
Assistant to the Villain
romantic comedy
Series · contemporary romance
The Dream Harbor series by Laurie Gilmore has 7 books and is best read in publication order, starting with The Pumpkin Spice Café (2023). The next book, The Apple Pie Ice Cream Parlor (global English edition), is due 20 April 2027.
Start here: The Pumpkin Spice Café (2023) — then read straight through in publication order.
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
Dream Harbor is Laurie Gilmore's runaway-hit cozy romance series, set in a picture-perfect New England small town where every book is named after the local business at its heart — a pumpkin-spice-scented café, a bookstore hiding mysterious coded notes, a Christmas tree farm, a pancake house, a bakery, a flower shop. The Pumpkin Spice Café kicked things off in 2023 and became a BookTok phenomenon, and the series has kept its momentum ever since: each installment pairs a new couple while the town's meddling, lovable cast of regulars (including Mayor Kelly and his infamous town meetings) stitches the books together.
The vibe is Hallmark-movie coziness with the heat turned up — these are open-door, spicy romances wrapped in seasonal small-town charm. Gilmore works through the trope catalog with obvious glee: grumpy-sunshine, forced proximity, only one bed, single dad and nanny, enemies-to-lovers, fake dating. Found family is the constant; every newcomer to Dream Harbor gets adopted by the town whether they like it or not.
This series is ideal for readers who loved Annie Rains or Debbie Macomber but want more spice, or fans of Tessa Bailey and B.K. Borison looking for their next comfort-read binge. Each book is a complete standalone romance, the food descriptions are dangerous to read hungry, and the seasonal settings (autumn, Christmas, spring, summer) make these easy books to match to your mood. With new installments still coming, Dream Harbor is an ongoing series that rewards reading in order without ever requiring it.
As of 2026 there are six full-length novels — The Pumpkin Spice Café (2023), The Cinnamon Bun Book Store (2024), The Christmas Tree Farm (2024), The Strawberry Patch Pancake House (2025), The Gingerbread Bakery (2025), and The Daisy Chain Flower Shop (2026) — plus the novella The Apple Pie Ice Cream Parlor. The series is ongoing.
Read in publication order: The Pumpkin Spice Café, The Cinnamon Bun Book Store, The Christmas Tree Farm, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House, The Gingerbread Bakery, then The Daisy Chain Flower Shop. The Apple Pie Ice Cream Parlor novella fits after The Strawberry Patch Pancake House.
Yes — The Pumpkin Spice Café is book 1 of the Dream Harbor series. All the Dream Harbor books share the same small town and recurring characters, with each installment focusing on a new couple and a different local business.
Yes. Each book is a self-contained romance with its own happily-ever-after, so you can start with whichever shop or trope appeals to you. Reading in order just adds the fun of revisiting earlier couples and town in-jokes.
Yes — despite the cozy, Hallmark-style small-town settings, these are open-door romances with explicit scenes. Think sweet town, spicy romance.
Reading order last verified .