ALC Review: A Legend in the Baking by Jamie Wesley
Pub Date: November 19

Thank you to SMP for the eARC.

This is the second book in this series which follows professional NFL players that own a cupcake shop. Sloane is the sister to one of the owners and has a history with August, one of the other owners. This history has caused a very antagonistic relationship between the two of them so they mostly avoid each other. But when a viral moment causes August to be in the spotlight (which he hates), Sloane helps the cupcake shop use the publicity to their advantage and her own as she tries to get a handle of her career in social media.

I liked the first book in this series but had some issues with the pacing and the fourth act breakup. But I really really enjoyed this one! I loved the relationship between August and Sloane, from them antagonizing each other to them finding common ground once they have to work together.

Read this for:
- Brothers best friend
- Second Chance/It's always been you
- Flashbacks (but not too many!)
- Forced proximity
- Slow Burn

I liked this second installment of Wesley's interconnected romance novels even more than the first. This time we get the romance of bakery co-owner August and Sloane, the younger sister of one of his partners. I thought their backstory made the romance believable and made their chemistry evident on the page. The stakes were a bit higher than the previous novel, and I think that offered the substance that I wanted in the first book. It was definitely an enjoyable read. In my opinion, each can be read as a standalone, but seeing the connections from book to book is always fun.

This was so cute and I loved it!! A football player running a bakery? Sold. The romance was cute and I love a book that involves food and baking.

Just like in the first book, I like the MMC better than the FMC. Sloane just came across as a user. I did like the slow burn between August and Sloane, making it more believable, but then it changed too quickly, making it unbelievable. I'm not sure why this author makes such unlikeable female characters, and yet the men fall for them. They are redeemed sometimes, but it doesn't make for an enjoyable story.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I loved the last book in this series, Fake It Til You Bake It, and this was such a sweet sequel! I will read every single book in this series. So good.

This book was amazing! I love the build up and anticipation between August and Sloane. The flashbacks give context to why they are behaving the way they are. This is just an beautifully written romance with some comedic elements too.

I would 100% recommend this to my friends and reading peers!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Jamie Wesley's A Legend in the Baking! I look forward to seeing more literary works by this author.

A Legend in the Baking is another cute romance that I enjoyed well enough. I didn't care for the whole social media setup that drew them together but over time, the MCs and their backstories grew on me.

The story is told in past and present so we get to see the younger version on Sloane and August and where their stories began. I liked August's growth and self reflection, his process of trusting himself and allowing himself to be loved. He's a good example of what it means to have tough conversations with the people you love to get the closure you need after being hurt or let down.

Not to mention he is sexy and charming in the most humble, swoony way. I have a deep appreciation for romance books with men being vulnerable and emotionally open. August was that man.

Sloane took some time to grow on me. I found her feelings around trust to be valid based on her relationship history. I loved the connection with her and August. She's cute and funny but slightly annoying and immature at times.

Because of both their mistrust and miscommunication with each other, the story and inner monologs made the story drag more than was necessary. I found myself speed reading because of the repetitiveness but nevertheless, this had an enjoyable mix of sweet, sexy, romantic connection between characters who are also working through deeper individual issues.

Pick this up if you're in the mood for a sexy, slow burn romance.

Sugar Blitz Two is the slowest burn, but oh so worth it.

I was eager for this one, and ever since I read Fake It Till You Bake It, I have wanted Sloane and August’s story. It’s finally here! This has the tropes you want: the tortured hero, the brother’s best friend, the high school crush. There is nothing like a good tropey book with rom-com vibes.

August is the stoic, brooding football player. Natural introvert, and the guy who likes to bake and be behind the scenes at Sugar Blitz, the cupcake shop he runs with his two best friends. Though a momentary lapse in judgment when some customers act like jerks sends August viral via social media. Of course the man who never wants to be seen is suddenly the face associated with his company. With a second location opening up soon it would make sense to capitalize on this fame, though the one person capable of assisting with that is the one woman he broke the heart of years ago, add in her being his best buddies is sister is a double whammy.

I loved August. He’s probably going to be added to the ranks of preferred book boyfriends. He is not just an athlete or a baker but an intelligent, profound, polite, and caring individual. I definitely understood why Sloane was lusting after this man, and I don’t blame her one bit.

Sloane is also a treat. She’s this conundrum of smart and sassy with a hint of internal dialogue mess. She tends to speak too soon, but in the same vein has brilliant ideas that make up for any of her ‘mouth insert foot’ moments. What I love about her is her independence and determination to make it on her own, along with a hint of self-deprecating humor and a witty attitude that reminds me of myself in many ways.

She’s only into the social media work to help her get a job. Though it puts her side-by-side, the man she’s still crushing on since high school, even after he rejected her. Though August is all grown up, Sloane isn’t incapable of falling right back into August’s arms if the circumstances are right.

What keeps this from being a five for me? The pacing felt off. I respected the fact this relationship had to build slow, the romance elements of the story made sense. But the blend of romance with the external goals was a bit disjointed. It felt like the ending was rushed, and I didn’t get nearly the satisfaction that I wanted. Let me say that this book was very adult in how it wrapped up, which I applaud the author for, though I wanted to see a few people get their just desserts. Give me that fairy tale, please.

Overall, this is a good second story in the series, and I will definitely be reading the last book as I want to see how the playboy Nicholas falls. One additional note: if you enjoy stories that showcase widely different characters done extremely well, this is the series you want to dive into. For those who like rom-coms that are a bit more realistic and a grovel that will make you tear up, A Legend in the Baking should be at the top of the TBR.

~ Landra

3.75stars-A LEGEND IN THE BAKING is the second instalment in Jamie Wesley’s contemporary, adult SUGAR BLITZ ( Fake It Till You Bake It) erotic, romance series focusing on professional football players and business owners Donovan, August and Nicholas. This is San Diego Knights fullback, divorcé and co-owner of Sugar Blitz Cupcakes August Hodges, and twenty-nine year old, social media manager Sloane Dell’s story line. A LEGEND IN THE BAKING can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

Told from omniscient dual third person perspectives (Sloane and August) focusing on two timelines, A LEGEND IN THE BAKING follows the building relationship between our story line couple. After a rant defending femininity and masculinity goes viral, August Hodges finds himself at the mercy of the internet but when Donovan Dell’s sister is hired to help control the social media content, August Hodges finds himself facing the woman who stirs all of his urges, a woman whose heart he destroyed years ago. Enter twenty-nine year old Sloane Dell, his best friend and teammate’s younger sister. As Sloane attempts to navigate and control the online media explosion surrounding August Hodges, our couple find themselves facing another type of vitriol when Sugar Blitz Cupcakes sets about to open a second location.

The world building focuses on the past and the breakdown of a dysfunctional family unit: the incident that pushed Sloane out of August’s life, ; the fall-out and of a marriage, and a career going nowhere fast. As August’s defense of femininity goes viral, so too does his popularity with the women, and the explosion of interest in Sugar Blitz Cupcakes.

The relationship between Sloane and August is a best friend’s younger sister, unrequited love. Sloane has been in love with her brother’s best friend August for as long as she can remember but Sloane was always treated as the little sister but the heart wanted something more, and August was about to destroy any hopes for a happily ever after. Working with August brings Sloane up close and personal with the fame and fortune of a professional football player, the fame of being pulled in several directions. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate and intense.

The secondary and supporting characters are energetic and entertaining including the return of Sloane’s brother Donovan Dell, and his girlfriend Jada Townsend-Matthews, and football player and Sugar Blitz co-owner Nicholas; August’s ex wife Melinda DeJesus; August’s father Dale Hodges; football fans and angry neighbors.

A LEGEND IN THE BAKING is a story of family and friendships, relationships and love. The premise is edgy and entertaining; the characters are animated and determined; the romance is spicy and spirited.


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Such a fun concept for a series! A trip of football players who co-own a cupcake shop--I've never read anything like it. This is the second book in the series and an absolute delight. An easy and quick read that will have you craving cupcakes throughout the whole thing lol

I didn't realize when I started this book that it was the sequel to a book I really liked, Fake It Til You Bake It. We finally find out in small flashbacks what happened with August and Donovan's sister Sloane in the past. He was my favorite side character in the first book and still my favorite now. As the guys navigate opening a new cupcake shop against community protests and the crazy fans of his unintended viral video, Sloane steps in to help with their social media presence. They fall back easily into their friendship, while both secretly wishing for more. I'm so happy they got their HEA. I'm looking forward to Nicholas's story next.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

August and Sloane. She has crushed on him since her teens. He also crushed on her but pushed the feelings way down and married someone else. Thrown together for a social media blitz, their chemistry is way over the top. They are still in denial. A Spicy and fun romance.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Legend in the Baking is the second book in Jamie Wesley’s cupcake bakery themed series, Sugar Blitz. The bakery is run rather unconventionally by three football player teammates who also have a passion for baking. But each player/baker has his own personal challenges when it comes to relationships, showing that just because you’re famous (and can make awesome baked goods) doesn’t mean love comes easily.

Sloane Dell is looking for a promotion to social media manager at the company she works for. But when she’s passed over for another co-worker, she knows it’s time to move on. As part of her job application to a new company, she needs to take a current company and up their social marketing game. While she’s always been reluctant to get involved with her brother Donovan’s bakery, Sugar Blitz Cupcakes, she knows their social media could use some improvement. Helping out his business and helping herself seems like a win-win, even if it means she’ll have to work alongside Donovan’s best friend (and her teenaged self’s crush) August Hodges.

August relishes his role as a silent partner in the bakery business, preferring to be busy in the kitchen baking than up front socializing. But when an impassioned defense of women’s roles in the kitchen turns viral and he becomes a sought after bachelor, he reluctantly turns to Sloane to help curate their social media to turn his new found fame into dollars for the bakery. He and Sloane have a history from his years-long friendship with Donovan, who is only a few years older than her. They’d often spoken on the phone while he was in college and she was in high school, not romantic but friendly. When she’d suddenly planted a kiss on him on one private occasion, he had recoiled, their ages a big factor, not to mention his having a girlfriend at the time. That snuffed out her crush pretty quickly, but it also brought a distance to their relationship that has never really gone away.

Stuck together to make things work, both for the bakery’s proposed second location and for Sloane’s job prospects, Sloane and August find themselves rediscovering their long ago friendship. And this time, age is no barrier to something more if they are willing to take the chance. But with August’s shy personality clashing with Sloane’s ideas to promote the bakery, is there room for a happy ending for all?

I enjoyed this sweet and sexy romance. It's family driven, with attention given to both August’s discordant relationship with his father and Sloane’s relationship with her protective older brother and her divorced parents. And naturally, there are scenes featuring the three men who run the bakery that show their deep friendship. There are some flashback scenes to twelve years earlier showing August and Sloane’s friendship developing, as well as how her crush on him played out. Despite the fact that the three men are active football players, I wouldn’t classify this as sports romance as it seems to be more of a secondary plotline and doesn’t get the same focus the bakery business does.

The author also delves into the real life problem of gentrification and the realistic concerns of the neighborhood where the men plan to open their second bakery, especially when it’s discovered that they’ve bought up more real estate than they need. The challenges Sloane has in her career, especially as a black woman, are highlighted, as she has to work that much harder to achieve her goals. I didn’t always agree with her social media strategy and approach for the bakery, as it sometimes puts August in a difficult spot. But to her credit, she figures out a way to balance both of their professional needs. I’m also not sure how realistic it is to have active football players open a bakery, in terms of how they would keep the business going during the football season, so you have to suspend your belief a little to make that work. Sloane and August definitely have chemistry together (it’s a slow burn romance) and the long term relationship they seek benefits from recognizing their differences and compromising. All the loose ends get tied up nicely with a happy ending for the gents, their bakery, the neighborhood and the couple. I recommend this to readers looking for romances with emotional depth and strong female characters.

A Legend in the Baking by Jamie Wesley is a really cute second chance romance. I found it to be entertaining and really good read.

I would rate this wonderful story Five Star read and Recommend it to all readers.

Brothers best friend
Boss babe
Past traumas


“Never ever say the day couldn’t get any worse, because it absolutely could.”



Sloane is a social media manager and a damn good one at that. During her work day she believed she was going to get the promotion but ultimately did not. Her boss would take credit for the work she would do so she was overlooked. She decided to quit right then & there.

Her brother part owns the local Sugar Blitz donut shop with his two teammates and he needs social media help. She has never wanted to work for him because she doesn’t want anyone to think she’s riding on his coat tails.

During an interview with a company she’d love to work for she’s in competition with her college nemesis where they have to help a companies social media get better over a few weeks. She takes her brother up on his offer of her working for them but she says it’s only temporary to get her this new job.

August is a part owner of Sugar Blitz with two of his football teammates after dealing with a divorce from his ex. He’s quiet and reserved and rarely seen at the business. One of the days he’s working out front he over hears some young guys saying men owning a bakery is emasculating. August goes off on them in a heartfelt way that when he is recorded by the bystanders he ends up going viral for standing up for women.

The viral videos are exactly what Sloane needed to propel herself forward with her task to try and get her dream job.

Sloane & August have a past though as 12 years before they were pretty close friends. They met because August is best friends and was roommates with her brother Donovan. Sloane ends up falling head over heels for him but he has a girlfriend who he ends up marrying. Sloane confesses her love for him and he shuts her down immediately. She’s heartbroken of course but moves forward with life.

In present time they spend every day together as he is now her rising social media star and they are capitalizing on everything they can. Without giving too much away they continue to get close to each other and flirt but spook each other off saying it’s a mistake because they both don’t want to be hurt.

In the end they find their way to each other and they are spicy. I enjoyed this book so much and I didn’t want to put my phone down!

This was a super cute read. This is a great book or anyone that loves light hearted romcom books & movies. Despite the fact that it is the second book in a series, it can be red as a stand alone, but read both books 😉

I can’t wait for the 3rd installment in the series.

Jamie Wesley’s A Legend in Baking serves up a wonderful mix of romance, laugh out loud moments, and the temptation of those cupcakes, all frosted with the right amount of social media drama and personal growth. This delicious addition to the Sugar Blitz series, centers on August Hodges, a cupcake baking football player who is a silent partner in the business, finds himself going viral after an incident that instantly grabs the hearts of ladies all over. Teamed up with Sloane Dell, a social media enthusiast, they deliver a charming, sweet romance that gives them the hea they were destined for.

August Hodges tries his best to stay the silent partner. When a couple of guys came in and said some disparaging things, he found himself being the next viral hit grabbing the hearts of ladies everywhere. With the help of the little sister of one of his co-owners, Sloane Dell saw this as an opportunity not only to capitalize on the moment to promote them but also draw up some excitement for the upcoming second location and let the community get to know them better.

Despite their history together, Sloane decides to power forward to not only help them get to where they need to be but also help jumpstart her career in social media. To be able to work together, they agree to leave their past in the past. The only problem is when a steamy moment brings to the surface unresolved feelings towards each other, they are put in a situation that challenges the task at hand and tempting the fate of what's meant to be.

A Legend in Baking balances its lighthearted plot blending subjects of personal and chasing dreams. August and Sloane, their journey was worth the wait. The perfect tale of the wrong time but the right person finding their fate later is always a good read. If you are a fan of sweet romances and a little spice you will find this as sweet as those devouring cupcakes. Loveable characters, moments that will make you laugh, and who wouldn’t want to be in a cupcake shop will satisfy your sweet tooth with the sequel in this wonderful series. If you haven’t read the first book, Fake It Till You Bake It, make sure to catch it because you won’t want to miss this fun series.

Title:  A Legend in the Baking  
Author:   Jamie Wesley       
Genre:  Romance       
Rating:  3.8

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.

This was a decent read (I DNFed the first book in the series, so this one was clearly more to my taste). I enjoy second chance romances, although this one wasn’t quite that. I didn’t feel like there was much conflict here, except the manufactured one with the protestors—there was no hint of trouble, then, boom, they’re picketing? Again, this was decent, but nothing out-of-the-ordinary.

Jamie Wesley holds a master’s degree in sports management. A Legend in the Baking is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

If you love a SLOW BURN, this is the book for you! I’m not really a slow burn girlie, but I did enjoy this book. I was so excited for this book, but it did take me a minute to finish this book because I never really read slow burn books. Once the book got into the nitty gritty, i couldn’t put it down and really enjoyed it. This book had me kicking my feet and smiling!

3.5⭐ A Legend in the Baking is a sweet, second-chance slow-burn romance. The story is charming and the characters are well-developed. The writing was a little repetitive at times and sometimes slow, but overall a cute read with a good representation of healthy masculinity.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the advance review copy.