I feel completely whole when there is a new Dove Pond book in my Kindle, ready to be devoured. This is hands down, the most underrated book series around and I need more people to be talking about it so Karen Hawkins continues to write about the Dove sisters and we could maybe eventually get a TV or movie adaptation of this magical town. 

"The Secret Recipe of Ella Dove" is the third book in the series by Karen Hawkins; it comes behind The Book Charmer and A Cup of Silver Linings which are centered around other Dove sisters. The 3rd book is, if you couldn't guess, about Ella Dove who we had not previously met aside from a small mention at the end of A Cup of Silver Linings.

I've talked about this in my other book reviews but the Dove Pond series is a mix of Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls; the small town of Dove Pond, with their rich history and quirky town folk, definitely give off Stars Hollow vibes while the magic of the Dove sisters feels like Practical Magic. Though, the sisters are not witches (at least it is not called out that they are), every sister has their own special power which is hinted at through the titles of their respective books.

The Secret Recipe of Ella Dove was released on August 15th and I read it in a few days. I think I can say that this was my favorite Dove Pond book, but I think I say that about all of them.

When I finished The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins, I knew that I needed more of the story. Dove Pond was so whimsical, magical, and just beautiful. There is so much story to tell, so many characters to learn about. I was truly taken with how much I loved the first book in the Dove Pond series. That was two years ago and my heart has been waiting for the second book. 

I patiently waited for it to show up on NetGalley so I could request an ARC. I screamed when I was accepted and finished the book a few months ago.

"A Cup of Silver Linings" is the second book in the Dove Pond Series and was released yesterday July 6th so I'm so thrilled to share my review with you! 

Spoiler alert: I loved it just as much as I loved the first book. 

Publisher's Summary

Ava Dove—the sixth of the seven famed Dove sisters and owner of Ava Dove’s Landscaping and Specialty Teas—is frantic.

Just as her fabulous new tearoom is about to open, her herbal teas have gone wonky. Suddenly, her sleep-inducing tea is startling her clients awake with vivid dreams, her romance-kindling tea is causing people to blurt out their darkest secrets, and her anti-anxiety tea is making them spend hours staring into mirrors. Ava is desperate for a remedy, but her search leads her into dangerous territory, as she is forced to face a dark secret she’s been hiding for over a decade.

Meanwhile, successful architect Ellen Foster has arrived in Dove Pond to attend the funeral of her estranged daughter, Julie. Grieving deeply, Ellen is determined to fix up her daughter’s ramshackle house, sell it, and then sweep her sixteen-year-old granddaughter, Kristen, off to a saner, calmer life in Raleigh. But Kristen has other plans. Desperate to stay with her friends in Dove Pond, Kristen sets off on a quest she’s avoided her whole life—to find her never-been-there father in the hopes of winning her freedom from the grandmother she barely knows.

Together, Ava, Kristen, and Ellen embark on a reluctant but magical journey of healing, friendship, and family that will delight fans of Alice Hoffman, Kate Morton, and Sarah Addison Allen.

My Thoughts