Rating: 3⭐️
I’m a absolute fan of author Sara Bourgeois and am reading several of her terrific series right now , from a paranormal murder mystery set in a small mysterious town in the Arizona desert (a real favorite) to another unfolding in a witchy town of Cauldron Hollow. So when I see yet another book, the first one in a new series, yes, I immediately pick it up.
Especially when the cover is ablaze with fall colors and elements. Hooked.
That said, I don’t find I was as connected to the story and characters here as I was with the other series. Bourgeois loves a woman who is in the process of restarting her life. Whether it’s because she’s been fired from her job, or because her relationship has gone downhill, whatever the reason, she’s needing a jumpstart to a new stage in her life.
And the plot gifts her with a shop or something from a deceased relative, fill in who it is, and what it is, that allows the woman to relocate and begin again. With new powers. And a familiar.
Here it’s a bakery , a cat familiar, a magical town that leans into its reputation, and Ivy Merriweather returning to Harvest Hollow where Ivy takes over her aunt’s bakery shop, Witchcakes and Nutmeg, the aunt’s familiar.
Of course, soon after, there’s a murder, several mysteries to investigate, and recipes to bake for the next festival.
The friends that Ivy have in town make a nice foundation for the main character to settle into but the slow burn romance aspect is nonexistent here. You can see where the author wants to build the storyline but it’s a real stretch right now.
This is a nice outline at best. I feel her other series have better depth and deeper layering, even at the beginning.
Witchcakes (3 book series)
Maple Muffin Magic
Pumpkin Spice Spells #1
Apple Cider Charms #2
Sugar Cookies Sorcery #3
Buy Link
Blurb
Welcome to Harvest Hollow, where the ovens are warm, the magic is old, and one chonky orange cat has already decided who belongs.
Ivy Merriweather only came back to Harvest Hollow to settle her grandmother’s affairs and decide what to do with Witchcakes. Clean the bakery. Make a plan. Leave before anyone calls it a homecoming.
Then she finds an orange cat sleeping in a proofing basket like he owns the place.
Nutmeg is nosy, bossy, underfoot, and somehow always exactly where he should not be. He is also determined to help Ivy reopen Witchcakes for Harvest Hollow’s fall market, whether she asks for his help or not.
But when Rosemary Merriweather’s signature harvest spice tin vanishes, small acts of sabotage start piling up. Someone makes it very clear that they do not want Witchcakes back in business, and Ivy realizes that her return may have upset more than just the “official bakery cat”.
To save the business, survive the market, and solve the mystery of who is trying to push her out, Ivy will have to trust her instincts, trust her magic, and trust the ridiculous orange menace currently sitting on her recipe cards.
August 8, 2026
Language
English
Print length
106 pages
