Fake It Till You Bake It: A Novel

Jamie Wesley

Jun 2022 · Sold by St. Martin's Griffin

About this ebook

A reality star and a cupcake-baking football player pretend to be a couple in order to save his bakery in this sweet and sexy romance from Jamie Wesley, Fake It Till You Bake It.

Jada Townsend-Matthews is the most reviled woman in America after turning down a proposal on a reality dating show. When she comes home to lick her wounds, Jada finds herself working at San Diego's newest cupcake bakery, Sugar Blitz, alongside the uptight owner and professional football player Donovan Dell.

When a reporter mistakenly believes Jada and Donovan are an item, they realize they can use the misunderstanding to their advantage to help the struggling bakery and rehabilitate Jada's image. Faking a relationship should be simple, but sometimes love is the most unexpected ingredient.

Fake it Till You Bake It is a sweet confection of a novel, the perfect story to curl up with and enjoy with a cupcake on the side.

Ratings and reviews

Loads of fun in this cute romance! I love the sparkling wit, the delightful humor, and the charming characters. Donovan is a football star from a working-class family who, with a couple of his teammates, also runs a local cupcake shop. Jada is a trust-fund baby whose down-to-earth grandmother (the football team's owner) wants her to learn about life. Grams puts these two together and lets the sparks fly! There is a lot of fun in this story, though the writing could have been a bit tighter. Some situations are left to descend into chaos without explaining why the characters didn't take reasonable action to stop it, and a few slang words were a bit overused. Aside from those minor issues, the story had a terrific flow and I really liked the way the characters interacted with each other. I hope future books will focus on Donovan's partners, as I'd love to read those stories. Donovan and Jada's HEA was very sweet and sincere, after a heartwarming reunion scene. Sports fans might be a bit disappointed, since this appears to be set in the off-season without a single football scene. If you're looking for a satisfyingly cute rom-com, this book was written for you. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley contains several tropes, enemies to lovers, fake relationship and forced proximity. And, in the capable hands of Jamie Wesley a story emerges that is so delicately delicious and satisfying that the reader is left not necessarily needing more, but certainly craving more. I can only hope that some of the secondary characters are given their chance to shine, especially Donovan’s partners and Jada’s best friend. Jada Townsend-Matthews is a despised internet villain after turning down a proposal from dreamy Dr. John on a reality dating show. Jada is impulsive and outspoken, traits which are on full display when she makes disparaging comments about the cupcakes and décor of Sugar Blitz in front of owner, regimented and Uber organized Donovan Dell. With sales tanking, the last thing that Donovan needs to hear is some rude (and beautiful) woman criticizing his establishment. Donovan intends for Sugar Blitz to be a large part of his endeavors after him retires from football. Both Donovan and Jada are blindsided when his boss and team owner, who happens to be Jada’s grandmother, asks Donovan to give the rudderless Jada a job. Wow, that should be easy!! As the two are practically forced to work together, they find some truths about each other. Donovan is actually supportive and sensitive, and Jada is hard working and innovative. However, will Jada’s judgmental family, the internet trolls and Jada’s would-be suitor derail her newly minted confidence and cause her to walk away from Donovan? Ms. Wesley’s story is so emotionally rich and loaded with goodness that the reader can taste each morsel. To say I loved this story would be an understatement!!! Thank you to NetGalley for allowing to me read this ARC for my honest opinion!

A disaster waiting to happen, Jada Townsend-Matthews shoots her mouth off regarding her opinion of Donovan Dell's bakery, little realizing that he is one of her grandmother's star football players. Donovan is already having a bad day when the diva shoots down his bakery and his cupcakes, but when she rises to his challenge and tastes one on the cupcakes, he knows he has a draw, if not a win.

About the author

Jamie Wesley has been reading romance novels since she was about 12 when her mother left a romance novel, which a friend had given her, on the nightstand. Jamie read it instead, and the rest is history. When she's not writing or reading romance, Jamie can be found watching TV, rooting for her favorite sports teams, and/or planning her next trip to Walt Disney World. She is the author of Fake It Till You Bake It.