26 Reasons To Fall in Love

He can follow any recipe—but love doesn’t come with instructions.

Twenty-six pies. Two months. One chance to tell her how he feels—without saying a word.

After two years in the Army and a lifetime of playing it safe, Charles Rivera is finally rebuilding his world—one recipe at a time. His quiet college life revolves around ceramics, his tiny kitchen, and a Thursday night book club where the highlight isn’t the literature…it’s Daphne, the Navy veteran with a crooked smile and a camera that never leaves her side.

When a conversation sparks a wild idea—bake twenty-six pies in November and December, one for every letter of the alphabet—Charles dives in headfirst. What starts as a creative challenge soon becomes something deeper: a way to speak through flour, butter, and sugar the words he can’t quite say out loud.

But as Daphne begins documenting his project for her photography portfolio, their collaboration turns into late-night laughter, quiet confessions, and a friendship that feels like something more.
And when the pies run out, Charles will have to decide if he’s brave enough to take the biggest risk of all—the one that doesn’t come with a recipe.

A tender, slow-burn romance about art, courage, and finding home in the people who see you.
Perfect for readers who love baking challenges, creative passion projects, found family, and love that rises slowly—but beautifully.

If you like these, you will like this novella:

sweet slow burn romance

baking romance

foodie romance

cozy contemporary romance

heartwarming military veteran romance

creative project romance

autumn romance

Out Now!!!

Dedicated to

Tyler, for his 26 Pie Thanksgiving Writing Project

And to Amanda, for her love of all baking