Book Highlight: Battle Royal by Lucy Parker

Title: Battle Royal

Author: Lucy Parker

Publisher: Avon

Publication Date: August 17, 2021

Genre: Romance

Ready…

Four years ago, Sylvie Fairchild charmed the world as a contestant on the hit baking show, Operation Cake. Her ingenious, creations captivated viewers and intrigued all but one of the judges, Dominic De Vere. When Sylvie’s unicorn cake went spectacularly sideways, Dominic was quick to vote her off the show. Since then, Sylvie has used her fame to fulfill her dream of opening a bakery. The toast of Instagram, Sugar Fair has captured the attention of the Operation Cake producers…and a princess.

Set…

Dominic is His Majesty the King’s favorite baker and a veritable British institution. He’s brilliant, talented, hard-working. And an icy, starchy grouch. Learning that Sylvie will be joining him on the Operation Cake judging panel is enough to make the famously dour baker even more grim. Her fantastical baking is only slightly more troublesome than the fact that he can’t stop thinking about her pink-streaked hair and irrepressible dimple.

Match…

When Dominic and Sylvie learn they will be fighting for the once in a lifetime opportunity to bake a cake for the upcoming wedding of Princess Rose, the flour begins to fly as they fight to come out on top.

The bride adores Sylvie’s quirky style. The palace wants Dominic’s classic perfection.

In this royal battle, can there be room for two?

Why This Book

Battle Royal is a sweet romance set in the UK. Part romance, part rival bakers judging a TV baking competition, part said rival bakers vying to bake the cake for an upcoming royal wedding, there’s no shortage of fun and sugar. But there are also some deeper, more serious parts that nicely rounded out this story.

One of my favorite scenes involves these two rival bakers, Sylvie and Dominic, slowly, unknowingly, becoming drunk together. Full of sprinkles and fun, Sylvie is the complete opposite of Dominic, who sticks to traditional, but they somehow find themselves both working together and against each other as they work to demystify the complex flavor profile of the groom’s favorite drink, drink after drink after drink.

Reviews

My review: “This is an incredibly delicious read that had me constantly thinking of cake. But it’s also a seriously romantic novel with so many great love stories woven through it. While it almost felt like there might be too many stories, I thought it was actually balanced really well. I loved that it was serious as well as sweet, that it really focused on the characters and what they were feeling”

Harlequin Junkie gave this 4.5 stars, saying “Battle Royal was romantic comedy deliciousness! And not just because of the decadent desserts our main characters created. Lucy Parker added a whole heaping amount of heart, heat–in and out of the kitchen–and hilarity to the start of her all-new series”

Dear Author gave this an A rating, saying “I liked the way Sylvie and Dominic both were with their respective staffs, their professionalism and skill and I loved the way they were with each other. I loved the way they negotiated their relationship and their professional rivalry – with a thread of kindness running through their interactions but remaining true to their own identities and career aspirations”

Baltimore Bibliophile gave this 4 stars, saying ” It was the perfect mix of sweet, steamy, snarky, and sassy with plenty of banter and opportunities for these opposites to attract. I love both of the main characters because their backgrounds were so well thought out and described and fit with their current issues/drama. But the growth over the course of the book was beautiful to see and I love watching a grump melt for a sunshine”

your bookish friend rated this a 4, saying “aside from the one small matter of the romance happening too early in the book, i had no other problems. the book was fast paced and enjoyable. some parts were fairly easy to predict what would happen next, while others i didn’t suspect whatsoever”

The Reading Cafe said “BATTLE ROYAL is a complex story line that follows a number of intersecting paths that Lucy Parker blends smoothly and seamlessly into a wonderful and heartfelt story line. The premise has moments of humor and fun, heart break and darkness, betrayal and revenge”