Sweet Like Trouble

A small-town enemies-to-lovers romance about pastries, second chances, and the courage to stay

De: Evelyn R. Bexley

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

A small-town enemies-to-lovers romance about pastries, second chances, and the courage to stay.

Rowan Ellis doesn’t do chaos. She does lists, clean counters, and the kind of pastry that makes people fall quiet after the first bite. When she finally opens Honey & Hearth Bakery in the heart of Asheville, she’s betting everything she has on a dream built from sugar, sleepless nights, and sheer will. The last thing she needs is the noise—and muscles—of Next Level Training, the new gym that opens next door.

Nate Calder was never supposed to come back home. A knee injury ended his career as a pro athlete and left him stranded in a body that no longer does what it’s told. Coaching is the only part of his old life he’s kept, and starting a community gym is his shot at rebuilding something real. He just didn’t expect his neighbor to be a curvy, stubborn baker who scowls like she’s preparing to torch crème brûlée—and who makes croissants that could bring a grown man to his knees.

When a zoning dispute threatens to shut them both down, the town council delivers an ultimatum: collaborate or close. Forced to co-host the “Health & Happiness Festival,” Rowan and Nate have to share space, ideas, and far too many late nights. Every planning session turns into an argument. Every argument turns into banter. And somewhere between the flour fights and the yoga mats, rivalry turns into something warmer—something dangerously close to admiration.

But love has never been easy for either of them. Rowan learned long ago that people love the version of her they can shrink, tidy, or tame. Nate’s spent years convinced he’s a broken thing trying to prove he still deserves a good life. Together, they’ll have to unlearn every lie about worth and perfection they were ever told—and figure out whether they can be happy in a world that doesn’t always know what to do with them.

Set against the scent of cinnamon, coffee, and clean mountain air, Sweet Like Trouble is a heartwarming, slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance about building a life that fits the body you have and the love you choose. It’s a story for everyone who’s ever felt too much or not enough—and for anyone who believes joy tastes better when you share it.

Perfect for readers who love:

• Plus-size heroines who own every inch of their story

• Small-town settings where gossip spreads faster than glaze

• Slow-burn tension with real emotional payoff

• Grumpy/sunshine chemistry that melts into tenderness

• Found family, second chances, and food that feels like healing

Rowan and Nate’s journey proves that love doesn’t need a makeover. Sometimes it just needs a little patience, a pinch of courage, and the right amount of butter.