Thank you to SMP Romance for the free book. These opinions are my own.

I adored Fake It Till You Bake It, the first book in Jamie Wesley's series about three football players who open a cupcake shop in San Diego, CA. And I have been so eager for this second in the series, A Legend in the Baking.

In this book, we focus on August, the quiet fullback who has never been out for the media spotlight. But his rant celebrating women and putting down toxic masculinity goes viral. Enter Sloane: she's his teammate and business partner's little sister, and she needs to show she can manage a social media account well.

This was just so sweet. I loved their history and that it feels a bit like a second chance romance since they were into each other twelve years earlier. And in the current timeline, they are so competitive while also really caring for each other.

Sloane is my kind of girl, preferring the cupcake to the frosting. And she wants to get ahead on her own merit. And August is so genuine and honest. I love the pair of them.

And of course, I loved reading about all the amazing cupcake flavors. In addition to addressing toxic masculinity, Jamie also brings in bigger social issues around gentrification and the role of social media.

2.5 stars

While there are some aspects I liked, this just wasn’t for me. I loved the start where she quit her job. The female mc sort of went downhill from there for me. I found her controlling and pushy to the male mic whom I found shy and charming. I hated the past time line (and the fact their relationship started really when she was underage). I also didn’t like the cheating that went on (not between our main couple) but I’m pretty picky about that. It was great seeing the characters I liked in the previous book. I think if the cheating and underage things aren’t dealbreakers for another reader, they will probably like this book. The cupcakes seemed to improve in this one.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy to form opinions from.

I enjoyed reading A Legend in the Baking by Jamie Wesley. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

A Legend in the Baking is a charming second chance, sibling’s BFF romance. If you are a fan of diverse characters who try to ignore their feelings on their way to their HEA, you’ll enjoy this one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Social Media guru Sloane’s had a crush on her brother’s BFF August since high school. Now she’s working on promoting her brother’s cupcake bakery, Sugar Blitz, and his partner/football teammate August just went viral. What’s an Instagram savvy professional to do? Sloane and August are forced to spend tons of time together promoting Sugar Blitz, and it’s simply unfortunate that all her warm, fuzzy feelings about sweet and shy August have rushed back. He doesn’t feel the same way. Right?

Outgoing Sloane and quiet, reserved August are very different characters, and it’s interesting to watch how they draw each other out of their comfort zones while trying to ignore their feelings. And Sloane’s professional struggles of being passed over for a promotion after coworkers take credit for her work is sadly relatable.

When you have a second chance romance, you need to have a good reason why it didn’t work out and a good reason why the characters get back together. In this case, I wasn’t entirely convinced that these two had a love for the ages, even with flashbacks to their earlier interactions. But it’s a cute, slow burn story, and I was mostly able to keep my disbelief at bay.

This series of standalones about football players who own a cupcake bakery is light and, well, sweet. I enjoyed reading about the diverse cast of characters, with a backdrop of social media, gentrification, and cake. If you are a fan of siblings bff romance, with some forced proximity and opposites attract chemistry thrown in, you’ll enjoy A Legend in the Baking.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

🎈Happy BOOK BIRTHDAY to A LEGEND IN THE BAKING by Jamie Wesley 🎂

That's right! Today's book birthday spotlight shines on this delicious release that's about to romcom up your TBR. Take one part hot 🔥 bachelor that's a dynamite... in the kitchen (mind out of the gutter people!), one part social media manager with a past crush that isn't so much in the past, and you've got a recipe that's sure to ignite reader's tastes buds and/or imaginations 😉.

I really enjoyed this fun little romp through the pages. The culinary aspects mixed with the will-one-of-you-just-admit-to-your-feelings moments, and the positive voice for women in what can still be considered in the professional side of things a man's world. There's a bit of spice, but it sure tastes nice, and, as they say, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!

🧁 Add this sweet treat to your reading escape list today for a delightful way to step away from the holiday hubbub and enjoy some me time!

This story was AH-AMAZING. I am a total sucker for baking/cooking romances. This took the *cup*-cake 😏 for this years top favorite for romance.
The story follows August Hodges, a pro-athlete football star who also co-owns a bakery with 2 of his teammates. We also follow Sloane Dell a younger sister of one of the co-owners, trying to make a name for herself in the social media manager world she’s aiming to help the 3 men with the opening of their second location.
This story had, a past, lust, secrets, emotions, real life problems, and a shot at second chance romance if only they could heal from their pasts.

I highly recommend this book but start with book 1! While this book could be read as a standalone( I did and realized this wasn’t the first in the series 🤣). But there were Easter eggs from book 1 that would be spoilery!

This was soooo cute! Literally made me want to bake while reading A Legend in the Baking. Also, I love me a good brother's best friend romance. August and Sloane had such a good dynamic. I love how believable their relationship was with a quirky premise.

Totally recommend this for the holidays because football and baking!

A LEGEND IN THE BAKING has a very popular cupcake shop run by 3 football players, one of whom is a whiz baker and the hero of this book. He is beguiled by the younger sister of one of the other players, and wouldn’t you know it, the two of them just can’t get on the same page with their romance. Missed opportunities and misunderstandings permeate the early portions of this romance almost to distraction. Luckily, our heroine loses her job and a plot starts to materialize and yes, it involves our hero and his amazing appeal. The tale gets better and better as the plot builds and by the end it is very good, indeed. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

4.25 ⭐️

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book and its characters! The writing is super bingable and overall a super enjoyable read.

The slow burn is TOP TIER. The MCs first kiss is over halfway through the book and i never once wished it was getting spicier faster! The glances, the touches, the tension was 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

I absolutely adored the FMC. Boss energy when she didn’t get the promotion she deserved so she quit on the spot. She knew what she was worth and she stood on business. 👏🏼 👏🏼

I didn’t read the first book in series - and while i was able to enjoy and really love the characters, I think it would have added even more to the story to have read them in order. So while I don’t think you have too to love the book, i’d say start from book 1! 😊

Our book boyfriend was top tier. A quiet football player who also co-owns a CUPCAKE shop. PLEASE. that in and of itself is enough - but he’s such a little romantic, teddy bear it makes it 10x better.

Tropes:
-Brother’s best friend
-It’s ALWAYS been you
-Football / Bakery
-Slow Burn 🔥

I will absolutely be reading more by this author & would def recommend this book to my peers!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Jamie Wesley for the early access copy of A Legend in the Baking.

A Legend in the Baking follows the story of August the silent partner in the Sugar Blitz Cupcakes trio. August does not like to be in the spotlight, he would rather blend into the crowd and observe than be front and center. That is until he makes an impassioned speech about women in the baking industry and that baking doesn't threaten masculinity. When the speech goes viral, August becomes the hottest bachelor. In comes Sloan, a social media manager who happens to be the sister of one of the Sugar Blitz Cupcakes trio. Sloan and August have a history. So, when they are thrust into working together to manage the social media storm, tensions get high.

The pining in this book is something fierce. This is a dual point-of-view, brother's best friend romance.

I love the title and tagline. The cover is very inviting and made me want to read it.

A Legend in the Baking is book two of a series featuring professional football players who own a cupcake bakery. August who is the strong silent type, goes viral for defending a man’s right to bake, and the meaning of masculinity. He now finds himself in need of someone to help manage the situation. Sloane, who is the little sister of his best friend and business partner, works in social media and is in need of a job.

Sloane is a strong female character, who I liked from the first chapter. She is a woman who knows her self worth, and doesn’t accept anything beneath her. Yet, August is a vulnerable area for her. She had a major crush on him when she was younger and she still feels vulnerable around him. August has had feelings for Sloane for a long time, but he doesn’t want to jeopardize his friendship and business partnership with Donovan, her brother.

This book is a sweet brother’s best friend, forced proximity romance, with likeable and relatable characters. The friends provide interesting side characters and a good representation of close friendships. I did feel that because Sloane and August both liked each other from the start, there was a lack of tension at times, and the reason for the delay in giving in to their feelings felt a repetitive in the middle. However, there was enough of an interesting storyline to keep me reading. There is a good dose of spice and the setting of a bakery certainly was enough to whet my appetite.

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.

Loved it

August is one of 3 football players turned cupcake bakery owner all my with Donovan and Nicholas. Everyone has the thought of macho football players, but August was a cinnamon roll (or cupcake). I couldn’t help but fall in love with him. I loved how the author shows August’s vulnerability and insecurities throughout the book. It’s always refreshing to have vulnerability seen from the male perspective and not always the female. August had a lot to overcome within the story from a trash father to dealing with his mom’s death and ex-wife. He also was the type that liked to stay in the back and never be upfront. Well, Sloane made that kind of hard for him. After loosing her job, she helps the bakery (and August) gain a huge social media presence to help her gain a new position, but other things happen along the way. Oh, I forgot to mention Sloane and August have a history and they both don’t know how to face or navigate that years later and after what happened in the past.

As I said, I loved August but Sloane was a bit too much at times. I’ll say she was a go getter for sure though! I enjoyed them getting their HEA. In the beginning the book quickly drew me in, in the first chapter. Towards the middle the book did slowed down for me. I think it was because I wanted August and Sloane to get out of their head heads and talk to one another a little sooner.

This is a delightful fit for readers who adore lighthearted, humorous, and feel-good romance stories, particularly those who enjoy friends-to-lovers and second-chance romance tropes, as it promises a sweet and swoony tale of two people rekindling a long-held spark.

I loved MOTY - August! He's such a unexpected hero. I hurt for all the things he lost and experienced in the past. Sloane was a great lead too. And you can feel how much she feels for August. I enjoyed the glimpses to their past too. The story was a sweet, feel good romance. August is absolutely swoonworthy! I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I loved this return to the Fake It Till You Bake It world. The first chapter got me interested from the beginning, with an exasperated Sloane making an unexpected pivot that eventually pulls her into her brother's bakery.

Awkward encounters, bakery scenery, realities of business decisions, I liked the character development, tension, and fun moments!

Thank you to Netgalley and to St. Martin's Press for an ARC.

Well this was the perfect book to cozy up with over the weekend! And even better news - it is in the world TODAY !

August Hodges is one of a trio of professional football players/investors and owners of SugarBlitz Cupcakes. Unlike his partners, he likes to stay behind the scenes. That all goes up in flames one afternoon when he goes on a feminist rant after some dumb bros question his career - and it is all caught on camera and goes viral. SugarBlitz is desperate to leverage the fame - much to Austin's chargin. And the best person to do it is the one that he does his best to avoid...

Sloane is the sister of Donovan, another owner of SugarBlitz and a social media professional. She has recently quit her job after they skipped over her for a promotion - but she's always shied away from doing anything that could be seen as riding her brother's coattails. And this opportunity is even more complicated - she was head over heels for August years ago, and never recovered from his rejection.

This captured so many of my fave romance components - the banter! friends and siblings trying to intervene! a feminist leading man! Characters trying to grow! Fire chemistry! Second chance romances are hard for me (iykyk), but I really enjoyed this one.

Happy Pub Day, Jamie Wesley!!! Can't wait to hear what yall think of this one!

Ultimately, for me, I think the build up was just too slow without really seeing chemistry between the two main characters. I DNFed at ~40% after reading some reviews that had similar feelings to me.

I think I'll definitely still try the 3rd book in the series (whenever that comes out!) since I enjoyed the first book, I just don't think this couple's story was for me.

📖: A Legend in the Baking (Fake It Till You Bake It, Book #2)

✍🏾 By: Jamie Wesley- I haven't read Book #1 Fake It Till You Bake It and didn't have any issues following along.

📅 Publication: 11-19-24, Read 11-18-24

🌎 Setting: San Diego, CA

📄Page Count: 336

👆🏾POV: dual 3rd person

Genre/Tropes:
♡ Contemporary Romance
♡ African American Fic
♡ 2nd chance romance
♡ childhood crush
♡ brother's best friend
♡ sports-H is a football player/celebrity romance
♡ forced proximity
♡ cupcake contest-H & h/ job competition w/ h's nemesis

🎭The Cast:

🚹Hero: August Hodges 30, has an ex-wife- Melinda Dejesus, the quietest of the trio owners of Sugar Blitz Cupcakes (SBC) prefers to be a silent partner, but a viral moment puts him in the public eye.

🚺Heroine: Sloane Dell 29, social media assistant at organic pet food company expecting a promotion but quits instead. Her brother offers her a job to help boost their company's social media.

Donovan-Sloan's older brother, getting married to Jada

Nicholas-co-owner of SBC

Dale Hodges-August's father, a Michelin chef

Preston Bridges-Sloane's nemesis since college. Both applying for the same job at media company San Diego Today (SDT)


🤔My Thoughts: I always love BIPOC rep and opening a cupcake bakery was a great way to bring the community together. The protesters were funny, especially when Ben and Cynthia catch August and Sloane about to make out. The "incident" from twelve years ago was tough on Sloane because you never forget your first love, even if it's unrequited. August apologized but I understood why Sloane was hesitant to take the next step. Donovan played the big brother role perfectly and Nicholas was the comic relief. I can't wait to see who his heroine will be.

⚠️: toxic parents, plagiarism, social media fandom, therapy-just mentioned, gambling addiction-not h/H, gentrification-just mentioned

🌶️Steam level: 4/5

⭐Rating: 4/5

🙏🏾Thanks for the e-ARC provided by NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Jamie Wesley. I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own!

I loved this one! I knew I wanted August's story while I was still reading book 1, and it was great to get it! The story felt like it dragged a bit in the middle, but the chemistry was great and I was happy to be back in my favorite cupcake shop.