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.

Review

This book made me HUNGRY, lol. I was pulled right in and had a hard time putting it down.
Be forewarned! This definitely skews more contemporary fiction/chick lit than genre romance. OK, you’ve been warned.

The characters on the reality baking TV show Rosaline goes on, Bake Expectations, are a complete rip-off of GBBO. Let’s just all be honest here, haha. Reading the judges I could see and hear Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood in my mind, and the host gave me major Sue Perkins vibes. I really loved the GBBO “other brands are also available” feel though, so I’m down. 😉

My main problem with this book is that Rosaline is so… kind of wishy-washy, but she does go through a growth arc. I WANT TO say a whole bunch of things about the romance element, but also don’t want to spoil anything…

It can be hard to write a book with a large cast of characters, but Alexis Hall does a great job creating distinct, individual, memorable characters that are easy to distinguish and remember. I loved (most of) the contestants on the show, and wanted to keep reading more about all of them. And Rosaline’s daughter Amelie is a RIOT! Adore.

A digital ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review. All opinions are unbiased and my own.