BevS's Reviews > Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake

3.5 stars rounded up seems to be my norm for Alexis' rom-coms. This was a sort of 'rom-com' with a difference this time around inasmuch as the MC's were not gay men, but rather an unassuming bisexual woman and a couple of men, complete opposites, competing for her attention during a Bake Off competition.

I should say straight away that IMHO Alain was a rich, slimy, pretentious wannabe who would no doubt feel quite at home with those nouveau-riche actors in London...(view spoiler)[you know the ones, the Islington mafia I believe they're called, who live in homes most ordinary hardworking people can only ever dream about and support the poor Labour Party as long as it suits them. (hide spoiler)] We're talking about ordinary, hardworking people like Harry in this story of course...and I was very annoyed at the way Harry was portrayed actually. He seemed to be completely dumbed down, couldn't string a proper sentence together, was frowned upon for his London accent but seemed like a genuinely nice guy who could actually bake, was polite to the other competitors and grappled with anxiety and self-doubt.

I ask you Ladies and Gents...who would you want to get friendly with in front of the cameras...exhibit A who is far more likely to look down his nose at you, be condescending and rude, and snigger behind your back OR exhibit B whom you COULD actually rely on to have your back? Honestly, it was a complete no-brainer and I was amazed it took Rosaline so long to work things out although she was struggling most of the time [and not my favourite person it has to be said]. I loved Anvita, Lauren and Amelie and although the producer of the series was a foul-mouthed bitch, she stood for no nonsense and really put Alain in his place later in the story when something happens that I and practically everyone else on the planet absolutely KNEW was coming, but a completely clueless Rosaline apparently didn't 😵😵.

As usual, there were plenty of errors in the way the American publishers have dealt with Alexis' work. The actual phrase for the title should be 'takes the biscuit'...it's by an English author and set in England. 'Init' might mean something in the US but over here it's innit [and something I hate]. Oh, and realer?? Nope, just nope...more real it is.

(view spoiler)[ Rant...As long as Alexis is selling stories through an American agent, and using a US publisher, I would assume that his work will be dumbed down for mass market publications. Since he left Riptide in his wake, the quality of his work has been nowhere near as good IMHO and I would assume that we're never going to get another series of the quality of the Spires series which included For Real and Glitterland or something like the fantasy Prosperity. Niche publishers obviously do not bring the dosh in [who would trust Riptide anyhoo??], and I fully understand that but please, please, please 🙏🙏🙏 my dear Wordsmith, don't do rom-coms for ever more and a day...I won't say they're beneath you [they SO are], but you're far better than that and surely shouldn't need 'Christina Lauren' or 'Jenny Holiday' or 'Sonali Dev' [??] and other USA Today *coughs* Authors plastered all over the inside of the story to pimp your stories? To be completely honest Alexis, not a single one of them can hold a candle to you and the quality you've shown previously. Here endeth the rant 😇. (hide spoiler)]