Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake

Alexis Hall

May 2021 · Sold by Forever

About this ebook

Fans of Casey McQuiston, Christina Lauren, and Abby Jimenez will love this scrumptious and sweet romantic comedy from the "dizzyingly talented writer" of Boyfriend Material (Entertainment Weekly)

Publishers Weekly Summer Reads Top 10 Staff Picks
Oprah Daily Most Anticipated Romance Novels of 2021
Buzzfeed Must-Read Spring Romance Novels
Goodreads Sexy Spring Romances
LGBTQ Reads: Most Anticipated Adult LGBTQAP Fiction 2021
We Are Bookish: Spring Releases to Have on Your Radar

Following the recipe is the key to a successful bake. Rosaline Palmer has always lived by those rules—well, except for when she dropped out of college to raise her daughter, Amelie. Now, with a paycheck as useful as greaseproof paper and a house crumbling faster than biscuits in tea, she’s teetering on the edge of financial disaster. But where there’s a whisk there’s a way . . . and Rosaline has just landed a spot on the nation’s most beloved baking show.

Winning the prize money would give her daughter the life she deserves—and Rosaline is determined to stick to the instructions. However, more than collapsing trifles stand between Rosaline and sweet, sweet victory.  Suave, well-educated, and parent-approved Alain Pope knows all the right moves to sweep her off her feet, but it’s shy electrician Harry Dobson who makes Rosaline question her long-held beliefs—about herself, her family, and her desires.

Rosaline fears falling for Harry is a guaranteed recipe for disaster. Yet as the competition—and the ovens—heat up, Rosaline starts to realize the most delicious bakes come from the heart.

Ratings and reviews

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake is a book I was really looking forward to. I was glad I was able to dive into it and while I enjoyed it quite a bit, there were parts of it that fell a bit flat for me probably because I was expecting more romance than women's fiction. That's not to say it wasn't well written, it was, I just had different exceptions going into it. Rosaline is a 27 year-old single mother who works in a store and lives pay check to paycheck, but who loves to bake. She's never felt like she has been able to please her parents and in general she is a people pleaser. Her daughter, Amelie, is as adorable and precocious as she can be. She was such a delight! Rosaline has the opportunity to join the case of Bake Expectations. She's joining ten other contestants vying for the crown of best baker. While at the show tapings, she meets both Alain and Harry. Alain is a suave, landscape architect who her parents like immediately and Harry is a shy, electrician who doesn't speak as eloquently as some would like. Rosaline makes an initial choice between the two which turns out to be the wrong one. Will she be able to see what the other man has been trying to tell her from the start just by being her friend? I enjoyed the concept of this book a lot. I also enjoyed the secondary characters, who brought a lot of laughs and heart to the story along with the main characters. Knowing that there is more to come in this series, I'm very interested to see what Ms. Hall offers up next!

Looking for a way to bring in some extra cash, single mom Rosaline tries out for a spot on a popular baking competition show. She quickly falls for suave Alain, but is he the right man for her? And has she got what it takes to bring home the baking prize? This chick lit is a delight from the very first page. It isn't a romance—there's a strong love triangle subplot, but the central story focuses on Rosaline's character growth. I appreciate how she came into her own and realized she'd spent her whole life feeling wrong for failing to live up to other people's expectations, without stopping to think what she really wanted for herself. Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

About the author

Alexis Hall lives in a little house in the south east of England where he writes books about people who bake far better than he does. He can, however, whip up a passable brownie if pressed.