As with most collections, readers will likely enjoy one story more than the others, and for me, that one was Love Rising. All were quick reads, heavy on the romance. Centered around the magical season of Hallowe’en, this collection will likely put you in the mood for autumn and all that goes with it. ( )

Every year (or at least for the last three…) I’ve looked forward to the newest Moonbright, Maine anthology. Even though it usually comes out around my birthday, I wait until closer to Halloween to read the three short stories, since it’s now part of the things I enjoy during the Autumn season. I mean, romance and magic, what a powerful combination in a book and in life.

I was a bit disappointed this year. While each story was good, the first was the best and the next two each got a little bit weaker. The first story, Love Over Easy by Kate Angell was excellent. There was so much cuteness (dressing up as Little Bo Beep with her three nephews as sheep) and sexiness (Beep’s stockings with blue bows) that was seamlessly combined throughout the entire story. We also get a really hot, bad boy, a loving grandma, and some sisterly rivalry. Love Over Easy is what I’ve come to expect when I get transported back to Moonbright, Maine.

Love Rising by Stacy Finz is the second story and while it was well written and we get a sexy handyman who will do whatever chores we want around the house without us nagging him, I became quickly bored of Sydney’s attitude. She came back to settle her grandma’s estate, and then wanted to head back to the big city to open a more cozy bakery. Sydney was continually cranky with Nick, although he couldn’t care less since he had the money already and was going to finish the job no matter what.

The last story, Romance on Tap by Marina Adair definitely felt the weakest to me in all three of the anthologies that I’ve read. I really liked the concept and enjoyed that the actual start of the story happened many years prior, but it just felt really rushed to me. Maybe each author had a page restraint that they needed to stick to, but I wanted more details. There were so many aspects of the characters that could have been explored, and not just Mila and Ford/Hudson, but her friends, that I felt was a real missed opportunity.

Will this keep me from picking up next year’s anthology? No, but I do hope they are stronger stories, especially since they have a year to think about and write them! ( )

"The Cafe Between Pumpkin and Pie" features three stories by different authors. Set in the town of Moonbright, Maine, Halloween magic is afoot for three ladies and their would-be suitors. I loved the characters and setting, but disliked the steamy sex. The stories work well without all that detail.

I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own. ( )

The Cafe Between Pumpkin and Pie is an anthology composed of three stories. The setting of each storyline is in the same town in Maine called Moonlight and it revolves around one particular cafe in the town, hence the title of the book. This of this novel as a soap opera being told by the viewpoints of three characters in the same town taking place at the same time, Halloween. I really enjoyed the writing, the storylines and the characters. Highly recommend...and I also recommend reading the previous two Moonlight series novels (although you do not need to read them first, they stand independently of each other). ( )