2021 Week the Thirty-Second: Cake + Vacation + Aristocracy = This Post.

Hello Darling Bookworms,
I do not recommend moving. It is extremely stressful, especially when you have accumulated 13 years worth of stuff in a too-small house and have a child with every single toy known to humankind. We’re in the midst of a prolonged move-out process (which was planned, though it still sucks.) All that is to say, I am chewing through books at an alarming rate. Is exercise a healthier coping mechanism? Yes. Am I doing that? Other than packing and hauling boxes? Nope. Is my eyelid twitching as I write this? Yes. So let’s not think about moving and focus on books, OK? Here are a few of the books I’ve read recently in an effort to calm my racing brain.

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall– This book was really cute, a fun take on the British baking shows everyone loves. It didn’t crackle for me quite as much as Boyfriend Material (review) did, but it was no claggy sponge. Rosaline Palmer is a single mother struggling to make ends meet. Much to her well-to-do parents’ chagrin, she dropped out of college to raise her daughter Amelie, and she’s been on her own ever since. (It’s really quite a Lorelai Gilmore move, though it lacks some of the teenage petulance.) Anyway. Working in a shop isn’t going to fix her home’s wonky electrical system, so Rosaline enters a televised baking competition in hopes of bringing home a monetary windfall. In the process she meets Alain, a wealthy, parent-approved suitor who’s only slightly insufferable when it comes to his herb garden. Things seem to be going well, but then there’s this other competitor, Harry. Full cockney accent, blue collar, a little rough around the edges- clearly not going to win her brownie points with the folks, but he sure is nice to look at while she’s baking. As the competition progresses, though, things get more intense than attempting to create a perfect croquembouche. The whole book is a lovely little sweet treat.

Shipped by Angie Hockman- I absolutely adored the audiobook narrator on this one! She had this sort of gritty voice that worked perfectly for the tone of the book. Inés del Castillo, I cannot wait to hear more of your lovely voice telling me stories! Sorry, I had to get that bit of sqealing out of the way. Everyone has been comparing this book to The Hating Game and The Unhoneymooners (review), but I’d be remiss if I left out the masterpiece that is Dating You / Hating You (review) from the list of comps. Henley Evans is a workaholic. Between her MBA program and the long days she spends working, dating is way off her radar. When she finds out she’s up for a promotion, Henley is ALL IN on preparing. The only problem? Her main competition is the odious social media manager, Graeme Crawford-Collins. He’s a remote employee, but Henley has hated the guy’s guts since the day he didn’t correct their boss when he received credit for Henley’s work, even if she never has to see him in the office. Since the two work for a small adventure cruise line, both Henley and Graeme are sent on a trip so that they can prepare their pitches based on first-hand experience in the Galapagos Islands. The animosity between Henley and Graeme doesn’t take long to spark into an intense attraction. But, you know. It’s COMPLICATED. I love love loved this book and its unflinching look at workplace politics. I loved the dynamic between Graeme and Henley. The ONLY thing I’d change about this book? They’re in the Galapagos Islands and they barely mention the penguins. Otherwise? Pretty close to perfection.

Forever Your Earl by Eva Leigh- I picked up and put this one down a couple of times. It wasn’t a bad regency romance or anything, and it definitely caused me to get vintage Paula Abdul stuck in my head every time I saw the title, but I’m not sure I was in the right headspace for it. I think I may have burned myself out on regency romances… At least regency romances that aren’t by Tessa Dare, because nobody else has her cheeky sense of humor. A rakish earl strikes a deal with a savvy newspaper editor in an attempt to draw his friend out of hiding. (The friend is having major war related PTSD, poor thing.) Anyway. Earl and Editor go on some definitely-not-dates where the Editor must be incognito (dressing up as a man, a prostitute, attending a masquerade, etc.) and accidentally fall in love. But they cannot be together because SOCIETY. You know how it goes when we’re talking about the Regency aristocracy, the blowhards. Anyway. If you’re in the mood for some Regency romance, this is solid. I personally would have liked a bit more humor, but that’s probably not Eva Leigh’s style, which is totally fine. I’m just not sure that her books are a perfect fit for me. Don’t let my hesitancy stop you from reading it if you’re into Regency romances, though. Go ahead and give it a whirl!

That’s all for today, Bookworms. I hope you’re all staying healthy and safe and have gotten yourselves vaccinated if you’re eligible. Drink some water. Wear your seatbelt. I love you.

If you make a purchase through a link on this site, I will receive a small commission. Links in the post above direct to Amazon, but if you’re interested and in a position to do so, please consider making a purchase from a local independent bookstore. IndieBound and Bookshop make it easy to do just that without having to leave your home!