Baskin's Bakery

by Gayle Brown

With her grandmother's treasured rugelach recipe missing, twenty-six-year-old Seraphina Baskin needs to keep her family's famous Jewish bakery afloat. But there’s just one a “black thumb” plagues Seraphina––she can’t bake anything without burning, melting, or otherwise destroying every batch.

Enter David Winslow, a charming stranger who makes Seraphina’s heart soften like dough and stomach fold like warm batter. Desperate for help and against her better judgment, Seraphina hires him, their chemistry heating more than just the kitchen. But as sabotage threatens the bakery, secrets rise like over-proofed dough. Faced with David’s hidden truth, Seraphina must decide if opening her heart is the missing ingredient kneaded to whip up a happy ending.

Filled with humor, heart, and a touch of heat, this delicious romantic comedy is about second chances, secret recipes, and finding the courage to follow your heart.

Genres: Romance

314 pages, Paperback

Published January 7, 2026

Reviews

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in a day! Cozy. Charming. Heartwarming. I loved reading about the Jewish bakery and all its delicacies, the struggles Seraphina had to keep it open, and the mystery man. Who was he and what was he up to?

[Melissa Leet · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are 26 years old and suddenly find yourself running your family’s 50-year-old bakery, how do you to make it a success? Especially if you are recovering from inconceivable loss while simultaneously falling in love?

Baskins Bakery is as irresistible as its confections. With charm and authenticity, it whisks readers into a world of sugar, flour, and second chances. The cast - young and old -work together (or sometimes don’t ) to save the town’s most beloved bakery.

A page-turning, plot-twisting story with real heart, Baskins Bakery proves that the sweetest things in life are worth fighting for, including love.

[E.C. Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

BASKIN’S BAKERY is an absolutely delightful read! Still mourning her parents’ untimely death a decade earlier, Seraphina is ill-prepared when her beloved grandmother unexpectedly passes away, and she inherits the family’s Jewish bakery—and is expected to run it. Struggling with her culinary skills, or lack thereof, Seraphina leans on Eva and Dorthy, her grandmother’s best friends and long-time workers in the bakery. But despite all their best efforts, soon the emotional & physical toll of trying to run a bakery, and, perhaps even more importantly, trying to live up to her parents and grandmother’s legacy and expectations, threatens Seraphina’s livelihood and well-being. And it only gets worse. When Eva, the keeper of her grandmother’s famous rugelach recipe, is called away for a family emergency, Baskin’s Bakery takes a turn with decreased sales and a daunting future. Seraphina double-downs on her efforts to save the bakery, battling guilt for searching for another rugelach recipe and misgivings about a 2-week trial employment stint for David, her loitering-customer-turned-new-hire. Terrified of failure and being vulnerable after so much loss, Seraphina is called to follow her heart…to stop the bakery’s downward spiral and face her newfound feelings for David. Full of humor, heart, and a cast of characters you won’t soon forget, BASKIN’S BAKERY is one sweet read.

[Denise Brandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Cozy Bakery Story That Made Me Crave Rugelach

Gayle Brown's "Baskins Bakery" transported me into the warm, flour-dusted world of a family Jewish bakery. The descriptions of the treats made me hungry, but what I connected with most was Seraphina’s grief and determination after losing her grandmother, who raised her.
When Seraphina inherits the bakery, she’s determined to keep it open and honor her family’s legacy, despite her lack of business skills and complete inability to bake.
Making matters worse, she can’t find her grandmother’s recipe for the rugelach that made Baskins Bakery famous, and someone seems to be sabotaging the bakery.
Then there’s the romance (or hatred?) brewing between Seraphina and the mysterious David. Who is he and why does he want to work at the bakery?
The mystery of David, the missing recipe, and the sabotage threatening the bakery added nice momentum that kept me turning pages and invested in whether Seraphina could save her family's legacy.
If you’re looking for a cozy bakery romantic mystery, you’ll enjoy Baskins Bakery (and the rugelach recipe at the end)!

[Emily Saint-Evens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, and while most of it is because it has a lot of heart, I'm sure part of it is due to the fact that my grandmother also baked things I've never been able to quite replicate. One part in particular about finding recipes online to replace a beloved recipe made me laugh because that is so something I could see my kids doing. I think many of us can see ourselves being as overly confident as a the protagonist to think we could take over a bakery from a loved one because young people have (admirable) confidence. But there is a lot more to the protagonist's story and her development and realizing she deserves love after loss is the best part.

[Nicole Fincher · Rating 5 out of 5]

At 26 could you keep a bakery open, especially if you couldn’t bake? Everything seems to keep going wrong for Seraphina when she inherits her family bakery. She can’t bake, the famous rugelach recipe is nowhere to be found, someone is sabotaging the bakery, and a mystery man seems to want to help, but who is he and why?
With a little bit of something for everyone, this funny yet heartwarming story will give you all the feels, and a craving for some yummy treats! Lucky for you the famous rugelach recipe is included in the book!

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun read that will fill your heart. Gayle Brown is a strong writer who evokes a romantic sentiment with her words, illustrating challenges in life and how expectations are set by the people who raise us. This book felt like it was an instruction guide to break free of who we think we are and come to a fuller understanding and appreciation for who we really are.

If you are feeling a little blue and need some good-hearted cheer in your life, this book is like a cup of hot tea, a best friend, and a warm fire.

[Stoutmtc · Rating 5 out of 5]

BASKIN'S BAKERY opens with Seraphina, 26, orphaned, and now suddenly the proprietor of her grandmother's famous bakery. Except she doesn't have the recipe for her grandmother's signature dish. Nor can she bake - that was always grandmother's thing.

Wounded by her losses, overwhelmed by a life she can't live properly, how can she find peace? The journey Seraphina goes on and the mysteries she uncovers will try her soul, fill her heart, and leave the reader reflecting on this very sweet tale.

[Christine Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baskin’s Bakery’s humorous descriptions, intertwined relationships, Jewish interest, and cooking story will delight and engage readers!Plus, the multitude of reader surprises make it a super page turner.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this cute Rom-Com, Gayle Brown pulls you in with her heartwarming characters. Her emotionally fragile main character, Seraphina, made me want to grab my apron and dive in to help her attempt to save the family bakery as she deals with a mysterious young man with possible dubious motives.

[Mesheca Lutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nostalgic feelings of my maw maw after reading

What a sweet book! I laughed out loud and cried remembering my own maw maw and her cooking. The characters are likable and the story heartfelt. Thank you!

[Dylan Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gayle Brown's newest romance, Baskin's Bakery, is as delicious as the rugelach in the story--a warm hug of a book that I devoured in one sitting!

[Connie Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Katherine Center's books, you'll love Baskin's Bakery! I was immersed in the setting in the first pages, and the characters were a joy. Romance, found family, humor, a little mystery, and more, there's something in this book for everyone!