The Gingerbread Thief

The Gingerbread Legacy #2

by Carrie Anne Noble

Journey afar to a secret baking contest—and win the wish of your heart.

Armed with a stolen gingerbread recipe, ornery wizard (and former duck) Ansgar sets out to compete in a contest unlike any other. The prize? A single wish. Three years after fleeing the witch’s forest, his strength and magic are vanishing—and he’s counting on the enchanted recipe that once beguiled Hansel and Gretel to fend off his death.

Meanwhile, newly widowed Josephine receives an invitation to the same contest. With a cat—who she believes is her bespelled late husband—in tow, she embarks on a journey to save herself from destitution and, perhaps, her husband from feline form. If she fails, at least she’ll have one grand adventure to remember.

When fate throws the unlikely pair together, Ansgar’s plans crumble faster than a stale biscuit. He’s allergic to cats, exasperated by Josephine’s chatter—and utterly undone by her kindness. Together, they’ll face fiery trials, raging rivers, dubious soup, and the greatest challenge of the bake-off for the wish that could change everything.

The Gingerbread Thief is book two in The Gingerbread Legacy duology by award-winning author Carrie Anne Noble. An enchanting adventure full of heart, laughter, and slow-burn romance—perfect for fans of Sarah Beth Durst, Heather Fawcett, and T. Kingfisher.
"Take one crusty wizard, add sweetness in the form of a middle-aged widow, combine them into one shared quest to win a wish, and the result is a delightful confection of a tale. The Gingerbread Thief will steal your heart!"—award-winning fantasy author Amber Kirkpatrick

“A fantastical fairy tale brimming with quirky characters, fun banter, and unexpected adventure. I could practically smell the gingerbread! A cozy, heartwarming read.”—award-winning author Becca Wierwille

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 2, 2025

About the author

Carrie Anne Noble is the author of fantasy fiction infused with fairy tales, folklore, and wonder. She lives in the woods of Pennsylvania but can be lured out with cheese or chocolate. You can read more about her at http://www.carrienoble.com.

Reviews

[Tracy Gerhardt Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ansgar is not the man he used to be—in more than one way. His unexpected pilgrimage with Josephine and an unruly cat to a magical baking competition is one fraught with danger, frustration, and unexpected glimmers of affection.

Josephine’s purity and devotion to her scoundrel of a husband and Ansgar’s memories of his dead wife/evil witch, Truda, complicate their journey to reach the end of their pilgrimage safely.

Will love rise and be on the menu, or will misunderstandings and danger dash their dreams? Read this charming tale to find out.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun spinoff! I so enjoyed the Gingerbread Queen so I was looking forward to what was to come in the Gingerbread Thief. I will admit, I was expecting to see more of the characters from GQ, but this was solely Ansgar’s story and it didn’t disappoint.

I enjoyed the witty batty between the characters; Ansgar’s pompous, sarcastic demeanor was oddly part of his charm and his character arc from book 1 to book 2 was nothing short of heartwarming.

My only quip is that the female lead, Josephine, seemed to go from despising Ansgar to suddenly being completely in love. And although I do enjoy a good “enemies” to lovers, it just felt a little jumpy.

Overall this was a wonderfully cozy read, and I am so appreciative to Carrie for the chance to read an early copy!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book! I read most of it in one day because I couldn’t put it down! I really liked the redemption arc for Ansgar. I also really enjoyed the banter between him and Josephine. I would definitely recommend reading the books in order to fully appreciate this one.


I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

[Jessica T · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the next book after The Gingerbread Queen. It continues with Ansgar (the duck) and his story. He really wasn’t my favorite character from the first book, but he had a good redemption arc in this story. I wouldn’t say that you have to read the first book to read this one, but it does shed some light on how Ansgar has spent his life thus far.

I would categorize this as a fairy tale, cozy, slow burn romance, and clean read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[H.L. Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

First a disclaimer: this is not a book for cat lovers. Like, if you're like me and see a book has a cat as a major component and think that'll be the reason you love a book.. no. There is a cat. He's basically a prop. He is not a reason to read this. To be fair, if you were a cat, and you wander into a house and a crazy lady decides you are her dead husband reincarnated and shoved you into a basket and took you on a long and uncomfortable journey against your will... you would probably behave in the way this cat does. Honestly, I would read a story from this cat's POV because I can imagine the cat is giving no end of lip to the characters the whole time. All he wants is to be free to eat some mice, and instead, he's in a basket and this is all very unwanted.

Where was I?

There's kind of an old fashioned lyrical, liminal quality to a lot of this book. I feel like I used a lot of fancy words there, but it does have a very George MacDonald/Charles Kinglsey sort of otherworldly-ness to it.

The characters are also very loveable, even when they are very flawed. This also is a later in life romance which is nice. I like to see some 40 somethings get some love.

Anyway, much enjoyed. Want the cat's riff track of events where he just burns everyone for several straight hours.

[Mary Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pilgrimage to a saint’s baking contest with a wish as the prize. Our heroine is convinced that her husband now inhabits the body of her cat and will use the wish to restore him. She encounters an ill-tempered wizard who wants to win the contest to extend his life, which is crumbling by the minute. The journey is a long one, and as the pair face challenges, they also face their growing attraction even as their doubts and failings keep them at arms length.

As much as I usually love this author’s writing, this one did not impress me. The journey felt over- long, the enemies to lovers flipped back and forth too many times, and the author’s usual quirky situations, a big part of Book 1 in this series, were absent here. Overall, a disappointment.

[Rebecca Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I greatly enjoyed the story and was invested in both Josephine and Ansgar's respective character arcs. Like in the first book, Ansgar's voice was strong, sarcastic and alive; I felt like he could step out of the pages and exist in real life. Josephine was a great counterpart as she was both softer as a person while having a backbone of steel and the courage to hold to her convictions. I loved that the end of her story was more a beginning; I wished her many more days of love and adventure.

I recommend getting and reading the book and look forward to the author's next work.

[Marie (IfCatsCouldRead) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great sequel! Ansgar (a very arrogant character) and Josephine (who has recently become a widow and believes her newly found cat is her husband, Thierry) set off on a quest to win a wish by baking the best gingerbread. The majority of the story contains their journey which is full of setbacks and growth and certainly not what I expected!

Noble writes with such beautiful words, it makes one read slowly to savor them. I loved the way it ends! You don't need to read the first book (The Gingerbread Queen) to understand this one, but you might as well because you'll love that one, too!

[Sheri Yutzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfectly cozy & magical read, as I expected from Carrie Anne Noble! I picked up The Gingerbread Thief after a long stint of rather grim epic fantasy, and it was just what I needed to soothe my soul.

Full of character growth, swoony moments, and unlikely travel companions, The Gingerbread Thief tells the tale of Ansgar, an ornery wizard determined to renew his magic and extend his life, and fiery but kind new widow, Josephine, as they quest to reach an epic gingerbread bake-off. The prize is one magical wish--just one.

My favorite part was watching Josephine come out of her timid shell and learn how to fight for herself. I've been on a similar journey myself and I found it affirming to watch a character learn this skill. A well crafted character arc!

[Becca Wierwille · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun, fantastical fairy tale—I loved the banter, the quirky characters, and the unexpected adventures as the unlikely pair embarks on a journey together. A wonderful Christmas read too—I could almost smell the gingerbread!

I received a free advance copy of this book and am sharing my honest review.

[Lavender Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! It is funny and smart with an amazing and unique plot, well described and interesting characters (Ansgar!), and a heartwarming romance. An excellent story for a rainy weekend (or any other weekend).

A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. All of the above opinions are my own.

[Robert A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly Enjoyable!

I knew I would enjoy this book, as the first was fun and kept my attention throughout.

I found Carrie Anne Noble by accident and I need to search out more od her writing.

This was a nice lovecstory...a bit predictable but never boring.

Read it, you. itht love it too!

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of Noble's best books. I had trouble putting this one down. It's full of quirkiness, bits of history, love, changed hearts, adventure, baking ... it has it all!

I received a free copy of this book for my honest review.

[Rowan Creech · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fairy tale was a fascinating blend of romance and redemption. Quite an intriguing story.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute and lovely story that made me smile and kept me reading. Well plotted, likeable characters, intriguing world building.
Well done.
Many thanks for this digital copy, all opinions are mine

[T.K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though this is still an interesting story, I did not love the main character. Sadly, when he starts improving, his love interest gets worse. :/

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whimsy and magic galore! I love a good redemption theme, and this book definitely delivered! I'm a fan of The Gingerbread Queen, so this was the perfect combination of a fresh new story within the same universe, along with some fun references from the original story. The romance between Ansgar and Josephine will leave you swooning. And there's a cat that does cat-ish things. Plus, a gingerbread baking contest. What more could you want? A perfect book to read while curled up with a blanket and a cup of something hot!