Pumpkin Spice & Poltergeist: A cozy sapphic paranormal rom-com

Maple Hollow #1

by Ali K. Mulford, K. Elle Morrison

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!

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, Fantasy, LGBT, Paranormal, Queer, Halloween

280 pages, Paperback

First published July 14, 2024

About the author

Also writes as A.K. Mulford

Ali K. Mulford (also known by their bestselling fantasy pen name A.K. Mulford) is a rom-com author and former wildlife biologist who swapped rehabilitating monkeys for writing novels. A US and NZ citizen, Mulford now lives in Australia rearing two human primates, writing lovable characters, and making ridiculous TikToks (@akmulfordauthor).

Reviews

[hayreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

spectacular. gimme 14 more of ‘em

[Noi (in & out) · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the spirit of fall 🎃

This was cute! It's an lgbt+ ghost story with a twist.

A little rushed and the audio was not the best as one narrator spook louder and clearer, while the other was quieter. I had to change the speed for each back-and-forth which made me sad because duet narration is my favorite.

[KellyJ1028 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was obsessed with this book! I want to pack my bags & move to Maple Hollow with its cozy, witchy vibes..its cute coffee shop Witches Brew café , apothecary, the town and its residents ( which is a mix of witches, vampires, ghosts and humans) it absolutely enthralling. The magic of Maple Hollow is real!!!

This story is told in dual POV, with cute and funny banter throughout. I caught myself laughing out loud several times. The story centers around two women, Harlow, a human, and Jordyn, a witch. Jordyn is dealing with heartbreak, while Harlow is struggling to find her place in life. They meet in the small town they both live in and become close friends. As they get to know each other, Harlow notices that Jordyn is sometimes distant and distracted, leading her to overthink their friendship. As they work together to investigate a death, they continue to learn more about each other. However, when the reason behind Jordyn's odd behavior is revealed, Harlow is left second-guessing everything.

This is a perfect, cozy, magical read for Fall. If you are looking for Halloween town vibes and murder mystery with all the spooky monsters this is the book for you!

[Hailey (haileyhardcover) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sapphic witches and being haunted (and taunted) by your dead ex-girlfriend in (basically) Halloweentown? Right up my alley! By all accounts, I should have LOVED this… but it lost stars the longer it went on. I really loved the premise, but the execution is just bad. Somehow the book is too long and also didn’t have enough story building? I don’t even know how that was accomplished, but it was. The writing style is lacking… a lot. None of the characters felt solid or fully thought out. There was a lot of repeated phrases that really irked me as I kept reading. The closer I got to the end, the more annoyed I got by the whole thing. The last three chapters should have been cut entirely. They didn’t add anything to the story, just made me more irritated.

Two stars only because I liked the premise, decent spice, and Lou’s snarkiness at the beginning.

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was super cute, I loved the whole concept and the execution, the characters, the narration, the world, the romance and the mystery, everything was great. I will say that it dragged on just a smidge near the end, and one of the narrators was quieter than the other (not a huge issue), but I am still so excited to jump into the next one. Perfect fall time read.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

so gay and so cozy, what a slay honestly

[nikki | ཐི༏ཋྀ​​݁ ₊ ݁ . · Rating 5 out of 5]

“This is the gayest thing we’ve ever done, by the way,” she said. “Summoning me from the afterlife to have one more long talk about our feelings.”

rating: 4.25★

halloweentown + stars hollow vibes with sapphic romance and a murder mystery!

i was just a touch unsure about the grief aspect but it's relatively light/minor and still has all the feel good vibes. the romance was done well for a shorter book and i felt like the pacing was solid.

lots of cute cozy details and moments that made me chuckle. how do i move here???

looking forward to the next book!

Was she queer, or was she just magical? Although a lot of times, it felt like the same thing.

[Rachael · Rating 2 out of 5]

What do you mean you love her with all of your soul?? You’ve known her for ONE WEEK.

I cared more about the side characters tbh.

[Anniek · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has such a fun concept, and throughout the book, there were so many fun ideas, but the execution wasn't quite there for me. The characters often annoyed me, and I didn't feel invested in the romance.

[jay · Rating 2 out of 5]

millennialcore with some very odd and off-putting lines throughout

[Danielle Pulliam · Rating 5 out of 5]

**𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘** 𝑷𝒖𝒎𝒑𝒌𝒊𝒏 𝑺𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒆 & 𝑷𝒐𝒍𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒊𝒔𝒕 (𝑴𝒂𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 #1) 𝒃𝒚 𝑨𝒍𝒊 𝑲. 𝑴𝒖𝒍𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑲. 𝑬𝒍𝒍𝒆 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒏

Release Date: September 3, 2024

5⭐️4🌶

I loved this monster mash-up of a beautiful little rom com with all the sweetness of spooky season! Harlow is a young 20 something who moves in with her sister in Maple Hollow to help her out with her bakery, Witch's Brew Cafe, and ends up helping a young witch solve a murder mystery. All the visuals of a cozy little village during the fall season, with a ton of paranormal residents, and a dash of pumpkin spice lattes mixed it, I couldn't ask for a cozier fall read. Ms. A. K. Mulford and K. Elle Morrison really hit this one out of the park...or pumpkin patch.

I recommend this book for all rom com readers and all you spooky fall girlies!

[Heather myfriendsdontread · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adorable, paranormal sapphic romantic comedy set in a Halloween town! 😍 I LOVED IT!

The main character, Jordan, is a witch who summons the ghost of her ex-girlfriend to get closure on the anniversary of their breakup. But once she summons her, she realizes that she can’t send her back.

The ghost ex-girlfriend, Lou, is determined to help Jordan move on and find love. And she also has some unfinished business surrounding her death.

In order to appease, Lou, Jordan starts dating Harlow, the super attractive new girl in their small town who works at the Witch’s Brew Cafe.

The romance is ADORABLE! It made me giggle a bunch of times. I absolutely loved Jordan and Harlow.

And the setting was perfect! The town is Halloween themed for tourism, but it’s also a melting pot of paranormal creatures. Demons, witches, werewolves, monsters, vampires, and more. Like the movie “Halloweentown.”

It was such a lovely spooky season read! There’s pumpkin picking, pumpkin spice lattes, and spells 🥰

It’s perfect if you loved books like “The Ex Hex,” “The Kiss Curse,” or “Spookily Yours.”

[Toribetweenpages · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute so binge-able
Perfect amount of spicy scenes at the end
Their crushes on each other were infectious

[Haleigh · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was so cute and cozy but the development of the romance was horribly cringy.

[Lesley Pitre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witchy Goodness

I liked this book so much! Sweet and spooky with such endearing characters. A perfect fall read. I definitely recommend.

[Atalántē · Rating 3 out of 5]

Początek lepszy niż zakończenie. Dosyć przyjemna, jesienna książka, ale nie zagości na długo w moich myślach. Rozwiązanie zagadki śmierci zupełnie mi się nie podobało. 3⭐

[Shelby Seal(Allen) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Was this the outfit she'd died in? Had she been relegated to an immortality of wearing the lesbian staple outfit of chunky shoes and cargo pants?"

"Did witches even date? Was she queer? Or was she just magical? Although a lot of times, it felt like the same thing."

"I leaned in closer to whisper in Harlow's ear. I couldn't help but take in her smell, warm and spicy like cinnamon and mulled cider. Perfect for this place. She smelled like home."

Jordyn is a witch who decides to summon her dead ex girlfriend one night in her grief and comes to realize pretty quickly now she's here to stay. She has to find a way to let her ex move on while moving on herself, hopefully to the new girl in town.

Harlow is new to Maple Hollow after a series of unfortunate job situations. Luckily, her sister owns a cafe in town and is willing to help her get back on her feet. Her first day working she has to hop over to the apothecary to grab some more cloves for her sister and runs into a beautiful brunette and her black cat.

Seriously, PS&P was one of my fave reads this year! It was fluffy and cozy and queer AND paranormal! I laughed so many times reading this novel, shed a few tears, and felt my heart race with the mystery of it all! It gave me the perfect mix between Halloween Town and murder mystery vibes! If you're looking for a fun and quirky seasonal read, then you need to pick up Pumpkin Spice & Poltergeist!

Thank you to Ali K. Mulford and K. Elle Morrison for writing this incredibly fun novel! I was given a copy by the publisher and all opinions are my own, I am writing this review voluntarily. 💛

[Morgues · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in a night. Once I started, I couldn’t put it down. 😭 I loved everything about this, from the cozy vibes to the array of creature characters to the sweet (and corny, in the best way) romance. I want to live in Maple Hollow, but I’ll take about a hundred more stories set there instead. And the beautiful map in the beginning? Such a cute touch. Harlow is easily my favorite, as I related to her the most and couldn’t help but love everything about her clumsy, chaotic and golden retriever energy. This book made me laugh out loud more than once and the ending had me kicking my feet, I swear to the Goddess. If you love romance, magick, Halloween, queers and all the cozy vibes, then I BEG you to read this.
Thank you so much to the authors and the publisher. I was gifted a copy from them and ofc all opinions are my own. I am extremely grateful to have read this and will absolutely be reading it again in the fall. 😭🖤

This review is also posted on my instagram! @boosbooksandbrews ✨

[Juniper L.H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this novel. It was a lot of fun and perfectly got the Halloween vibes going for me. I like this town a lot and will definitely read whatever other stories follow in the series (and soon). This was a quick read and an enjoyable experience, and I would definitely recommend it.

Rating: B- / 4-Stars

Highlights:
-I thoroughly enjoyed the protagonists (all three!). They had a fun dynamic and each character was fairly distinct from the others.
-Solid witchy town vibes. They didn’t mess around with this one; it was a full commitment and I loved it.
-Juniper is always a great character name
-This was a lot more serious than I expected! A lot more plot, and I mean that in a good way.
-Perfectly executed the goal of hooking my attention for an entire series, while also providing a satisfying novel. Sometimes books go too far in one direction or the other.
-Solid use of a double-epilogue
-Perfect spooky vibes all around.

Nitpicks:
-Why provide a map if its not accurate? I am so annoying sometimes….I loved the map.
-A few plot points were left unresolved. It’s a series, I get it, but I wish we had a little more NOW!
-The relationship was a bit too instalove for me, I am usually not a fan of that trope and they went hard on it for this one.
-Some parts of the story felt rushed. Pacing issues maybe?

[Marta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

I really enjoyed reading this book. It had those wonderful cozy fall vibes and everything Halloween, and just that makes me immediately want to read it.

Because what would you need more of? Well, maybe some nice mystery. And that is what you’ve got in this book. The magic, chemistry, mystery, love and pumpkin spice - a perfect combination for a sweet and spicy love story.

I loved the city of Maple Hollow and its atmosphere, which, let’s be honest, sounds scarily perfect. It is like a dream for a fall season lover. It was described wonderfully and gave me such good feelings. The citizens are so diverse, and yet they coexist peacefully with each other.

It’s a well-written story that captivated me from the beginning. I couldn’t put this book down. I read it twice already and am sure I am going to read it again next year.

The book goes a full circle, from Jordyn and Harlowe’s first meeting to the last chapter (no spoilers), and I really liked it. Their full journey on the pages. Lovely!

Definitely worth reading! It’s a magical love story, and it’s perfect for the autumn season.

Did I mention a cover? This book’s cover is so cute and so in the color of the season. It just makes you want to stare at it. I love it.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how I loved this cozy hallow story of maple hollow. It was just an easy comforting read with lots of wonderful characters laughs and some suspense how a who did it. I loved the dual pov from Harlow and Jordyn this book was a perfect read for the Halloween season. 10/10 recommend this to everyone

[Natalie · Rating 1 out of 5]

as soon as i finished this book, i opened a different one and the first page of that was far more interesting and better written than this entire book

[Ashley G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm at sucker for a ghost in a romance book

[Sophia's Diaries · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐ so so cozy and perfect for fall!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful and fun! The perfect cozy & fall read 🧡

[Daphne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite Character: Ichabod LOL 😆

100% comedy 🤪

I just devoured Pumpkin Spice and Poltergeists, and now all I want is to pack my bags and move to Maple Hollow. Seriously, can someone please let me open my own Witch Brew Café and serve up cinnamon rolls with a side of spells? This book hit all the cozy notes I love, with charming characters, a dash of magic, and just the right sprinkle of spookiness. The banter was on point, and the small-town vibes had me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. If you’re in the mood for something sweet, magical, and irresistibly autumnal, sapphic romance, this is the book for you!

I just want to hug this book and adopt Ichabod🫶🤗🥰🫂🎃

Thank you to for providing me an eARC of this book.

[lauraღ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe more like 2.75 stars? This was really cute! A sweet little paranormal romance that takes place in a small witchy town full of paranormal beings. Jordyn is a witch who summoned the ghost of her ex-girlfriend, and now for some reason, she won't leave. Harlow is the newbie in town, one of the few humans, helping out at her sister's café. Jordyn is told that the best way for the ghost of her ex to move on is if she falls for someone else, and happily, she immediately starts catching feelings for Harlow. This was short and sweet and cute, but I don't have much to say about it! Aaaaaand when I try to think of things to say about it, not many of them are complimentary. It was too short for me to feel much about these two women, other than a baseline feeling of 'yeah, they're sweet, I like them!' The writing didn't stand out in any way. This did that annoying thing that too many books fall prey to, where the characters start sounding like placeholders as soon as we get to a sex scene. (Especially Harlow.) For such a short book that could have used SO much more development, the ending felt long as hell. Did we need two epilogues? Did we have to go through the extremely traditional milestones? I feel silly complaining about it, because it was all very cute!!! But it didn't feel apt or suitable for these characters.

I did enjoy the setup, and I kinda wish Lou had played a bigger part in the plot. I didn't work out the solution to the mystery, so it was nice to be surprised by that? Though I mean, it's not like I was super invested in trying to figure it out. It's the type pf book that tries to set up couples for future books, which I do understand? But that kind of stuff would have been less obtrusive in a longer book, where it didn't feel like it was taking up so much of the main couple's page time. We had some fun locals and interesting side characters, but very few of them felt like fully realised characters. I did really like Iris and Ramona though. I'd probably read a book about them, if one were written.

Listened to the audiobook as read by Nikki Grey, Bridget Bordeaux, and Jake Bordeaux, which was nice for the novelty of being one of the few duet-narrated sapphic audiobooks I've ever listened to. Was almost a little jumpscare, hearing a dude voice for the male parts, but it was a nice touch. Have to say though, the audio quality for some of the narrators wasn't the best? Didn't really spoil the experience, but it was definitely noticeable. I'm glad I tried this; I've been hearing about this author for a while. Even though I'm a teeeeeensy bit underwhelmed, it was worth the read. 

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Format: Audiobook 🎧
Plot/world building: ✔️
Well rounded characters: ✔️
Romance: ✔️
Spice: 2.5/5
Tropes:
Magical town ✨
LGBTQA love 😍🌈
Grumpy x sunshine 🖤
Second chance romance!
Whodunnit vibes with the ghosty ex-GF
58 📚

Perfect for a quick Halloween read.



Overview:

After Jordyn accidentally summoned her ex-girlfriend while drunk, she must find a new love and move on in order for her ex (Lou), to go back to her afterlife. Jordyn is also trying to get closure with Lou and trying to solve the mystery of how she died.

Enter into town: Harlow. Well traveled Harlow comes to town looking for a fresh start, not expecting romance, working at her control-freak sister's cafe; trying to navigate a new world where magic and people like vampires, demons, werewolves and witches exist. ✨ Harlow is a cute walking disaster. Like, for real, all her accidents have to mean she's cursed or something, right?



The good:



- Everything about their small town was so charming. I literally wanted to jump in the book and live there.

- The magic ✨

HALLOWEEN VIBES 👻

- It was SO cute that Jordyn and Harlow had sizzling chemistry. 🤌🏻

- The cast with all the different voices! 🖤

- Literally, everything you guys. It was so good. 😭😍

THERE WAS ALSO A CUTE LIL KITTY... Ichabod. 😌

- I love all the potential side couples: Iris and Ramona and Willow/the Alpha's son (despite Harlow's sister being a total bish).

- The twist at the end was just absolutely!!! 🤌🏻💯

I'm a complete sucker for LGBTQA stories. 🖤



The bad:

Absolutely nothing! I'll be back for more.

[Patty (IheartYA311) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite entertaining until the last third. The author did well with world building, pulling the reader right into the quaint spooky town. When the book rushed forward in time, it lost its spark. It felt like sloppy instalove at that point. Maybe this was where the authors switched off, and if so, it was very apparent. The inconsistencies were detrimental to the story. It did irk me slightly that the MCs felt very incompatible.

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[-ˏˋjamieˊˎ- · Rating 3 out of 5]

a quick fall read! i enjoyed the autumnal vibes and the small-town take on paranormal creatures. i do wish the magic system had been explained a bit better; it was hard to tell the scope for the fantastical elements in this world, as new things kept getting thrown in constantly. (also, i feel like the fact that tourists keep flocking back to Maple Hollow despite people going missing was written off a little too quickly…) the side characters added a lot of color to the story, and the romance was pretty cute, but i would’ve liked a bit more time and development with the relationship. the plot was only ok for me—i wasn’t super in love with the plot of the ghost ex hanging around, and the murder mystery storyline felt a bit clunky. still, i did enjoy the atmosphere, and it was nice to see jordyn and harlow grow as individuals before getting together. i would definitely be interested in reading more books in this town!