Ansley is your classic sorority sister with loads of money, class- and a terrible attitude towards others. Though she has pursued a college eduction, this diva in the making plans on settling into the happy life of a housewife: getting married, popping out adorable children, and spending her time planning parties and other highly important functions in the neighborhood. Her plans are dashed when her adorable and successful fiancée, Parish, dumps her- in the middle of a party! Humiliated and distraught about the gossip that is sure to fly about her, Ansley flees the comfort of her hometown of Dallas and hightails to New York City to live with her grandmother until she can recover and get a game plan going.
Ansley’s grandmother, Vivian, is a feisty older woman who is juggling her own set of problems. Her husband has recently passed away, and left Vivian in hot water with the IRS over his finances and some risky tax moves he had been hiding from her. Making the situation even more uncomfortable is the fact that Vivian left Dallas when Ansley was young girl, estranging herself from her own daughter and granddaughter- not speaking to either in years. With her sudden houseguest, Vivian is hoping to make a family connection after so many years, but the question surrounds why she left her family in the first place…
The Icing on the Cupcake is a delicious and fluffy read from Jennifer Ross. Ansley’s character is easily disliked in the beginning, but after she sets up shop in New York and starts to have a personality change, she is extremely relatable. Vivian is a riot- a woman who is not afraid to talk about her sex life and her wishes to bed the IRS agent she is working with on her late husband’s finances. There were two things I particularly liked about this story- the mystery that keeps going strong throughout about why the family is separated and the not so expected love ending for the heroine. I enjoy when books veer away from the norm, and I think this is definitely one of those. I can only hope for a sequel to see how Ansley’s love life turns out! For all you bakers that love to read- check out the delicious recipes that end each chapter.
