You've Got Love and Cinnamon Rolls

Shipbuilt Shenanigans #2

by Jilli Waters

Recipe-- add a curvy Sassy Sunshine and a burly Lobsterman Grump together in a one-bed hotel room.
Sprinkle in puzzles, tattoos, a baking competition, motorcycles, and an adorable dog.
Mix well.
Bake until hot and steamy on the inside.

I may be the best baker in Shipbuilt, Maine, but to my senator mom, I’ve wasted my life…and my waistline. Mom demands I bring a +1 for her weekend birthday celebration, even though I don’t have a boyfriend or time. My application for the Pastries of the Northeast Competition is my golden ticket to buy Shipbuilt’s bakery, The Cream Puff. I have to perfect my recipes and run my annual cookie-palooza at the bakery.

Birch is just one of a thousand tattooed, gruff lobstermen in Maine, right? Wrong, he is the perfect blend of no-nonsense to protect me from Mom's criticisms. But his sculpted body keeps me up at night, wondering how far down that tattoo goes. Solving one problem by being my fake date for the weekend might just complicate things.

It's cold outside. The oven’s hot, and I’ve been burned before.

He's sworn off romance, I've sworn off men from Maine. What could go wrong?

You've Got Love and Cinnamon Rolls is a deliciously steamy one bed, fake dating, curvy girl + hot cinnamon roll hero with a guaranteed HEA. It’s the second standalone book of the Shipbuilt Shenanigans small-town series. The books can be read in any order, but the characters and town drama starts in book 1.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Forced Proximity, Fake Dating

259 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 24, 2023

About the author

I write swoony, sweet & spicy small-town romances full of sassy heroines and the hunks that fall for them.

Find my newsletter at: http://www.jilliwaters.com
Free novella at: https://BookHip.com/HPHQNVT

Reviews

[Andrea ☾ [is inconsistently consistant] · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️ So, aparently I'm not a fan of Maine men OR women...

Listen, did I love this book? No. I definitely did not. The writing felt clunky and rushed, and most scenes felt a whirlwind in all the wrong ways.

Did I finish this, though!? Did I ever!

Personally, I feel like my life hasn't really helped, since it's also in the crazy-whirlwind-that-feels-more-like-a-tornado-in-the-sense-of-oh-sh!t-just-hold-the-f*ck-on-and-hope-we-survive-this type of stuff. Y'know?

Anyway... I got this as a freebie, and I'm up to reading anything within the "romance" category. This one just felt really, really flat.

ps. The whole not being a fan of folks from Maine was a little jab at the book -inside joke if you will-, I don't know any of you personally but I'm sure you're lovely!


This book is free today 🥳 March 04, 2025!
Happy AlphaCinnamonRoll Day!

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

He's Worth Waiting For . . .

Jane was at work at The Cream Puff bakery, her hands covered in melted butter, sugar, and nuts, when her mother phoned, expecting to talk to her! She told Claudia to tell her she would call back later. When she checked her phone “later”, she had 28 missed calls from her Mom, and another 30 text messages. Jane has to keep up with the daily bakery needs while running the annual cookie-palooza by herself, and applying for the Pastries of the Northeast Competition, these tasks keeping her super busy. If she wins the competition, she can buy the bakery at last! But her mother wants her to drop everything, get a date, and come to the mountains for her birthday party right after Christmas. Jane is already working overtime because her inept, useless boss Adrian never considers his employees and has her covering for him right now. Then he has the nerve to phone and tell her to go after work to the storage unit, pick up all the boxes of decorations for Spring, bring them back to the shop, and she and Claudia need to decorate the next day… because he forgot to do it. But she finally says no… they won’t fit in her tiny car and she has other obligations tonight. Then she warns Claudia to say no.

But she can’t easily say no to her mother who keeps texting her, so she needs a date. She had broken up with Emmett 2 months ago and hadn’t looked for a replacement. But coming into the bakery, she sees Emmett holding the door open to the freezing cold, his truck parked and full of boxes. Gus and Birch follow him in. Of course Adrian has sent them with the decorations – and they don’t even work for him! Nor is Adrian here to unload and move his boxes. And the customers are getting cold with the door open! And her mother calls asking if she is bringing Emmett to her party. Birch hears her and chuckles, then leaves as she remembers she didn’t get his feedback on her new pastry to add to her application. So she stopped by to ask him and he agreed to become her official taste-tester. He even agrees to be her fake date for the birthday party weekend. Since Jane has sworn off men and Birch wants nothing to do with romance, this should work out fine, shouldn’t it?

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐s Jane tries to achieve her dream and finds love along the way.

Jane is a plus sized baker whose mother is a state senator. Her mother has always been disparaging about Jane's weight and Jane is always found to be lacking when compared to her sisters. Although her mother seemed to like her last boyfriend, Emmett, Jane broke up with him. He always thought he knew best when it came to her. He was never willing to listen to any of her opinions, wants or needs.

Jane dreams of winning a contest that would enable her to buy the bakery in town. Adrian, the manager and son of the current owner, is a disorganized tightwad. He's always talking about his childhood memories when his uncle was the owner and how he wants to be just like him (as long as he doesn't have to spend money, time or effort to do it).

Now her mother is giving herself a weekend birthday getaway. She's insistent that Jane attend with a +one. So Jane asks Birch to go with her. Mom was NOT impressed when she showed up with a tattooed biker!

Birch Wilson is a local lobsterman who owns his own boat, the Kitty Jane. He's also the older brother of her best friend, Lilly. His plan for the winter is to tuck himself away  with his dog, Buxley, to enjoy drinking tea, working on jigsaw  puzzles and watching horror movies. He's given up on dating after his last girlfriend. Plus Lilly has warned him not to date any of her friends. He loves Jane's baked goods and has become another taste tester. He's attracted to Jane but she never seemed that interested in him until now.

Jane attends the baking competition but on the 2nd day she receives word that Birch has had a motorcycle accident. She leaves to rush to his bedside. Although she doesn't win the contest, she does get some excellent press notice. Enough to have her mother rush to her side with plans for Jane to help with    her re-election campaign. It also seems like things will be changing at the bakery. But will Lilly and Birch be as forgiving as the others?

I received an ARC of this book from the author via Booksprout. I am voluntarily leaving this review.

[Debbie Orazi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a small town friends to lovers romance.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed, realistic and relatable. The story was believable, angsty, steamy and sweet. Would recommend.

Jane Hood works at The Cream Puff bakery as the baker. She wants to buy the bakery and enters the Pastries of the Northeast Competition hoping to use the prize money for the purchase. Her mother is an overbearing state senator. She broke up with her boyfriend Emmit, Birch's friend, 2 months ago and has no interest in dating anymore Maine men. Her friend Lilly is Birch's little sister.

Birch Wilson is a lobsterman. He owns his boat and wants to purchase another one. He has sworn off women since his last disastrous relationship. He has a dog named Buxley. He loves to do puzzles.

Her mother pressures Jane to bring her ex to her birthday weekend. Jane refuses and asks Birch to be her pretend boyfriend. While at the weekend away they hookup but she hurts his feelings by belittling their time together. They eventually start dating but she is focused on the competition and refuses to let him go with her and breaks up with him. She realizes how she really feels about him and rushed back to Shipbuilt when he is in a bad motorcycle accident. They reconcile and get their HEA.

I received a free copy of this book via Cherrylily ARCs and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[RB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely on my recommendation list. This is a sweet small town story that's actually pretty believable from most perspectives.

The FL is great. A strong yet self-conscious woman who does know her skillset and has a Plan. The ML is a dream of a hunk who is beginning to feel the loneliness of hitting his 30s and wants a partner to share life with.

There are many joys of the small town life. It's great to have a community who knows you, who is there for support if needed, and who offers safety. Of course, all those things can be flipped, too, and if you've grown up in a small town, you know what I mean.

The interactions between the leads are realistic and touching. My only complaint is the sex. Just seemed to be a lot of missing components there, like a sort of "fade to black" at times. Romances today are more detailed, and I missed that connection between these two. It seemed more mellow than I expected.

Otherwise, this was a sweet, realistic story of twonfolks looking for and finding lasting love. Adorable and touching.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is part of Waters Shipbuilt Shenanigans small-town series but can read as a standalone romance. Wonderfully written, I loved the small-town feel, the characters were superb with great sweet and steam romance balance. Fun and funny with a captivating and smooth flowing storyline. Our main characters are a smart and sassy baker Jane and a sweet, lovable lobsterman Birch. While this was read as a standalone, I really enjoyed it so much I'm looking forward to more from Waters and this series!

I received a free copy of this book via BookSprouts, Cherrylily ARCs and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Suzanne Houser · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second novel in Jilli Waters' Shipbuilt Shenanigans series is just as wonderfully engaging as the first. You've Got Love and Cinnamon Rolls grabs onto my favourite trope - fake relationship - and mixes it together with the fabulous characters we fell for in the first novel in the charming town of Shipbuilt, ME. Birch and Jane are perfectly imperfect together and once again we are drawn into the goings on in the seaside town. PLUS we get the drama of Jane's senator mother and her expectations. Entertaining, steamy small-town romance you won't be able to put down.

I received a free copy of this book via Cherrylily ARCs and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This small town romance is cinnamon roll hero perfection! I enjoyed it SO much.. Super cute and steamy/sweet.. With an endearing and sexy lobsterman and a sassy, smart baker.. Can't wait to read more from this author!.

I received a free copy of this book via Cherrylily ARCs and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Maria G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like both Birch and Jane and that this is them seeing each other as more than just acquaintances. I Liked that Birch had so many interests. Jane was such a hard worker. I'm glad they found their happy ending, I just didn't fall in love with them.

I received a free copy of this book via Cherrylily ARCs and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jensyne Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet and Emotional Story

Nice story that had great character development. I loved the male character who expressed his emotions and life preferences. It was so cool how the author changed perspectives before male and female characters. It was seamless and I didn’t struggle with the different POVs.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute book with light spice. Jane needs to write off her mom, no one needs that kind of toxicity in their life. But I have to say it was funny when she was calling Birch every other tree name but his own. Birch is someone you want to snuggle up with on a cold Maine night, day, basically anywhere and anytime. Good read!

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author has given us a wonderful story that pulls us into the lives of Jane and Birch. The story keeps us turning the pages with humor, connection and steam.

I received a free copy of this book via Cherrylily ARCs and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rachel Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The next book in this series set in Shipbuilt, the story of Birch and Jane. Neither are looking for love but are they going to find it anyway?.

I received a free copy of this book via Cherrylily ARCs and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cherie Maggi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great small town story. Great characters and enjoyable read

[Nicole Mollitor · Rating 4 out of 5]

super cute read!

Lovely novel, I enjoyed this book immensely and was a quick read but full of humor and all I could think about was how much I wanted cinnamon rolls and hot coffee!

[Ro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Birch made my heart happy ❤️‍🩹, and the many layers you find out about him were lovely. Also, I loved their quirky banter throughout the book.

[Kandiemarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Shipbuilt Shenanigans series but can be read as a standalone. It's wonderfully written, the characters are fun and sexy, the storyline is captivating and intriguing. It has a bit of drama, humor and steam. I enjoyed reading this book. Definitely worth recommending it. I'm looking forward to reading more from Jilli Waters.

I received a free copy of this book via Cherrylily ARCs and am voluntarily leaving a review.