ARC Review: A Legend in the Baking by Jamie WeslRomantiey

A Legend in the Baking
Author: Jamie Wesley
Series: Sugar Blitz (Book 2)
Publication: St. Martin's Griffin (November 19, 2024)

Description: In A Legend in the Baking, the new romance from Jamie Wesley, a cupcake-baking football player gets assistance from a social media maven―and his best friend's little sister―to help promote his new bakery after accidentally going viral online.

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.

My Thoughts: A LEGEND IN THE BAKING is the second romance in the Sugar Blitz series. It stars quiet football player August Hodges and social media maven Sloane Dell. August and his partners Donovan and Nick are getting ready to open their second cupcake store. 

Sloane has just quit her job in social media after she was passed over for a promotion. She finds herself working for her older brother Donovan when August goes viral after an impromptu speech on women's rights. Knowing that she can capitalize on August's new popularity to build interest in the second story, Sloane comes up with all sorts of ideas.

But Sloane and August have a history. She had a massive crush on him when she was in high school, and he was her brother's roommate and teammate. After an embarrassing incident, they went their separate ways. But Sloane's crush is still part of her life. It's a large part of why her relationships were failures. And August has always been interested in Sloane, but a girlfriend turned wife and now ex-wife got in his way. 

The romance rekindles as they work together even though Sloane is intent on denying that she is still attracted to August. August is more willing to begin a new relationship. He's a quiet guy who really doesn't like talking and doesn't like being the center of attention. He's willing to go along with Sloane's plans on social media but it is hard for him. He knows that his cooperation will help Sloane get her dream job. 

This was in all ways a typical contemporary romance. It was filled with misunderstandings and miscommunication. It also had quite a bit of denial especially on Sloane's part. The characters were well-developed and interesting people. She's a knock-out, and he's a handsome pro football player which shows that even beautiful people can have trouble with romance. The love scenes, once they began, were spicy.

Fans of contemporary romance will enjoy this one.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.