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 novel—complete with recipes—Jennifer
Ross frosts a sweet story of a young woman fulfilling her
dreams, one delicious cupcake at a time.
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.