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- Herausgeber: Velvet Ink Press
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Sprache: Englisch
Clara Weston’s bakery has always been her anchor the scent of cinnamon rolls, the steady rhythm of kneading dough, memories of the life she built with her late husband. But when a glossy corporate café opens across the street, the tables she once filled with neighbors sit empty. Watching her community drift toward the rival shop, Clara wonders how long she can hold on.
Ethan Roth knows the chain all too well. A skilled barista with a quiet edge, he left that world behind, though not without scars. Armed with his own roast recipe and a love for coffee that matches Clara’s devotion to baking, he offers to help. But his ties to the very company threatening her future might undo everything they’re trying to save.
Long nights blur into mornings as flour dust clings to their clothes and fresh coffee lingers in the air. What starts as teamwork grows into something neither expected though trust is fragile, and the past doesn’t loosen its grip easily.
Can Clara and Ethan find the courage to risk more than their businesses, or will old loyalties and hidden fears pull them apart?
***
As with all of Love Brewed Here, their love story shows that sometimes the smallest places hold the biggest magic.
In every small town, there’s a spot that feels alive the hum of conversation, the scent of fresh coffee, the quiet corners where stories wait to unfold. Love Brewed Here is a series of clean, contemporary rom-coms set in welcoming cafés, cozy bookshops, and lively community spaces where dreams take shape as carefully as a latte poured by hand.
Each book stands on its own, following everyday people bakers, book lovers, artists, dreamers as they stumble into love in unexpected ways. A playful rivalry between two café owners. A romance sparked during a town festival. Childhood friends reuniting among crowded bookshelves. Every story blends gentle humor with tender moments, capturing the kind of connection that feels steady and real.
For readers who want warmth, laughter, and a guaranteed happy ending, Love Brewed Here celebrates life’s small joys and the charm of unexpected romance. Will you find your favorite love story waiting here?
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025
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Sugar, Steam, and Second Chances
A Baker, a Barista, and a Menu Worth Melting For
Love Brewed Here
Sophie Claire Whitmore
Copyright © 2025 by Sophie Claire Whitmore
All rights reserved. This book, including all individual stories and original content, is protected under international copyright law. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, distributed, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission from the author, except for brief excerpts used in reviews or academic commentary, which must be properly credited.
Fiction Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
Creative Tools Notice:
Some aspects of this book including cover artwork, illustrations, or other visual and creative elements were developed with the assistance of licensed generative technologies under appropriate commercial-use terms. These elements are original compositions intended solely for this publication.
Thank you for reading this book. I hope you enjoy every page inside.
Table of Contents
Sugar, Steam, and Second Chances
Description
Chapter 1: The Morning the Steam Ran Thin
Chapter 2: The Resignation Shot
Chapter 3: A Cup on the Counter
Chapter 4: Trust, Tempered and Tasted
Chapter 5: Soft Launch, Hard Letter
Chapter 6: Stirring the Truth
Chapter 7: Drawing New Lines
Chapter 8: Town Hall, Town Heart
Chapter 9: A Menu Worth Melting For
Chapter 10: When Forgiveness Smells Like Cinnamon
Chapter 11: Second Chances, Served Daily
Epilogue: One Year Later
Sugar, Steam, and Second Chances
Description
Clara Weston’s bakery has always been her anchor the scent of cinnamon rolls, the steady rhythm of kneading dough, memories of the life she built with her late husband. But when a glossy corporate café opens across the street, the tables she once filled with neighbors sit empty. Watching her community drift toward the rival shop, Clara wonders how long she can hold on.
Ethan Roth knows the chain all too well. A skilled barista with a quiet edge, he left that world behind, though not without scars. Armed with his own roast recipe and a love for coffee that matches Clara’s devotion to baking, he offers to help. But his ties to the very company threatening her future might undo everything they’re trying to save.
Long nights blur into mornings as flour dust clings to their clothes and fresh coffee lingers in the air. What starts as teamwork grows into something neither expected though trust is fragile, and the past doesn’t loosen its grip easily.
Can Clara and Ethan find the courage to risk more than their businesses, or will old loyalties and hidden fears pull them apart?
***
As with all of Love Brewed Here, their love story shows that sometimes the smallest places hold the biggest magic.
In every small town, there’s a spot that feels alive the hum of conversation, the scent of fresh coffee, the quiet corners where stories wait to unfold. Love Brewed Here is a series of clean, contemporary rom-coms set in welcoming cafés, cozy bookshops, and lively community spaces where dreams take shape as carefully as a latte poured by hand.
Each book stands on its own, following everyday people bakers, book lovers, artists, dreamers as they stumble into love in unexpected ways. A playful rivalry between two café owners. A romance sparked during a town festival. Childhood friends reuniting among crowded bookshelves. Every story blends gentle humor with tender moments, capturing the kind of connection that feels steady and real.
For readers who want warmth, laughter, and a guaranteed happy ending, Love Brewed Here celebrates life’s small joys and the charm of unexpected romance. Will you find your favorite love story waiting here?
Chapter 1: The Morning the Steam Ran Thin
Clara
The bell above the bakery door jingled with a half-hearted ring, as if it, too, was tired of waiting for customers who never came. Clara wiped her hands on her faded apron, the fabric soft from years of flour, sugar, butter, and cinnamon. A few regulars had already stopped by before sunrise construction workers clutching coffee cups, mothers juggling strollers and muffins but now the shop felt still, the quiet stretching across the wooden tables like a stubborn shadow.
She glanced at the clock. Eight thirty. Prime time for a bustling café, yet only two tables were occupied. Mr. Dalton, retired and loyal, sat in the corner with his newspaper and a half-eaten almond croissant. Beside the window, a young woman with earbuds tapped at her laptop, crumbs scattered beside her untouched latte. The rest of the room was empty. Clara’s chest tightened. It had been like this too often lately slower, quieter than it used to be.
She moved to the display case, adjusting the row of cinnamon rolls, their spirals still glossy from the glaze she’d brushed on barely an hour ago. By now, they should have been disappearing fast, their warm scent pulling people in from the street. But today, the air outside felt distracted. Or maybe it was the new coffee chain the one that had sprung up across the street with its oversized logo and gleaming façade.
Through the front window, she could see their banner: Grand Opening Free Coffee with Any Pastry. Clara pressed her lips into a line. She didn’t resent competition, but this wasn’t just another coffee shop. It was a chain big, polished, and backed by corporate muscle. The kind of place that could undercut prices and drown out local voices like hers.
The bakery had been her world for ten years, ever since she and Andrew had opened it together. It had been their dream. Then, three winters ago, Andrew’s sudden illness had taken him from her, leaving her with the business they had built, the recipes they’d perfected late into the night, and a grief that lingered like a whisper between the walls.
“Morning, Clara.”
Mr. Dalton’s voice pulled her back. He waved his empty mug. “When you have a minute, love.”
Clara nodded and filled his cup with the smooth house blend she roasted every Tuesday. She set the mug down gently, her hands steady even as her heart wasn’t. “Here you go. How’s the crossword today?”
“Giving me trouble,” he said with a grin. “But I’ll win. I always do.”
She smiled. These small exchanges kept her grounded the conversations, the familiar faces, the warmth of being known. But as she turned back to the counter, her gaze snagged again on the stark poster outside. The chain’s baristas wore crisp uniforms and smiled with practiced cheer. She’d seen them on her supply runs young faces, sharp lines, nothing like the soft, lived-in chaos of her own kitchen.
Her chest tightened at the thought of the bills waiting in the office drawer. Raising prices wasn’t an option; this was a small town, and people had choices. But cheapening her ingredients was unthinkable. The bakery’s soul lived in its quality the fresh butter, the hand-kneaded dough, the cinnamon that clung to your fingers and wouldn’t let go.
The doorbell jingled again. Clara looked up, hoping for a small crowd. Instead, a single man walked in, his dark curls tousled as if they’d lost a battle with both wind and time. He wasn’t one of the chain’s baristas she’d have recognized the uniform. He looked tired but composed, like someone who had made a decision that morning and meant it.
“Hi there,” Clara said, smoothing her apron. “What can I get for you?”
He paused in front of the display, scanning the pastries with quiet intensity, as if memorizing every swirl of glaze and dusting of sugar. “Those cinnamon rolls smell amazing,” he said. His voice had a soft rasp, the kind that came from long shifts and too much steam.
“They’re fresh from the oven,” she replied, selecting one with just the right amount of caramelized edge. She placed it on a small plate, slid it toward him, and asked, “Coffee?”
He hesitated, then nodded. “Black. Strong, if you have it.”
Clara poured him a cup, noticing how his shoulders relaxed as the aroma rose. He took a slow sip and sighed, almost as if he hadn’t tasted real coffee in weeks. That reaction alone piqued her curiosity.
“Not from around here?” she asked, leaning against the counter. She wasn’t one for prying, but something about him felt untethered, like a man between places.
He chuckled, glancing at the window. “Sort of. I’ve been working across the street.” He tilted his head toward the coffee chain, its sign glaring like a challenge. “Not anymore, though.”
Clara blinked. “You… quit?”
