Review - - A Legend in the Baking

A Legend in the Baking

by Jamie Wesley

Sugar Blitz - Book 2

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Release Date: November 19, 2024

Reviewed by PJ

 

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.

PJ's Thoughts:

Sloane may have fallen hard for August but I was right there with her. A professional football playing cinnamon roll feminist hero who is handy with tools and also bakes cupcakes? It's like the author created him just for me. Of course, she actually created him for Sloane but, hey, a girl can dream.

Jamie Wesley reeled me in with the first book in this series, Fake It Till You Bake It, and kept me hooked through this second installment, A Legend in the Baking. It's a slow-burn romance with a best friend's sister trope, a second chance, chosen family, well-placed humor, and a fair amount of emotional depth. 

I enjoyed the layers Wesley gave both August and Sloane. It made them feel authentic and relatable. My heart ached for August. Watching him work his way through long-held issues and beliefs to emerge at the other end with confidence and knowledge of his own self-worth was immensely satisfying. Sloane's journey was no less impactful. I especially appreciated the fact that she finally came to realize the impact her actions were having, apologized, and grew from the experience. In the end, I was confident their relationship would be long lasting and happy.

I'm really enjoying the bonds of brotherhood that August, Donovan, and Nicholas have formed. These partners both on the football field and in the bakery may not be related by blood but in every meaningful definition of the word, they are family. I can't wait to discover what Wesley has planned for Nicholas, the last (single) man standing.

One more thing, in case the cupcake baking football stars are listening. I really need a recipe for those Lemon Meringue Cupcakes, the drool-inducing confections that August bakes and Sloane devours. I'm not above begging.