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A review by e_flah
Battle Royal by Lucy Parker
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
As a fun story with lots of baking, I really enjoyed Battle Royal. As a romance, it didn't click for me quite so much. This is an incredibly busy story -- I think there are four subplots? I honestly lost track at some point -- so the romance between Sylvie and Dominic ended up not getting the amount of page time I would've liked. The other plots are entertaining and added a lot of emotional weight to the story but I still feel like the story would've benefited from being a bit more focused.
Parker absolutely has a knack for vivid descriptions. From Sylvie's magical, over-the-top bake shop, Sugar Fair, to the set of the reality bake show Operation Cake, I felt like I was really in the story. The side characters also had rich backstories that added a lot to the overall story.
I finished Battle Royal wanting more from Sylvie and Dominic's relationship. There were so many other plot arcs happening that their happily-ever-after/happy-for-now seemed to get lost in the shuffle. We caught a glimpse of it before moving on to other, much more dramatic, storylines.
I'm not sure if I'm interested in picking up the next Palace Insiders book. I think I prefer my romances a bit more front-and-center than Parker seems to write them.
Parker absolutely has a knack for vivid descriptions. From Sylvie's magical, over-the-top bake shop, Sugar Fair, to the set of the reality bake show Operation Cake, I felt like I was really in the story. The side characters also had rich backstories that added a lot to the overall story.
I finished Battle Royal wanting more from Sylvie and Dominic's relationship. There were so many other plot arcs happening that their happily-ever-after/happy-for-now seemed to get lost in the shuffle. We caught a glimpse of it before moving on to other, much more dramatic, storylines.
I'm not sure if I'm interested in picking up the next Palace Insiders book. I think I prefer my romances a bit more front-and-center than Parker seems to write them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief