Laurie Gilmore is currently easiest to read as one core small-town romance series, Dream Harbor, plus one new paranormal branch, Maple Hollow. Her official books page lists six Dream Harbor novels in sequence, and Goodreads separately tracks Maple Hollow as its own series rather than as part of Dream Harbor.
For most readers, the right place to begin is still The Pumpkin Spice Café. It is book one of Dream Harbor, and Dream Harbor is still the center of her catalog.
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The shortest useful answer
Read Laurie Gilmore like this:
- Finish Dream Harbor in publication order
- Treat the coloring books, cookbook, and box sets as extras
- Save Maple Hollow for later, because that series starts with Big Bad Wolf, which is scheduled for September 8, 2026
The main line: Dream Harbor
This is the shelf most readers are actually looking for. It is the cozy, seasonal, small-town romance series that made Laurie Gilmore’s name, and it is the series her official site foregrounds most heavily.
- The Pumpkin Spice Café (2023): A city woman inherits a café in Dream Harbor and meets the town’s grumpy farmer, making this the cleanest introduction to the place, the tone, and the recurring cozy-romance atmosphere.
- The Cinnamon Bun Book Store (2024): A bookseller and a fisherman follow hidden messages tucked inside books, so this second novel keeps the same town but shifts the hook from café charm to bookish romantic mystery.
- The Christmas Tree Farm (2024): A new arrival in Dream Harbor collides with festive chaos at a Christmas tree farm, pushing the series fully into its seasonal-romance identity.
- The Strawberry Patch Pancake House (2025): A single-dad chef and his free-spirited nanny take over book four, which broadens the town without changing the core cozy-small-town formula.
- The Gingerbread Bakery (2025): This book centers Annie and Mac and unfolds during Jeanie and Logan’s wedding celebrations, so it works best after the earlier Dream Harbor books have already established the town’s returning cast.
- The Daisy Chain Flower Shop (2026): A florist and the new guy in town fall into a pretend relationship, and as of April 6, 2026, this is the next Dream Harbor novel scheduled for release rather than an already-published backlist title.
What counts as optional in Dream Harbor
These are real Dream Harbor publications, but they are extras, not part of the core novel order:
- The Pumpkin Spice Café Coloring Book
- The Strawberry Patch Pancake House Coloring Book
- The Official Pumpkin Spice Café Cookbook
- various box sets and deluxe editions of existing novels
They are useful for completists or gift buyers, but they do not change the reading order. The novels are still the backbone.
The detour: Maple Hollow
Maple Hollow is the important boundary line in Laurie Gilmore’s catalog. It is not Dream Harbor book seven. It is a different series, and the official site labels Big Bad Wolf as Maple Hollow, Book 1. Goodreads also lists Maple Hollow separately.
Big Bad Wolf (2026): A paranormal small-town romance about Ruby Bellerose and the mysterious Rafe, launching Maple Hollow as a distinct fantasy-leaning branch rather than a continuation of Dream Harbor’s purely cozy setup.
The official book page says Big Bad Wolf is book one in the Maple Hollow trilogy, and Goodreads currently shows Maple Hollow as a separate series already being tracked beyond its opener.
Recommended reading order
For a first read, keep it simple:
- The Pumpkin Spice Café
- The Cinnamon Bun Book Store
- The Christmas Tree Farm
- The Strawberry Patch Pancake House
- The Gingerbread Bakery
- The Daisy Chain Flower Shop when released
- Big Bad Wolf when you want the new paranormal branch
That order preserves the Dream Harbor town buildup first, then lets you branch into Maple Hollow without confusing the two worlds.
Do you need a chronological order?
No. Publication order already does the real work here.
Dream Harbor is published in a clean numbered sequence on the official site, and Maple Hollow is separately numbered from its own book one. There is no benefit to building a cross-series timeline yet.
Best starting point by reader type
- Start with The Pumpkin Spice Café if you want the signature Laurie Gilmore experience.
- Start with The Christmas Tree Farm only if you specifically want the holiday angle first.
- Start with Big Bad Wolf only if you are here for paranormal romance and do not mind entering a brand-new separate trilogy.
Latest release status
As of April 6, 2026, the most recent published Dream Harbor novel is The Gingerbread Bakery from September 2025, while The Daisy Chain Flower Shop is scheduled for May 19, 2026. The newest separate branch is Big Bad Wolf, which the official site lists for September 8, 2026 as Maple Hollow, Book 1.
FAQ
What is the best Laurie Gilmore book to start with?
The Pumpkin Spice Café is still the best starting point because it opens Dream Harbor and matches the author’s main current identity.
Are all Laurie Gilmore books set in Dream Harbor?
No. Dream Harbor is the main romance series, but Maple Hollow is a separate paranormal trilogy beginning with Big Bad Wolf.
Should I read The Daisy Chain Flower Shop before The Gingerbread Bakery?
No. Read Dream Harbor in numbered order. The Daisy Chain Flower Shop is book six, after The Gingerbread Bakery.
Do the coloring books and cookbook matter for story order?
No. They are tie-ins and extras, not required reading.
Is Maple Hollow connected to Dream Harbor?
It is best treated as separate continuity unless Laurie Gilmore later links them directly in text or official series guidance. Current official labeling keeps them as different series.
Final recommendation
Laurie Gilmore does not need an overcomplicated guide yet. Read Dream Harbor straight through in order, ignore the tie-in extras until later, and treat Maple Hollow as the next shelf rather than the next Dream Harbor stop. For almost everyone, that means starting with The Pumpkin Spice Café and staying in Dream Harbor until you reach the end of the currently numbered run.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.