Sweet Nothings and Other Confections Review

Verdict: A whimsical, cosy Regency fantasy: anxious artist Lucille Waters escapes her parents’ demand that she marry or become a governess by claiming a fake engagement to the reclusive Lord Fondant, who turns out to be Lady Fiona Fondant, a celebrated confectioner managing a chronic illness. Readers adore the sweets, the inclusivity and the disability representation; others found it slow, repetitive and too long.

Best for: Cosy-fantasy fans who want a sweet, low-heat fake engagement with inclusive representation.

Heat level: Kisses only

Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.6/5 — a 3.79 Goodreads average across 34 ratings, 3.79 on StoryGraph from 20 reviews, and 3.9 stars across 24 Amazon ratings)

Tropes: Fake engagement, Regency, cosy fantasy, rich woman/poor woman, found family, slow burn.

Sweet Nothings and Other Confections is Sula Sullivan’s 2023 self-published historical fantasy sapphic romance. Lucille Waters, a spunky but anxious aspiring artist, is stuck: her parents want her either married or working as a governess.

It holds a 3.79 average across 34 Goodreads ratings, with 64% of them four or five stars, 3.79 on StoryGraph from 20 reviews, and 3.9 stars across 24 Amazon ratings. It is a small readership.

What Is Sweet Nothings and Other Confections About?

On a whim, Lucille tells her parents she is engaged to the reclusive Lord Fondant. When her mother calls her bluff, she needs an elaborate scheme, starting with convincing Lord Fondant to play along.

Unknown to Lucille and the Ton, Lord Fondant is really Lady Fiona Fondant, a renowned confectioner struggling with a lonely, physically demanding job that worsens her chronic illness. As they keep up the charade, their friendship deepens.

What Works in This Book

Whimsy: Readers love the Willy Wonka-style magic and candy-making scenes.
Disability representation: Fiona’s chronic illness and mobility aids are described naturally, as part of her fantastical home.
Inclusivity: Readers praise Black, queer and plus-size characters who simply exist in the Regency world.
Food: The descriptions will make you hungry.

Book Synopsis

An artist who needs a fiancé. A lord who is not a lord at all.

Deceit has never tasted so sweet.

My Review

This is a book to savour, as one reader recommends: a few chapters at a time, like a good piece of cake. The friendship grows before the romance, the found family at Sugar Plum Manor is warm, and the magic is fanciful and fun. One reader with chronic illness found the portrayal of navigating it in a relationship especially resonant, and one longtime fan calls it the author’s best work yet.

The cosy pace is not for everyone. A few readers did not finish, finding the whimsy did not work for them or that the story repeated itself; one found it far too long, one flagged many typos, and one felt the first fifth was slow and the ending abrupt. A reader was also bothered by an early line telling a character to be “less sensitive.”

My honest note: Delicious if cosy fantasy is your comfort food.

Element	In Sweet Nothings and Other Confections
Central relationship	Lucille Waters (anxious artist) & Lady Fiona Fondant (confectioner with a chronic illness)
Core tropes	Fake engagement, cosy fantasy, found family
Setting	A Regency-inspired fantasy world
Heat level	Kisses only
Length	355 pages (paperback)
Series	Standalone
Content notes	Chronic illness, anxiety, unsupportive parents

How Spicy Is Sweet Nothings and Other Confections?

Not spicy. Readers describe a sweet romance without spice.

Readers mention chronic illness, anxiety and parents who do not support Lucille’s art.

Who Should Read This Book?

You’ll likely love it if: you want a whimsical, inclusive cosy fantasy with a chronically ill heroine. It is on our disabled sapphic romance list.

You may want to skip it if: you want pace, plot or heat.

In short: Candy-coated and cosy.

What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)

On Goodreads the split is 32% five stars, 32% four, 24% three, 6% two and 6% one. On StoryGraph, 90% tagged it lighthearted and 88% found the characters loveable.

Why readers love it (according to the discourse): Whimsy first. Second, representation. Third, inclusivity. Fourth, the food.

What readers argue about and complain about: Length and repetition, above everything. Second, typos. Third, a slow start.

The comparison worth making first: The Marriage Masquerade, another fake-marriage romance with a chronic-pain lead.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Sweet Nothings and Other Confections like?

Readers keep comparing it to Willy Wonka, and one adds Bridgerton: a Regency-inspired world with magical sweets, a fake engagement and a cosy, whimsical tone.

What is the disability representation?

Fiona manages a chronic illness made worse by her demanding job and uses mobility aids. Several readers praise the representation as excellent and seamlessly woven in.

Is it spicy?

No. One reader notes it is a perfect romance even without spice.

Does it have a happy ending?

Yes, readers confirm an HEA, though one found the ending came out of nowhere.

Is Sweet Nothings and Other Confections on Kindle Unlimited?

Yes, when we checked, or $0.99 to buy on Kindle.

If You Loved Sweet Nothings and Other Confections, Read These Next

Try Mooncakes for more cosy magic, or Make You Mine This Christmas. Browse our disabled sapphic romance list or the full Book Reviews archive.

The Bottom Line

Sweet Nothings and Other Confections sets out to be a cosy, magical Regency romance, and its whimsy and representation deliver. What holds it back is a slow, repetitive middle. A sweet treat for cosy readers. Check Sweet Nothings and Other Confections on Amazon →