Pumpkin Spice by Tagan Shepard is a small-town romance with a lot of warmth, a sprinkle of spice, and all the feels of the autumn/fall season.
Nikki Russell is far from smooth, she is socially awkward, clumsy, and never seems to achieve what she wants from life. She hasn’t dated for years and is not willing to put her heart on the line again. What’s the point it always ends up getting broken, because when Nikki likes someone, she falls hard and fast but never seems to be on the same page as her partner. She much prefers avoiding social interactions of any kind. She plans to stay under the radar, enjoy time with her sister and her kids, and dodge any other human interactions. But when a hot new butch turns up in town no matter how much she tries to keep to her plan, Carter seems to be everywhere.
Carter works at the pick your own pumpkin patch and Nikki’s niece is obsessed with Halloween and all things pumpkin. She begs Nikki to help organize the school Halloween festival, hosted by Carter’s Farms. Volunteer weekends with other people are scary enough but the fact that Carter will be there fills Nikki’s stomach with what feels like a million butterflies. Soon Carter realises that Nikki is more likely to fall over or bump into something than actually flirt with her.
But Carter doesn’t seem to mind Nikki’s awkwardness and seems to want to spend lots of time with her. Soon Nikki starts to believe that maybe she isn’t a total disaster and with the festival fast approaching and Nikki and Carter enjoying dates over pumpkin spice latte it seems this holiday is going to be the best one yet.
Writing
Tagan Shepard has a way with words. This author made me laugh, swoon, blush, and cry. The way she writes dialogue had me hanging on every word. The chemistry is perfectly written, and I felt all the emotions jump off the page and swirl deep inside me.
Pros And My Favourite Parts
I loved this book from the first page. The setting is stunning, the characters are gorgeous and endearing and the story is so sweet that I actually hugged my reading device at one point. It’s one of those books that although I’d been reading for hours, and the words blurred on the screen I just couldn’t put it down.
At first Nikki and Carter seem like very different people. Carter is strong, confident, and comfortable in her skin. Nikki is awkward, shy, and has low self-esteem. But as the story progresses, I become conscious of the fact that what is portrayed on the outside is not always the entire truth and Nikki and Carter are very similar.
There are so many unbelievably touching moments in this book, the way the characters interact with each other is so beautifully written that I couldn’t help but fall in love. I was cheering them on from their first meeting and instantly knew that they were perfect for each other. I don’t know who I love more but I do know that I’m head over heels in love with Carter’s arms! Seriously, prepare to swoon.
The secondary characters in this book are amazing. Nikki’s sister Rachel and her daughter Lily are my absolute favourites. Rachel is sassy, supportive and so much fun. Lily gets the same sass off her mum and is delightfully confident and strong-willed.
This is one of those stories that I never wanted to end. I was pulled into Nikki and Carter’s world and didn’t want to leave.
Heads Up
Nothing from me.
The Conclusion
This is a sweet, low-anguish autumn/fall/Halloween read. It’s going to be one that I’ll read every year around this time because it’s perfect. I loved the descriptions of the small town, the warmth from the pumpkin spice latte, and the ambiance of the season. The characters are divine and quickly worked their way into my heart. Nikki is adorably awkward and cute. She has a sweet charm that made me want to know her. Carter is swoon worthy sweet, strong, and kind, she intrigued me and drew me in with her easy smile. I feel like I really know these characters and for me, that is a sign of a brilliantly written story.
Pumpkin Spice left me feeling so warm, it was like snuggling down with a hot drink under a cozy blanket. I devoured this book; I couldn’t put it down. It picked me up, lifted my spirits, and gave me a comforting hug.
If you like low anguish, cute romance with enough sweetness to give you a toothache then this one’s for you. So, get comfortable because once you start reading you won’t want to stop.
Excerpt from Pumpkin Spice by Tagan Shepard
“Oh no!”
I lurched to a halt at Lily’s scream. “What? What’s wrong?”
“Oh no. This is terrible. What am I gonna do?”
I knelt beside her to take her hands. “What’s wrong, sweetie? Are you hurt?”
“It’s all ruined. We might as well not get any of these. How could I have forgotten?”
Now Rachel was kneeling on her other side, looking even more distressed. “What’s wrong, Lily? What happened?”
“I forgot to get a white pumpkin,” Lily said.
I’ll admit—I was confused by that answer. I’d been checking Lily for signs of injury or imminent danger. I rolled her words around in my head, trying to make them make sense. Her mother was much quicker off the mark. She sighed and pushed back to her feet, muttering what sounded like every syllable of Lily’s first and middle names. I was starting to get annoyed, but the middle name thing had been a guerrilla tactic of the women in our family going back four generations. Hearing a middle name in public was enough to make me want to hide.
I stood up, brushing off my knees. “I don’t think those are a real thing. Isn’t it just paint?”
Lily gave me such a withering look that I nearly broke out her middle name, too. “Of course, they’re a real thing. Tinley Bamford has two and they look amazing. I have to have one or I’ll be the laughing stock of my grade. If not the whole school.”
I wanted to argue, but I’d known the Bamfords for too long to doubt Lily. Her mother, Meaghan, had made my life hell when we were in school together. My family didn’t have a quarter of the money hers did, even when we still had the stables, and she never let me forget it. Once she’d married into the Bamford fortune, she’d rubbed it in everyone’s face. No doubt, her daughter was equally terrible. But as much as I wanted to help Lily in her fight against the school mean girl, there hadn’t been any white pumpkins in the field and I didn’t see any on the tables of pre-picked pumpkins for sale.
“I’m sorry, honey, but it doesn’t look like they have any white pumpkins.”
“Actually, we do have some.”
The voice that came from over my shoulder was so smooth and smoky that I prepared myself to see a gorgeous woman when I turned around. I did not prepare enough.
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Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 978-1636793887
Publisher: Bold Stoke Books
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