-round. I wish some of that had been done in such a way that we learned more about her past relationships instead of them remaining sort of vagueish failures (for example: her last relationship partner doesn't seem to have a name and is just referred to by her educational designation).
- Overall the story was cute but it just didn't carry a lot of staying power for me. It feels like one of those books I'd pick up again in a few years, forget that I'd read it, and then remember once I hit Chapter 2.


Stars: 3.25/5 (rounded down to 3)
Steam: 2/5

This book is unbelievably cozy and heartwarming. It feels like reaching the center of a corn maze while drinking cider with your partner. So incredibly fall to its very core.

Nicki is lovable, funny, and super insecure. (And I’ve never related to character as much as when she describes her thoughts on Reese’s peanut butter cup shapes!) Carter is charismatic and supportive. They couldn’t be more perfect for each other.

There are so many things to love about this book. The characters all feel so relatable. Everyone has their own problems that they’re dealing with while still trying to support each other. The small town setting is charming along with the accompanying nosey neighbors. And who doesn’t adore a precocious third grader who’s a total boss?

Overall this book is amazing and I’m going to recommend it to everyone I know!

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Perfectly named, this is a sweet romance with a smidge of spice. It is feel good story, with two characters that don’t fit a specific mold. Nicki Russell loves her small town and being her niece Lily’s hero. Yet she has big insecurities and lacks confidence in herself. She’s never sure if she’s enough. As Halloween approaches Lily insists on going to the pumpkin patch and there Nicki meets Carter.

Carter seems like a confident, strong butch, but her past has made her leery. When Nicki volunteers to help with the school fall carnival being held at the pumpkin patch their paths are going to cross often. This is a cozy read that made me care. I love that Nicki’s sister is always ready with a glass of wine and to share real feelings. And her aunt relationship to Lily is adorable and so real.

I enjoyed this book very much. It helped to have a pumpkin spice muffin while I read. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.. (4.5 Stars)

This is the sapphic, holiday, hallmark movie style romance of my dreams. Loved it so much!!! I’ve never read anything else by this author, but I will for sure be reading more of her work now. Such a great, cozy fall read.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this love story. The story drew me in from the start and gave me a warm fuzzy feeling reading it. It is low angst, although one of the MC’s certainly has a lot of anxieties about her life, particularly her love life but it has been written in such a way as not to bring the storyline down and while the story is told through her eyes Nicki comes to realise that she wasn’t the only one with anxieties.

There is a lot to smile about in this book as it is filled with a lot of likeable characters with great dialogue. The book is well written, has good pace and balance including the love scenes which have just enough ‘spice’ to suit this book.
I’ve never tried pumpkin anything but by the time I’d finished reading it I wanted a spiced pumpkin latte!! This book was released at the right time of the year. This is only the second book by Tagan Shepard I’ve read but I’ll certainly be reading more.

Thanks to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for the ARC - this is my honest review of this book.

This is a very sweet F/F love story, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love the characters, the tropes are sweet and well done, and there's enough backstory to make the characters believable. It's a super quick read that should be on anyone who loves fall's reading list.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC I received.

Just like a pumpkin spice latte this book is sticky sweet, satisfying, and leaves you with a little bit of a buzz. This was my first book by Tagan Shepard but will not be my last. She has officially been added to my To Read list!

Right off the bat the first thing that caught me was the humor. Dry, witty, not overly in your face like a lot of romcoms can tend to be… just overall very well done. Even though this book is presented from Nicki’s perspective you get a clear sense of who Carter is as a person and they have two distinct personalities and presence throughout.

Besides the humor I also very much enjoyed the chemistry and budding feelings between these two. The last half of the story flowed nicely with both personal growth and the growth of them as a couple and I found myself finishing the book with a smile on my face. Oh and *minor spoiler* when Carter finally tells Nicki her first name I may have teared up a bit. Not that the name itself was a big deal but the scene in general and what the revelation meant to both characters was very poignant.

Overall a very satisfying start to my favorite season (Fall) and I will be looking up Tagan Shephard’s other books to devour! 4.5 stars

I received an ARC from Netgalley and my opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley, publisher Bold Strokes Books, Inc, and author Tagan Shepard for providing an ARC in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
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One thing to know about me: I freakin' love pumpkin spice. The last week of August each year will find me perusing the grocery store aisles, searching for the early appearances of my favorite seasonal treat. Apple cider is great, peppermint is good too, but nothing compares to pumpkin spice. So when I found this book that's titled after every white girl's weakness, and is a sapphic romance, and is a small town romance, and is a country-girl romance, and is a slow burn romance... I was freakin' sold.

This was a cute, easy, and fun read. At times, the main character, Nicki, got on my nerves. She's very quirky and clumsy and even ends up cracking her head open and possibly concussing herself at one point. It felt very Bella Swan and 50% of her accidents could have been removed from the novel and the story wouldn't have suffered for it. I do appreciate, and maybe this is just me reading too far into things, that she seemed to be possibly ADHD-coded. Clumsiness, forgetful, having a strong need for routine but a difficulty adhering to routine, being impulsive at the worst possible times... all felt very ADHD to me, and I liked seeing that in a character. I just wish she'd been less of a walking danger zone. The number of trips, falls, dropping of items, spilling of beverages felt like overkill.

Carter, the love interest, was positively dreamy. That's it, no notes. She's not perfect or a Mary Sue, but she does her best while wearing her Carhartt jacket and chopping wood and selling pumpkins. It was sweet how she showed patience and grace to Nicki, even while Nicki was trying to self-sabotage the relationship before it even started. We could all be so lucky to have someone be that gentle with us.

This one was a 3.5 star rounded up. The third act almost-breakup prevented this from being a four star book for me, because I'm not a fan of that trope at all; I find it to be lazy and create tension that lasts only a few pages. I expect that trick out of my heterosexual romances, I have higher hopes for the LGBTQ ones.

Tagan Shepard did the thing!

As an avid Pumpkin Spice lover this title drew me to it. I didn't bother reading the description because I just wanted to go into this Pumpkin season without expectations.

I was blown away at the pumpkin theme turned romance throughout the whole book. I was drawn to Nicki and Carter at their instant connection and continued laughing and feet kicking throughout the book.

Both characters seemed very opposites attract but in such a better way. As a Fall/Halloween lover I really enjoyed the book. I loved the extra characters sprinkled in and it really added depth to the story.

And bonus points for a hilarious Haunted House scene! Loved it and laughed through it

Great Job! Loved it!

This story follows Nicki, a financial accountant for UVA who finds herself roped in by her niece to help with running the Fall Festival with several of the other moms. Naturally, Nicki ends up being the only school representative to work with the local vendor, who happens to be gorgeous flannel wearing farmer, Carter, that Nicki may have a crush on. Lucky for her, the feelings seem mutual.

This was a fun, cozy fall read. A large part of the book is set during the month of October and has all of the fall feels. Leaves changing colors, pumpkin patches and haunted houses, and of course pumpkin spice everything. I really enjoyed that this was a low angst book, despite Nicki being anxious and insecure. Both characters were endearing and I enjoyed watching their relationship grow, and Nicki trying to "accidentally" fall into Carter's arms.

What I really like about this story is that a good chunk of it takes place after they get together and focuses on how to build a healthy relationship together. Too many books for my liking stop right after the "I love you" and doesn't explore the characters navigating the changing dynamics or discovering new pet peeves or disagreements. I like that this story went beyond the "I love you" and left the romance feeling really solid and resilient, for me to believe the HEA.

All in all, this was a cute and fun fall read. I recommend it for fans of romances and those looking for cozy fall reads.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review

"Pumpkin Spice" is an absolute hilarious story that had me captivated from the very first chapter. It's a heartwarming and uproarious tale that flawlessly captures the essence of cozy fall and the enchantment of pumpkin spice season.

Nicki is a character you can't help but root for bless her heart. Her endearing clumsiness and relatable imperfections make her incredibly endearing. From the moment she stumbles into the story, it's clear that she's going to take us on an extraordinary journey.

What pleasantly surprised me was the plethora of laugh-out-loud moments throughout the book. Nicki's witty and humorous dialogue kept me in stitches, and her interactions with her family, especially her sister Rachel and niece Lily, were a delightful blend of funny, warm, and loving. It's a testament to the author's skill that they could infuse so much humor into the story while also touching on deeper themes.

The chemistry between Nicki and Carter is simply beautiful. Their relationship feels organic and genuine, and it's impossible not to root for them as they navigate the ups of falling in love. They truly are the perfect match for one another, and their budding romance is a joy to witness.

As the story unfolds, you'll find yourself immersed in the charming world of pumpkin patches, Halloween festivals, and the irresistible allure of pumpkin spice. It's a delightful reminder of the beauty of the autumn season and the power of unexpected love.

"Pumpkin Spice" is a must-read for anyone looking to dive into a, laugh-out-loud, and thoroughly enjoyable story. Nicki and Carter's journey will warm your heart and leave you with a smile on your face. This book is the perfect companion for a cozy fall evening, a pumpkin spice latte in hand, and a heart ready to be enchanted. Don't miss out on this delightful seasonal read! Seriously, I am not sure if the author was going for a story with so much fun dialogue (think Gilmore Girls wit) but I loved everything about it.

Really enjoyed the cozy autumn vibes in this small town romance. I loved watching the relationship build between Nicki and Carter. From meeting at the pumpkin patch to running into each other at the coffee shop to finally working up to dating. Just a really nice romcom that will be a perfect read for everyone this fall.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Pumpkin Spice to come out October 10, 2023.

I absolutely loved this story i give it 5 stars. I liked the fall vibes of the story pumpkins and the autumn setting. I read this book in a whole night. I havent heard of Tagen shepard before but ill absolutely be reading more of her books.