Battle Royal (Palace Insiders #1) - Lucy Parker

Book Synopsis: Ready…

Four years ago, Sylvie Fairchild charmed the world as a contestant on the hit baking show, Operation Cake. Her ingenious, colorful creations captivated viewers and intrigued all but one of the judges, Dominic De Vere, the hottest pastry chef in London. When her glittery unicorn cake went spectacularly sideways, Dominic was quick to vote her off the show. Since then, Sylvie has managed to use her fame to help fulfill her dream of opening a bakery, Sugar Fair. 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, the go-to for sweet-toothed A-List celebrities, and a veritable British institution. He’s brilliant, talented, hard-working. And an icy, starchy grouch. Learning that the irksome 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’re both determined 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?

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My cousin took one look at the synopsis at the back of the book and said, "This reminds me of the Netflix movie The Princess Switch." You know the one, with Vanessa Hudgens?

I had such high hopes for this book, but I knew right from that sentence, that my hopes were dashed. Unfortunately, I wasn't too happy with this novel. Shall we count the ways I hated this book?

Normally, predictability is something I find to be endearing, but with this plot, I found myself cringing on more than one occasion. Dominic and Sylvie couldn't be more different, the classic grump and sunshine trope, and usually I love reading about that trope, but this book didn't do it for me. When the character of Dominic's sister, Pet was introduced I had to reread the page so many times just to realize that Pet was human. I guess it's a nickname for Petunia, but I didn't care for it at all, I despised every minute I spent reading this book and surprisingly finished it to the end.

If you like books about sugary sweet love and an overall cheesy plot, then this the book for you. Honestly, I will not be picking up anything else from this author, much less the sequel.

Rating: 1/5 Stars ★☆☆☆☆