In the Case of Heartbreak: A steamy and sweet rom-com! – Kae Courtney (2023)

Ben Parrish has been baking his grandmother's cinnamon rolls at the family café in picturesque Fern Falls for years, while quietly loving his musician-and-mechanic neighbour, Adam Reed. But this summer Ben is finished waiting behind the pastry case. He enters a make-or-break competition to showcase his own recipes, plans to buy his overprotective family out of the business and decides to ask Adam out that very night. His plans collapse before they can even begin, sending him down the coast to his grandmother's eightieth birthday party in Maywell Bay, California, where he tries to hide his broken heart. Sun, sea and fresh breezes should bring something new, but instead they bring Adam, hired as the musical entertainment for the celebration. Grandma's signature Heartbreak Tea is the only remedy, though it is strong enough to strip paint from a fence. Along with the alcohol comes a bitter taste of truth, and Ben must decide whether he can accept the sweetness in front of him and face the bitterness that may follow, or whether a little sea salt is exactly what this cinnamon roll needs. This queer rom-com combines a second-chance, friends-to-lovers romance with seaside holiday atmosphere, laugh-out-loud humour and a sweet and steamy love story.