I received an advanced copy of “A Legend in the Baking” by Jamie Wesley, the second book in the “Good things come to those who bake” series, which follows a cupcake store owned by three professional football players. Book 1 follows Jada and Donovan, and Book 2 tells the story of Donovan’s little sister, Sloane Dell, who has long nursed a crush on Donovan’s best friend, business partner, and teammate, August Hodges.

Recently divorced, August becomes a viral sensation after confronting a trio of sexist bros in his shop and out-of-work social media manager, Sloane, agrees to help her brother and friends with publicity as a second bakery location opens.

I loved the setup of this book and the flashbacks of the friendship that develops between Sloane and August. I liked that the failed first marriage felt realistic and part of a complex history and story for August. I think having flashbacks from August’s perspective would have been helpful to the reader.

The first half of this book was excellent, but the second half was less focused. An unexpected intimate moment between the couple was handled poorly by the author. This wouldn’t have been fatal but - when August finally asks Sloane to give him a second chance (or third if you count the kiss as the second chance, which I certainly do not) - she hesitates, and the last portion of the book is Sloane dithering about whether she should pursue a relationship with the person she has loved all her life. The resistance to the relationship despite years of friendship, growing attraction, and mutual goals just felt so contrived as a means of creating third act tension.

I will read other books from this author, and enjoyed much of this story, but not quite a touchdown. 3.5/5

This is a best friends little sister romance. They’ve had a connection for more than a decade but it was never fulfilled because she played her hand and crapped out. Now years later they are working together on a project that keeps them close and that same connection surfaces along with some chemistry and them boom …
This story was a little slow in the movement. The characters have great chemistry and I appreciated the glimpse of their past Interactions. If you like romance where they are fighting the inevitable then this book is for you. .

What a great concept. It isn't often you see a "manly man" football player as a baker. I really enjoyed this book and I want to go buy the first book in the series.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for the #AdvanceReviewCopy

Genre: Romance
Release Date: Nov 2024

Summary: 3 professional football players own a bakery and are opening up a new location. One of the owner’s sister joins the team as a social media manager to help both the bakery and herself. The problem is she must work with the man she’s loved for 12 years who also happened to break her heart once. This is book 2 in a series but so far each book has its own main characters and plot so this can definitely be read as a stand alone. What you’ll gain from reading book 1 first is history on the bakery and a couple of names will be familiar but that’s pretty much it.

My Thoughts: I enjoyed it overall. It is a slow burn and the story got a bit muddy in the middle and the ending dragged just a tad but other than that it was well written, and the main characters were well developed with a lot of spark. There are a couple of extremely heated moments during the ‘getting together scene’. But other than those scenes the spice level is low.

This released before Christmas so it is available for you all now.

Overall, I rate this 3.5 stars.

This was a cute little rom com that I absolutely loved! I love the cupcake baking football player--i havent seen a character like this in many books which was refreshing!

Thanks for the digital copy!

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.25⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary romance📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A cute and fun read but get comfortable because you’ll be waiting a long time before the romance shows up

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Very slow burns
All the tension
Found family
Brothers best friend
“childhood” friends to lovers
Football player/ cupcake shop owner MMC
Social media consultant FMC
Forced proximity
workplace romance
Dual timeline

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
August is the ~sweetest~ and most humble book boyfriend ever

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
the past miscommunication
it took foreverrrr for them to finally get together
some of the things younger Sloane did
the whole social media setup and Sloane basically using August

This was a great book to read throughout the holidays - where in between the chaos, you read a little bit here and there. The main characters were delightful and now I need to go back and read book 1 in the series! So glad he went after his happiness.

The characters were believable in the flaws while also being so likable. This was also a perfect winter read because the cozy vibes were so strong.

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

This book was as sweet and fluffy as a batch of cupcakes fresh out of Sugar Blitz's ovens! August Hodge, the quieter co-owner of the shop, wins hearts (and the internet) by standing up for women in the most swoon-worthy way. Cue collective feminine sigh. Enter Sloane Dell, a social media manager determined to prove herself without relying on her millionaire brother—who, by the way, is also August’s longtime bestie and Sugar Blitz co-owner.

While this was a cute, light read that stayed mostly on the surface, there were moments that hinted at deeper emotions. I found myself wishing for a few more of those moments to really sink my teeth into. Initially, I was leaning toward a 2-star rating, but let me tell you—when the spice scene hit, it hit. Whew, August, you’ve got layers, my guy. That steamy moment alone earned this book an extra 0.5 stars. 🔥

I’d love to see the author dig deeper into character development and plotlines in future books, but I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for Nicholas’s story. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC! Final verdict: 2.5 stars.

This book has a lot of potential, a lot of tropes I generally enjoy. While I appreciate the romance, this one felt the same as many others. I enjoyed it, it just wasn’t anything new. It was well written, and a good time. But I didn’t see anything worth a recommendation.

I love Jamie Wesley! It's an incredible read and a great love story. This book is perfect for the fall season and has great Thanksgiving vibes. The main characters were so fun to read. I hope you all enjoy..

A Legend in the Baking had so many things going for it when it came to aligning with who I am as a reader (sports romance = check, baking = check), but the chemistry just did not click for me. Still, I think lots of readers will enjoy this one.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

A Legend in the Baking was a great holiday read (though not set at the holidays). You know how you need a book that you can pick up and return to in between the holiday craziness? This was that fun read. The story of August and Sloane has a fun topical background of bakeries and social media with a bit of seriousness around employment and gentrification thrown in. The characters are good people that you hope will get out of their own way to find happiness together.

The author does a good job of keeping you engaged throughout. Although this is apparently part of a series, it definitely stands alone, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of A Legend in the Baking in exchange for an honest review. This book is available now.

This book was warm and fuzzy. It provided a different perspective of how athletes see people and move about in life. I enjoyed this book and will continue to read more work from Jamie Wesley.

A sweet and charming romance and I loved the sizzling chemistry between Sloane and August. This was a great addition to the Sugar Blitz series. The story is filled with romance, humor and person growth.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I still haven’t read book 1 however I plan to spend the block soon on that one but book 2 can obviously be read as a standalone it was very cute a little cheesy in some ways the sex scenes were a little spicy but overall I loved this. The pacing was a little up and down but the character development was superb I’m still iffy on August being an ex-football player turned baker but I loved him and Sloane together.

It was hard to get into the story of this book because the writing is very choppy and strange. It felt like a first draft instead of a polished finished project. The use of "skid marks" was alarming.

I like this sweet rom-com series. Is it a predictable romance? Yes, but did I enjoy it? Yes, I did! Football players + cupcakes + finding your perfect career = a win for me!

3.5 stars

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are mine.

The book is perfect for fans of sibling best friend romance and second chance. The book follows August an eligible bachelor and his best friends sister Sloane . Sloane has fallen in hard times and thus accepts a job helping her brother to revamp his bakeries social media presence. There is more than cupcakes baking in the kitchen. It's funny ,explosive and steamy.

Let me begin by saying the cover is simply adorable. This is a really-cute sister crushing her brother’s best friend read. Three NFL players invest in baker with August being the silent partner. August makes a quote about cupcakes and it goes viral leaving his silent partner act no longer silent. Sloane is Donovan’s younger sister who is a social media guru who we read about in book 1 “Fake It Till You Bake It.” Sloane and August share a pass as Sloane had a crush on August making for an interesting reconnection. When Donovan goes to his younger sister Sloane to help overhaul the bakery, she jumps at the chance in hopes of helping her career. Sloane has her work cut out for her as August is still her crush. When things get hot and heavy they both know that they are in trouble. These two are great together. This is awesome read pick up your copy today hope you enjoy it as I did.

I received an ARC via NetGalley and I am leaving my review voluntarily.