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.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an eARC of book two in this series by Jamie Wesley!

This is best friend's little sister trope. I think calling it a second chance romance or an enemies to lover is a stretch. This is a slow burn, but I loooove a slow burn >>insert swoon<<

Sloane and August. August and Sloane. Sighs.

These two were definitely their own worst enemies. However, I really sympathized with August; his relationship with his father was complicated, and I could certainly understand why Sloane didn't want to piggyback off her big brother, Donovan (the MMC from book 1 in this series). *While this is the second in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone.

There was plenty of tension between August and Sloane throughout, and I couldn't wait for them to get out of their own way and just be together!!! I enjoyed the backstory of their friendship/budding feelings when they were high school and college students respectively. Cute story, can't wait for book 3!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this read. This series is a strong one for me. It is well written and I like how that it has a plot to it. It is easy to read as it is funny and just pulls you in. Keep them coming Jamie!

2.5 stars - A Legend in the Baking is a sweet (no pun intended) slow burn romance with two very likable characters, but it took some time for the story to find it's footing. Sloane is a social media guru who steps in to help her brother's cupcake shop, Sugar Blitz, revamp their social media platforms after one of it's co-owners, August (deemed SugarBae), goes viral. This means for the next few weeks she'll be in close quarters with the man she's spent years getting over.

Although a bit slow at times, Sloane and August clearly care for one another and their chemistry made for a cute read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review

I loved this story and the dynamic between Sloane and August! Can I also add, if my local bakery was run by professional football players I'd be in there every day?! This is definitely a slow burn, but so worth it!

A slow burn, dual POV, older brother's best friend second chance romance between August, a divorced pro Football player slash cupcake bakery co-owner trying to open a second location and Sloane, the woman who has had a crush on him since childhood and gets hired to help improve his PR image to help quell community discontent. This was good on audio, had emotional depth and great diverse MCs plus who doesn't love a hot male baker who can deliver in the sheets? Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I love a man who bakes and I love this series. August and Sloane have a past. She's his best friend's little sister and also the girl he broke 12 years ago. After doing what he thought was right at the time, he has regrets. He is sure she's past it now, but them working together so closely is going to test his patience and ability to not try for what he really wants deep down. Sloane has been let down tremendously but all the guys in her life, including August. She's not interested in embarassing herself again, but she doesn't think she is imagining the tension she feels coming from him as they are working together.
She wants a marketing job and to get it, she has to promote another company and ramp up their socials to prove she has it in her. Working with August, aka Sugar Bae, will be just the thing she needs. I love these two together and you can feel the tension right from the get go. It is obvious that they have a connection that stems from long ago. August knows he hurt her and Sloane knows they are different people now, but she is still scared that someone she puts her faith in will let her down again.
August is really honestly the sweetest and I am on board with pretty much anything he does. He is a walking green flag, and we need more of those in romance books. 4.25 stars.
Thanks to St. Martins, Netgalley and Jamie Wesley for an early copy.

Rating 4.5 stars

emotional, funny, informative, inspiring, lighthearted, reflective, tense, medium-paced


Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Rating: 4.5

A Legend in the Baking is book two in the Fake It to You Bake It series. You do not have to read book one to read book two. The series is about three professional football players who love baking and open a cupcake bakery.

This story centers around August, a professional footballer and baker. He is usually the quiet one of the group. He hates attention. The FMC Sloane. She is August's best friend's little sister. They have been friends since their meeting, always chatting; they understood each other, even finishing each other's words.

August and his best friends are planning to open their second cupcake store, but the neighbours oppose them. Sloane, a social media specialist, has decided to assist them with getting the bakery's social media presence on the positive side.

While August and Sloane work together, their feelings for each other grow. However, they still need to talk about things that happened between them years ago. Will they try to pursue a relationship with all these feelings?

This slow-burn story about friends becoming lovers is a page-turner. It is well-written, and the characters show incredible development throughout.

Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Easy-to-read, Entertaining, Happily Ever After, Page-turner, Romantic, Wonderful characters

I received an ebook from NetGalley but am not obligated to review it.

A marked improvement from the first one! This book is about cupcake shop co-owner and pro football player August as he goes viral for a feminist rant, leading to his teammate’s sister Sloane’s involvement in the shop’s social media. The characters had believable chemistry, and I found myself rooting for them more than I thought I would. That said, this was unnecessarily long — hopefully the final copy will be trimmed down a bit.

I’d recommend this to fans of slow burn romances.

This review was written with temporary digital access to an ARC of the book. Thank you!

A Legend in the Baking is the second book in The Sugar Blitz series and it follows Sloane and August’s love story! I absolutely loved this one. The chemistry and banter between Sloane and August was to die for. It tackles the themes of wanting to be enough and getting past lies that have taken up too much space. If you love a slow burn, friends to lovers second chance romance you will love this one!

While I enjoyed the first book in this baking-themed series of rom coms, there was something off about this installment from the start. Sure, the tropes are not my personal favorites (second chance, etc), and I found the third person POV difficult to get into, but there were also a couple of things that gave me the ick. Our hero gets sexually harassed (assaulted?) by several women early on, and it's just sort of brushed off. There were also elements of his relationship with the heroine - particularly in the flashbacks - that didn't sit right with me either. I started skimming after my interest waned and encountered a few more things that rubbed me the wrong way, so I'm leaving this unfinished. I do like some of the concepts that were explored, but this was a DNF for me.