When life handed Ansley Waller a bucketful of lemons, she didn't stop to look at the sourness of the situation, she just squeezed them, added some sugar, flour, eggs and made cupcakes. That's how Ansley handles her problems -- if things aren't going well, she bakes. This is the sweet premise of the new book, THE ICING ON THE CAKE, by Austin author Jennifer Ross. Ansley Waller's life seems to be going along pretty good -- she's from the crème of the Dallas society crop, a popular girl at her sorority, and engaged to the handsome Parish. But that world comes crashing down around her when Parish announces that he is un-engaging himself from her because of her "meanness." Embarrassed and ashamed at the scandal, Ansley shocks her mother by announcing she is moving to New York to get a fresh start, and will be moving in with her estranged grandmother, Vivian. Recently widowed, Vivian is thrilled to have the granddaughter she's never met come to stay with her, but she gives Ansley an ultimatum -- she has to find a job within eight weeks, or back to Dallas she goes. So Ansley falls back on the one thing that all the women in her family are great at -- baking! And she decides to use her talent for developing unique flavors of cupcakes and open a cupcake bakery. Taking ideas from a centuries old family cookbook, plus her own creative ideas, Ansley is sure her business venture will be a big hit. As Ansley learns the ins and outs of life in the Big City and the struggles of opening a new business, her grandmother Vivian is facing some struggles of her own as her late husband has left his estates in a big tangled mess of tax problems. As the two women work towards re- establishing their lives, the common denominators that pull them together are their headstrong wills, their love of baking and their undying loyalty to family. Add a little sugar to any problem, and it's easier to face. With THE ICING ON THE CAKE, Jennifer Ross has created a charming story that mixes a little romance, a search for self worth and an eye-opening "coming to realization" tale with a batch of fabulous cupcake recipes to create a novel that will have readers laughing and crying along with the sassy Southern women of the book.
In this delectable novelβcomplete with recipesβJennifer
Ross frosts a sweet story of a young woman fulfilling her
dreams, one delicious cupcake at a time.
In Ansley Wallerβs world of Southern belles and gentlemen,
getting a diamond ring isnβt just importantβitβs the
ultimate goal. So when her fiancΓ©, 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 sheβs 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
cupcakesβBlack Bottom Heartache, Moving Blues Banana
Caramel, Tres Leches Made Small. Before long, sheβs opening
up her own cupcake shop and even trying her hand at dating.
But the ways of Manhattanβs eligible bachelors are
altogether different from their Southern counterparts, and
Ansleyβs nearly fail-safe tactics fall flat. And worse,
someoneβs got a half-baked scheme to sabotage Ansleyβs new
life. Itβll 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.
No excerpt available.
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