Brother's best friend mixed with second chance is just not the book for me I guess. I just kind of got the ick in the flashback where he was kind of into her while she was still in high school, it just felt weird.

A Legend In The Baking is the second book in the Fake It Till You Bake It Series. It follows Sloane Dell and her brother’s best friend/co-owner of Sugar Blitz Bakery, August Hodges. Sloane quit her job and in order to be considered for a new higher level position, she took on the role of social media manager for the bakery. She also helps August to break out of his shy/timid shell and become more outgoing. In this book we learn that Sloane and August had a thing for each other over a decade ago. However, something led to a rift in their relationship and they are secretly pining after each other and hiding their true feelings. This book was a slow burn and although I enjoyed the premise, it fell short for me. The constant miscommunication between the two main characters took away from the story and I felt myself getting frustrated with their antics. A simple conversation could’ve literally solved all of their problems. However, there were some very cute moments that I enjoyed. Overall, I would still recommend this story and look forward to reading more work from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for this eARC

Being thrown into the spotlight was the last thing August Hodges expected or wanted. But when his feminist speech goes viral he, along with his best friend and co-owner's sister, Sloane, do what must be done to promote the second location of their cupcake bakery. The only issue is that August and Sloane are both attracted to each other but will do whatever to not admit that fact to the other and to themselves.
This is a contemporary romance and it definitely had some spicy moments, though if slow burn is more your speed this will the book for you. I enjoyed the conversation of dismantling toxic masculinity, though I wish we would have explored it a bit more with August. We got this major feminist moment that catapults him into the spotlight and then we sort of glossed over the topic every so often. Men, specifically African American men are viewed as cold and incapable of being in love, so having August and his friends be the complete opposite made for this to be a refreshing and captivating read.
One major critique that kept me from rating this book higher was the dialogue and the storyline. Overall, things just seemed redundant. So many scenarios occurred with the same output of information. Same story, different day. The dialogue had the same effect. The characters came across as one dimensional sometimes due to them just restating what the other person said. Conversations weren't in-depth, but rather monotonous and stagnant causing the characters, themselves, to be the same. Though, looking past this, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and loved delving into August's and Sloane's minds and watching them combat their internal battles.

I really enjoyed a lot about this book - the characters were so sweet (pun only slightly intended) and the plot was mostly enjoyable. My main complaint that kicked it from 4 stars to 3 is some clunky writing. Occasionally, the writing style feels a bit amateur - not for the entirety of the book, but enough times that it took me out of the story. For example, there was one part that said something along the lines of, "He thought he might feel bad about it. He felt bad about it." These brief moments removed me from my enjoyment of the characters because other parts of the writing felt much more flowing and natural. This also slowed down the pace such that I wasn't as hooked and captured as I could have been by these stories and characters. Otherwise, worth a read, but could use a bit more editing.

I absolutely loved this book. The romance was so cute and I really enjoyed the baking part of the story. I would highly recommend this book!

i had a decent time, pretty slow, and found myself not fully invested in the romance, was a bit insta lovely for me. i didn’t read the first one so that also may have been my issue. i also love this cover so much. thank you netgalley for the arc!

This was such a cute story. Thank you Netgalley for the gifted copy. A football baker is the cutest 😀 and the ending was amazing.
I recommend this book!

This was a cute read. I did feel like the past conflict seemed a bit irrelevant or confusing. I expecting it to be a bigger deal than it was and when nothing really can of it. It was kinda a disappointment. It felt like slow-burn and insta-love at the same time?

I really enjoyed this fun romance between August & Sloane, the found family vibes and the growth of their relationship into something more. Though I enjoyed this book, the slow burn was *real slow* and got me disconnected from the story in the middle. Overall, a great light read, great character growth and no major third act break up.

What can I say?! This was such a cute story! I’m a baker so of course reading about successful football players running a cupcake shop was a must for me!

August and Sloane had good chemistry with each other and I loved that August was a big ole Teddy Bear. Personally, I felt it took awhile for the plot to start moving and would have loved to have seen them get together sooner. Overall, it was a fun read and I am looking forward to Nicholas’s story in book 3.

Read if you like:
Brother’s best friends
Slow burn
Second Chance

Thank you St. Martens Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

A Legend in the Baking is a rom com book with wonderful characters and fun storyline. I loved how August has a very healthy and wonderful view on women, standing up for them, and shooting down Andy toxic masculinity. Sloane was fun to read with her very gen Z feel and social media guru skills. If you love a feel good book with some pleasantly unexpected spice, this one’s for you!

Sloane has a really strong voice and the set up seems solid. The writing is easy and accessible. While I wasn’t personally intrigued by Sloane and stopped after chapter 1 (4%), it’s likely 3-4 stars for the target audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

I loved Fake it til you bake it and was so excited to see another one in the series be announced.
However this one felt very lacklustre. The writing wasn’t as strong this time with simple vocabulary and a lot of repetition. The plot was interesting and funny but honestly felt too similar to the first. I did once again love the characters and the banter and overall it’s a great easy read

Description
After accidentally going viral on social media, a cupcake-baking football player gets assistance from a social media maven—and his best friend's little sister—to help promote his new bakery.

August Hodges was supposed to be the silent partner in Sugar Blitz Cupcakes. Emphasis on silent. That is until his impromptu feminist rant about how women bakers are the backbone of the industry and baking cupcakes isn’t a threat to masculinity goes viral, making him the hottest bachelor in town. With a new location in the works, August and his partners decide to capitalize on this perfect opportunity to help cement their place in the community. But the hiring of his best friend’s younger sister, the woman who has haunted some of his best dreams for years, was as much of a shock as his new-found fame.

Social media manager Sloane Dell fell hard for her brother’s best friend the moment she met him more than a decade ago, but that teenage infatuation cost her dearly. Still, she accepts her brother’s request to revamp the bakery’s social media presence to take advantage of August’s newfound popularity, knowing it’s the big break her fledgling career needs. She’ll just ignore the fact that August is still August, i.e. sexier and sweeter than any man has a right to be. And that he drives her crazy with his resistance to all her ideas.

They vow to leave the past in the past. But when an explosive make-out session makes it clear their attraction burns hotter than ever, Sloane and August are forced to reconsider what it means to take a risk and chase your dreams.

As they’re both about to find out, all’s fair in love and cupcakes.

My Take:
"The 'Fake It Till You Bake It' series continues with its second installment, and it's not necessary to have read the first book to get into this one. The story delivers on its promise, though in unexpected ways. Personally, I find Sloane a bit too petulant for my liking, while August comes off as a vulnerable dreamer. It's clear why fans dub themselves 'Sugarbaebies'- #IYKYK. That said, the narrative is peppered with tense moments and steamy encounters, showcasing the undeniable connection and shared past between the characters-which is good. However, there are times when I can't help but feel August deserves better, leaving me questioning if Sloane is truly his match. All told, this is a good second installment. I think this would make a great book club selection, as there are many avenues to explore and discuss.

This is a sweet, VERY slow burn, romance. Sloane and August have a wishy washy meet cute and a very long story, but the adventures of NFL players running cupcake shops is fun and a bold statement on stereotypical femininity/masculinity. MMC is sweet and shy. MFC is a little bossy. The middle drags a bit, but Wesley figures it out eventually.

August Hodges was supposed to be the silent partner in Sugar Blitz Cupcakes. Emphasis on silent. That is until his impromptu feminist rant about how women bakers are the backbone of the industry and baking cupcakes isn’t a threat to masculinity goes viral, making him the hottest bachelor in town. With a new location in the works, August and his partners decide to capitalize on this perfect opportunity to help cement their place in the community. But the hiring of his best friend’s younger sister, the woman who has haunted some of his best dreams for years, was as much of a shock as his new-found fame.

Social media manager Sloane Dell fell hard for her brother’s best friend the moment she met him more than a decade ago, but that teenage infatuation cost her dearly. Still, she accepts her brother’s request to revamp the bakery’s social media presence to take advantage of August’s newfound popularity, knowing it’s the big break her fledgling career needs. She’ll just ignore the fact that August is still August, i.e. sexier and sweeter than any man has a right to be. And that he drives her crazy with his resistance to all her ideas. They vow to leave the past in the past. But when an explosive make-out session makes it clear their attraction burns hotter than ever, Sloane and August are forced to reconsider what it means to take a risk and chase your dreams.

This was a delightful read, but the romance was SO slow burn it was almost painful! I loved both August and Sloane. They felt like real people, and I really liked watching their growing relationship dynamic. But it was so so slow. I definitely enjoyed it though, and want to look at the author's backlist now. 🙂 I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys slow burn romance!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

The second book in a series, “A Legend In the Baking” follows Sloane, social media whiz and August, professional football player turned cupcake baker. This book can definitely be read as a standalone though, as it provides plenty of flashbacks and insight into the characters’ pasts.
I thought the dynamic between the main characters was great. From the banter to the sweet moments, I love the brothers best friend trope and this one didn’t disappoint! It’s definitely a slower burn though and I felt that the middle dragged on just the tiniest bit which is why I’m giving it 4 stars.
Overall a sweet romance that I enjoyed and would absolutely recommend reading!

I absolutely adored this book!! I read the first one in the series right before this one and out of the 2, this one was definitely my favorite! I love that the stories are based around pro football players with their own cupcake shop. It’s such a different story than others out there and the relationships are more than just romance. Friendship is a huge part of the book and it’s so powerful. In A Legend In The Baking, August finds himself accidentally going viral and becoming “SugarBae.” His teammate/business partner’s sister finds herself helping with their business’ social media and has to figure out a way to use this buzz from August to their advantage while they navigate opening a second shop location. With a tense history between the 2, they try their best to ignore it and work professionally, but feelings are still there and continue to grow with each encounter. This is a beautiful story of second chances and I just know everyone who reads is going to love it!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc.

Firstly, I love this cover!!!!!!! This was a cover read, to be honest. Now, I did not read the first book in this companion series. However, I might read it. This book follows August who is a silent partner of Sugar Blitz Cupcakes and Sloane who is a social media coordinator. Now, these two have had feelings for each other for twelve years and are admitting their love for each other. Now, I was loving the beginning. I was eating it up. However, I found the middle of their story dragging so I was losing a bit of interest. Overall, it is 3.5. I love it when they finally admit their feelings and they were such a cute couple. I just thought I would see them in the relationship longer. Their personal growth was so nice to see develop. I can not wait to see what the next book has

Social media guru and pro football player second chance romance? Sign me up!

*Disclaimer*
VERY VERY VERY SLOW BURN. If you read for instant gratification, this is not for you.

There were parts of the book I enjoyed— the tension, the will they won’t they, the ambitious career woman.

However, there were alot of things that didn’t quite work for me. The book read a little young with some of the sayings and inner dialogue which made the spice a little awkward. In my opinion there wasn’t much distinguishing between the 12 years earlier and the present because the overall attitude and speech was still a little childish.

Also, the only thing in know about August is he is shy and hot as it’s mentioned over and over and over.

Overall, it was cute but I don’t think I’ll be rereading it anytime soon.