The Gingerbread Bakery, Laurie Gilmore (Review by Kristie Reyes)

This book was everything I hoped it would be and more! The Gingerbread Bakery is book five in Laurie Gilmore’s Dream Harbor series, and I really enjoyed it! If you’re into cozy small-town vibes, holiday romance, and second chances with some emotional tension, you’re going to love this one! In this one we get Annie and Mac’s story and they were sooo sweet together! Annie owns the local bakery (yes, it’s as charming as it sounds), and Mac has just returned to Dream Harbor after almost a decade away! They’ve been keeping their distance ever since a falling out in their late teens, but now they’re both involved in their friends’ wedding and are forced to work together. Cue the tension!!! Annie is strong, stubborn, and very protective of her heart! She’s been burned by Mac before, and she’s not about to let him back in easily, even if he looks better than ever and is clearly trying to make things right! Mac, meanwhile, is such a softie underneath the surface. I absolutely loved getting chapters from his point of view. His pining for Annie over the years had me living!! He’s thoughtful and fully aware he messed up back then! We flip between the present day and flashbacks to the December that changed everything between Annie and Mac. Seeing their sweet, tentative connection back then and how much it meant to both of them gave their reunion so much more depth. It’s very much a “right person, wrong time” kind of love story, and I was rooting so hard for them to finally find their way back to each other! Also, the Dream Harbor setting is like stepping into a Hallmark movie, but with more heart and just the right touch of spice. I loved the cozy bakery scenes, the chaos of the wedding prep, and the little side adventures they ended up on! There’s even a runaway guest situation that made me laugh out loud! If you love enemies to lovers, second-chance romance, slow burn, forced proximity, and holiday vibes, you’ll enjoy this one! I already can’t wait to see who’s next in Dream Harbor! Tropes: enemies to lovers found family small town forced proximity