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Carved From The Heart

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In the charming town of Sunny Hollow—filled with witches, wizards, and civilians alike—everyone in the magical realm knows that that I'm the most hapless witch to ever wave a wand. Struggling to harness my innate powers, I'm the black sheep in a family of magical and professional prodigies.
But here's what I just found thirteen years ago, my mom cast an enchantment on an ordinary pumpkin, transforming it into a kind soul with secrets of his own. Yes, the pumpkin my mom brings out each and every year is actually a sentient being with a surprising amount of charm.
As the autumn leaves fall and October rolls around once again, Paul the Pumpkin becomes my unlikely confidant. Things soon turn steamy and our bond becomes anything but earthly once I realize that Paul isn't just any magical pumpkin. He's a shifter, trapped between forms, quickly sculpted by me into the perfect gentleman. (I guess I'm not so bad at magic after all!)Paul's loyalty and guidance ignite a spark within me, helping me unlock the latent magic I never knew I had the power to conjure. But when push comes to shove, I'm still a woman scorned. And that might just result in me pushing my perfect mate away.
Fingers crossed. If there's one thing about Candace Callilou, it's that I know how to mess things up.

78 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 17, 2023

104 people are currently reading
335 people want to read

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McKenna Cross

4 books4 followers

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5 stars
33 (8%)
4 stars
66 (17%)
3 stars
155 (41%)
2 stars
85 (22%)
1 star
36 (9%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
Profile Image for Vanessa (bookfairy.reads).
1,340 reviews142 followers
October 23, 2024
What... did I just read?
So, I gotta be honest here, I went a little crazy in the last free book day and "Carved from the Heart" was one of the short stories I grabbed. And... well I didn't go and read every single blurb from the books I got so I was a little surprised. 😂
On one hand the idea behind this book, with creating your perfect man and all was sweet, on the other hand the 🐓 scene? On top of the... what? That was wild even for me and I've read some weird stuff already 😂😂😂
I guess I'm fairly neutral about this book, bc it did entertain me on a very weird and strange way. 😅🫠
Profile Image for Amanda Lutterman.
Author 29 books13 followers
November 1, 2023
It was okay. I didn't like Candance's character at all. She was very mean and selfish towards Paul, it just really rubbed me wrong. I hated when she locked him away in the closet because she was mad over something that wasn't even his fault. She basically used him, taking advantage of how much he cared about her.
Profile Image for CriSsStina.
371 reviews
January 30, 2024
I need to gather my thoughts for this review. This was a short read, and it will be continued with another book, but for now, this novella ends in some sort of HFN. The story is interesting overall, but I have some objections, haha, with some things that happen while the MMC is in pumpkin form. You have magic and Halloween and pumpkins, and that's all I'm going to say 🫢.

I needed more world building. How are the two worlds combining? They have magical jobs and regular jobs, and I was kind of confused. Also, for such a clumsy witch, she did manage to pull quite an impressive spell over her beloved pumpkin. It's interesting how she managed that.

I felt uncomfortable reading some spicy scenes while Paul was in pumpkin form. I cringed and also laughed and cringed again. I read paranormal and all kinds of insane books, and this was something else 😂.

The FMC seemed too emotional, too immature to me. She should be 30 years old by my calculations, but she literally behaves like she's 18.

This being said, maybe I'll give a try reading the next book, I'm curious to see how everything will work for Paul in the real word 👀.

For those who think this is a spooky Halloween type of read ... well, it's not. It's more on the fun side, which is fine. Made me think of Harry Potter when they were making spells 😂.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Lozz Jesson.
53 reviews3 followers
October 2, 2024
An oddly short read!
Pumpkin love, anyone?
If I were a witch, I probably would of done the same thing in her predicament 🤫
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Profile Image for Barb.
550 reviews22 followers
October 26, 2024
Well...

Well. That was...something. Read the summary, make your decision on whether or not to read this. But, I would not recommend it.
Profile Image for Emily Pennington.
20.8k reviews367 followers
October 17, 2023
A Very Unusual Story . . .

Thirteen years ago, Candace Callilou was having a bad day. Once again, she had failed her MCAET (magical aptitude test). Preparing to carve her pumpkin for Halloween, she decides putting a scowl on it to match her own would be appropriate. As she carves, the tears start again as she feels like a failure. Her mother makes it worse by bringing her a juice box (and calling her “Candace Poo”), treating her as if she is 7 and not 17. When she finishes, the pumpkin is better than she thought it was and she hugged it and she named it “Paul”. (It was very creepy to know that Paul felt all the knife strokes as Candace carved. Yuck!)

This year, Paul notices he is still in the closet when he should be prepped for Halloween. But finally Mary Lou arrives and sets him out for Candace. The best thing about Paul is that she can count on him to listen to her and not judge her, unlike her ex-boyfriend Dante. Her mother doesn’t want him on the porch anymore, so Candace took him to her bedroom and placed him on the dresser. Her friend Diana calls him her “emotional support pumpkin.” Paul heard her talking to her friend and admitting she wanted a man to love her for who she is. Paul wants to be that for her, but he doesn’t know how. Ken, Jr. uses his sister’s room to practice his magic and some of it lands on Paul. Soon, he will be able to have a voice of his own. Once he gets good at it, he communicates with Ken. He gives it a try and Ken is surprised. Paul asks for a tongue and Ken looks up a spell for that. Then he asks for a certain male part. Once Ken realizes he wasn’t joking, he adds it to Paul’s stem. Before he leaves the room, he puts a wizard hat on the new appendage so it doesn’t scare Candace… who just got home! But Ken rushes out and forgets he left Paul on the floor!

This is a very peculiar story and I hope you are now curious enough to read it for yourself and see where Paul’s new plan takes him. Will he and Candace both get what they most wish for? Read the story and see!


Profile Image for GABI.
96 reviews10 followers
November 5, 2024
well, that was something.. I finished this book within an hour, it’s a quick read, disclaimer I only have this book because it was free on one of the stuff your kindle days.
as for the book, what on earth? this girl gets gifted a pumpkin by her mother and she carves it every year for halloween, cool, now why is the next perspective from the pumpkin? fast forward a decade or whatever it was, he realises how unsuccessful her love life is, has this great idea that he could really please her and then asks her little brother to give him the ability to speak, have a tongue and a penis instead of a stem, do you guys get where this is going..?
so now she discovers her treasured, emotionally supportive pumpkin has the ability to speak and ofcourse has a penis, he gives her the best orgasm of her life and then they plan to convert him into the man of her dreams, right, that is essentially the plot of the book.
a very strange read, I must say.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Sapphyria  .
2,278 reviews58 followers
November 1, 2024
Candace is the magical black sheep of the family. Her magic isn’t strong, she can’t find a job, and still lives at home with her parents and younger brother. Candace finds out in the book that the pumpkin her mom gave her years ago has been enchanted and is a sentient being. In her infinite wisdom, Candace prepares to slowly turn him into a human man.

I’m still not sure what I read when I finished Carved from the Heart. There are some spicy scenes (18+) that are a tad different than anything I’ve ever read before – and I’ve read some crazy stuff. I was unaware that a pumpkin could be used in such a way…Candace, however, goes there.

Not a big fan of Candace. For an adult, she acts pretty immaturely in some situations. Her treatment of Paul in certain scenes irritated me.

I will say this was a quick read so if you only have a short amount of time, this is the perfect length.
Profile Image for Liv.
780 reviews11 followers
October 2, 2024
⋆。°✩ Spoiler Free Reviews ⋆。°✩

This is, of course, another Halloween novella. This has a sentient pumpkin, witches, making a man out of a pumpkin head, golden retriever boy, and a splash of smutty goodness. Smut was 2.5/5 on the spice scale, and it’s a HEA (for now, apparently!)

Ya know.. I was hesitant about this one but it was a RIDE and I loved it. The journey we went on in such a short period of time was great, I truly enjoyed it.

Candace was our witchy FMC, she’s frustrated because she can’t get a job, and her mother meddled 13 years ago. Did it work out in the end, you’ll have to find out but I loved her.

Givrn the fact that the MMC’s name is Paul, I was hesitant but he really was created for women, no doubt about it! We all need a Paul in our lives.
Profile Image for Kat.
2,446 reviews116 followers
October 29, 2024
Unhinged and Humorous

Basic Plot: Paul the Jack-o-lantern was enchanted to make Candace happy, but he needs a body to do that.

I got this free on the most recent stuff-your-kindle day, and I am really beginning to question my life choices. I'm just glad the story had a sense of humor and kind of ran with the unhinged nature of the plot, such as it was. It was fairly light on plot, and the smut was definitely not even the smuttiest stuff I've read (like I said, questioning my life choices lately), though it did check some of those "Welp, never seen *THAT* before" boxes. It did have a lot of typos and multiple grammatically questionable sentences or it might have gotten another star from me for the sheer unhinged, deranged amusement it brought me.
Profile Image for Nyxie.
280 reviews9 followers
October 13, 2023
This short story is perfect for Halloween season !
Candace is a mediocre witch that failed her MCAETs 3 times before passing ( witch tests - similar to MCATs ). Her mom creates a sentient being from a pumpkin, his sole purpose is to bring Candace happiness.
Years pass, Candace grows up & each year she brings out her pumpkin on October 1st. She names him Paul. Paul truly wants to please Candace - so much so he asks her brother to help him... ( no spoilers !! )
Paul becomes the golden retriever guy Candace desires
Their relationship is fun, steamy, and unusual !

I appreciated the opportunity to read this ARC copy & I'm leaving my honest review
Profile Image for Alycia Carosella.
Author 24 books89 followers
January 9, 2025
This book was in my kindle library for sooo long. I’m trying to work my way through my older books on my tbr this year and I’m so glad I picked this story. Even though it would have been nice to read this one in October, I still enjoyed it. I think the pacing was surprisingly good for a shorter story. I honestly wish the story was longer, but knowing there is a second story about Candace and Paul fixes that.
Paul is such a sweet and caring man and after reading what book two is about, I’m a bit reluctant to read it. I don’t want their happily ever after to end 🥺 All in all I thought this was a great story and I would 100% recommend this for a fall read!
Profile Image for Becca.
490 reviews15 followers
October 5, 2024
An odd, and kind of sweet concept with a HFN ending (I understand there is a part 2 to this novella).

Paul, a pumpkin brought to life through magic, is the sweetest golden retriever main character. He tried his hardest in everything he does, and it’s very easy to find him endearing and loveable.

Candace is much less so. She’s rude, standoffish and quite cruel to Paul. Hopefully this attitude is resolved in the sequel as Paul deserves better (a phrase I never expected to type about a sentient pumpkin).
Profile Image for Christina Dallas.
168 reviews
October 25, 2024
This was a cute, funny and steamy book. It’s a monster romance that had my laughing often throughout the book.
Candace is a witch struggling with her magic and life in general. She has a support pumpkin that she named Paul.
Paul was made by Candace’s mother to help make her happy. When not be able to communicate with her, he convinces her brother to help him talk. Things start taking on a life of its own after that.
This is a fun short read with some crazy spice lol I gave it 3 Stars and 3 spice I will read the second book, I’m curious haha
Profile Image for Amber.
1,084 reviews83 followers
November 6, 2025
2.5 stars
Absolutely insane and ridiculous premise. I think I grabbed this during a free book event. I knew what I was getting into so I wasn't expecting much. I was shocked how much I loved Paul by the end of this. He is sweet and funny to follow. Candace on the other hand I couldn't stand. She would do awful things and it would just be glossed over. Let me be clear I wouldn't say this is a good read but if you know what you are getting into you can have fun with it. If not it might just weird you out.
Profile Image for Brittany.
78 reviews
October 17, 2023
ARC review
4.5 stars
I wasn't looking to have another ARC review for the month, but then I saw McKenna's line about this book being in the same field as a certain pillow book, and I had to read it.

I was not ready for this book even though I should have known what i was getting into. The book is a short, easy read that made me laugh more than I thought. I'm not sure how she did it but the story was both cute and unhinged
I love Paul and will definitely read more of Candice and Paul's story.
731 reviews7 followers
September 14, 2024
The FMC’s mother makes her teenage daughter a sentient pumpkin whose only desire is to make the FMC happy… and doesn’t tell anyone, and makes the pumpkin sit in the closet 11 months out of the year with nothing to do but think about her. This wildly psychotic premise somehow yields a short and sweet holiday romance with a self-aware golden retriever MMC who, after much ado, finally gets to live in a human body and communicate with others. Such a goofball novel, honestly.
Profile Image for Maranda Prigmore.
1,114 reviews1 follower
October 25, 2024
This was a cute read. I liked reading Candace and Paul's story. She is a witch who struggles with magic. He is a pumpkin she carved 13 years prior. Living with a magical family means you can keep things alive. Paul decides to have her brother help make him a reality for Candace. Only when it happens does she realize she is falling for Paul. She must keep him a secret from her family until the time is right. One wrong move and everything could blow up in their faces.
Profile Image for Tabitha Michelle.
187 reviews7 followers
July 24, 2024
This short book made me cringe and feel weird. I am one that LOVES Halloween & I read weird mess all the time….but a pumpkin jumping headstrong and saying “give me a p3n!s” was WEIRD. Not sure how I felt about her willingly accepting it and just sitting on a pumpkin but I mean…..idk

Just don’t recommend this at all.
Profile Image for Heather D.
346 reviews13 followers
September 10, 2024
This was just an okay read. It's a sentient object romance, most of which are ridiculous anyway, but this one had more cringey moments than others I've read. Candance's character made her seem like she was 12 years old due to her immaturity at times. This book will get you in the mood for fall but don't put too much thought into it.
Profile Image for ⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ Nyx ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆.
106 reviews31 followers
October 22, 2024
✰✰✰/5 -
🌶/5

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ Tropes ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
☁︎Shifter Romance☁︎
☁︎Witch FMC☁︎
☁︎Golden Retriever MMC☁︎
☁︎HEA☁︎



‧͙⁺˚*・༓☾ Thoughts ☽༓・*˚⁺‧͙

☁︎This was a cute and spicy short read. It wasn't super spicy but it was super cute and the plot was pretty well done especially for it being under 100 pages. Nothing crazy but it was enjoyable.
Profile Image for amanda Cummings.
329 reviews8 followers
November 2, 2024
Wtf 🤦‍♀️ alright I’ll be real honest im not sure what I just read . And the one star isn’t even because I read a book where the pumpkin has a dick for a stem and she uses it .. but more because the entire situation was not good ! The way she treated Paul , the way Paul was literally just used to be her doormat .. this entire book was a no for me . Im sorry
Profile Image for Ciara Hartman.
Author 21 books52 followers
November 10, 2024
Meh

This was ok, but didn’t really pull me in. A sentient pumpkin that eventually is able to morph into a human-like person with help of more magic from the witches in the household. FMC is a witch who failed several magic schooling tests and can’t land a job. Spice is probably at like a 3/5.
Profile Image for Emily.
586 reviews8 followers
November 11, 2024
What the f**k did I just read😂

Now I knew going in that it would be… unique, and it definitely was.

The spicy scenes are odd to say the least. The ending seemed a bit fast after everything that happened.

It was definitely a quick read, as expected. If you go into it expecting a ‘wtf did I just read’ then I think you’ll enjoy it.
Profile Image for Meagan Mcquigge-Derkacz.
203 reviews
November 18, 2024
WTF? Did I just read? LOL

Okay, Bookstagram needs to chill out! I did give this 2 because why? I am at a loss to leave a review. However, I will say the writing was fine; there was a plot as F***edas it was, LOL. Also, I liked the creativity as odd as it was.

I am going to check out another book by this author to see how it is! A pumpkin with a penis was just something else!! LOL
Profile Image for Yesilovesreading.
152 reviews
October 28, 2025
pumpkin man!

Ok this was such a quick read and very awkward lol. So instead of a frog turning into a man, it was a pumpkin. But it doesn’t turn into a full man until almost towards the end. It’s was kind of funny and a bit disturbing haha but definitely had a laugh while reading! XD
180 reviews
February 6, 2024
It's never too late for a good Halloween novella!

This was a quick read, I read it in one evening. It all starts with à sentient pumpkin that gets turned into a real man. Hilarity ensues.
I'm really not sure what I was reading half the time. It was ĝood and I recommend.
Profile Image for Eel.
Author 3 books11 followers
October 24, 2024
This Halloween novella is psychoticcc. I love the whole “inanimate object is magically transformed into the perfect boyfriend” trope, but locking that carved pumpkin in a closet where it never rots and can only think about its owner until Halloween is crazyyyy
Profile Image for Librarian Jessie (BibliophileRoses).
1,733 reviews88 followers
October 28, 2024
For a very niche paranormal romance… surprisingly not poorly written. If you’re looking for a wtf read to mark on your goodreads that is actually fairly well written, this is a good option. Definitely not the most perfect writing in the world, but for this niche genre it’s one of the better ones.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews

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