Pumpkin Spice & Poltergeist

Maple Hollow, Book 1

De: Ali K. Mulford, K. Elle Morrison

Narrado por: Nikki Grey, Bridget Bordeaux, Jake Bordeaux

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 Hollow is more than just a gimmick. Real magic lives here. But after run-ins with vampires and one too many grave cafe blunders, she's ready to hop on a broomstick and fly out of town. Until she finds herself falling under the spell of the enchanting witch who asks her on a date.

As sparks fly and cauldrons bubble, will this unlikely pair brew up a love potion that defies the ghostly odds? Or will Jordyn's shade-y ex be the ultimate buzzkill to their budding romance?

Grab your broomstick and buckle up for a cozy sapphic paranormal rom-com that's sure to cast a spell on your heart this fall season!

©2024 Ali K. Mulford & K. Elle Morrison (P)2024 Ali K. Mulford & K. Elle Morrison

Loved and want more

Was hooked by the title and loved it even more as each chapter progressed.

Sweet, Spicy, and a Little Bewitched

⭐️ 4/5 story | 3/5 spice

We picked this one for our October book club, and it was the perfect cozy-spooky pick for fall! Think Gilmore Girls meets the Disney version of Practical Magic — equal parts sweet, silly, and just a touch witchy. It’s like a big bowl of Halloween candy: a little too sweet, but in the best way.

Harlow, new to town and staying with her sister who runs the local coffee shop, quickly realizes Maple Hollow isn’t your average small town. Vampires, witches, demons, and other mystical beings roam the streets — and humans are definitely the minority. The result? Endless charming and funny encounters as Harlow tries to settle in.

Meanwhile, Jordyn — a heartbroken witch still grieving her ex, Lou — gets tipsy one night and accidentally summons Lou’s ghost in a moment of longing. Unfortunately, her spell was way too vague, and now Lou’s stuck hanging around until Jordyn falls in love again. Cue the chaos, charm, and ghostly matchmaking antics.

The world-building is delightful, filled with quirky side characters and a spooky-but-safe vibe that feels like autumn in book form. The spice is moderate (about a 3/5), and the story itself is a solid 4/5 for me — light, fun, and brimming with small-town paranormal charm.

If you’re craving something cozy, a little bit magical, and just spicy enough to keep things interesting, Pumpkin Spice and Poltergeist is your next fall read.

Cute idea, not so great execution

This book had such a cute concept, like a sapphic Halloweentown, but unfortunately it was not it. The whole thing seemed super rushed, extremely inconsistent, and honestly the main characters felt very incompatible. The mystery murder aspect of it seemed like a good idea, but it was all executed horribly and extremely rushed. The book as a whole reads like the authors had a goal of staying under 300 pages and cut a lot of corners in doing so. Also, I feel like if I were a person who just found out that vampires, witches, demons, and werewolves were real, I would have had a lot more questions and not just accepted it as it is what it is and moved on.
I really really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately it’s a no for me. I almost didn’t finish it, and if it were longer I wouldn’t have continued, but because it’s such a short book I just powered through.

Fun Sapphic Fall Read

This story was the perfect length for me, not too long or too short; and overall, a great small town sapphic rom com. I love the themes of otherness, humans vs supernaturals; and of perseverance, working through things when they are tough, rather than running away from problems.

The book is set in a Halloween town of supernatural creatures, with a few human residents. The book switches between the POV of the two FMCs Harlow and Jordan— I had to really pay attention to whether the chapter was “Jordan” or “Harlow” to keep from getting completely lost. Harlow is new to town and a human. She works in her sister Willow’s cafe. Jordan is a witch who runs an apothecary.

Jordan is haunted by the ghost of her ex girlfriend Lou and thinks that Lou will not pass on until she moves on herself by finding a new girlfriend. So begins a romance with Harlow. Lou is, however, only angered by seeing Jordan with Harlow. It becomes obvious that Jordan’s love life is not the secret to Lou’s closure. Jordan heightens her investigation into the truth behind Lou’s mysterious death.

I really enjoyed the setting, the plot, and the romance. I loved Harlow and Jordan as a couple. However, I found Harlow and her sister Willow to be easy to anger and quite judgmental (ironic in a town where they did not want people to judge them for being “just” human). I also did not care for the s*x scenes (this is very hit or miss with me in books), but at least, they were generally brief and done for a purpose. All in all, I still liked this book enough that I look forward to the others in the series!

Fun read

Pumpkin Spice and Poltergeist was overall a good read. It reminded me of Halloweentown, so that was fun.

There were a few spice scenes, giving it a 3/5 on spice level. The subplots were good, and it took some turns I did not expect. I thought the romance was okay. The characters love was better than the last two books I read, but still very fast. I wish there was more character development. Honestly, it just felt like something was missing in the romance piece, and it was slightly cheesy. Some parts of the book were not cozy, and they were in fact intense.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. For a light read. The book was written well, and was fast-paced in my opinion. I give this book 4/5 stars because it was an enjoyable read, and I didn’t feel desperate to finish it - although the ending was not a vibe for me. I would consider checking out the authors other books.

Cute

Cute witchy listen. Medium spice. I didn’t really like the MCs sister and felt that she wasn’t a good older sister. But other than that loved it. Great plot twist and a HEA.

A sweet and spicy spooky romance

I loved this book on paper and the audiobook brought it to life beautifully. The narrators did a wonderful job!

So perfect

The cost vibes were definitely on and it felt like the most normal thing. The world felt so real. I was rooting for them the whole time. Can’t wait for the next one!

Very cute and enjoyable

The actual recording could have been better, but the story itself is adorable and I fell in love with the characters. The ending was heartwarming, the mystery element did have me guessing, and the spice ward there. Worth a credit!

LOVE IT SO MUCH!!

I wasn't too sure about this book at first but I ended up absolutely loving it! I hope there's more! Might have to buy a hard copy now!