this wasn't a bad book overall, I was just bored. I do think maybe I was reading it at the wrong time. I wasn't in the mood for it.

I did like the banter between them. I will read more book say this author.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Legend in the Baking is the second in the Sugar Blitz series. I loved Fake it Till You Make It and was so excited for this one. This book is also centered around the cupcake shop but this one is the story of August and Sloane (Donovan’s sister) - Sloane lost her job and is using August and the cupcake shop to help launch her new career in social media. I love the dynamics of the football stars running the cupcake store together, I love the way this series features strong, intelligent women and sensitive and caring men. And I love that these characters all feel very real and relatable and are not afraid to show their flaws and fears. And I love hearing about the cupcakes, of course. This one has some 🔥 in it too.

A Legend in the Baking is book two of the Sugar Blitz series by Jamie Wesley. August Hodges is one of the owners of the Sugar Blitz cupcake shop with two of his NFL teammates and best friends. Sloane Dell is Donovan Dell’s younger sister. Donovan was featured in book one of the series. Sloane is at a crossroads in her career where her focus is social media and marketing. August is dealing with frustrations based on his father not respecting his career choices.

As the book unfolds, it is obvious that August and Sloane have a past which damaged their relationship. Sloane still has it bad for August and he feels the same way. The attraction from the past never went away and is brewing under the surface. An accidental touch here and there is electrifying. An interaction that August had with some sexist men thrusts him in the spotlight. He is even referred to by Women as “Sugar Bae”. He does not want the attention at all and prefers to stay in the background. Sloane comes to the rescue to help August and Sugar Blitz navigate this and other publicity issues that arise with their new location, which they hope to open soon.

The book is building up to a climax that readers are eager to see unfold. August and Sloane’s passion is reignited and was always there under the surface. Their first kiss says it all and when the pair finally have a date (that Sloane didn’t realize was a date), it is perfect.

There are a lot of cute moments in this book like the cup cake bake off. August and Sloane share a passion for each other that is unmatched. Despite a passion for baking, August and his friends Nicholas and Donovan are as masculine as men can get and have features that would attract any woman. I enjoyed this book and hope that there will be a book three.

Read if you like:
🧁 Cupcakes & All the Goodies
🏈 Hot Football Players
🖤 Black Love
👑 Boss Ass Bitch Energy
💪🏾 Strong FMC
🥈 Second Chance Romance
👨🏽 Brother’s Best Friend
⏳ Flashbacks

Honestly, this was such a great follow up to Fake It Til You Bake It and I loved being back in the bakery with all the characters!

I absolutely loved how August trying to be helpful put himself in a situation he absolutely didn’t want to be in, with the women and being a piece of meat and someone the women all wanted to score a date with, in order to try to do his part to help the bakery as it was struggling with public opinion while in the midst of trying to expand to a new location in a new neighborhood.

And what perfect timing for this as his best friends little sodger that he has had feelings for for a while is now in the picture to help with the Bakery’s social media and by default, Gus’ media nightmare he got himself into.

I absolutely loved getting the story from Sloane’s PoV as she left her job where she wasn’t being valued and was trying to get a new job, with the need to run a social media campaign as part of her interview process and forced her to finally take her brother up on his offer that would put her in forced proximity with her brother’s best friend and her childhood crush that she never fully got over.

This all together is a recipe for LOVE! And I ate up every crumb!

Thank you so much to SMP for my ARC, ALC, & finished copy in exchange for my review!

A Legend in the Baking was an absolute delight! I am so thankful to Once Upon a Book Club for introducing me to this series! I loved August, but Sloane was a bit domineering for me, I feel like it took her a long time to get out of her head and let someone else have a their chance to explain. Overall, I missed the characters in this series and can't wait to read Nicholas's happy ending soon.

A Legend in Baking is the second book in a series of interconnected contemporary romance standalones. It features football players who co-own a cupcake store.

This is August’s book. It can be read as a standalone. However Donovan (co-owner of Sugar Blitz Cupcakes and August’s best friend) who was the male lead in the first book is in this book a lot.

This book alternates between the male and female POVs. The book takes place in the present. But we get a few brief glimpses of 12 years before.

The series takes place in San Diego. August is shy. But he has liked Sloane for years. Sloane is a social media expert. She is Donovan’s sister. And had a major crush on August when she was younger. When August goes viral he (and the cupcake shop) need Sloane’s help.

This is a cute fun read. I liked both August and Sloane. And they were great together. Major second chance and slow burn vibes. I also really loved seeing so much of Donovan. Overall an enjoyable sequel.

A LEGEND IN THE BAKING by Jamie Wesley Is the second book I read by the author and overall I really enjoyed the read

During the read we follow football player August a football star and co-owner of a cupcake shop who is now divorced, and Sloane the sister of one of his best friends and business partner who has been building a successful career in social media marketing. She’s offered a chance for her dream job if she can demonstrate a successful media campaign, what better to champion than her brother’s cupcake shop.

Both Sloane and August have unresolved history and feelings for each other and I enjoyed watching them navigate as the story progressed

These characters were captivating just like the first book to this series , and I enjoyed their journey and growth throughout the read as they struggled through past hurts to finding redemption, acceptance and love with each other and for themselves. I loved the flashback moments of August and Sloane when the first means and become friends.

My heart went out to August as he struggled with not believing he was good enough and losing his worth. Seeing him overcome this feeling and find his voice and stand up for himself was beautiful.

I really enjoyed this story and excited to see what the author has in store next for this series.

This series is so slept on!! What is not to love? Hot football players, yummy baked goods, great chemistry and banter, real, relatable characters! Can’t wait for more.

Talk about a slow, delicious burn! That’s everything that I want in a romance. The flirting, the tension, it all had me giggling and kicking my feet. Mix in a cupcake bakery and second chance romance? The perfect book.

I was happy to return to Sugar Blitz, this time with the spotlight on August and Sloane. August and Sloane had something when they were much younger, but it never panned out. Now, they are given a second chance at love, but pride is their biggest downfall. The book is a slow burn, open door romance. I would say even for a slow burn, the beginning of the book, is a lot of set up and therefore moves pretty slowly. Once the romance part becoems more evident and in the forefront, it moves a lot more freely and naturally. I enjoyed this book, although I think I enjoyed the first one more. I'm excited to read Nicholas' story if and when we get it.

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

No pun intended, I absolutely DEVOURED this book. Sloane and August were so easy to relate to, despite being very different from myself. Their story was eye opening, heartwarming, and a little spicy. Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an early copy

This is a sweet read, perfectly befitting its rapidly-becoming-its-own-trope bakery setting. Speaking of tropes, this one focuses on the brother’s little sister—and Sloane has been gaga for August since she was a teenager. An ill-timed play for his attentions (he has a steady girlfriend at the time and she’s just finishing high school) leaves both of them wanting to push that memory far, far away.

But football player August is now divorced, and Sloane has been building a successful career in social media marketing. And when she’s offered a chance for her dream job if she can demonstrate a successful media campaign, what better to champion than her brother’s (and August’s) expanding bakery chain?

It’s a little far-fetched that all three football-player friends would be so hands-on in a bakery, but the setting makes for a charming location. And I love how Wesley focuses on the impact of social media and viral moments in this series. Those moments can be both good and bad, and Wesley delves into the impacts of both.

But Sloane has a deeply competitive edge that turns everything she does into a dare, and I frankly got bored with that. After a while, it just seemed childish and worked against what she really wanted. Seeing how August dealt with social-media fame was a treat, and the secondary characters come across nicely. So pick up A Legend in the Baking if you’re looking for a pick-me-up of a book.

Meet football player, August, who was supposed to be the silent partner in a bakery. How and why did this change? What will happen when he again meets up with his friend’s sister and social media personality Sloane? There will be bakery sprinkles and romantic sparks.

Recommended for romance readers. They may then want to go back to read the first title in this delightful series.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press-St. Martin’s Griffin for this title. All opinions are my own.

A Legend in the Baking by Jamie Wesley (Book 2 of Fake It Till You Bake It series) delivers a slow-burn romance that will leave your heart aching in the best way. Sloane, reluctant to work for her brother, accepts a temporary position managing social media and community outreach for his bakery, Sugar Blitz, after co-owner August—her former teenage crush—goes viral. Sloane and August are forced to work together in close proximity in order to capitalize on the viral moment and for Sloane to prove to her potential employer she is able to lead a social media campaign.

I am a sucker for past and present timelines between childhood (loosely used here) friends. August’s and Sloane’s rich history is an intimate undercurrent to how they interact with each other as adults. August is a charming, thoughtful hero with a quiet magnetism, determined to prove they belong together despite Sloane's efforts to guard her heart against another break by August. This book made my heart squeeze!

Perfect for fans of:
+ brother’s best friend trope
+ workplace romance
+ childhood friends to lovers
+ sweet treats
+ girl boss

Thank you to Griffin for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was the SLOWEST burn ever. Reading the other reviews, I'm happy I'm not the only one absolutely bothered by the disgusting groping and basically sexual assault. When the entire premise was August standing up for women, then women turned around and assault him, and nothing was said about it? It just didn't seem right or good for the story.
Sloan was a hard character to like. I'm not going to say I hated her, but she was so self-involved and selfish that I didn't support her and August's relationship.

Anybody who loves angsty, slow-burn romances is probably going to love this book. I adored the first one, and I desperately wanted to see stories about the rest of the cast of characters that filled out those pages. This was quite different than I had been expecting. For a series centered around a cupcake bakery, this book felt kind of somber. Added to the incredibly slow burn between Sloane and August plus my rising frustration level that they wouldn’t (perhaps couldn’t) tell one another how they really felt, and I started questioning if I was the right audience for this story. But I hung in there, and the ending made up for just about all my misgivings. The conclusion was as sticky sweet and adorable as I was hoping. Now, I need to know what it’ll take to bring their third business partner to his knees.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley.

Two strong characters who come together to make a strong relationship - plus cupcakes. What's not to like?

A Legend in the Baking by Jamie Wesley is a fun, well written contemporary romance with a cupcake shop in the mix. I didn’t realize this book 2 in the Fake It Till You Bake It series, this reads perfectly fine as a standalone.

Author Jamie Wesley pens a fun romance and she does a great job at giving her characters backstories. Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes. I liked August. He started baking to honor his mom’s memory and he’s a sensitive beta hero who likes to stay on the sidelines. He’s an introvert and plays pro football as a fullback. I also liked Sloane, she’s smart and straightforward. Much of the storyline revolves around August accepting that he is worthy of love and Sloane letting go of the past and being vulnerable. Although the guys in this story are pro-football players, there are no football scenes involved, in case anyone is curious on that part.

I recommend A Legend in the Baking by Jamie Wesley if you enjoy contemporary romance that will leave you craving cupcakes.

“Just like old times, they were on the same page with no words being spoken. Her heart tugged in remembrance of those good times.”-29% Kindle, A Legend in the Baking by Jamie Wesley

This charming romance is as sweet as the cupcakes Sugar Blitz is famous for, with some added spice to keep things interesting.

Sloane and August lit up the pages with their sizzling chemistry. But talk about mixed signals. Both of them had so many hangups about themselves and their value as a partner. And they had a lot of growing up to do.

It was a quick read with captivating characters, and I enjoyed this journey through past hurts to find redemption and love. There were some flashbacks to when Sloane and August first became friends. This book follows Fake It Till You Bake It, but you don’t need to read them in order.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Imgur link goes to Instagram graphic scheduled for 11/27
Blog post goes live Dec 10th
Amazon review submitted

**TL;DR**: Cute with some very good moments but overall nothing mind blowing.
**Source**: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher!

**Plot**: August ends up famous on Social Media for being a feminist and Sloane just so happens to need a job. It was very convenient
**Characters**: Interesting but nothing standout. I did like the brief appearance of August’s ex. She was interesting.
**Setting**: We mainly stayed in the cupcake shops which, in all fairness some effort was put into it, but it didn’t stand out to me.
**Romance:** Weirdly though it was shown in bits and pieces I didn’t really feel much chemistry or angst here.

**Thoughts**:

A Legend in the Baking was… cute. I know I’ve used that word a few times in other places for this but it’s the best I can do. The word fits. It wasn’t stand out, it wasn’t bad - it was cute. I can’t say I’ll remember much of this in the future, and if I do I’ll change my rating but if you’re wanting something in the moment fun than try this!

August goes on a feminist rant at some young guys in his cupcake shop which is caught and posted to social media. He gains traction as #SugarBae and the cupcake shop is swamped with new customers and fans. Enter Sloane - who has just quit her job as a successful social media manager and is looking for work. Her older brother is one of August’s best friends and partners and she swoops in to manage and save August from his swarming fan club. The two have some unrequited love and we see them begin to sort that out and fall into a relationship.

While I didn’t feel the romance, I did like how these two interacted and talked. There wasn’t much as far as miscommunication (one small event in the last 15% serves as a climax), most conflicts being external. That was truly the focus of the story, we spent a lot of time with the two and their thoughts on each other. There was a secondary plot running about the new shop and the neighborhoods worry of gentrification but it is quickly and fairly painlessly resolved.

If you enjoyed the first book I’d say this one is a good follow up. It’s very low stakes and sweet, and if you need something fast and distracting. I definitely found myself wanting a cupcake after that so be wary if you’re watching what you eat!

3 stars