The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore is the second book in the Dream Harbour series by Laurie Gilmore.
The Dream Harbor series took social media by storm when The Pumpkin Spice Café went viral. The books are often praised for their pleasing covers and cosy, seasonal vibes. But beyond aesthetics, the stories themselves are a little like Marmite. Some people love them and some people hate them. So how does the second installment in this small-town romance series shape up? Well, let’s take a look at a book review for The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore.
What is The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore About?
Hazel has never been one for taking risks. She’s happy with her quiet life working at the bookstore in the small town where she’s spent most of her life. But as her thirtieth birthday approaches she begins to realise that she hasn’t had quite as much fun in her twenties as maybe she should have.
When secret messages start showing up in the pages of the books in the Cinnamon Bun Bookstore. Hazel takes them as a sign to have more spontaneous fun in the last few remaining months before her birthday. But who is leaving the clues and why? Deciding she needs help with her summer of fun she enrolls Noah to help her out.
Noah is the fun-loving fisherman of Dream Harbor who is always up for an adventure. His summers often consist of dating tourists and he never seems to take life too seriously. Maybe he’s just the kind of guy that Hazel needs for her summer of fun. But Noah has had a crush on Hazel for months. There’s no way he’s going to turn her down when she asks for his help.
Soon the pair realise that they have undeniable chemistry. There might just be more to Noah than a fun-loving guy looking for a fling. Hazel wasn’t looking for love but there’s every chance she’s found it!
Book Review for The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore
After loving The Pumpkin Spice Café so much I couldn’t wait to head back to Dream Harbor. I definitely had a craving to get lost in that wonderful small town once more. Hazel and Noah popped up a few times in the first story so I was really excited to get stuck into their story and see how things turned out.
I thought The Pumpkin Spice Café might be a tough one to beat but surprisingly I ended up enjoying this book even more! Hazel and Noah felt like much more relatable characters. Their love story was even better than Jeanie and Logan’s from the first story. Yes, things move fast which I know is an issue for some readers of these books but I honestly don’t mind.
Hazel’s dilemma and overthinking of her life as she approaches thirty is something that I’m sure a lot of women of a similar age can relate to. I know I can! So that aspect of it felt quite realistic which I found to be a nice touch in a book that on the whole isn’t overly realistic!
The spice in this book hits hard. Whereas most of the spice was at the end of the story in the first book, this is pretty consistently spicy from around 100 pages in. The spice levels have definitely been turned up a few notches here but I totally didn’t mind it. I know it won’t be for everyone though.
Noah and Hazel’s story, teamed with the mystery of the clues makes for a really fun small-town romance novel. I do admit there are faults with these novels, but I’ve been rating them based on how much fun I have reading them, which is why they come out so highly! That being said, I do think this second instalment was better written than the first one.
Although The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore looks very autumnal this book is actually set in late summer and ends in early autumn, so if you’re after a truly autumnal book like The Pumpkin Spice Café was then this isn’t it. However, it does still have those cosy vibes. I read this in November and still enjoyed it as a cosy, autumnal book. It doesn’t necessarily feel like a summer beach read!
If the spice level in The Pumpkin Spice Café wasn’t for you then I don’t recommend reading The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore. However, if cosy, steamy, small-town romances are your thing and you enjoyed the first book, I really don’t think you’ll be disappointed with this!
Is The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore a Standalone Book?
Technically, no The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore is not a standalone book. With that being said you don’t necessarily have to have read The Pumpkin Spice Café to enjoy this book. Some of the characters from the first book do appear in this one and you are first introduced to Noah and Hazel in the first novel but there’s enough context and backstory provided in this book to ensure you can follow the story.
Personally, I would start with The Pumpkin Spice Café though just to get a feel for the series and town. In the first book, Jeanie is completely new to Dream Harbor so you’re sort of following along with her to discover the town and its inhabitants. In the second book Hazel and Noah have been in Dream Harbor a little while so it feels a bit more established.
Is There Spice in The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore?
Yes, and a lot of it! The spice rating has definitely been turned up in The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore compared to The Pumpkin Spice Cafe. It also occurs a lot more frequently. Let’s just say Hazel definitely gets her summer of fun!
I know some people felt like the spicy scenes at the end of The Pumpkin Spice Café took away from the cosy Hallmark vibes so if you felt that way then I’m honestly not sure that you’ll want to read this book. However, if spice is your thing, then you’ll have a great time with this book!
Have you read The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore? Will you be enjoying the rest of the Dream Harbor series? Let me know in the comments!
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Great review