Choosing one book out of four that are publishing today as a favourite is a bit like trying to pick a favourite child, except, well you know, not really. As you might have noticed from today’s reviews, four gorgeous autumnal romance books are celebrating their publication date today, and I loved all of them. What can I say, I’m a basic fall romance girly! But if I was pushed, I’d have to say The Cinnamon Spice Inn by Harper Graham was my favourite of all four (shush, don’t tell the others!). It just had the perfect autumn book vibe that I’m obsessed with.
This was gorgeous. Cosy, spicy, autumnal, small town, forced proximity, friends to enemies to lovers – I don’t think there’s much else you need to know!
She’s a small town girl who moved to the big city, but receives a mysterious letter urging her to return to her family’s inn which is floundering and needs her help. He’s a flannel-clad handyman who agrees to help renovate the inn after a disaster. They dated years ago and were childhood sweethearts, but it all fell apart when she moved to New York. Now Madison’s returned home and Zach is around to help again, will they get the second chance they’re both hoping for?
Read more: Romance Book Review: CEO Not Welcome by Mandy Sawchuk
I’ve read a handful of small town, autumn themed romances recently, and honestly, this one blew the others out of the water. The fall descriptions were just *chef’s kiss*. I’m truly craving all those gorgeous autumn foods and fall experiences – give me all the apple butter cinnamon rolls and pumpkinfests and cosy nights around the fire on a lakeside wrapped in blankets in Adirondack chairs. The crafting circle of women was a particular highlight too – women of all ages coming together to create something beautiful for the town’s benefit. Sigh.
The only thing that bothered me about it was the miscommunication trope, which isn’t top of my favourites. There was a lot of “just speak to each other!!” going on in my head while reading this, but the story pans out well in the end, and you get the happy ending you’re looking for, so it doesn’t concern me that much!
Read more: Autumn 2024 Mini Book Reviews
This is the first in a series entitled Maple Falls with more books to come – I can’t wait to dive back into this world again with our next duo. The cast of characters was lovely so I’m excited to see which ones crop up again in the next book. I genuinely feel homesick reading this book – despite never living in small town America!
You might remember back in the olden days of blogging, all those many years ago, that I used to receive quite a lot of blog mail – samples, clothing to feature and occasionally books. It’s been a long time since I pursued any of that sort of thing, so imagine my surprise when I arrived back from holiday to find a shiny parcel with this gorgeous book, plus a recipe for cinnamon buns, a playlist, some art and stickers related to the book. It was that kind of jumping up and down excitement! I was lucky enough to have received an ebook copy already via Netgalley, but having this physical ARC is just the icing on the cake.
Also, confession time: the package came with a little sachet of instant cinnamon latte. I am not a coffee person. I don’t like the bitter taste, and it also tends to make my heart race, so even though I love the smell of it (and I do love a good coffee cake), I avoid coffee. But for the purposes of blog photography, I decided to make up a cup of this as a prop…then I thought I’d taste it as it smelled so good. Well, it turns out I like instant cinnamon latte. Actually, I love instant cinnamon latte. And now I’m sad I’ve avoided it all these years. Although give me a couple of hours and I’ll let you know how my heart’s going!
PS: This is just one of four gorgeous autumnal cosy romances that I read as ARCs that are launching today! Check out the reviews of them all below:
Mystery Romance Book Review: A Cinnamon Falls Mystery by R. L. Killmore
Cosy Romance Book Review: There’s Pumpkin About You by Athena Carstairs
Cosy Romance Book Review: You Had Me At Pumpkin Patch by Anita Faulkner
