Books like Love by Chance by Kacy Cross

Nicole Keyes, steward of her family bakery and caretaker of two sisters, feels the weight of self‑sacrifice pull her toward a life of her own. When sharp‑tanned former NFL star Hawk enters her world, he offers a different kind of freedom—and a risk that her past may close down the future she craves.

In the heat of a hot summer in Lake Eden, Minnesota, baker Hannah Swensen’s famous red‑velvet cupcakes become the backdrop for a chilling series of deaths that forces her to solve a mystery she never imagined.

When her baker dreams falter, Liz Talbot inherits an advertising agency and a second chance at love and success, aiming to win over a Nabisco Food scout while navigating a burgeoning double business empire.

When Minnesota sheriff Sheriff Grant is found dead behind the high school, baker Hannah Swensen must sift through secrets, rivalries, and recipes to reveal the killer in this cozy mystery set in Lake Eden.

When Hannah Swensen’s busy day at the Tri‑County fair turns deadly, she must uncover the killer behind the murder of judge Willa Sunquist, all while juggling a baking contest, a carnival act, and her beloved cat.

Amateur baker Hannah Swensen returns as head judge of a dessert bake‑off in Lake Eden, Minnesota, only to find a fellow judge dead in her strawberry shortcake. She must sift through suspects while keeping the competition on track.

Samantha Sterling, head of Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company, must rally her family and town of Icicle Falls to save the business from a bank takeover, while navigating a fiery rivalry with banker Blake Preston.

In Camellia City’s snowy holiday feast, baker and sleuth Hannah Swensen investigates the murder of a new wife as a blizzard traps all suspects inside the community center.

A hotshot Beverly Hills plastic surgeon finds his world turned upside down when a small‑town accident brings a gorgeous girl and her determined mother to his practice, sparking an unexpected romance amid healing.

Baker Hannah Swensen’s carrot cake becomes the centerpiece of a family gathering gone wrong when Uncle Gus is murdered with an ice pick. Spurred by her cat’s odd behavior, Hannah must sift through suspects to uncover the killer before her own recipe becomes a deadly threat.

A powerful oil executive battles blackmail and murder when his former high‑school sweetheart and her daughter, both entangled in a deadly scheme, threaten the legacy of his family business.

"Marie Dunwoody doesn't want for much in life. She has a lovely husband, three wonderful children, and a business of her own. Except, her cupcakes are crap. Her meringues are runny and her biscuits rock-hard. She cannot bake for toffee. Or, for that matter, make toffee. Marie can't ignore the disappointed looks any more, or continue to be shamed by neighbour and nemesis, Lucy Gray. Lucy whips up perfect profiteroles with one hand, while ironing her bed sheets with the other. Marie's had enough: this is the year it all changes. She vows to follow - to the letter - recipes from the Queen of Baking and at all times ask What would Mary Berry do? Husband Robert has noticed that his boss takes crumb structure as seriously as budget sheets and so puts on the pinny: serious redundancies are on the horizon. Twins Rose and Iris are happy to eat all the half-baked mistakes that come their way, but big brother Angus is more distant than usual, as if something is troubling him. And there is no one as nosey as a matching pair of nine-year-old girls ... Marie starts to realise that the wise words of Mary Berry can help her with more than just a Victoria Sponge. But can Robert save the wobbling souffle that is his career? And is Lucy's sweet demeanour hiding something secretly sour?"--

Photojournalist Jessie Ryder returns to her Texas hometown to confront the daughter she gave away sixteen years earlier, forcing her sister Luz and her family to reexamine love, loyalty, and the bonds that hold them together.

After Aunt Polly Portman's death, her niece Alice and friend Charlie uncover the mystery of a vanished pie‑crust recipe in Ipswitch, Pennsylvania. Alongside suspense, the story offers fourteen authentic pie recipes.