A review by historic_wince
Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I nearly DNFed this book 8% into it. I could not get past the second hand embarrassment of the
FMC lying to the love interest in order to impress him
. Granted, this is supposed to be cringe worthy, but it nearly did me in. I’m glad, however, that I picked the book back up and finished it. (The audiobook, btw, his excellent. Narrator did a really great job with all the voices). 
 
Our main character is Rosaline, a bisexual disaster. She’s a 27 yr single mum, who’s still desperately trying to live up to her parents expectations. And while she’s always doing what’s best for her kid, she’s not always doing what’s best for her. That includes her dating life. 
 
I really enjoy how Alexis Hall’s writing style has matured and his character work remains top notch. Some readers mayn’t appreciate just how contemporary some of the references are, nor that the book/baking show is rather self referential. Others may not like the ‘love triangle’ at the center of this story, but I really enjoyed the character development throughout the 8+ weeks and how the two love interests juxtaposed one another. This novel contains several sex scenes, but not of them are intended to be ‘spicy.’ Instead, they are central to the development of the plot and character arcs of our main characters. 
 
I did foresee
Alain’s suggested threesome, but I will admit how the scene played out was more scary than I anticipated. Rosaline is assaulted by Alain’s female friend, and both women were coerced by Alain himself to participate. The scene is not particularly violent and Rosaline is able to safely barricade herself until able to the leave the situation.
 
 
I think this series has a lot of potential and I’m looking forward to the next installments. 
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