Series: None
Author: Chloe Horne
Published January 16th 2026
Goodreads Synopsis
My bakery goes up in flames, my life goes viral, & my brother’s best friend pulls me from the smoke.
I swore I’d never fall for my brother’s best friend.
Now I’m fake-engaged to him after my bakery catches fire.
My life goes viral for all the wrong reasons—the cake collapses, my ex dumps me, and my bakery literally burns down.
Then he shows up.
Jacob Wolcott. My brother’s best friend.
Grumpy, bossy, too handsome for his own good—and the man who once broke me as a teenager just by smiling.
He saves me from the smoke, hires me to rebuild his dessert menu, and drives me insane every single day.
We fight. We flirt. We cross lines we shouldn’t, and somewhere between flour fights and midnight tastings, I start to fall for him.
Then his ex-wife ambushes us together in a custody power move. When Jacob blurts out the one lie that changes everything—that we’re engaged.
Now I’m pretending to love a man who already owns my heart.
If the truth comes out, I’ll lose my reputation, my bakery…
and the only man who’s ever truly seen me.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via BookSirens. This in no way impacted on my view.
Lila Carpenter never thought her life could get any worse, until it did. Becoming a viral meme for an edited video her ex boyfriend sends, her world collapses when the bakery she has poured her time and soul into is burnt down. And to make matters worse, her brother's best friend, billionaire Jacob Wolcott, sees her at her worst. Jacob was always drawn to Lila, but as his best friend's little sister, she was always off limits. Now though, she's single, and he can help her. Giving her a job in his restaurant, in charge of pastry, Jacob discovers that spending time with her every day is not the easiest, when he's trying to fight his growing feelings. But then to complicate things further, Jacob blurts out that they are engaged, so that he can protect his custody rights over his soon. Will their fake engagement stay fake, or can Lila and Jacob act on their feelings.
I can't get enough of the brother's best friend trope, and The Billionaire's Cupcake dealt with the trope well. Lila and Jacob had a connection for the last 15 years, but Jacob never acted on it because of his loyalty to his best friend, Zachary. Now, however, they are both consenting adults, and there's next to now reason why they shouldn't be together. Even so, the path to true love was not easy, and they go through a lot of twists and turns before they are able to be happy. There were a few times when I wish the main characters had communicated better, and didn't immediately jump to conclusions. That being said, I still enjoyed the book, and the found family aspect of Lila, Jacob, and Jace, was great to explore.
Dates Read:
January 26-27, 2026
Rating
3 Stars
