Title: Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake
Author: Alexis Hall
Series: Winner Bakes All
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Explicit? Not overly so.
TW: Includes a non-graphic scene of sexual assault.
Summary: 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.

I absolutely, positively, completely adored this book and the characters in it, except for one character in particular. You’ll find out who when you read it, because you definitely should.

First of all, one of my comfort shows is the Great British Bake-Off. I love watching it, love hearing about baking things I will never be able to bake, and hoping that I will one day taste.

I also love the bi rep in this and how unapologetic Rosaline is for being who she is. It is one of the best parts of the book along with her daughter’s complete acceptance of it. Amelie was a character I worried about, being a child, but I found myself delighted by her behaviour and her mannerisms, as well as her strength of conviction for someone so small. Often I find children in books ill written and annoying but luckily that is not the case here.

The romance in this is nerve-wracking and had me holding my breath wondering how it would end, hoping for the ultimate happily ever after. Rosaline’s belief in herself and growth as a character was as comforting as the thought of the best baking show in the world, and Alexis Hall definitely has not let his readers down.

Read this if:
-You love the Great British Bake-Off
-You love cake based romances
-You love English countrysides
-You want to read a book which will also make you feel like you’ve been wrapped in a warm hug.