Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book unfortunately I'm going to DNF at 30%.

It's not a bad book but it's just not holding my attention right now and I have other books that I know will grab me.

I kinda enjoyed this book more than Fake It Till You bake It. Loved the main characters both individually and together.

I'm usually not a fan of slow burn but I didn't mind it in this book at all and I love that it was filled with tension from the get go.

I switched to the audiobook halfway through and I had to go start from scratch because the narration was just fire.

Thanks to St.Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the ARC!

Story: 3.5 🌟🌟🌟💫
Narration: 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I value the opportunity I was given to read this in advance, but I still haven't read this. With so many books ahead of me, I cannot return to this title.

If you're in the mood for a sweet, swoon-worthy romance with a dash of humor and heart, the this is a delightful treat you won’t want to miss. The story follows August Hodges, a tough football player turned cupcake-baker who finds himself at the center of an unexpected social media storm. What begins as a viral rant about gender stereotypes in the baking world catapults him into the public eye, making him the latest heartthrob in town. To capitalize on his newfound fame, August teams up with his best friend’s younger sister, Sloane Dell, a social media whiz who’s got her own baggage with August.
The chemistry between August and Sloane is undeniable. Their interactions crackle with tension, from their witty banter to the deeper emotional moments that reveal the complicated history between them. Sloane’s old crush on August, paired with the undeniable attraction that still simmers between them, creates a slow-burn romance that’s both satisfying and sweet.
The author does a nice job of blending humor, romance, and the behind-the-scenes peek into the world of small-business marketing. The story explores themes of personal growth, second chances, and embracing who you are—whether you’re a tough football player or a cupcake-loving feminist.
The characters are endearing, with August's growth from a reluctant viral sensation to someone truly invested in his business and Sloane's determination to make it in her career adding depth to their love story. There’s also the perfect balance of humor and heat, making their journey toward each other both fun and emotional. A cute and fun story that was highly entertaining!
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

3.5/5 Stars

After accidently going viral on social media, August Hodges enlists the help of his business partner's little sister, Sloane Dell, a social media manager to help promote the new location of their new cupcake bakery.

This is the second book in the Sugar Blitz series, and it is just as sweet as the first. You can definitely read this as a standalone if you'd like, but there are ALOT of cameos of Donovan and a few with Jada from the first story. I'm going to say that this is a second chance romance, even though TECHNICALLY August and Sloane never dated, they do have a history with one another so I AM COUNTING IT. It's definitely slower burn then the first book, but I enjoyed that aspect of the story. I like that this wasn't just a rinse and repeat of the first book. I absolutely adored August. He was such a sweet cinnamon roll, and I wanted to protect him at all costs. Sloane was a little harder to like, but she grew on me by the end.

GIVE ME NICHOLAS' BOOK, OR GIVE ME DEATH.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of A Legend in the Baking by Jamie Wesley!

This was honestly a cute slow burn love story. The entire concept was fresh and I never knew what to expect next!
I definitely plan on checking out more of this authors books.
3.5

I enjoyed the banter and good chemistry between the two main characters. It wasn’t a 5-star for me because August’s speech seemed very scripted (which, to be fair, probably felt that way because I knew it was coming and that he was going to go viral for it). Of the two, I liked August better because Sloane’s actions lowkey felt manipulative at some points? And Sloane convincing August to date his fan club was weird af.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with an eARC of A Legend in the Baking in exchange for my honest review!

This second-chance romance can be decently entertaining, although I'll admit that it doesn't warm up my heart as much as it could have. I do find it engaging to dive into the complicated family meat with August, and there's some good old chemistry to be had between him and Sloane. It's enjoyable to bring in other characters from the neighborhood, too, and let them step up the charm and the comedy. But at the same time, this can be quite the slow-burn tale, and it can just drag things out too much for me.

Overall, I'm officially rating A Legend in the Baking three out of five stars. I wish I could have come out higher on it, but I'm still glad I gave it a try. I'll keep an eye out for the first book in the Sugar Blitz series.

A Legend in the Baking is the story of an NFL player turned cupcake baker and his relationship with his best friend and business partner's little sister. While they work through issues from their past and the baggage they still carry, they cannot deny their chemistry. While working together on the bakery's new storefront, their feelings develop and become undeniable. It was a fun, witty brother's best friend romance.

I think I am giving up on htis author. The writing is so strange and I do not click with the authors style. I was cringing alot and the romance just felt forced.

Flour covered the surface of the counter and the smell of sweet sugary confections filled the air. He glanced around at the mess in front of him, content and feeling at ease with the progress. Who knew cupcakes could be so soothing?

A Legend in the Baking is a romance following Sloane and August. Sloane has just lost her job and is trying to find her footing. She starts managing the social media of her brother’s cupcake business. One problem though, she’s going to have to interact with August, a man she swore she’d forget about.

This was a cute one! I was glad to get August and Sloane’s story after reading and enjoying book one in this series as well. Loved August’s character and how he worked through things from his past that had been hindering his growth as a person and seeing him and Sloane get a new start.

If you’re looking for a cute romance with cupcakes, second chances, forced proximity/workplace relationship… then give this one a read!

A Legend in the Baking by Jamie Wesley is a deliciously fun & entertaining second chance brother’s best friend sports romance between a professional football player & the social media maven he has to work closely with.

This is book #2 in the Sugar Blitz series, but it can easily be read as a standalone. I loved the first book in the series, Fake It Till You Make it so I highly recommend starting there.

A Legend in the Baking Is great for those looking to read…
💛 Sports Romance
💛 Second Chance
💛 Football Player x Social Media Maven
💛 Brother’s Best Friend x Best Friend’s Little Sister
💛 Forced Proximity

I really enjoy this series, the concept of the football players opening a cupcake business, their friends, families, community & their intriguing love lives amidst the chaos of living in the public eye. I also always appreciate strong heroines & this showcases them. I didn’t feel quite the connection with this book as much as the first one, but I still liked it. I also am still so curious to read the next one in the series.

Massive thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin Griffin, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

3.5 stars

I Read (Last Year) ... A Legend in the Baking

When I read Fake it til you Bake It and rated it five stars I couldn't wait to read more books by Jamie Wesley. It took 2 years but we finally got the sequel and it was a highly anticipated read. It also left me a little disappointed. It was an average read, nothing to absolutely love and nothing to rant about. I will read the last book in the series but I won't be rushing to add it to my TBR.

I really wanted to love this as much as I did the first one, but I just didn’t feel Sloane and August as a couple. It also relied on my least favorite trope of “miscommunication” far too much. I liked the takes on gentrification and the Franklins are definitely my favorite characters.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. Prior to this, I was unfamiliar with this author. I enjoyed the book and found the writing competent. The characters, particularly August Hodges and Sloane Dell, are well-developed and sympathetic. There’s some history between them, which is slowly revealed through flashbacks to twelve years earlier, but from the start, it’s clear that August broke Sloane’s heart and their once-close relationship was damaged by that. When the story starts, they are actively keeping their distance from one another. This is complicated by the fact that August is best friends with Donovan, Sloane’s older brother, and they own a business together (with their friend Nicholas), Sugar Blitz Cupcakes.

When Sloane unexpectedly quits her job, she goes to Sugar Blitz to talk to her brother but he’s not there. Instead, she runs into August, and the extent of their estrangement becomes apparent. She happens to be there when August dresses down a couple of guys who naively question why a tough guy like him has a girly place selling cupcakes. After he chases them out of the bakery, he turns around to discover that the entire place was watching, recording it on their phones, and is now applauding him. August, never wanting to be the center of attention, makes a hasty retreat to the back.

Sloane specializes in social media and notices that the clips of August have gone viral and he’s been dubbed Sugarbae. For years, she has refused to work for her brother because he (and his two friends) are NFL players and she doesn’t want to ride his coattails. Nevertheless, when she goes for a job interview for her “dream job,” she’s told she’ll be competing against a college rival and each has to take a business and increase their social media presence. She claims she’ll be working with Sugar Blitz, figuring it will be easy to build their presence by capitalizing on the viral video of August.

The crux of this issue is that Sloane was hurt and doesn’t trust August not to hurt her again, even though she’s still “secretly” in love with him. Meanwhile, August knows he hurt Sloane but doesn’t think he’s worthy of her. The more time they spend together, the more they’re reminded of what they once had together and the sparks between them ignite.

What I liked most about the story were the characters of August and Sloane. August is a reserved, considerate, and honest man, who seldom smiles but whose smile lights up a room, but even more importantly, he’s a great listener. Sloane is independent, smart, driven, and an expert social media operator.

The narrator is omniscient and the story is told in past tense. There were some pretty funny lines, mostly from Sloane’s internal dialogue. August is getting a lot of attention from the ladies now that’s he’s Sugarbae, and Sloane hates it. Some of the women are pretty handsy, and one is described as pressing her boob into his arm, then pinching his butt. Then, “Her lips landed on his right cheek. The one on his face. Thank God for small favors.”

Sloane wants August to do a trendy dance on TikTok and he wants nothing to do with that. She accuses him of not having rhythm. “Earlier, when he’d been so emphatic about having rhythm, her mind had swan-dived into the gutter like she was an Olympic gold medalist diver.”

My one big complaint came toward the end. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that this book has a happy ending. What bothered me was the statement, “he’d have it no other way,” twice(!) within two paragraphs. Maybe it’s just me, but one of my pet peeves is when authors use the phrase, “wouldn’t have it any other way.” Maybe the author changed the phrase a bit, but it’s still the same old hackneyed sentiment that drives me bonkers. When I see a phrase like that used, even if it’s in an otherwise perfectly good book, it makes me want to immediately deduct points. Combined with a failure to evoke any strong emotions in me, I had to lower the rating of this book from five stars to four. That’s still quite good. I still recommend the story because it's fun. It just doesn’t rate as one of my favorites.

A Legend in the Baking by Jamie Wesley (@jamiewesleywrites) was hands down my most anticipated read for November, and it didn’t disappoint! After reading ‘Fake it Till You Bake It’, I’ve been so eager to read about the other two co-owners of Sugar Blitz. Sloane and August’s chemistry was off-the-charts intense—the kind that keeps you hooked from start to finish. Sloane’s upbeat, high-energy personality is the perfect contrast to August’s calm, reserved vibe, and watching them navigate their differences was chef’s kiss. He’s not one for the spotlight, but when it comes to supporting her, he’s all in. Their stubbornness and long-buried feelings made the slow burn so worth it.

This was a nice and cute read. It was a slow burn type of book but still enjoyable. I did like the 1st book in the series better.

*2.5 stars*

Brother's best friend is my cat-nip so I was predisposed to like this book, however I ended up not liking it as much as I thought I would. While there were enjoyable moments, I found it difficult to connect with the main character, Sloan. Additionally, the humor that captivated me in the previous book was somewhat lacking in this installment. Overall, an entertaining read, but not as satisfying as I had anticipated.

Thanks to St Martin's Press for the ARC

This is one of those *very* slow burns sort of romance. We know from the get go that both August and Sloane have the hots for each other. They are lusting after each other in their hearts and minds from the moment they run into each other after having known each other 12 years before.

So there is the history there.

Sloane is trying to get hired as a social media mavin, and takes on her brother's company, a cup cake bakery.

I did like the slow burn, though at times it seemed a little too slow.

Overall great read