We think the recipe for the perfect holiday reading list includes a cup of cozy small-town romance with a pinch of Christmas magic. ‘Tis the season for Wordfest to welcome BookTok phenom Laurie Gilmore in celebration of the highly anticipated release of The Gingerbread Bakery, Book #5 in her Dream Harbor series. For an extra dash of holiday spice, we’re pairing her with Kristine Winters, aka bestseller Karma Brown, and her holiday rom-com The Christmas Cure.

The conversation starts at 7 PM MT and includes an exclusive conversation hosted by Slow Burn Book’s Nicola MacNaughton, as well as an audience Q & A, book signing, and complimentary cool treats from Village Ice Cream.

Slow Burn Books will have a pop-up shop on-site with copies of all five of Gilmore’s Dream Harbour titles along with Winters’ The Christmas Cure. Looking to add even more holiday romance to your TBR stack? Kristine Winters is the second pen name of Karma Brown – she’s also one half of the writing duo behind The Holiday Swap and All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox. Ask Slow Burn about these titles on-site as well!

We are grateful to HarperCollins Canada for making it possible to connect you with Laurie Gilmore and Simon & Schuster Canada for connecting you with Kristine Winters.

About The Gingerbread Bakery (Dream Harbor, Book 5)

“All the makings of a top-tier Hallmark movie that just happens to include a nice dash of spice.” –People

From the international bestselling author of The Pumpkin Spice Café, The Cinnamon Bun Book Store and The Christmas Tree Farm comes the highly anticipated Dream Harbor romance for 2025!

A wedding in Dream Harbor can only mean one thing, everyone wants to get involved! With Jeanie and Logan set to tie the knot, and Kira desperate to hire out her newly renovated barn at the Christmas tree farm, everything seems to be going well. Annie has agreed to bake the cake, and Mac is responsible for, well… just being Mac. And as the whole of Dream Harbor comes together to celebrate the wedding of the year with the snow falling around them, can Annie and Mac put aside their dislike for each just long enough for the ‘I Do’s’ or is that one request too far… The Gingerbread Bakery is a cozy romantic novel with an enemies to lovers dynamic, small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed!

About Laurie Gilmore

Laurie Gilmore is a #1 New York Times, Sunday Times and Globe & Mail bestselling author who writes small-town romance. Her first novel, The Pumpkin Spice Café, won the TikTok Shop Book of the Year award in 2024. Her Dream Harbor series is filled with quirky townsfolk, cozy settings, and swoon-worthy romance. She loves finding books with the perfect balance of sweetness and spice and strives for that in her own writing. Laurie is currently based in upstate New York.

Website: thelauriegilmore.com
Instagram/Threads: @lauriegilmore_author

About The Christmas Cure

“A holiday gem that blends romance, whimsical humour, and the magic of second chances. Kristine Winters has crafted an enchanting story that reminds us that the greatest gifts come when we least expect them.”  —Jennifer Robson (The Gown)

A cozy holiday rom-com in which ER physician Dr. Libby Munro travels back in time to the previous Christmas during her hometown’s rumored-to-be-magical Christmas tree lighting ceremony, where she must confront her past choices—while navigating an unexpected romance that could rewrite her future.

He wasn’t on her Christmas wish list, but he’s just what Santa ordered.

When Libby Munro returns to her hometown of Harmony Hills—a holiday-obsessed village that feels like stepping into a Christmas card—she’s longing for an escape. A respite from her hectic job as a big-city emergency room doctor, and a change of scenery after a painful break-up. Maybe Harmony Hills’s festive charm will help her rediscover the holiday spirit.

What she doesn’t expect is Liam Young: the dreamy, green-eyed owner of the local bakery, whose smile rivals the glow of the town’s legendary Christmas tree. Or a run-in with Liam’s excitable pot-bellied pig, Mary Piggins, at the rumoured-to-be-magical tree-lighting ceremony. Libby’s knocked unconscious in the chaos and wakes up to find herself thrust into the past: specifically, to Christmastime, one year ago.

As she relives last Christmas, Libby begins to wonder if this is a second chance to change her life. With every snowflake-filled moment, the undeniable spark between her and Liam grows brighter. But if she’s going to rewrite her future, she’ll need to figure out what changes the past is asking her to make—and whether she’s ready to embrace the pull of home, and the promise of true love.

Perfect for fans of In a Holidaze and One Day in December, The Christmas Cure is the holiday rom-com that will make you believe in the magic of Christmas.

About Kristine Winters

Kristine Winters is the pen name of Karma Brown, author of six novels including the #1 national bestseller Recipe for a Perfect Wife, the 2015 Globe & Mail Best Books Come Away with Me, and the nonfiction bestseller The 4% Fix: How One Hour Can Change Your Life. An award-winning journalist, Brown’s writing has been published in Self, Redbook, Today’s Parent, and Chatelaine. She’s also one half of the writing duo behind The Holiday Swap and All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox. Brown lives just outside Toronto with her family and a labradoodle named Fred.

Instagram: @karmabrownauthor

About Host Nicola MacNaughton

Nicola MacNaughton is the co-owner of Slow Burn Books, Canada’s first brick-and-mortar romance bookstore. With a degree in Marketing and Business Technology Management from UBC, MacNaughton initially worked in sales and marketing; however she couldn’t resist the pull of opening a romance bookstore with her sister Shannon, a venture that aligned perfectly with her love of the genre. Slow Burn Books is a testament to their dedication to fostering a community-focused, safe space for romance readers. MacNaughton’s eclectic taste in romance spans sports, contemporary, dark, fantasy, and even a bit of monster romance. Her ideal day consists of getting lost in the pages of a captivating book.

Website: slowburnbooks.ca
Instagram: @slowburn.books