Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake

Alexis Hall — 2021

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.

Reviews

Deborah Kerr@debbie

Jan 12, 2022

A fun, enjoyable, quick read. Certainly made more enjoyable/relatable as the MC is a bisexual woman, as am I & the bullshit she ensures is absolutely stuff I’ve been through.

Maria@mersibaq

Jan 7, 2022

в целом это 3.5, но подбешивало, что большую часть книги героиня была совершенной овцой, и эти бесконечные тревоги, кто что подумает, кто на нее обиделся, кому она чем обязана, не глупо ли она выглядит и т.п. - не моя чашка чаю. возможно, кто-то находит это relatable, но я обычно хочу читать про героев, которые говорят и делают то, что большинство людей в реальной жизни не говорит и не делает. к концу книги, правда, она реабилитировалась, но для наших отношений это было уже поздно

cossette@cossette

Dec 14, 2021

content warnings: sexual content (on page but not graphic), classism, emotionally distant / emotionally unsupportive parents, discussion of a teenage pregnancy (which happened in the past), brief mention of Rosaline considering an abortion, casual biphobia, casual homophobia, unwanted sexual advances / threat of sexual assault, gaslighting, an attempt at blackmail, mild violence, unhealthy/manipulative/toxic relationship

Linda Quintanilla@abigailbooksaddiction

Nov 22, 2021

I finally finished reading Rosaline Palmer Take the Cake. And I got to say that it was a good read. Nothing fantastic or terrible, just in the middle ground. I enjoyed reading it. It just did not leave me an impression. It's a bit of a slow romance read. Takes time to build-up since it's the first book in the series. I absolutely did love the representation of diversity. Not everyday that we read books that have representation of LGBTQ+. We need more romance books with LGBTQ+ representation. They are a joy to read.

Lisa Beasley@carefulofbooks

Aug 18, 2021

I absolutely loved this, yes sometimes the main character annoyed me she was very self-deprecating and a bit more naive than I expected but overall I liked her especially when she was with some of the supporting characters. I adored her daughter and the whole baking show aspect was perfect. As a big fan of the great british bake off I very much enjoyed that part and the idea of what happens behind the scenes was brilliant. A solid 4.5 stars.