As the second installment in the Sugar Blitz series, *A Legend in the Baking* had big shoes to fill after the engaging story of Donovan and Jada. This latest book we meet August and Sloan, Donovan’s sister.

This semi-second chance romance unfolds as a *VERY* slow burn. From the start, it’s clear that both August and Sloane have strong feelings for each other, simmering beneath the surface since their paths crossed 12 years ago. The chemistry between them is palpable, making their interactions intriguing.

Sloane, eager to prove herself as a social media manager, steps in to help revamp the bakery’s image—a task that also brings her face-to-face with the man who’s haunted her dreams. The slow burn is well-crafted, though at times, it felt a bit drawn out. The central conflict, while present, lacked the intensity of a dramatic, high-stakes dilemma.

Despite this, revisiting the football players-turned-cupcake bakery owners dynamic is a treat, adding a fun and quirky element to the series. If you enjoyed the first book, *A Legend in the Baking* is a sweet follow-up that delivers on charm and character chemistry.

The plot was very sweet, I loved the premise of athletes running a bakery, but the writing and editing could use more polish.

I did read the first book in the Fake It Till You Bake it series, however I have terrible bookzheimers, so other than cupcakes, I remembered little until I started reading and things fell into place.

I enjoyed the friends to lovers/brothers friend trope, I like the twist that the 3 footballers are the owners of the bakery.

The guys are the thing I liked the most. I like how they are seen as strong and manly football players, but are also not afraid to show their softer, emotional side of things to the world.

Sloane I liked for the most part, there were a couple of things that irked me, but I am sure they are a me thing.

The last say, 15% of the book really makes it for me.

I like the other 2 main guys, the quirky neightbourhood people were a great addition.

Now I need Nicholas' story

This was extremely sweet and adorable! Maybe a little bit too sweet for me, but still, cute.

A Legend in the Baking is a slow-burn, sort of second-chance, romance between a cupcake baking football player and his teammate/business partner's little sister. They have a bit of a history and have avoided each other as best they could until the start of this book.

I'm only giving it 3 stars because the middle got a bit boring, the end felt a bit rushed, and there was really no serious conflict. But the relationship between Sloan and August was sweet and I was excited when they finally got together.

"If you take one thing from me, let it be this. No one is unloveable. That doesn't mean love is going to land in your lap. You have to be open to it. You have to be honest. You have to be vulnerable...
But over the past few weeks, I've learned that's no way to live. I didn't realize that until her. I didn't know how to love. Until her."

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this eARC.
This book was so so good! I think I enjoyed it even more than the first one in this interconnected series. This book follows August Hodges who is the quiet, football-player, cupcake-baking co owner of SugarBlitz Bakery. However, when he accidentally goes viral for a feminist outburst, he's forced into a new role— one not quite as silent. With the help of Sloane, his best friend's sister and a social media manager, he has to navigate his new stardom. And his not-so-new feelings towards Sloane.

"The embrace felt like coming home, like his mouth had been made specifically for hers. August didn't hurry. He sampled. He sipped like he was relearning the shape of her mouth."

I truly loved this book. It was so so cute and gave the perfect mix of emotion, romance, and outside plot. This author is so underhyped and deserves so so much more.

Closed door modifications: chapter 32&36

Legend in the Baking was a slow burn romance between Sloane and August. What started off as a business & job opportunity , turned into a loving relationship. I loved these characters and I love the conclusion of this book.

I can’t wait for this book to come out in November because I need a physical copy in my possession.

Thanks to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for this
E-ARC! So cute! Loved the romance & the theme. A lot of good banter too. Will read more from this author!

"A Legend in the Baking" was so cute! The middle part was a bit slow, but it was still a fun read, and I recommend you check it out. This book is the epitome of a very slow burn romance, and at times, it made me want to scream. We know from the beginning that August and Sloane have feelings for each other since they've known each other for the past 12 years. There's undeniable history and chemistry between them from the start.

Despite the slow pace, I enjoyed the gradual build-up of their relationship, even though it sometimes felt a little too slow. The conflict that might tear them apart wasn't particularly intense. Personally, I prefer more significant obstacles in romance stories to heighten the tension and stakes.

One of the highlights for me was revisiting the football players turned bakers, as this is the second book in the series. Overall, it was an enjoyable read with charming characters and a sweet, albeit slow-burning, romance.

ARC was kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.50 stars
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This will forever be one of my favourite series, I love men (who play football) who break down gender stereotypes. This is the second in the series, but you get enough information from the author to read it as a standalone - all you miss is the hardships in the first novel of the men struggling to own a cupcake bakery.

In A Legend in the Baking, we follow August (co-owner of Sugar Blitz Cupcakes) and Sloane after August accidentally goes viral for all of the right reasons, after August's online rant the team decides to onboard Sloane to revamp their social media presence. Our two-love interests have previous chemistry as Sloane is Donovan's (August's best friend and co-owner) little sister, I love getting glimpses of their past together.

The romance in this book was lacking in my opinion, we get a lot of banter from the two of them but the romance aspect doesn't happen until later on in the book. August agrees to go on a few public dates (to also smooth over the fact that they plan on opening another location in a neighbourhood where they're not wanted), and the two start to realize that they shouldn't be without one and the other. It was a tad cliche and I had hoped for a bit more conflict between the two of them.

Overall, this was fun - I still think I prefer the first one to this!
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I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin, and Jamie Wesley for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book will publish on November 19th, 2024 - preorder your copy today!

“A Legend in the Baking” by Jamie Wesley
Lemon Meringue Cupcakes sound yummy !
This was one fun romance read. A sweet read I thoroughly enjoyed, until the spicy scenes popped in for visits (which I skipped past). And yes, for me those scenes dropped the stars to 4 from 5. But I did love the story of August and Slone their history and maybe a future? Happy Reading ! !

The second book in this fun series following three professional footballers and their dream of owning a cupcakery, we focus on August and Sloane this time around.

August is the quiet type - just happy to be baking in his moms honor while off the field - until he goes viral for his feminist rant to a couple of dudes who couldn’t help themselves during a visit to the bakery.

Sloane is a social media guru who’s been patiently waiting for her well deserved promotion at work… until she quits when she’s denied.

While interviewing for her next gig, Sloane is poised with a challenge - capture the moment of Augusts new heightened celeb fame and prove what she can do, and the job is hers.

Now forced to spend more time together to focus on helping the cupcakery, Sugar Blitz, soar to new heights, the two are left to reflect on the complicated history between them.

I really loved the chaos of August having to deal with non-football stardom and watching him emerge from his shell. Even more so, I found Sloane’s inner turmoil to be refreshing as she considered what an interview was asking of her and what she wanted for herself professionally.

The lead up to discovering what exactly went down between the two over a decade ago kept me reading and when we did find out, I felt for both parties.

I really enjoyed this, and have been surprised by the lack of actual sports throughout the series, but I’m not complaining. It’s kind of neat to see that side of the characters take a backseat. There’s also a great secondary story to social responsibility and gentrification that I found to be handled very well.

I hope we get Nicholas’ story to finish up this series! I can only imagine the hijinks from the king of flirtation.

‘A Legend in the Baking’ releases on November 19th!

Goodreads Review:

Thank you Netgalley for the advance copy!

Where do I start??? The story overall was beyond cute. I loved their development throughout the book. I shed a few tears during the last chapter. Such a sweet story.. I can only hope for one with Nicholas!

To the author - I love your writing style. I love the way your characters feel authentic!

I like the dynamic between August and Sloane. They were cute and adorable. The writing was witty and kept my attention throughout the book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I enjoyed this book and think you will to.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3

A Legend in the Baking follows Sloane Dell and August Hodges as they navigate August’s newfound social media fame and Sloane’s dreams to make it big in the social media world. The only complicating factor? Their very very VERY complicated history.

A Legend in the Baking is a second chance, brothers best friend romance in the Fake It Till You Bake It series.

I loved Fake It Till You Bake it so I was really expecting to love A Legend in the Baking and my number one favourite trope is second chance romance but this just didn’t live up to expectations for me. I deeply wanted to love both main characters (especially because I love a brooding, quiet MMC) but I found we never really got anything more than surface level from them until the last 10% of the book. I wish more time had been spent delving into the details of who they were, I would have loved that. When we got August’s backstory, I loved a lot of aspects of it but it felt late in the book for me. Additionally, I found the pacing in general to be a little bit off, the last 10% was FAST, I wish there was a lot more detail and maybe a little less detail in certain aspects of the first 90%. We had a bit of a dual timeline and I love a dual timeline especially in a second chance romance but it felt under-utilized, I wish we had more details of their history. In particular, after we found out the problem in their history, there’s simply no more dual timeline, I think it would have been beneficial to find a little bit more about the 12 years in between the timelines and we never did.

However, I really enjoyed a lot of the creative aspects of the book. I thought the storyline was really unique and it was fun to read the main premise of the story. I also really actually enjoyed the gentrification aspect, I felt like it added a lot and we got to know the main characters better because of it. Plus I found Cynthia and Ben really fun side characters.

Overall, I think it was good, I like Jamie Wesley’s writing and I think there’s a lot of potential but unfortunately this did fall a little flat for my expectations.

The characters are wonderfully relatable. The author’s vivid descriptions and engaging dialogue make it easy to get lost in the story. This novel is a delightful read that leaves you with a warm, fuzzy feeling and a renewed belief in the power of love. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a feel-good romance!

3 stars- I was excited for this book because I love baking and I really enjoy the second chance trope. Unfortunately it took me a little while to get into it and I felt like the pacing was a bit slow.

A Legend in the Baking is a slow burn second-chance romance and part of the Fake It Till You Bake It series. It is a sweet romance that can be read and enjoyed as a standalone.

In this book, we follow Sloane Dell, a social media manager, who just quit her job after their failure to give her her deserved recognition. She finds herself running to her brother, football player, and part-owner of Sugar Blitz bakery, Donovan, for much needed advice. Visiting the bakery isn't #1 on Sloane's list of things to do because she knows she will run into her teenage crush and another part-owner, August Hodges, and the last thing she wants to do is see the man who broke her heart 12 years ago. But when Sugar Blitz starts receiving publicity after August goes viral, Sloane makes the decision to put her feelings for August aside and help the bakery out. She is tasked with giving the bakery a social revamp, one which can also work in her favor. But will she be able to work with August without their past getting in their way?

I enjoyed reading this book more than I thought I would. I loved Sloane and August's relationship, even when they were forced to work together without the closure the both clearly needed but never got. There is a lot of regret on both ends, and I loved how the author added flashbacks that gave us insight as to the specific hurt Sloane was dealing with. Both MCs were mature throughout the entire read, which I can truly appreciate. I also loved August's character. Although he comes across as this big tough football player, he's actually the complete opposite- he is quiet, sensitive, understanding, and passionate about the things he cares about, not just football. By the end of the book, I had a smile on my face, especially since I was rooting for Sloane and August! Definitely a great slow burn!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Jamie Wesley for this sweet, heart-warming ARC!

Last year, I was given the opportunity to read the first instalment in this series of interconnected standalones, Fake It Till You Bake It, and had found it to be one of the most refreshing takes on romance (and the beloved fake dating trope) I’d read in quite some time, elevated by its relatable characters and mature portrayal of a healthy romance while maintaining the well-loved lightness of a romcom.

It was because of my immense enjoyment of its predecessor that I so dearly wanted to love A Legend In The Baking just as much, which is why I was so sorely disappointed by my, well, disappointment.

This book certainly had the makings of a book I’d love; the flaws lied in the execution. My conclusion is this: in attempting to write a uniqueness and distinction from the first book, the author strayed too far from her strengths. While ensuring her characters differed in personality and behaviour from her others, she failed to make them likeable and consistent. While they were flawed and human, they lacked depth. Their problems were very real, but only ever scratched the surface. The resolutions to these problems were drawn out, and yet unsatisfying, resolved by a too-brief chat or an out-of-place monologue. Several of these problems were briefly introduced but then not afforded proper time and development to give the reader the impression that they were of lasting importance— both to the character and the overarching plot. This led the final chapters, in which several of these seemingly minor issues were reintroduced, to feel somewhat cobbled together. At times, I nearly got the impression that they had been forgotten about entirely, too late into the draft to write them back in naturally. Whether they should have been left out entirely or more solidly reworked into the overall storyline, I can’t say, for many of these subjects were very character defining— or should have been very character defining— traits and events that fell flat due to underdevelopment. Far too many of the plot-points that could have been great and set this book apart were left on the sidelines, with too much focus being given to directionless moments that were either silly or dragged on. I feel that a more structured plan, cutting away the pieces that didn’t fit, would have benefitted the story.

Circling back to the characters themselves, I have my own gripes. I couldn’t bring myself to love Sloane, our leading lady. From the very beginning, she was a curious mix of chaotic and childish, no-nonsense and career driven. Her “quirks” were odd, and her vocabulary made some of her chapters difficult to get through. And yet, these traits felt subdued— or at the very least, shifted— in the latter half of the book, bringing back the point of inconsistency I had made. The book introduced her as the type to, for example: internally use OMG mid-sentence (unironically), wonder if the MMC thought she had cooties after he stepped back from her, and spend “hours” smelling the cans of aftershave in a department store to buy out the brand he used out of spite. It felt as if the author was trying to write two very specific types of characters through Sloane and August and it just didn’t translate well, and instead read as cheap and cheesy writing— which is an absolute disservice to the author who I KNOW is incredibly talented and capable of writing a romance that is mature, steamy, and worthy of a five star rating. The forced quirkiness and awkward horniness present in Sloane’s character just didn’t work— it was neither hot nor funny, which seemed to be the desired outcomes.

It was later in the book that I noticed her characterization had shifted somewhat, although not from on-page development as a character. The quirks in her vocabulary were fewer and far between, and instead a focus on her emotional processing was introduced, which unfortunately was not portrayed much better— although I appreciated the slight reprieve that this afforded in her inner monologue. I love a dual perspective book, but several moments had me wishing the story had been told strictly from August’s point of view, as his voice was so much more mature and self-aware.
The driving point of Sloane’s struggle to open up was her past with August himself, as told over the course of the story through flashbacks to twelve years prior. In the beginning, I considered these flashbacks to be a welcome respite from what was becoming a rather frustrating slow burn between two characters I was struggling to connect with. This look into their past allowed for interactions uninhibited by the memory of the yet-to-be-revealed impending heartache, and I quite enjoyed these chapters until said reveal finally came; An anti-climactic and painfully awkward confrontation between Sloane, a 17 year old girl infatuated with her older brother’s best friend, and August, a college freshman in a long-term and committed relationship with a girlfriend who Sloane had met on several occasions, whose existence did not stop her from planting an unexpected kiss on him and demanding that he share her feelings. It was messy, uncomfortable, and everything one might expect an emotionally undeveloped 17 year old to do— not something for a grown woman to continue to fixate on as Sloane did in the present day. Fear of rejection is a very real, relatable, and common trait for a romance character to have. However, when the basis of said fear feels so juvenile, it became harder to keep justifying as the end of the book approached and no progress had been made. (There was also supposedly a past partner of hers who let her down as well, but he was mentioned so few times and given so little weight that not only did he feel entirely unnecessary, but I’ve already forgotten his name. I imagine the lack of attention paid to this particular part of her backstory was attributed to a hope of avoiding too many similarities to August’s ex-wife and his equally under explored storyline with her, which only encourages my question: Was he necessary?)

That was a repeated issue. Minor characters, plot threads, and relationships being introduced only to either go nowhere or reappear too late to give them the page-time needed to feel important. Sloane’s own best friend disappeared without mention after just two minor appearances, August’s father was mentioned only a handful of times only to become one of the major plot points to overcome within the last 20% of the book (which was, of course, resolved with a single brief, surface level conversation that left me wondering if they'd actually resolved their differences at all), and the protest behind August and his partners’ purchasing of a block of buildings (why did they do this in the first place? I couldn’t tell you) was given substantial time, and yet was also resolved through an unrealistic heart-to-heart which felt unworthy of the plot’s main (?) conflict. Everything that needed to be expanded further was left on the back-burner, while side plots without meaning or direction took centerstage.

An additional issue that came up for me was repetition, be it of specific words or phrases, without enough space between them to escape readers’ notice. Granted, it’s entirely possible that I’m reading the book through the critical lens of an arc reader, and that this isn’t something a standard reader would notice or be bothered by, but it is still worth noting to try to have variation in word choice to avoid sounding repetitive or redundant. It seems small, but it makes a world of difference to read through a draft and switch out some words— and especially phrases and figures of speech— that appear multiple times within the space of a few pages. Repetitive words can stick out and hinder the flow and immersion of reading. And, while this is noted entirely out of personal preference, perhaps some phrases should be omitted entirely. Never did I think I’d read the unfortunate combination of words “panty-melting” not once, but twice in a romance novel, and have it be entirely unironic, although I will thank the author for this newfound inside joke between my friends and I.

There was one more glaring issue I had that I feel the need to point out— the hyper-sexualization of the male main character. From their very first interactions, Sloane internally emphasizes his physical features in a lustful way. Somewhat standard for a romance novel, perhaps, albeit mildly uncomfortable. But it became a recurring theme from Sloane and several of August’s “fans” who emerged from a viral feminist rant he made about women’s importance in the baking industry— a rant that felt entirely undermined by the treatment of women thereon out. Several scenes saw groups of women portrayed as mindless NPCs borderline harassing August for his looks, from uncomfortable flirtatious remarks to blatant groping of his arms, back, and even his ass, none of which are treated as unsavoury or frowned upon. It was an unfortunate double standard which was instead used as humorous fodder for ridiculous jealousy from Sloane in which she, on several occasions, fantasized about body slamming these women for shooting their shot with a man who she had no right to be territorial over. Harassment is uncomfortable, point blank period, regardless of the intent, or the gender of the person on the receiving end. Why is it that the romance genre so often capitalizes on the discomfort and sexual harassment of its female characters to send a message, while the harassment of male characters such as August is funny and a "flattering" show of his attractiveness? It feels almost silly, even as I write this segment of my review, to have found it so frustrating when the intent was clearly not nefarious, but that almost lends itself to my frustration. It was frustrating to see something so uncomfortable not be acknowledged as uncomfortable. There should be no need for every female character— including your female lead— to hyper-sexualize the male lead for us to understand that he’s an attractive and therefore desirable guy. We have enough moments of Sloane wanting to lick his forearms for that picture to have been throughly painted.

I now want to, somewhat anti-climatically I’m afraid, reiterate that much of my disappointment stems from my decided lack thereof with the first instalment in this series. I LOVED Fake It Till You Bake it. It was decidedly a five star read, and one that I recommended thoroughly across all platforms. It was funny, fresh, and contained something often so sorely lacking in the romance genre— honest and healthy communication. I had been over the moon to have found an author who so wonderfully portrayed a mature and well-developed relationship between two raw, real, and relatable characters without putting a damper on the expected tone of a romcom. A Legend In The Baking lacked all of these things. The leading pair avoided acknowledging their problems, let alone talking about them, and misread each other so that it felt almost implausible that they’d supposedly known each other for so long and so deeply. Their connection lacked depth, reliant on their past which had never lead to anything in the first place, and heaps of oddly portrayed lust. Truth be told, I never felt the love, and I found myself wondering if perhaps it would be best if the two took another 12 year break from each other to mature before giving a relationship another go. The characterization of Sloane, most notably, missed the mark on being either relatable or likeable, to the point of making me wonder if she was a good fit for the MMC at all.

I am admittedly saddened to have been let down by such a highly anticipated read by a beloved author, but I am as always incredibly grateful for the chance to share my honest thoughts ahead of publication. Additionally, my takeaway from this book in particular will in no way stop me from reading and potentially enjoying future works from this author, should the premise interest me. I know from firsthand experience that she is a talented writer, capable of crafting a romance I can wholeheartedly love and recommend, as I did with FITYBI.

Final rating: 2/5 stars, rounded up from 1.5

I thought this book was so cute and the relationship between the characters was well done and well written. I also love the whole concept of the book because I felt like I had not read anything like it before.
Although, I feel as if the writing style was different and fell flat for me. Even though I enjoyed the relationship between the characters, I found them to be a bit flat.