Book Review and GIVEAWAY!: "The Icing on the Cupcake" by Jennifer Ross

After such a fun giveaway with Georgia's Kitchen, I was really excited to have another opportunity to review/give away another book courtesy of BookSparks PR.  This book is definitely fits right into my blog, that's for sure: it's called The Icing on the Cupcake, by Jennifer Ross :o)

First, a little blurb about the book, from BookSparks PR:
"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."


This book is about cupcakes- how could I not love it???  Seriously though, it was a light-hearted and cute book overall, perfect for the pool or a plane ride.  And while I will never really understand the ways of growing up in the South like Ansley did, I could appreciate the whole feeling of "now what?" when you're faced with uncertainties about where your life is headed.  I will warn you though- do not read this when you are hungry- the cupcake recipes alone will make you crave sweets v. quickly!  Plot-wise, there were a few points towards the end where I went "Wait...what?", because the storyline seemed to go in a weird direction out of nowhere- but overall it's a fun, easy read, which is exactly how you should approach the book when you start reading it, haha.  Because there are so many cupcake recipes included, I also think this book would be a cute book club option- how fun would it be if each person brought in cupcakes made from one of the recipes in the book, so you can eat them as you discuss the book?

And now, onto the fun part- SparkBooks PR has a second copy of this book for one of you, my lovely readers! 

Here are the rules:

• Enter to win one (1) new copy of The Icing on the Cupcake by commenting to this post and telling me your favorite cupcake flavor.  Feel free to include any related recipe links or specific store/bakery names!  I've rarely met a cupcake that I didn't like, but my clear favorite is the Red Velvet Cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake (surprised? haha). 
• Giveaway will run from 10:00AM September 1st - 5:00PM September 7th (Eastern Standard Time).
• Winner will be chosen at random and notified via e-mail (so please make sure there is a valid e-mail address attached to your entry, haha). The winner's name will be announced on my blog later that week (pending winner verification).
• One entry per person, please.
• This giveaway is valid to residents of the US and Canada only.

I look forward to reading all of your comments- Good luck everyone!