Pumpkin Spice & Poltergeist: Maple Hollow, Book 1

I thought it was super cute! It’s set in fictional Maple Hollow, featuring a diverse human and supernatural population , and gave just the autumn vibe I was wanting to immerse myself in! FMC 1 is Jordyn, a witch struggling with grief, and still feeling the effects of her last heartbreak. There is a spirit that only Jordyn can see and hear at the outset of the book, and her interactions with everyone around her get affected. Jordyn moves through several stages of grief and continues to be surprised at what she learns about herself and the investigation she’s making on behalf of the spirit. And she’s shocked at how quickly she’s falling for Harlow. FMC 2 is Harlow. She’s a human, recently relocated to town to stay with her sister Willow for a little while. She is lovestruck upon meeting Jordyn and quick to spend any available time with her, in spite of herself. As they investigate a murder mystery, their attraction grows, but Jordyn seems to run hot and cold and give off mixed messages. Harlow also manages to find several ways to exasperate her sister Willow as she helps out at the Witch’s Brew cafe. The reason for Jordyn's shifty eyed behavior and instability gets revealed, and Harlow pulls away, re-thinking her feelings and even her continued presence in Maple Hollow. Jordyn is devastated, but ultimately is still looking out for her favorite human. A twist near the end of the story provides high stakes drama and gives way to a swoon worthy HEA.

Disclaimer: I bought this book for Summer Reading Camp hosted by Cassie ( @thick.thighs.thicker.reads ). Support your authors! All opinions are my own. Book: Pumpkin Spice and Poltergeist Author: Ali K. Mulford and K. Elle Morrison Book Series: Maple Hollow Book #1 Rating: 4/5 Spice Rating: 4/5 Diversity: Lesbian FMCs, Pansexual character, Queer characters Recommended For...: Adult readers, Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, LGBT, Lesbian, Halloween Vibes, Witch, Cozy Fantasy Publication Date: July 14, 2024 Genre: Paranormal Romance Age Relevance: 18+ (death, grief, violence, sexual content, romance, alcohol consumption) Explanation of CWs: There is a death mentioned in the book periodically and grief is shown throughout the book. There is some violence. There is romance and sexual content. There are mentions of alcohol consumption. If This Was a Taylor Swift Song: Closure Publisher: Rogue Fables Pty Ltd Pages: 218 Synopsis: Get ready for a bewitching tale of love, laughter, and supernatural shenanigans in the heart of Maple Hollow! The last thing apothecary witch, Jordyn, had on her mind was romance, but when she got witchy-wasted, she cracked open the coffin of her love life and conjured the ghost of her ex-girlfriend. Jordyn is in for a spell of trouble now that the snarky specter is determined to haunt her until she finds someone new. Enter Harlow, the new girl in town, who just wants a job in her sister’s cafe but she discovers that the spooky town of Maple…

"Demons give off more finance-bro vibes. Vampires give off more Victorian-royalty-who-wants-to-drink-your-blood vibes.” "even though it was obvious the werewolf had heart eyes for her...His smile was charming and slow, and I began to wonder if he changed into a golden retriever instead of a wolf." Who can't just think a book with quotes like that is just adorable! This was just absolutely adorable in a small-town, witchy kinda way. Perfect Pumpkin Spice and Fall romance vibes. Jordyn, a small-town witch has accidentally summoned the spirit of her ex-girlfriend and to get the ghost to leave, she has to start dating again. But in a small town, there's not many choices. But then comes Harlow, sister of the owner of the local bakery/coffee shop. And Harlow, bumbling mess that she is turns out to be perfect! My only real complaint is that the "spicy" bits seemed kinda tacked on and in my view could have been left out entirely or played with the door closed. They just didn't fit the feel and threw me out of the warm, cozy of the rest of the book.

I was pleasantly surprised by Pumpkin Spice & Poltergeist. The premise looked promising. I mean, conjuring your dead ex-girlfriend ghost to help you move on is a good plot in itself, but the twist! The twist!! I absolutely loved it. The small town vibes were perfect, and I loved the cohabitation between supernatural beings and humans. I would like to visit Maple Hollow. One of the best feelings when reading interconnected standalones is when the author drops hints of the next book’s main characters. Pumpkin Spice & Poltergeist is a great seasonal read, with a dash of spice, that put a smile on my face.

The book was an easy read. I would consider this a cozy romance/mystery book. Those who rate it on spicy levels i would say 2/5 as it reads more cozy than anything. Would I recommend this book..... yes! Spoiler Alert!!!!! My only dislike was I felt that the plot twist of who the murderer was didn't quite have a build to it or maybe a few attempts at murdering before being found out. It was very much a sudden "I'm here to kill you and I am the murderer all along." I am also curious why after Harlow recovers nothing is mentioned again about how part of the town was uniting over wanting to make the town for the paranormal only and not humans. Is that division still there? Also where was Willow and Harlow coming back from at the end via the car? What happened to Willow and her were-cutie? He was bedside with her and overly protective when everything went down and then nothing mentioned at the end.