Book Review: “Pumpkin Spice Pie-Jinks” by Selina J. Eckert

I’m back with another book review, and this time I’m reviewing “Pumpkin Spice Pie-Jinks” by Selina J. Eckert! This book is the prequel to the “Pie-Jinks” series by the same author. But, you don’t have to know anything about the series before reading it. I didn’t know anything about it being attached to a series before reading this book, and I can happily say that this is one you can read as a standalone if you really wanted to.

Either way, I thought this would be the perfect book to review during the autumn season, since it’s still November and I’ve also read books involving witches and fae before. Here’s a quick summary so we know what it’s about:

“Pie witch Reese always played it safe—until she opened a magical bakery. But running a bakery is harder than she expected, and she finds herself one bad week away from going under. When the town announces a baking competition that could save her bakery’s future, she jumps at the chance to rescue her dreams. But then two mischievous autumn sprites show up on her doorstep, demanding pie and determined to find a mate for their prince.

With pressure building for Reese to find the prize-winning dessert, she starts to question every choice she has ever made. And the sprites have their own agenda, involving nothing Reese could have imagined… including turning her house into candy. With time running out, can Reese distract the sprites long enough to save her bakery? Or will her dreams turn into nothing more than an under-baked pie?”

Plot Development: 4 out of 5

I really enjoyed the overall story. It kind-of played out like a Hallmark movie, except with more fae and magic thrown in, so I think this would appeal to those who really like that type of story. It’s short, but sweet.

This book also does not have a lot of chapters, which is both good and bad. Good in the sense that this means the plot focuses on the main story, but not so great for character development, as I’ll discuss more in the next section. I also wish there was a little more development on Reese and Forrest’s budding romance, though I also understand why there was minimal focus on it (since it’s not a big plot point until closer to the end).

Character Development: 3.5 out of 5

As much as I enjoyed reading the overall story, I wish there was more time spent with developing the characters more. The way the book was set made me feel like Reese didn’t have much control over what was going on, which kind-of sucked in terms of giving her agency. However, she did get to have more time to stand on her own in the latter half of the book, which I’m grateful for.

Even though I said that this book played out kind-of like a Hallmark movie, however, there is much more focus on the main character’s development than her establishing a romance with her love interest, Forrest. The book does do enough to give both of them some cute chemistry, but those less interested in romance don’t have to worry about it taking over the entire story.

Overall, I’m rating this book 3.5 out of 5 stars! 

This was an overall fun and short book to read. If you’re fine with magical standalones, this will probably be a fun book for you to pick up and read during this autumn season!

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