Leaving Autumn

Sweet as Maple Syrup #1

by I.D. Johnson

🍁 Autumn in Vermont means golden leaves, pumpkin spice, and a touch of small-town magic. Tour guide Autumn Ackerman loves sharing the season’s charm with anyone who visits Maple Falls. But when work brings Lukas Spellman to town for just a month, their easy connection soon feels like something more.

🎃 Cozy hayrides, glowing jack-o’-lanterns, and crisp nights draw them closer—but one unexpected misunderstanding threatens to end things before they’ve really begun.

✨ Heartwarming, romantic, and full of fall charm, Leaving Autumn is the first book in the Sweet as Maple Syrup series—a trio of cozy, feel-good holiday romances set in picturesque Vermont. Each book celebrates a different holiday, a new love story, and a happily-ever-after. 💕❄️

Genres: Cozy, Romance

200 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 30, 2025

About the author

ID Johnson wears many hats: mother, wife, editor, tutu maker, and writer, to name a few. Some of her favorite people are the two little girls who often implore that she "watch me!" in the middle of forming finely crafted sentences, that guy who dozes off well before she closes her laptop, and those furry critters at the foot of the bed at night. If she could do anything in the world, she would live in Cinderella's castle and write love stories all day while sipping Dr. Pepper and eating calorie-less Hershey's kisses. For now, she'll stick to her Dallas-area home and spending her days with the characters she's grown to love.

Reviews

[Kc Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute but slow

[Melissa Breese Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved how adorably fall this book is! I love all the fall and Halloween aspects! It was such a fun read! I really liked Autumn and her aunt. I really hate stupid men! Lukas drove me insane! He couldn’t stand his coworker Julia and tried several times to avoid her yet during their business trip he kept hanging out with her because he was bored or he genuinely wanted to do whatever it was she was suggesting and never thought how it would look if Autumn saw him with her…. at a nice fancy dinner. I loved how much he was interested in Autumn but I was genuinely over him being clueless when it came to Julia even when his friend told him she was into him. This book would have been so much better without her. Him and his male coworkers on a business retreat there and getting to meet and to know her would have been the best! I would have enjoyed the book better if they spent time together his whole month in her town versus him spending it with Julia and Autumn feeling hurt and ignoring him. I loved him leaving his life and moving to her town! The ending was adorably cute!

[Ana Singleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should not be kept a secret! It’s so darn adorable! Such a perfect cozy fall read. Add this to your tbr!

[Bekki's Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cut small town romance

Fun characters with an interesting town. I love small town romance and in a fall setting makes for a festive read.

[Lisa Mutize · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the fall and Hallmark vibes! Quick cozy read.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 🌟

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light and fluffy

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5, needs better editing.

[Elizabeth Tetzlaff · Rating 3 out of 5]

100% a Hallmark Romance. No spice which was nice. Very romantic and predictable but if you need a fast, heart warming pallet cleanser, you found it.

[Jennifer Thomson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute

Super cute read. No spice and everything nice. I wish i was able to visit this little town in the fall.

[Callie Parmele · Rating 3 out of 5]

The exact definitely of a hallmark movie in a book. Cute, easy read, great for fall.

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’ve ever navigated a misunderstanding in your relationship/s and worked on reestablishing your connection OR if you have ‘workaholic’ tendencies, this one’s for you!

When financial advisor for a major corporation Lukas Spellman and some colleagues take a month off work and head to Maple Falls, Vermont, the last thing on Lukas’s mind is falling in love.

Tour guide Autumn Ackerman is pulling her finances together to buy out her boss’s company and doesn’t need any distractions. Wouldn’t you know, Lukas appears on her tour … and the rest is history!

I loved the spotlight on workaholics and the opportunity to question who we are outside of our work. The Halloween and Fall vibes were perfectly balanced with a sweet romance and I genuinely wanted to know what happened after these two realized that they’d make a great couple.

This is book one of the Sweet as Maple Syrup series by a new to me author, and I’m excited to read the rest of the series. Each installment will focus on a different holiday and a new love story.

[Michelle Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a sweet meet cute. Low spice, good story, fun for fall.