Sloane Mercer didn’t come back to Burlington to be seen.
After a very public fall from grace, the last thing she wants is attention, opinions, or a storyline that isn’t hers. She wants quiet. She wants flour on her hands, a bakery no one’s watching, and a life small enough she can breathe inside it.
The town has other ideas.
Between a community pantry fundraiser, a bakery that refuses to cooperate, and a town that remembers everything, Sloane finds herself pulled back into connection whether she’s ready or not. Especially when Eli shows up.
Eli is steady, practical, and frustratingly kind. He fixes what’s broken, respects her boundaries, and never asks her to perform the version of herself the world thinks it’s owed. With his sharp-eyed daughter watching everything and a community that doesn’t let people disappear quietly, Sloane starts to realize that hiding isn’t the same as healing.
But being seen still terrifies her.
As the bake-off approaches and the town’s attention grows louder, Sloane has to decide whether she can stay present without losing herself again, and whether trust can exist without a spotlight attached.
What Sweetens After a Fall is a slow-burn contemporary romance about boundaries, found family, and the courage it takes to show up after you’ve been hurt. Warm, witty, and emotionally grounded, it’s a story about rebuilding a life one choice, one connection, and one carefully made dessert at a time.
Genre: Romance
After a very public fall from grace, the last thing she wants is attention, opinions, or a storyline that isn’t hers. She wants quiet. She wants flour on her hands, a bakery no one’s watching, and a life small enough she can breathe inside it.
The town has other ideas.
Between a community pantry fundraiser, a bakery that refuses to cooperate, and a town that remembers everything, Sloane finds herself pulled back into connection whether she’s ready or not. Especially when Eli shows up.
Eli is steady, practical, and frustratingly kind. He fixes what’s broken, respects her boundaries, and never asks her to perform the version of herself the world thinks it’s owed. With his sharp-eyed daughter watching everything and a community that doesn’t let people disappear quietly, Sloane starts to realize that hiding isn’t the same as healing.
But being seen still terrifies her.
As the bake-off approaches and the town’s attention grows louder, Sloane has to decide whether she can stay present without losing herself again, and whether trust can exist without a spotlight attached.
What Sweetens After a Fall is a slow-burn contemporary romance about boundaries, found family, and the courage it takes to show up after you’ve been hurt. Warm, witty, and emotionally grounded, it’s a story about rebuilding a life one choice, one connection, and one carefully made dessert at a time.
Genre: Romance
Used availability for Alexi Hart's What Sweetens After a Fall