Maple Sugar Kisses

A cozy small-town romance featuring opposites attract, a hero who falls first, and a harvest festival that brings two guarded hearts together.

Pastry chef Nora Callaway never planned to return to Splendid Lake. After years spent building a successful career in Asheville, NC--and recovering from a relationship that left her feeling small--she comes home only to help care for her beloved grandmother after a fall.

But when Nora volunteers to help organize the town's annual Harvest Festival, she finds herself working alongside Gabe Merritt, an agricultural consultant whose spreadsheets, metrics, and practical solutions clash with everything she loves about the community's treasured traditions. As the two battle over pie competitions, vendors, and festival plans, their disagreements slowly give way to friendship, understanding, and an attraction neither expected.

Surrounded by crisp mountain air, falling leaves, harvest celebrations, and the comforting scent of maple sugar donuts, Nora begins to rediscover the town she left behind. Meanwhile, Gabe must confront the painful loss that taught him never to become attached to anything he might lose.

As festival season reaches its peak and old fears resurface, Nora and Gabe must decide whether protecting themselves is worth risking a future together. Filled with small-town charm, autumn coziness, and heartwarming romance, Maple Sugar Kisses is a story about home, healing, and finding the courage to stay.