Romance

Battle Royal

Battle Royal

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-27 09:51:12
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Lucy Parker
  • ISBN：0063040069
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Beloved author Lucy Parker pens a delicious new romantic comedy that is a battle of whisks and wits。

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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Reviews

Gemma Benn-Clibborn ，

Another entertaining book by Lucy Parker。 Great main characters with lots of chemistry and cute costars。 Listened to the audio book and enjoy Billie fulford browns narration。

Viv ，

In fiction， falling in love seemed to happen in soft focus， all cheerful montages of pop music and soulful glances。 In reality， it was raw and confronting， powerful and passionate， shifting every goalpost。DLSKFADASfDFDFDD。 Ladies and gentlemen， I think we have a new favourite - definitely one of my top reads of 2021。 This combination of forced proximity， enemies to lovers， grumpy-sunshine， and delicious baking worked out perfectly for me！ This follows Sylvie and Dominic - two baker/pastry chefs In fiction， falling in love seemed to happen in soft focus， all cheerful montages of pop music and soulful glances。 In reality， it was raw and confronting， powerful and passionate， shifting every goalpost。DLSKFADASfDFDFDD。 Ladies and gentlemen， I think we have a new favourite - definitely one of my top reads of 2021。 This combination of forced proximity， enemies to lovers， grumpy-sunshine， and delicious baking worked out perfectly for me！ This follows Sylvie and Dominic - two baker/pastry chefs that own rival cake shops that also happen to be opposite each other。 What's more， Dominic was kind of a douche to Sylvie years ago when she entered a baking competition。。。and she may or may not have accidentally knocked him in the head with a unicorn hoof。 But， they're forced to work together once more as now Sylvie， who's built herself a wonderful fairytale/magic vibe cake shop， is back on the baking show as a judge。 Oh yeah， and they're also competing to make a princess a wedding cake。 I ADORED Sylvie as a main character - her internal dialogue and commentary made me laugh aloud countless times。 She's witty， sharp and unapologetically herself。 She's bright， she's fun and an all round colourful character。 Which makes for some natural tension with Dominic， who is definitely one of your stoic grumps。 （of course， he's a big softie inside）。 I mean he makes sure she gets to her car alright every night （EVEN WHEN THEY HATED EACH OTHER）， he takes care of his sister （again， I loved that there was some complexity to their relationship）， he literally pampers his grandfather's cat whom he hates， These two learn to lean on each other throughout the book and it's some great relationship development。 You watch as they grow to tolerate each other， begrudgingly spend time together， realise their attraction。。。and boom， it goes from there！ I will say， if your love language is touch， you will LOVE this novel， because their physical connection （not just sex， but literal like physical contact） does play a role in their relationship。 I love love LOVED that Dominic was somehow comfortable and just felt relaxed around Sylvie - the little unconscious touches between them melted my heart。 I also thought that the subplot with Johnny and Rosie （the royal couple） was really well balanced。 Sometimes in books I find that there just isn't enough of one of the plots， where it just feels unbalanced and not entirely satisfying。 But this book had just the right balance， where the main focus is （of course） on Sylvie and Dominic， but there's also enough to the other plots to make it sing。 Johnny and Rosie really had a sweet relationship and I'm excited to see them in future books as well （hopefully）。I am SO KEEN to see Pet and Matthias get together - even from the little peeks we get at them I am SO READY to see this huge hulking intimidating bodyguard fall for Pet who's this dainty looking gal。 Ugh it can't come soon enough！ My favourite quotes:This was her main professional rival。 The man who’d repeatedly insulted and undermined her work。 Whose own aesthetic she belittled in return。 The man she had， at one time， profoundly disliked。 And if he still hurt， it mattered。“What did you mean about his body language？” “So entirely tuned into someone else。” Dolores considered。 “Somehow curved into someone else， without moving a muscle。 Aware of their every movement， without so much as a glance。”Sylvie could very easily imagine what Pet had been like as a little girl， and suddenly she saw them in her mind’s eye—an emotionally battered， stoic small boy， clutching the baby girl who loved him， clambering onto that train。 She blinked away the burning in her eyes when Dominic looked at her with a small frown。Dominic had developed an apparently endless supply of protective instincts where Sylvie was concerned， but absolutely none of them were currently required。 It actually pissed him off that she would have had to curtsy at St。 Giles， because this woman needed to bow to no one。There was nothing wrong with a solitary life。 In fact， even if you didn’t intrinsically want a solitary life， there were still times when it was fucking bliss to spend long hours in your own company。 Essential。 Bonus points if the cat was upstairs in his own room。 However， the feeling of absolute faith that when the cracks started to appear， someone else would be crouching at your side， helping to bail out the water， and that you could do the same for them— Pretty indescribable。His next words were so soft he might have been humming a lullaby。 “So determined to save me from myself。” Rosie blinked hard。 There was a wet glitter behind the thickly mascaraed lashes。 “Decent play， my love，” Johnny went on in that low murmur。 “But I’m afraid it’s game over。 I’m not going anywhere。” Her breath was expelled in a long sob， and the genuine torment in that sound made Sylvie flinch。 She imagined it had ripped the guts out of Johnny。 “I’m not going to ruin your life。” The words wrenched from Rosie。 “I can’t。 I can’t。” “I love you，” he said simply。 “I don’t care about the opinions of strangers。 I don’t give a shit what people like Lancier think。 My loyalty is to you。 Our duties will be plenty， but my highest priority is to keep both of our hearts safe。 I’m walking into this freely， of my own volition， with my head held high and my hand in yours。”^ see what I mean about there being enough in Johnny + Rosie's plot too？ 。。。more

Victoria （Eve's Alexandria） ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I’m afraid I didn’t like this book at all， and only finished it out of sheer bloody mindedness， determined to discover just *how much* I didn’t like it。 I know lots of people have enjoyed it， in spite of mentioning some faults: too much plot， and a busy， rapid final act that tied up a dozen threads in minutes。 I can definitely see why。 It’s a great premise。 Baking show rivals！ Royal wedding cake competition！ Grumpy/sunshine dynamic！ It has some great banter， and there were moments of chemistry b I’m afraid I didn’t like this book at all， and only finished it out of sheer bloody mindedness， determined to discover just *how much* I didn’t like it。 I know lots of people have enjoyed it， in spite of mentioning some faults: too much plot， and a busy， rapid final act that tied up a dozen threads in minutes。 I can definitely see why。 It’s a great premise。 Baking show rivals！ Royal wedding cake competition！ Grumpy/sunshine dynamic！ It has some great banter， and there were moments of chemistry between the MCs， Sylvie and Dominic， that I relished。 Dominic is a touch-starved sad man who needs a hug - usually my catnip。 But for me there was an undercurrent of unpleasantness at the heart of Battle Royal that I couldn’t square with the glittery unicorns and Bake Off hi-jinks on its surface。 It’s not that it’s angsty; it’s that it’s sad and a little bit cruel。 There is a proliferation of mean girl characters - sabotaging and hurting other people， with few repercussions; there are two violent brutal （and in one case definitely unnecessary） off-screen deaths of tertiary female characters; there is a tragic love story that ends in needless pain; there is a mentally ill woman used to leverage the drama of the last act… Add to that the difficult back stories of the main characters， and what’s left is a lot of darkness that’s made to taste sweet。 I’ve read loads of romance books where bad things happen around the romance and the HEA， of course， and where there is a productive anger that drives the telling。 Battle Royal didn’t feel productive to me in that way， it felt melodramatic， thwarted and frustrated， and it certainly wasn’t joyful。 At the end Sylvie reflects that， despite everything that’s happened， the world is still magical。 That wasn’t the impression I got from where I was standing。 CWs: family rejection and abuse of children （emotional）; deaths of parents， grandparent & aunt; estrangement from family; murder （tertiary character）; death in a car accident （tertiary character）; death from cancer （two tertiary characters）; family member with dementia （tertiary character）; stalking; undisclosed serious mental illness; violence leading to injury （secondary character）。 。。。more

Erin ，

Well， this was delightful。 Having read Lucy Parker’s other books， that’s not surprising。 But I think this one is officially my favorite of her books。 I loved the setting amongst the baking world and I loved Sylvie and Dominic。 I also really wish Sylvie’s shop was real so I could stop in at The Dark Forest to drink a cocktail mixed in a cauldron。

KDub ，

3。5

Emma Andje ，

*actual rating is 3。75 stars*This is sweet but not sickeningly so。I think what threw me off a little bit is how long it is。 For the amount of story that is packed in here， it could have been about 25% shorter。Other than that， I really enjoyed this spoof of the Great British Bake Off but with royals and a younger Paul Hollywood。

Marina ，

4。5*The baking show aspects of this were phenomenal。 What a fun read！ Also， sobbed like a child during the piano scene at the end。 I am the sap of all saps

Amanda ，

Well that was delightful！ Even though I just read a baking show romance （Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake）， this was just as lovely。 I'll take more baking romances， and more Lucy Parker books， whenever I can get them。 Obviously this is leading to a series （Pet， Jay， Mabel？！）， and I'm in。 Well that was delightful！ Even though I just read a baking show romance （Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake）， this was just as lovely。 I'll take more baking romances， and more Lucy Parker books， whenever I can get them。 Obviously this is leading to a series （Pet， Jay， Mabel？！）， and I'm in。 。。。more

Jill ，

Lucy Parker can do no wrong， and Billie Fulford-Brown truly brings her characters to life in audio！

Gloria ，

I was not expecting this book to be so emotional。 I cried a *lot*

Brittaney Borman ，

I love Lucy Parker's stories but she's really outdone herself with this one。 It's her best one yet。 I love Lucy Parker's stories but she's really outdone herself with this one。 It's her best one yet。 。。。more

Corinne ，

3。5 stars。 I have mixed feelings about this one。 The first half was extremely slow and really difficult to follow but the second half was a completely different story which is why I increased the rating a bit。 The story is told from two POV but it is really confusing and hard to tell whose brain I was in which made me have to keep checking。 It randomly flipped back and forth between present and past memories as well which was confusing and there were some weird tid bits added that didn’t really 3。5 stars。 I have mixed feelings about this one。 The first half was extremely slow and really difficult to follow but the second half was a completely different story which is why I increased the rating a bit。 The story is told from two POV but it is really confusing and hard to tell whose brain I was in which made me have to keep checking。 It randomly flipped back and forth between present and past memories as well which was confusing and there were some weird tid bits added that didn’t really make much sense。 The first half also had extremely long chapters which made it difficult to stick with。 I loved everything about the baking part。 I really love to bake and watching all the baking shows so that was fun to read about。 I wasn’t a huge fan of either Sylvie or Dominics characters and their connection felt forced but I LOVED Pet so much！ I thought she was a great addition and I wanted to see more of her！ Overall I liked the baking aspects but it fell a little short for me。 The ending was a bit random as well but I do like how some stories came together。 If you love baking shows then I would check this one out！Thank you Avon books for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest review 。。。more

Danielle ，

This romcom is about rival bakers （he's a grump， she's a ray of sparkly sunshine） from a British baking reality show （this is becoming it's own trope！） who are competing for the commission to bake a princess's royal wedding cake。 Although the middle dragged a bit for me， there's fantastic banter， I liked that the characters get together fairly early on and I really enjoyed the royal couple's storyline。 I'm all in for the next in this series。Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for a copy to review This romcom is about rival bakers （he's a grump， she's a ray of sparkly sunshine） from a British baking reality show （this is becoming it's own trope！） who are competing for the commission to bake a princess's royal wedding cake。 Although the middle dragged a bit for me， there's fantastic banter， I liked that the characters get together fairly early on and I really enjoyed the royal couple's storyline。 I'm all in for the next in this series。Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for a copy to review。 。。。more

Rebecca ，

I am a huge fan of Parker and could not wait to read the first installment of her new series。 When I am not reading， I am usually watching Food Network， so this synopsis was right inline with my favorite things。 The banter and slow burn romance between Dominic and Sylvie was entertaining。 I found myself constantly giggling at their antics and banter。 "I genuinely can't tell if you're pissed about something or if that's just your face now。" The baking and reality TV aspect were engaging， and I wa I am a huge fan of Parker and could not wait to read the first installment of her new series。 When I am not reading， I am usually watching Food Network， so this synopsis was right inline with my favorite things。 The banter and slow burn romance between Dominic and Sylvie was entertaining。 I found myself constantly giggling at their antics and banter。 "I genuinely can't tell if you're pissed about something or if that's just your face now。" The baking and reality TV aspect were engaging， and I wanted to see even more。 Even though there was much humor， there were many emotional moments too。 I found myself tearing up often。 The secondary characters， especially Pet， were adorable and they added much depth to overall story。 I am not interested in the "Royal Family"， but I did not mind the minor plot involving them。 I look forward to the next couple/installment。Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for my review copy。 。。。more

Ksenia ，

Really enjoyed parts of it， but I found it overly sweet with very little conflict。

mellamy ，

healing， absolutely healing

Jing Yi ，

I really tried to like this book。 It has the promise of enemies to lovers。 23% in and I couldn’t get past it。 It’s the writing style for me。 If the chemistry of the couple is great， I would’ve continued but alas， there’s none of it there。 But I hope you’ll enjoy it！ I’m just sad that a book about a baking show and rival bakeries enemies to lovers for a royal wedding didn’t work out for me :（

Linniegayl ，

I listened to this in audio and loved both the story and the narration。 While I was initially sad to learn this was the start of a new series， and not another in the London Theatre series， I'm now solidly onboard with "Palace Insiders。" There's a lot of humor in the book， but all of the characters are fully fleshed out， and virtually everyone has a lot of genuine grief in their background。 But the book overall is just joyous， and I can't wait for the next。 I want to get Pet's story， Jay's story， I listened to this in audio and loved both the story and the narration。 While I was initially sad to learn this was the start of a new series， and not another in the London Theatre series， I'm now solidly onboard with "Palace Insiders。" There's a lot of humor in the book， but all of the characters are fully fleshed out， and virtually everyone has a lot of genuine grief in their background。 But the book overall is just joyous， and I can't wait for the next。 I want to get Pet's story， Jay's story， Emma's story， Mabel's story， and of course， I want to see Sylvie and Dominic again！This is an A- for me， so five stars here。 。。。more

Sarah ，

This was sweet， and the relationship issue wasn't a miscommunication so that was a nice switch-up， so all in all this was an enjoyable read。 There was one moment that came out of nowhere and totally mess with the tone of that pat of the boo （an act of violence）， but it ended up being resolved nicely。 I think I would want to continue reading books in this series， as I really like the characters。 That being said， I honest-to-goodness have no idea how old they're supposed to be。 Don't know if I mis This was sweet， and the relationship issue wasn't a miscommunication so that was a nice switch-up， so all in all this was an enjoyable read。 There was one moment that came out of nowhere and totally mess with the tone of that pat of the boo （an act of violence）， but it ended up being resolved nicely。 I think I would want to continue reading books in this series， as I really like the characters。 That being said， I honest-to-goodness have no idea how old they're supposed to be。 Don't know if I missed that detail in my listening of the book or they only just ever tiptoed around giving them an age。2021 Ripped Bodice Summer Romance Bingo: Protagonist Smells Like Freshly Baked Bread 。。。more

Hope ，

Reading this was a piece of cake （ pun totally intended😉）Rivals to lovers✅Sunshine heroine and a grumpy hero✅Emotionally strong siblings bond✅Cake and lots of cake😋✅“𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥。 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵， 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘴， 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦—𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘦𝘢。”One of the many reasons why I'd like to live in England。 Tea is the solution to everything。 Wholesome， everything was totally wholesome。 Read this deliciously adorable and sweet book。💜 Reading this was a piece of cake （ pun totally intended😉）Rivals to lovers✅Sunshine heroine and a grumpy hero✅Emotionally strong siblings bond✅Cake and lots of cake😋✅“𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥。 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵， 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘴， 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦—𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘦𝘢。”One of the many reasons why I'd like to live in England。 Tea is the solution to everything。 Wholesome， everything was totally wholesome。 Read this deliciously adorable and sweet book。💜 。。。more

Anmol ，

3。5 I would say， maybe it's because I tried really hard to find the book online so when I did find it I went with a lot of hopes and expectations。 Other than that it was a cute read but a bit bland like they just suddenly liked each other after not liking each other and it was a bit confusing at times but I will read the book about ML's sister when it comes out。 3。5 I would say， maybe it's because I tried really hard to find the book online so when I did find it I went with a lot of hopes and expectations。 Other than that it was a cute read but a bit bland like they just suddenly liked each other after not liking each other and it was a bit confusing at times but I will read the book about ML's sister when it comes out。 。。。more

smalltownbookmom ，

3。5 - An entertaining sloooow burn British enemies to lovers romance between rival bakery owners forced to team up to make the cake for a Royal wedding。 This was a quintessential grump + sunshine love story between Dominic， a staid but famous British baker who is also judge on a British Bake Off type reality show， which is where he first meets Sylvie - a bright new baker who loves glitter and all things unicorn。 When Sylvie’s unicorn cake goes disastrously wrong Dominic votes her off the show。 F 3。5 - An entertaining sloooow burn British enemies to lovers romance between rival bakery owners forced to team up to make the cake for a Royal wedding。 This was a quintessential grump + sunshine love story between Dominic， a staid but famous British baker who is also judge on a British Bake Off type reality show， which is where he first meets Sylvie - a bright new baker who loves glitter and all things unicorn。 When Sylvie’s unicorn cake goes disastrously wrong Dominic votes her off the show。 Fast forward four years and Sylvie is now a judge on the show alongside Dominic and they are in a stiff competition personally to win the Royal Wedding commission that both their businesses need。 I LOVED how much of this book is about baking and food！ There’s also some really heavier family issues involving Dominic and his estranged sister。 I personally found this book moved quite slowly but it did pick up toward the mid point when Dominic and Sylvie stopped fighting their growing attraction。 And man when that happened did things ever get steamy！！！🔥🔥🔥Recommended for fans of reality cooking/baking competitions and books like Rosaline Palmer takes the cake or Recipe for persuasion。 。。。more

Jenn ，

Lucy Parker’s best。 A play on the Great Bakeoff， this former Judge and Contestant now have competing bakeries。 Vying for the royal wedding contract they find more than a mystery recipe。 Loved it。

Samantha ，

lucy parker never really lets you down。 largely delightful but the pacing is slightly off and frankly I think there's just a little too much going on。 but！ not a bad way to spend a couple hours， however valiantly the cover tries to convince you otherwise lucy parker never really lets you down。 largely delightful but the pacing is slightly off and frankly I think there's just a little too much going on。 but！ not a bad way to spend a couple hours， however valiantly the cover tries to convince you otherwise 。。。more

Vee ，

Not only does this sound cute but it's Nalini Singh-approved， so。 。 。 。 。 Not only does this sound cute but it's Nalini Singh-approved， so。 。 。 。 。 。。。more

Jackie ，

3。5A bit predictable， and a few too many plotlines （cooking show， AND royal wedding cake baking competition， AND spies at the bakery）。 But still quite enjoyable。 Glitter and amezaiku and unicorns and grumpy cats， oh my。The cover is completely unattractive

Rebecca ，

Thanks to the publisher for an advance copy for honest review！I didn't need to hear much more tahn that this one was set around a British baking show to be interested， and it was such an enjoyable experience。 Dominic and Sylvie are rivals with quite the history， and there is nothing like the potential for a contract for a royal wedding cake to amp up the spark。 Despite the sugary confections in this one， it isn't overly sweet- there is plenty of deep stuff about family born and made and business Thanks to the publisher for an advance copy for honest review！I didn't need to hear much more tahn that this one was set around a British baking show to be interested， and it was such an enjoyable experience。 Dominic and Sylvie are rivals with quite the history， and there is nothing like the potential for a contract for a royal wedding cake to amp up the spark。 Despite the sugary confections in this one， it isn't overly sweet- there is plenty of deep stuff about family born and made and business competition。 。。。more

Kelly （AndKellyReads） ，

I LOVED THIS BOOK。

Chelsea （chelseadolling reads） ，

Review to come！！！CW: death of a loved one

Robin ，

I love how this author crafts characters so much。 You have a British Baking Show type competition where a contestant with lots of personality & imagination runs afoul of the grumpy judge。 A few years later they have bakeries across the street from one another and she comes back to help judge the new season alongside sad grumpy Gus。 I love these enemies to lovers type stories where there is a bit of history but it’s more that they rubbed one another the wrong way instead of having a big messy his I love how this author crafts characters so much。 You have a British Baking Show type competition where a contestant with lots of personality & imagination runs afoul of the grumpy judge。 A few years later they have bakeries across the street from one another and she comes back to help judge the new season alongside sad grumpy Gus。 I love these enemies to lovers type stories where there is a bit of history but it’s more that they rubbed one another the wrong way instead of having a big messy history。 I also love when a characters backstory has locked them down in some way that they have trouble moving past。 Call it Darcy syndrome。 They do not know what to doWith feelings。 Lots of issues around family。 Lots of issues with trust。 Just really well written。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Battle Royal

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Battle Royal&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Battle Royal&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0