The Secrets of Sweet Blessings Bakery: The cozy, emotional, small-town romance of forgiveness and second chances

by Michele Dunaway

314 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication August 18, 2026

About the author

Ever since she was in first grade, Michele Dunaway wanted to be a writer. Even later in life, she found herself writing, and served on Kirkwood High School's newspaper staff, her college paper, and a local music newspaper (which led to Michele's five-second appearance on MTV's "The Week in Rock").

"I've always wanted to write fiction and I published my first stories using my sister's manual typewriter," she said. "I wrote love stories, and married myself and my sister to the cutest boys in the neighborhood. My sister wrote westerns and killed everyone. We had a great time and I guess you can say that those first stories hooked me into wanting to write more."

Michele concentrated on her writing, even while getting her teaching degree.

"While I earned my undergraduate degree in education, my master's degree is in media communication. In my spare time, apart from studying and teaching, my hobby has always been writing. I still have romance novels in the basement from when I was in high school and college. They're scrawled out in my handwriting, and written long before I knew anything about weaving plot, setting, and character. A teaching colleague Ed Washington read a Highlander fan fiction novel I wrote and told me I should try to seriously get published. So instead of it just being a dream, I set about trying to make it reality," she said.

In 1988, Michele set a goal at her five-year high school reunion to be published by the year 2000. While she authored three professional journal articles, and compiled the Journalism Education Association Middle/Junior High Curriculum Guide, it wasn't until August of 1999 that Michele learned she had sold her first novel to Harlequin American Romance.

"I'm thrilled that I accomplished this. Writing for Harlequin has always been a dream of mine, and words can't express the elation I felt when I heard they were buying my novel. I found out in the school office and the school nurse came running out because I was screaming with joy after I put down the phone," she said.

Since then Michele has sold over 15 novels to Harlequin and her works have been translated into French, Italian, German, Portuguese, and Japanese among others. Describing herself as a woman who does too much but doesn't know how to stop, Michele also teaches high school English, advises the school yearbook, and raises two daughters and five spoiled housecats.

Reviews

[cakecoffeeandbooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

The blurb and first couple of chapters seemed promising, and I was expecting a cosy autumnal, uplifting read. That’s not what this is, and at the risk of sounding harsh it’s actually kind of depressing. 3 sisters who are estranged and pretty horrible to each other have to complete a series of tasks their late grandmother set them before they can inherit $3 million. I didn’t care for any of the sisters, especially Ashley, and the whole thing with the grandmother and the tasks was just bizarre. Whole chapters went by where nothing really happened and the story was dragged out. I thought this was a second chance romance but there is barely any romance and I didn’t feel any chemistry between Mariah and Sam.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

[Michele Dunaway]

Welcome to Sugar Gap. I'm delighted to debut this single title series from Choc Lit. Mariah left home at 18, because in high school, she faced that age-old question of ‘who am I’, especially as her identity was defined by being the girlfriend of Sam, the popular mayor’s son. Leaving was the hardest thing she ever had to do, but leave she did, and now she and Sam have a second chance at love, if they can figure out what they truly want and who they were always meant to be.

This is also the emotional story of three estranged sisters who haven't seen each other in 12 years, minus for their grandmother's birthday and then later her funeral. The sisters don't necessarily like each other or have much in common. They were held together as a family by their grandmother, and now that she's passed, they lead separate lives. Mariah wanted more than life in Sugar Gap. Ashley relates to birds better than people. Sarah Grace is the peacekeeper--the one who stayed home. They will all find their way, and their happily ever afters over the course of the series, and discover what that family is more than blood, it's the life you choose.

My publisher asked me a few questions about Mariah's story:

What drink or treat do you think pairs perfectly with this book?
Well, chocolate bourbon pie, of course. If you’re looking for a cocktail, I’d say an old fashioned with maple syrup. For a non-alcoholic beverage, sweet tea. And note, sweet tea is different from simply sweetening tea.


What was your favourite scene or moment to write between Mariah and Sam?
Honestly, the scene where Sam brings Mariah her gingerbread house. That’s the moment it clicks for Mariah, and I admit, I cried writing and rereading it. I’d tell you more, but spoilers.


If you could spend a day in Sugar Gap, what would you do first?
I’d suggest walking around to get a feel of the town square, and then of course join the queue at the bakery so you can get some of Mariah’s goodies. I recommend the croissants and the snickerdoodle cookies.


What do you hope readers feel when they reach the final page of The Secrets of Sweet Blessings Bakery?
That feeling of hope, that everything is alright in the world. That as a reader, you've been able to take a lovely break from your daily troubles and know that whatever is going on, it’s going to be okay, and that those we love never truly leave us, and they're always trying to make our lives better. That's one theme of this story, that no matter who you are, going home and forgiveness are always possible, and that you are worthy exactly the way you are.

[Jen Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the arc of The Secrets of Sweet Blessings Bakery in exchange for an honest review. The premise of this book sounded so cute and full or adventure, but unfortunately for me, even though the first half of the book catches your attention I dare say not in a good way.

Mariah is back in her hometown that she fled years ago to hear the demands of her grandmother's will. She left her grandmother, sisters, and Sam her true love. Mariah is constantly crossing the line with her words, hurting everyone around her. She left because she felt she wasn't good enough for the town where she was raised, and went on to make a life for herself that is full of chasing accomplishments and status. Along with chasing a man who didn't appreciate her and was only using her to further himself.

The premise is that the terms of the will need to be followed by all sisters to gain the inheritance and resolve the conflict between sisters and their attitude towards the town and their upbringing. The sisters are stubborn and set in their feelings which on the positive, allows for a lot of growth and acceptance. The town and especially Sam, have so much hope that Mariah will drop the walls they had built and remember all of the good to move forward.

I didn't want to stop reading as I really hoped the ending was worth it. If you love a dramatic character arc and understanding of a lot of extreme emotions due to fear and grief, then this would be a great read for you.

[Carey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Based on the premise of a small town second chance romance I truly wanted to love this book, however I found the romance to be really secondary to the overall story. The MMC's chapters were few and far between, so it didn't feel as though he was developed outside of the FMC, and when they did interact it went from 0 to 100 really fast and then back down to 0 again which was really odd with their interactions. I also found the writing to be a little off, it would make certain things incredibly obvious when they didn't need to be, for example the MMC makes a double entendre at one point and the FMC thinks 'he's talking about me', which felt a little redundant to me as I felt there could have been a little more show than tell. I also found some of the dialogue choices strange, especially around the meals the FMC makes as they would be described fully in dialogue which isn't how people speak normally, you would shorten it and then question the sides or think about them if that makes sense.

A lot of the plot focused on the sisters and the relationships, but again these felt really stilted to me and the issues they had only really changed in the last 5% of the book so it felt like a lot of the solutions for the issues they faced came out of nowhere. I did like the scavenger hunt style tasks because they felt really fun and bought in the small town element really well, but it did take away from the romance aspect which was a shame.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, wow

This was such a heartwarming story. I liked how it isn’t your usual romance book, because not only does it portray romantic love, but also love for your family and yourself. I was so hooked and curious even from the beginning and it definitely exceeded my expectations. A small town romance AND a story on rekindling relationships with three sisters and the lives they left in Sugar Gap.

The way the community got together just to let them realize that nothing is more important than sticking with each other, even during the toughest times. Mariah, Sarah Grace, and Ashley’s banter with one another depicted the true relationship between sisters and how you will definitely get in each other’s hairs. I love how it was a balance of a second chance love story and mending a relationship between the sisters.

This is a must read.

[Char · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

This book is a slow and gentle read. The premise feels similar to something you’d get in a Hallmark movie; an estranged family being brought together to complete tasks by Christmas; a long lost love that has the chance to rekindle and a sweet little southern town as the setting.

Whilst I can’t say I was really gripped at any point, it makes for a gentle read and would be enjoyable with some hot chocolate and an Autumnal scene.

[Emma Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute and cosy autumn read. I found the story cute and easy to follow and perfect for when you want something light and fluffy to read. I loved the author's writing style and there was a great cast of characters. I highly recommend it and I look forward to reading more by the author.
🧡 Thank you to Choclit/joffe books for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Nicola “Shortbookthyme” · Rating 3 out of 5]

My thoughts:
Estranged sisters are brought together when their grandmother passes away. In her will she states the sisters must follow her written instructions in order to get their inheritance.
The characters were ok though not very likable.
The story was pretty slow.
The romance angle was just not there.

[L Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the ARC, and I loved that this slow burn of a book wasn't hurrying me through the mental twists and turns that each fighting sister had to overcome. While not every person is likeable (just like in real life), as someone who understands that, the story makes sense, and the sisters end up where they ought to. It's not a fast story, but it's a good story.

[Jennifer Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like one of those lovely family movies where the whole family gets fixed. Worth watching them squabble to see them happy at last!