Callie and the Pumpkin Seed

Autumn Fairy Tales

De: Sarah Beran

Narrado por: Tawnya Rollingson

She’s a baker struggling to support her stepfamily. He’s a prince running from the biggest decision of his life. Can their friendship result in something sweet, or is it a recipe for disaster?

Calliope Cendrillon wants nothing more than for her bakery, “Sweet Pea’s Pumpkin Perfections,” to start turning a profit. After her father’s sudden death left her family in dire financial straits, Callie’s infamous pumpkin treats are the only thing standing between protecting her father’s legacy and losing it all.

When Ever, one of Callie’s new regulars, presents her the chance to cater treats for the prince’s Choosing Ball, it’s an offer she can’t refuse. But Ever has secrets he’s been hiding, and when her attendance and premature exit catches the eye of the prince, Callie finds herself participating in a series of unconventional tests. Trying to find a girl using her slipper was unbelievable enough, but finding a worthy princess using a pumpkin seed? That takes the cake.

When a single pumpkin seed has the power to change Callie’s future, will she be able to cater to her heart? Or will her dreams of true love burn to a crisp?

“Callie and the Pumpkin Seed” is a retelling of Cinderella with a side of Princess and the Pea and is part of the “Autumn Fairy Tales,” a collection of eight cozy retellings of your favorite fairy tales. Each book can be enjoyed in any order, so grab your favorite pumpkin treat and “fall” in love with the romance, pumpkin spice, and everything nice of these sweet and clean novellas!

©2023 Sarah Beran (P)2024 Sarah Beran

Sweet, punny and well told!

I love this author and her use of puns! This story is a wonderful mash of Cinderella and the Princess and the Pea. This is a good, clean, feel good read!

Fun listen

Very fun take on the Cinderella story. Great narration. Loved the new setting of the story.

A delight!!

Absolutely DELIGHTFUL. Cinderella retelling. Kingdom Fantasy (so a fantasy world but no magic) Baker fmc. Charming hero 😏 Cozy. So many fun puns! This was my first book by the author but I cannot wait to check out her other books.

the narrator is absolutely wonderful too!!

A Pumpkin Cinderella

This story is and alternate telling of Cinderella featuring a baker who specializes in pumpkin treats. She proves her worthiness to be princess not only by fitting the glass slipper but by winning the prince's heart as well as passing several tests set forth by the queen. The story is as sweet as the baked goods made by Callie! The narrator did a great job with the story and voicing all the characters.

Cute in premise...

Written in first-person POV, this is cute conceptually but not executed as well as it could’ve been. Between the ‘telling’ writing style and the robotic-like narration, it could get rather dull, and I’d have to constantly remind myself to pay attention. A fiction read shouldn’t be such work.


Baker & entrepreneur female lead.
Small town vibes.
Circle of friends.
Slow-burn romance.
Cheesy banter.
Endless amounts of / and talk of pumpkin.


Overall:
Just a bit too dull for me, and with poor writing to boot. 2 stars.

Audio:
Smooth overall sound quality. Voice was a bit high-pitched for my taste, but obviously this bit comes down to personal preference. She did do well using slightly different pitches for different characters. What could’ve been better, IMO was the robotic delivery.