I loved this romance and the characters, such a super heartwarming and uplifting read. You’ll definitely love this!

Sylvie is quirky and whimsical, and Dominic is serious and classic. When they are both asked to submit designs for Princess Rose’s wedding cake, opposites attract. It’s an enemies to love trope with a sunshine heroine and a grumpy hero. I liked this but I don’t think I’m the target audience (I’ve never seen an episode of the Great British Bake Off). It was a quick listen, and I’d recommend the audiobook.

Thanks to @NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for my ARC!

Sylvie's whimsical, while Dominic's austere, and solid. He's got no patience for her artsiness, and when he had the opportunity to vote her off a baking show, he did. Now she has her own bakery and will be joining him on the judging panel. Can they get along? Of course they can get along. Can they take their very different aesthetics and create something beautiful together? Well, probably, except there's a royal wedding cake contract up for grabs, and only one baker can get that prize. This concoction has just the right amount of leavening, a wonderfully charming heroine, a sardonic hero who has the hots for her, and a great supporting cast. Super fun, even for those who haven't watched a baking show in their lives.

I admit it, I fell for the beautiful cover. Plus I’ve wanted to read Lucy Parker for a long while. So this was perfect! I’ve also enjoyed in the past books with a chef and reality TV mix. I couldn’t wait to dig into this one.

I immediately fell in love with our heroine. Sylvie was a contestant in a baking show where she stood out for her original creations. One of the judges, and our hero Dominic, is the opposite of her. Sophisticated and classical. Also a bit grumpy. Their relationship wasn’t the easiest and certainly didn’t end on the best terms. Now, their successful businesses are competing for the wedding cake contract for the Princess. The princess loves Sylvie’s style but the palace prefers Dominic’s traditional taste.

There were a lot of elements to this story that I really enjoyed and on paper it should’ve been a total hit for me. But I think the pacing was a bit off. It started off really good and I was immediately invested. Loved both characters (I love a good grouch) and their chemistry was excellent. But somewhere along the way I felt the story loss some drive and felt a bit boring.

I did like that we are seeing both characters years after the reality TV show and Sylvie has made a name for herself. She’s successful and on equal footing with Dominic.

This is perfect for fans of the Great British Baking Show and royal drama with a bit of enemies to lovers sprinkled in and a grumpy/sunshine pairing. I’ll certainly be on the lookout for more from Lucy Parker and will continue on in this series.

Battle Royal by Lucy Parker is a sweet book (pun intended) about rival cake decorators who go from enemies to lovers. I enjoyed character Sylvie Fairchild, though I found the character modeled loosely after Paul Hollywood a bit more difficult to cheer for.

Many thanks to author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The plot and writing failed to reel me in right away. Then, when we got to the description of Dominic and it became obvious he was supposed to be Paul Hollywood -- to be completely honest -- it grossed me out and I was done. No. Nope. Uh uh. It was a #dnf for me.

As a MASSIVE fan of The Great British Bake Off and sunshine/grumpy romances - this is a HUGE hit for me! Add to that the fact the MCs are over 30, the multiple competition aspects, the exploration of loss/grief and family trauma, and the top-notch (but not over-the-top for the overall vibe) steamy times? This was an absolute home run. There were bits that were a bit predictable or easy to figure out, but I still enjoyed the journey in watching it all play out. I can not even tell you how ecstatic I am that this is a series and I will definitely be diving into Lucy Parker back catalogue!

4.5 out of 5 wine glasses

Okay, so when does #2 come out?

Battle Royal is one of those romances that delivers more serious conversations and realistic relationship growth, compared to steam. And, while I love me some steam, sometimes it is so refreshing to read a more mature romance. (So, don't let the adorable illustrated cover distract you!)

It definitely serves Great British Bake Off vibes, and I certainly was picture Paul Hollywood the whole time - those blue eyes though!

Please grab this book.

Battle Royal by Lucy Parker js a great romantic comedy with baking! I loved reading about Sylvie and Dominic.

I always love a good enemies to lovers romance and this one definitely didn’t disappoint. Dominic and Sylvie were so funny together and eventually absolutely adorable. This was such a good example of the grumpy one and sunshine one trope done well. On top of all of that there was an unexpected level of heart and emotion woven throughout. And while the writing style wasn’t always my favorite I still found myself feeling deeply connected to the characters and their personal struggles. Overall this was a super fun and enjoyable read. I definitely need to read more from this author.

I didn’t connect with this one sadly. I had to make myself pick this one up so many times just to finish it. I didn’t feel the chemistry and thought the book was all over the place. There were so many side plots. That along with a lackluster romance made this a low-rated read for me.

This book is so cute and such a fun contemporary romance, but just not necessarily for me. Having a sexy Paul Hollywood as a hero is deeply weird, but I don't like that the heroine is railing against him as a villain when that is literally the premise of GBBO. It made me feel like Sylvie was just childish. However, the cakes are amazing and I really liked the cast of characters and the friends and family. I would definitely recommend this book to friends who are looking for fun, funny contemporaries (and esp fandom friends) but the romance itself just didn't work for me. I still think it's worthy of 4 stars.

I unfortunately did not have time to read this before release date due to issues in my personal life, but i’ve heard amazing things!

I adored Sylvie and Dominic right from the first few pages of the book and I knew right then that this enemies to lovers trope storyline is going to be one of my favorite books of all time. I was so right about that feeling because this book doesn't disappoint. With the pairing of garrulous, bubbly, and romantic Sylvie to the grouchy, taciturn, and sometimes dour Dominic, it is a treat of a story. I will warn you though. Get your box of tissues out because this one will bring out the waterworks. I sobbed and laughed and sighed through their story. I adored all the different storylines in this book that made this story so rich and delicious. The two other romances in this story are also heart-wrenching and beautifully written. I wish we get to see Pet and Jay get their own stories and HEA. I highly recommend this book. Get this one today as you will not regret it. Meanwhile, excuse me as I go find some cake to eat.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

This book had literally everything I want in a book. Romance, baking, British royalty and much more. I loved both main characters and the fact they start out as enemies makes me love their love story even more. I also really liked that the book included found family, and especially talking about grief. It made this book more than just a romantic summer read.

If you love British Bake Off or really any baking competition show. If you love it when someone proves a snob wrong. If you love enemies to lovers, friendly competition, slow burn, and cupcakes. Then this is the perfect book for you. This book is funny and the characters are so perfect for each other it's too cute!

First of all, I loved this book, which is not really a surprise because I love Lucy Parker's writing. The plot of Battle Royal is probably a little more plot heavy than some other romance novels, but I thought that aside from one thing, it worked just fine. So let's talk about this book and why I loved it!

Sylvie was on this baking show as a contestant a few years ago and her penchant for glitter and cutesy things was sort of the antithesis of Dominic's aesthetic profile. Dom was (and is) a judge for this show and the two sort of cemented opposite/rivals status through the show and since because Sylvie opened her bakery right across the street from Dom's bakery. Now, the two are being pushed back together because they're both judges on the reality show and they're competing for the biggest cake contract of their careers, the royal wedding cake.

That brief synopsis doesn't even really begin to scratch the surface of what's going on between Dom and Sylvie and the other characters in this world. Dom and Sylvie both have parts of themselves that are still tender from their various difficulties. Sylvie's aunt, who took care of her after the death of her parents, happened years ago, but grief is not really a linear process and it creeps up on her at various times. Similarly, Dom was raised by his grandfather because of some not great parenting and his grandfather passed away and he also has some tender parts because of this. Dom's journey is further complicated because his sister, Pet, is back in his life and he's not sure how to have the relationship they both clearly want because of the various traumas that stand in their way. Dom and Sylvie's connection is so strong and I think the two of them are really supportive of one another as they navigate situations that push their respective trauma buttons even as they're working against and with one another.

There's a particular scene that reminded me of that scene in Twilight where Bella and Edward visit Bella's mom and she makes some comment about how Edward seems to orbit around Bella. It was nice to see this concept illustrated in a relationship that is not toxic and plagued by jealousy and a 100 year age gap. Approximately. Despite my love of this book, I will acknowledge that there were two plot points that I really wasn't a fan of because I think the book was strong enough without them and they created unnecessary drama. Well, one of the elements, in truth, was not so much unnecessary drama as much as it was just not really ever tied up. But at the end of the day, this book had characters, secondary and primary, who felt so real that the entire universe came alive. I cannot wait for book two! I have so much more that I could say, but I also feel like you should discover this book for yourself.

Quick niche tropes that delighted me and may further convince you to read this book:
- a sick bed scene
- Dom owns a grumpy cat
- gorgeous descriptions of sweets

This was a fun,sweet read. So much yummy food and hilarious interactions, it had enough laughing out loud. A easy fun read that makes me an to eat some sweet teats and tea!

Sylvie and Dominic paths first crossed when her unicorn cake tried to decapitate him in a baking competition. Now four years later, they are rivals each trying to secure a once in a lifetime opportunity to make the cake for the wedding of the century. As with their personalities, their design aesthetics couldn’t be more different. However, as things heat up in and outside of the kitchen, they come to learn that just like in baking all good things come down chemistry.

This book is decadent, indulgent, and delightful. It was the ultimate treat to read. I absolutely devoured it in a couple days. (And with that I’m now done with the food puns)

The various stories are woven together so artfully. Lucy Parker perfectly combined a romantic rivalry, a GBBO-esque tv show, and a Royal mystery and wedding. All of it is done so well, that you don’t want to take your eyes off the page. It is wonderfully multi-layered, complex, and completely engaging.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Sylvie and Dominic. I really appreciated how nuanced layered they were. They were great characters to take this journey with.

This book had a great cast of characters, including Dominic’s sister Pet(unia) and Slyvie’s baking assistant Mabel. They were such fun and engaging characters, and popped on the page.

I did feel like the plot kind of ran away at the end, but it was just an instance of one too many elements getting wrapped up at once.

This was my first time reading a book from this author, and I will happily read more! I am looking forward to Pet’s story.

I enjoyed this book so much! It has all the right notes.

This was super cute and the grumpy-sunshine romance I needed. Plus, I couldn’t help but think of Paul Hollywood while reading, so that gave me a laugh!