THE ICING ON THE CUPCAKE

Author: Jennifer Ross ISBN: 9780345492968 4/2010 FICTION Publisher: BALLANTINE

In Ansley Waller’s world of Southern belles and gentlemen, getting a diamond ring isn’t just important—it’s the ultimate goal. So when her fiancé, Parish, unceremoniously kicks her to the curb and cancels their upcoming wedding, Ansley is so ashamed that she decides to leave Dallas and make a fresh start. In a surprise move, she heads to New York City to live with her recently widowed grandmother, Vivian, whom she’s never met. In turn, Vivian gives Ansley a no-nonsense ultimatum: Rather than wallow in misery, either get a job or go home.  The Waller women have a tradition of baking their way out of sorrow. So Ansley mixes batch after batch of creative cupcakes—Black Bottom Heartache, Moving Blues Banana Caramel, Tres Leches Made Small. Before long, she’s opening up her own cupcake shop and even trying her hand at dating. But the ways of Manhattan’s eligible bachelors are altogether different from their Southern counterparts, and Ansley’s nearly fail-safe tactics fall flat. And worse, someone’s got a half-baked scheme to sabotage Ansley’s new life. It’ll take a cup of courage and a dash of Southern charm, plus a few secret ingredients, if Ansley hopes to pull off her recipe for success.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I enjoyed THE ICING ON THE CUPCAKE so much that I plan to buy copies to give as gifts. Not only is Jennifer Ross’s tale of love, loss, and the search for happiness compelling and unique, this book is filled with to-die-for recipes.  I have already tried some of the recipes, and they are as good in real life as they are on the page!

When a Southern belle is unceremoniously—but justifiably!—dumped by her blueblood boyfriend, she is forced to make serious decisions she had never thought to be faced with. Ansley’s plan was to graduate, marry, and settle into the genteel life she’d always imagined she’d have. Now, alone and embarrassed by her out-of-control life, she heads to New York—where she finds much more than she bargains for. Her grandmother, Vivian, is a character who is utterly charming. She takes in the granddaughter she barely knows but has her own set of rules for spending the summer in the city. They are, fortunately for the young woman suddenly under her keen eye, rules which set Ansley on the path to a better, more productive and rewarding life.

I have to admit that I disliked Ansley through a good portion of this book. She begins so self-centered, mean, and arrogant that I itched to strangle her. Then, Vivian intervenes, Ansley evolves, and by the time the last page is turned I was smiling. All in all, a fabulous story of personal growth—with the added bonus of mouth-watering cupcake recipes! I’m keeping my copy of this book on the shelf with my cookbooks!

Kay James