A review by changeablelandscape
Battle Royal by Lucy Parker

emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I have loved everything I've read by Lucy Parker and this is another great one!  It's a fun romance with a lot of food in it -- the premise is 'uptight GBBO judge and chaotic former GBBO contestant end up having to work together' plus there's a royal wedding.   Parker does enemies to lovers in such a fantastic way -- the initial dislike between the characters is always realistic and rooted in their actual personalities, but the path to their mutual appreciation (and eventual romance) is always there; nobody does anything unforgivable, and the qualities they dislike in each other tend to be the qualities they badly need to develop in themselves.    

There's a sequel to this but I haven't read it yet because I don't want to run out of Parker!