Slow Rise

The last thing Dave Nowak wanted in his quiet second life was a reason to look forward to 6:15 in the morning. Dave traded a twenty-year finance career for a failing sourdough bakery at the foggy edge of San Francisco - where the bread is slow, the hours are brutal, and nobody expects him to be charming. He built the whole place so he'd never have to let anyone in again. It was working fine. Then the architect started showing up. Albert Ocampo is warm, relentless, and far too easy to love - the neighborhood's favorite son, his firm's brightest star, and the only customer who buys pastries for everyone but himself. He's the best part of Dave's day. He's also sitting on a secret that could level everything Dave has left. Because the career-making project with Albert's name on it is a six-story glass tower - and it's slated to rise exactly where Dave's ovens are. Falling for each other was never in the plan. Saving the bakery might cost Albert the future his family gave up everything for. The bread takes all night. Neither of them is that patient. Slow isn't the same as never. Perfect for readers who love: Grumpy/sunshine with a real slow burn Age-gap, opposites-attract, and forced-proximity mornings Found family - and a nosy, matchmaking employee Foodie romance with actual bread Low angst, high heat, and a guaranteed happy ending Slow Rise is a steamy, standalone MM romcom in the City Hearts series - every book a new city and a new couple. No cheating. No cliffhangers. Always a happily-ever-after.