Name: The Gingerbread Bakery
ISBN: 9780008728090

Laurie Gilmore

As owner of her beloved Gingerbread Bakery, Annie Andrew’s should have a love life to match her business, sugary and sweet. But instead she’s locked in a battle of wills with the irritatingly upbeat bar owner down the street 

The Gingerbread Bakery 

Holly 

Mac blew into his hands again. Annie watched him with a small smile. 

“ Pretend they're never cold. Do they revoke your man card if you admit to being chilly?”

“Love is a funny thing,” the mayor went on. “It's not always big or loud or over the top. Most of the time, it's quiet and unassuming. It's a shared cup of coffee on a rainy day or reading side by side together every night. It's finding the person who gets you. The person who will have your back through it all.”

Spice Level: 2/5 - waaaay toned down compared to previous books 3 scenes light description.

This has def. been a pay off from the previous books. It's very reader serving, and feels like a sneaky story that we aren't really supposed to be reading if that makes sense. The audiobook has interview at the end that explained a lot about how this story came to be, and it's worth the listen.

Annie is your typical nerd, where Mac is your typical jock. This book spends time exploring the trope of jock/nerd fall in love right out of high school. It has a splash of instalove but when it comes to your first romance, who isn't diving in head first, making stupid choices?

I loved how the past and the present are woven together, the light mystery in this one is a silly one, and it gives me 'screen time' to Annie and Mac solving a problem they both thought they could ignore.

Coming back together 11 years later, with unresolved feelings, and the pull of the one that got away / first love it really make the story magical. You know how it's going to end, so it's really just about the quick wit, and moody, stubborn behavior that pulls you forward to the warm and fuzzy everyone wants out of these two.

You'll love this series if you enjoy the small town aspects of a cozy mystery, but want a little spice in the bedroom. Basically how is everyone is this town having amazing spice. LOL

Sabetha Danes

Spice Level: 2/5 - waaaay toned down compared to previous books 3 scenes light description.

This has def. been a pay off from the previous books. It's very reader serving, and feels like a sneaky story that we aren't really supposed to be reading if that makes sense. The audiobook has interview at the end that explained a lot about how this story came to be, and it's worth the listen.

Annie is your typical nerd, where Mac is your typical jock. This book spends time exploring the trope of jock/nerd fall in love right out of high school. It has a splash of instalove but when it comes to your first romance, who isn't diving in head first, making stupid choices?

I loved how the past and the present are woven together, the light mystery in this one is a silly one, and it gives me 'screen time' to Annie and Mac solving a problem they both thought they could ignore.

Coming back together 11 years later, with unresolved feelings, and the pull of the one that got away / first love it really make the story magical. You know how it's going to end, so it's really just about the quick wit, and moody, stubborn behavior that pulls you forward to the warm and fuzzy everyone wants out of these two.

You'll love this series if you enjoy the small town aspects of a cozy mystery, but want a little spice in the bedroom. Basically how is everyone is this town having amazing spice. LOL

Second chance, small town romance. Enemies to lovers. For me I feel like the combination of Jeannie and Logan’s wedding and finally getting Mac and Annie story. I really enjoyed this book. I especially loved the flashbacks and getting to see the story unwind as it happened. However, for some reason, I feel like I didn’t enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the other books and that’s why they got five stars and this one got a 4.5 star. Maybe the pressure was really on the author for Mac and Annie story because it just didn’t hit that five star mark for me. But I do like how she sprinkles in new characters in each book so that she can continue expanding the Dream Harbour universe. 

Leah Diaz 

I feel like this one regressed a little bit but it felt very Christmassy (though that is why I wanted to get to it specifically because it is the season).

It is funny how Gilmore has been introducing all of those semi-relevant people over the past two books so that she can set up later books but they are included in the action like I am supposed to know who they are.

I feel like this one regressed a little bit but it felt very Christmassy (though that is why I wanted to get to it specifically because it is the season).

It is funny how Gilmore has been introducing all of those semi-relevant people over the past two books so that she can set up later books but they are included in the action like I am supposed to know who they are.