Book Review :: The Gingerbread Bakery by Laurie Gilmore

The Gingerbread Bakery by Laurie Gilmore
ISBN: 0008728097
Series: Dream Harbor #5
Also in this series: The Pumpkin Spice Café, The Cinnamon Bun Book Store, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House, The Daisy Chain Flower Shop
Published by HarperCollins
on 16 September 2025
Genres: Romance
Pages: 358
Goodreads

As owner of her beloved Gingerbread Bakery, Annie Andrews should have a love life to match her business; sugary and sweet. But instead, she’s locked in a game of words with the irritatingly upbeat bar owner down the street.

Mac Sullivan has everything he wants, except the girl he dreams of. It’s easier to argue with Annie than get her to talk to him but with Jeanie and Logan’s wedding coming up, they're about to spend a lot more time together.

As the snowflakes fall and with romance in the air, will Annie see that the one she loves to hate might just be her perfect match after all?

Last updated on 12 January 2026

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What is The Gingerbread Bakery by Laurie Gilmore about?

The Gingerbread Bakery by Laurie Gilmore is the fifth book in the Dream Harbor series of interconnected stories. It’s the highly anticipated story of Annie and Mac, who appear multiple times in the other stories and have a feisty history.

Annie Andrews owns the Gingerbread Bakery, her pride and joy. It’s cosy, it’s comforting, it smells incredible. Instead of romance, Annie finds herself locked in a constant battle with Mac Sullivan, the annoyingly upbeat bar owner down the street. He grins. She rolls her eyes. It’s a whole thing. And has been for the past 4 books in this series.

Mac reckons he already has everything he needs, except Annie. Arguing with her is easier than getting her to admit she likes him, but with Jeanie and Logan’s wedding creeping closer, these two are about to be thrown together more than ever.

My thoughts on The Gingerbread Bakery

I mentioned before that this was a highly anticipated storyline for a lot of people, and honestly? Same.

When Annie and Mac are mentioned in the other books, and they come and go from various scenes, you feel the tension, the history (even if you don’t know what it is), and you want to know more of their story. And more than that … you want them to get together.

While the plot line in this one was rather simplistic, I think it really worked for this couple, and it was fun to see them hanging out, getting mad at each other, and doing all those enemies-to-lovers things.

Something I really liked was how this story was all centred around their friends’ wedding, which meant that we got to see all the characters from the stories interacting quite a bit, and were introduced to a few more (which I can see being main characters in the future!). I do think Dream Harbor is going to run out of single people soon, but for now, it’s a lot of fun!

If you’ve read the other books in the Dream Harbor series, then do pick up The Gingerbread Bakery. It’s just as cute and sweet and fun as the others.

Have you read The Gingerbread Bakery? What did you think?