I got this softcover from Better World Books, after listening to the book on audio. It's the first in a series involving a TV baking competition that sounds very much like the Great British Bake Off with the serial numbers filed off - and it's quite delightful. Both the TV-show scenes (with the production challenges and the details about how it all works behind the scenes) and the personal romantic complications are fun.

Single mother Rosaline Palmer - struggling with finances and generally fretting about how she's going to support her beloved daughter - lands a spot on the baking show, and hopes that she can win it and use the prize money to change her life for the better. But she finds herself torn between feelings for two of her fellow competitors: a suave fellow who charms her immediately, and a more rough-and-ready electrician who is obviously the better choice. [Hey, these types of romances have some clear patterns; it's hardly a surprise who'll wind up together, but it is fun watching the characters dither, get sidetracked, and struggle to manage all this while coming up with the next spectacular set of bakes for the show.]

Fans of baking competitions (yes, especially THAT one) will love all the nods to the setup, the characters, the judges, the challenges - to all of it, really. For me, that was the best part, and while I was happy to see Rosaline come out of things on an up-note, it was those baking scenes that really won me.

[The next book in the "Bake Expectations" series is Paris Daillencourt Is about to Crumble, set in a different season of the show; there are some characters in common, but the main characters are different and each book can be read on its own.]

I left this book in my Little Free Library; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

Released for:

** 2024 What's in a Name challenge. **

I'm reclaiming this from my LFL, as it's gone unchosen for a while.

I plan to take this book to the "Boozy Book Swap" event at Local Street Eats, where people will swap books over drinks and food. Hope someone enjoys the book!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

Released for:

** 2025 Oh, the Places We Can Go challenge, for several cities named "Palmer" **