The Gingerbread Bakery: The brand-new enemies to lovers cozy romance for 2025 from the international No 1 best-selling author of The Pumpkin Spice Café: Book 5 (Dream Harbor)

I bought the Kindle edition so I could start reading straight away. This series is a great, simple, easy read. I’ve been enjoying them at night while feeding my daughter. If you’re looking for something thrilling and gripping, these aren’t the books for you—but if you want a sweet romance story, this series is right up your alley.

A good, solid 4 star read; a second chance romance with a lovely Christmassy vibe running all the way through. Cosy, festive, and just the sort of book to curl up with on a chilly evening. I read this one with a lovely group, which made it even more fun to chat through as we went. While I think The Strawberry Patch Pancake House is still my favourite, this was an enjoyable read and definitely one I’d recommend if you’re looking for something to get you in the festive spirit.

Brilliant I have read all these books - great read love Annie can’t wait for next book.

I was soooo looking forward to this book as the build up through the others were clearly there and I was so excited to hear what happened and read about them falling in love! The first half of their story was rubbish! Not the flash backs as such but the present. Annie becomes unlikeable and you are just routing for Mac and almost screaming walk away! But as the book progresses it becomes a better read with the introduction of a new character and potential next story! Yay I still LOVED all the first 4 books, just not so much this one.

Reading this made me think about my own life and count how long I’d been alone whilst holding out hope for a future. All the old characters you’ve spent intermit time with are there, still going strong spreading there 30 something love vibe. She saved the will they won’t they finale till the almost last chapter whilst spelling it out thickly that they would. I liked the then story development, alongside the present story. I liked the idea of a gingerbread wedding lodge and the barn sounded so pretty and cosy. I kinda now want to read the previous ones to here the mention of these two and the build up. The tried and tested formula of hinting at characters for the next love story happened so Daisy all in black from the florists and Elliot the new architect are ready in the wings. These books are formulaic and cheesy but they hit the spot and keep you wanting more. It feels a bit like the background story to all the characters in the Gilmore Girls’ Stars Hollow.

🍪 Review: The Gingerbread Bakery by Laurie Gilmore Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Get your cozy blankets ready, because Dream Harbor is serving up a major case of "the feels"! 🎄✨ Laurie Gilmore’s latest is a delicious blend of holiday cheer and a decade-long grudge that finally boils over. The Tea ☕ This story features a dual timeline jumping 11 years apart, and the angst is absolutely top-tier! • The Past (A Winter Romance): Eleven years ago, Annie Andrews and Mack Sullivan (then just the son of the pub owner) were wrapped up in a secret, snowy romance. It was all magic and mistletoe until the night Mack stood her up, leaving Annie heartbroken in the cold. 💔❄️ • The Present: Annie is now the town baker and a total people pleaser to everyone—except Mack. To him, she is incredibly stubborn and colder than a frozen bagel. 🧊 • Meanwhile, Mack has returned as the new owner of the pub. He’s surprisingly happy-go-lucky, charming the locals and trying to use his sunshine energy to melt Annie’s icy exterior. 🧔‍♂️☀️ The Drama (The Miscommunication Struggle) 🗣️❌ This is Enemies-to-Lovers gold, fueled entirely by years of silence,avoidance or extreme bickering. The miscommunication trope is the star of the show here: • Annie is too stubborn to tell him how much that night 11 years ago destroyed her, so she just bakes her anger into every gingerbread cookie. • Mack thinks his "happy-go-lucky" flirting will fix things, not realizing Annie needs an apology, not a joke, if only she would let him speak. • Me, reading: "FOR THE LOVE OF CHRISTMAS, JUST TALK ABOUT THAT NIGHT!" Final Verdict: 4 stars! 🌟 A beautiful second-chance story that proves even the most stubborn hearts can melt. I’m only docking a star because these two were too good at avoiding the truth for a decade! 🥧🥂 #TheGingerbreadBakery #LaurieGilmore #Bookstagram #DualTimeline #SecondChanceRomance #EnemiesToLovers #AnnieAndMack #DreamHarbor #StubbornHeroine #HappyGoLucky #MiscommunicationTrope #WinterRomance #StoodUp #BookReview 📚✨

Annie (baker) & Mac (bar owner) get thrown together for a wedding weekend, and the banter is…delicious. 🥯📖 Plot Summary Set during the snow-dusted lead-up to Jeanie & Logan’s winter wedding, Dream Harbor’s sweetheart baker Annie Andrews (owner of the Gingerbread Bakery) keeps bumping into her long-time nemesis—now-upbeat local bar owner Macaulay “Mac” Sullivan. Forced into each other’s orbit by wedding duties (and a towering gingerbread showpiece!), their playful bickering and old grievances start to peel back into something warmer. The story weaves present-day festivities with “then” flashbacks to a formative Christmas, revealing why Annie’s heart has stayed guarded and why Mac never really let go. Cozy town traditions, cameos from fan-favorite locals, and a barn-party wedding at the Christmas Tree Farm wrap an enemies-to-lovers romance in peak holiday vibes. 👤🥞 Character Breakdown Annie Andrews — Beloved small-business owner; civic-minded, loyal, and famously “nice”…except where Mac is concerned. Determined to keep things sweet and under control, even as the wedding weekend (and a certain bar owner) tests her resolve. Macaulay “Mac” Sullivan — The cheerful, needling bar owner down the street; hides long-standing feelings behind banter. Being in the wedding party forces honesty he’s avoided for years. Jeanie & Logan — The couple at the heart of the festivities; their “wedding of the year” pulls the whole town together and locks Annie & Mac into close quarters. Hazel & Noah; Kira & Bennett; Dot — Returning Dream Harbor regulars who supply meddling, moral support, and delicious beverages (hello, Pumpkin Spice Café). They round out the found-family feel and nudge the leads toward clarity. 🎄🧁 Themes of the Book Enemies → Lovers, with Forced Proximity — Witty sparring gives way to tenderness once the past is faced honestly. Found Family & Community — The town rallies (parades, window displays, the barn wedding) to celebrate love and lift its own. Past vs. Present — Dual-timeline moments show how a single Christmas can echo for years—and how forgiveness creates space for new beginnings. Belonging & Vulnerability — Success and competence aren’t enough; the leads must risk openness to earn a happily-ever-after. 🍰📚 Quotes There was one person, however, that her delightfulness simply could not extend to. I’m serious! I will put all my personal feelings aside for the weekend. You called him Old MacDonald all through second grade! You ‘e-i, e-i, oed’ at him every time you walked by! Nothing is complicated. In fact, it’s all quite simple. It didn’t help matters that he was still as infuriatingly handsome as he had been in high school. Those are my specialty, try one. It was quite possibly the best cookie he’d ever had. Damn, Annie, this is delicious. In Conclusion: A sugar-dusted comfort read, The Gingerbread Bakery delivers cozy small-town sparkle, playful enemies-to-lovers banter, and a heartfelt second chance at trust—all wrapped in wedding-weekend chaos and bakery warmth. Annie and Mac’s chemistry feels earnest (not angsty), the found-family cast keeps the vibes bright, and there’s no third-act heartbreak—just steady growth, soft confessions, and a feel-good HEA. Perfect for curling up with something sweet and believing in timing, forgiveness, and a love that feels like home. Read if you like: small-town romance • slow burn • forced proximity • holiday vibes • foodie/coffee shop settings • low drama, high cozy. Rating ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

📖Book Review📖 The Gingerbread Bakery *Please check for any trigger warnings before you start this book. Your Mental Health is important x I enjoyed this book, it wasn’t my favourite in the series but I still very much enjoyed it. I just felt there could have been something more, I’m not sure what it is but there’s just that feeling that more could have happened. It kinda felt like it’s went from them hating each other to being together really fast like there wasn’t much discussion of what happened in the past and how to move forward I enjoyed the dual PoV and how we got to see what happened between Annie and Mac in the past to understand more why their relationship was the way it was in the present, and how they eventually got through their issues. I also liked how it was written and the chapters were short which was great. I did like the story. The dream harbour series is one of my favourite series of all time and I can’t wait to read Daisy’s book. I liked the spice when it did happen, I just wished there was more. A good read that I defo recommend (especially for this time of year) but not my fave as it just missed the mark a little for me Tropes 🏘️Small town 💞Second chance 💋“Enemies” to lovers ☺️Childhood connection 💍Wedding backdrop 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒Found family 👥Forced proximity ❤️‍🔥Slow burn 🎄Holiday romance 💘Opposites attract 😍Happily ever after 3.5⭐️ 1.5🌶️