Icing on the Cake

by Laura Castoro

When Liz Talbot's husband left her for a woman half her age, Liz put all her passions into her bakery. The problem is that fad diets and fitness crazes are ruining sales and she's barely staying afloat. Liz's luck seems to be changing when her ex dies without changing his will, leaving her the main beneficiary. Unfortunately one of the things she inherits is the advertising agency she left behind to pursue her dream of baking. Her partner? The newly widowed husband stealer—Brandi, with a heart over the i . As the new co-owner of Talbot Advertising, in the toilet since the death of her ex (that's right, she's now the proprietor of two failing businesses), Liz is more determined than ever to break out and make a name for herself as an artisan baker extraordinaire, providing her products can catch the eye of the Nabisco Food scout who is as elusive as he is mysterious.

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Adult Fiction, Womens Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

AKA Laura Parker

Born in Ft. Worth, Texas, Laura Castoro grew up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and lived for many years with her husband and three children in the Dallas, Texas, area. Recently, she moved back to her hometown. She enjoys reading, traveling (she's been to Australia, several European countries, Canada and Mexico), theater, movies and listening to R&B and classical music.

Reviews

[A'ndrea Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes all a woman needs is confidence, creativity, and a little bit of karma. In Laura Castoro’s Icing on the Cake, Baker

Extraordinaire, Liz Talbot gets a cup of all three!
Icing on the Cake explores the life of a divorced, middle aged woman who owns a struggling bakery shop. In the midst of Liz’s entrepreneurial woes, her ex-husband dies, forgetting to change his will and leaving all of his possessions to her – instead of the flaky, superficial, twenty-something that he left her for, the other Mrs. Talbot. Liz must now fight to keep her business alive while co-managing her husband’s advertising company and battling both in-and-out of court with her sworn rival, the second wife. To add to the mayhem, a sexy man who could ignite both her business and her love life enters the picture, turning Liz’s life officially upside-down.

I absolutely loved this book. It was very well written, using a significant amount of research on the baking/bread industry to make the story authentic and informative. The characters were colorful and lively, each adding their own substantial contribution to the developing storyline. The book was witty and memorable, reminding us that what goes around, comes right back around. Bravo to Castoro for another excellent read.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know that this is supposed to be just a dumb fluff book, but I found it oddly compelling. I thought that Laura Castoro's writing was interesting and fun. I thought the story was a page turner and I really did want to know what happened. Usually, I find these books just good beach reads, but for what ever reason, it was exactly what I needed.

[Lanette · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, it irritated me that there's a picture of a gorgeous cake on the cover... when the bakery in question specialized in Artisan Breads and didn't make cakes!!!

I would have given this 3 stars, but the moral police made me knock it down a notch for the unnecessary sex. Everyone in the book is boinking someone (and not one of them are married) It was hard for me to relate to or sympathize with any of the characters. Water seeks its own level. A beach read, but nothing you can have great discussions over at book club!

[Knotty · Rating 1 out of 5]

First of all, I was very excited the day I borrowed this book from the library. I have been reading somewhat "heavy" books of late, and I was in the mood for something light and fluffy. I have a penchant for picking books by their cute covers. Well, I have been duped before, and I've been duped AGAIN!

On the cover is a luscious, beautiful, amazing cake. The title talks about cakes. Ok, I thought this was a no-brainer. This book was SOOO AWFUL and COMPLETELY NOT POSSIBLE. PLUS NO CAKES.

Here's the rundown. The main character, Liz, is a divorced mother of teenage twins who owns a bakery. Her ex-husband is married to a dingbat woman who owns a tanning business. This Liz woman picks up a hot man at a hotel bar during a wedding, and OH he just happens to be a Nabisco food scout! Boom, let's have tantric sex! Then the ex-husband dies, and Liz is sole inheritor of his will- oh and he owns a $13 million dollar advertising company! Sure, that happens! Then Liz and the ex-wife dingbat have to share ownership of this advertising agency. Oh, and then Liz gets proposed to from a guy she barely knows. Oh, and then later Liz's mom is accused of seducing one of the daughter's boyfriends. Oh and the dingbat ends up at a total off off off Broadway play with the Nabisco man where the main character and her whole family are. I know I'm skipping plenty, but COME ON.

Yeah, does this look far fetched? BECAUSE IT IS. I have had a coincidental life, but this is just ridiculous. This was terribly written, unhinged, and the flow was wretched.

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second Laura Castoro book and I will look for more. She is an author from Arkansas who my Mom met at writer conference so I got interested. So glad I did! Liz is a wonderful character: middle aged divorcee whose husband is married to a younger woman named Brandi, whom Liz refers to as HER. Liz owns a bakery left to her by her grandparents and has a passion for baking. It is so refreshing to hear about someone doing what they truly love to do! The husband dies without making a new will for the new wife so the old and the new Mrs. Talbots must work together to share the estate. Liz's two daughters are unconventional and overly conventional by turns, her mother is a glamour queen, and her life is not going the way she'd like, until she decides to take things in hand. Good read!

[Traci Wood · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay...I got this book by accident...I should have paid closer attention to the authors name but the title was the same as a book that I noticed a friend had marked to read and so I checked it out and was exposed to the Stereotypical romance novel and after reading too much of it...I put it down and said...never ever again am I'm reading this sort of novel and I was going to put that I hated the book my friend had marked and then realized my own critical mistake...So note to self...always...always check title and authors name because I don't like my little mind being exposed to things it just shouldn't be!!! Wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who likes to keep an innocence about them...don't even bother with the overly sexy romance novels!!! Never finished the book!

[Kimberly Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chick-Lit:

Light & entertaining... some parts even interesting....

I finished it, but I skimmed a whole lot of it.....

Liz is Ted's ex-wife. Brandi ( ♥ dotted i) is his widow: Ted screw's them all by leaving EVERYTHING, including the PR firm that Liz made successful to Liz...

Catch? Liz has to work w/ Brandi, who of course uses sex to get almost everything she wants....

This interferes w/ Liz's passion her bakery (There is No Cake in her bakery...so where the hell the title came from I have no clue). She bakes breads to die for, but she & the bakery are in a slump....

Ted's stupidity turns out to be exactly what Liz needs to get her passion stoked up again & her bakery back to where she wants it to be

Yes, of course there is romance, but that is well written in & not the main point, but a solid pushing forward point.

It is down 1 ★ because I had to skim so much of the beginning fluff....

[Kaylen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easy palate-cleanser read borrowed from my sister after a reading a more emotionally difficult book.

It was ok - started very slow but picked up, but then the ending was rushed and underwhelming.

But as for my real annoyances with this book - the writing was pretty sloppy. Typos as well as some story continuity inconsistency and mistakes made within pages of one another. Not to mention the absurd title. The main character has a BREAD and PASTRY bakery, there is absolutely no cake. In keeping with a baking pun, as well as going better with the overall book theme, ‘Rising to the Top’ or something like that would have been better.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had nothing to do with cake as other reviewers commented. Cover should have been bread centered.

The most irritating part about the book is the "urban vernacular" that she had Liz's Black staff members use. It grated on my nerves every time.

[Kristy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just couldn't get into it.

[Kate Maxwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, quick read with characters who were their own people.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. The characters were endearing and interesting. The main character was in her 40s, which was a nice change for a chick lit book. I would read more by this author.

[thecoylelife · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was enjoyable but nothing special in my opinion. If you're looking for a lighthearted chick flick type of novel then go for it, but it wasn't amazing. I read it but I wasn't sucked into it and didn't love it. I passed this one along after I finished it.

[Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

For starters, this book was nothing like I expected it to be. That being said, I liked it. The story follows the life of a woman who is trying to balance all aspects of her life: children, work, love, interests, friends, and so much more (aren’t we all?). Her passion is baking (bread, not cake as the title (and cover art) implies, but her business is struggling. How does she revive her bakery while dealing with current tragedy in her life? Well, read the book and find out.

What I love the most about this story comes toward the end…actually, I think it is right at the end. Liz, our juggling heroine, is confronted by a question, “Why don’t you take what you are good at and apply it to what you love?” This got me thinking about the things at which I am good and the things at which I love to do…why are they different? Why can’t I be really good at the things I like as well as love those things at which I am really good? By day, I am a pencil-pushing straight-shooter, but after the “bell rings,” I am more laid back and creative. Why is that? What can’t the two find some way to blend? I suppose I don’t need/want an answer; I’m just throwing the idea out “there.”

Sorry, I digress. The story was very compelling and a quick read. I enjoyed unwinding to it after a long day, evening, and sometimes night.

[Kristal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liz is a mid-forty divorcee who has found her true love-baking bread. Like chocolate-cherry pumpernickel, pinon-nut queso blanco con mango whole wheat, schiacciata con Umbria, pomegranate-seed loaf, just to name a few. But her ex-husband has gone and forgotten to change his will once he re-married, which wouldn't be a problem, if he hadn't died! Now Liz finds herself fighting Brandi, that's Brandi with a tm over the i, for the rights to the advertising agency and the millions of dollars it would bring, which Liz could desperately use for her bread shop. But all of that pales when she does the unexpected and sits with a handsome man at the bar one night. And it's a night neither one will forget, especially once she realizes that she has slept with the bread representative for Nabisco and has possible jeopardizes her one chance to get her wonderful breads the recognition they deserve!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was a great story of coming back to life after a divorce. Liz loves her No-Bagel Emporium that her grandparents left her. She revels in the effects bread can have on a person. But, business is bad... She hasn’t been able to increase her business and money has been tight since the divorce. Everything changes for Liz after her ex-husband dies unexpectedly. Her life is turned upside down after she has to go into business with the woman who stole her husband.

Laura Castoro's writing was interesting and fun. It was great to go along with Liz on her journey. The book was very compelling and showed how one can come back from life-changing events. I would recommend reading it to someone who wants to laugh and get carried away in this up-beat story.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this overall but it did seem to drag in places. I enjoyed reading a chick lit / romance book where the main character is a bit older, I think Liz was in her mid to late 40s. It was nice to see a different perspective ie having adult kids, being divorced, etc.

Also, the picture on the cover is weird and misleading. The main character bakes bread and does nothing with cakes! I kept thinking she was going to start baking cakes and the cover would eventually make sense but not so!

Overall, a cute, quick beach read.

[Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fun and light but very different from most of the Chick Lit I read. Liz was not a 20/30's PR girl trying to find a husband. However she did want to have some hot anonymous sex, enough money not to worry, and just keep doing the thing she loved to do: make delicious bread. I liked the ending, hated the protagonist appropriately and found myself chuckling at the right parts. Very good read.

[Lori Whitwam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witty, storylines happening on several levels, avoids the "Oh, he's so hot, but it would be wrong to act on those feelings" reactions from the heroine, clever, well-put-together. Heroine figures out where everything (and I mean everything, personal, professional, family, past) went wrong and how to fix it.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has nothing to do with cake, but it was still a fun read. The author is from Arkansas, so I thought I'd give it a try. It's a light read about a woman who suddenly has to run an ad agency with her ex-husband's widow because he never changed his will. Along the way, she manages to save her bakery, find herself again, and fall in love. Fairly typical.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute book, but it has absolutely nothing to do with cake. The main character has a bakery, but she does artisan breads. The title is accurate, because she's looking for the "icing on the cake" of her life, and she says this in the story. But, the cover is not at all reflective of the story. However, it did it's job, because I picked up the book!

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has nothing to do with cake, but it was still a fun read. The author is from Arkansas, so I thought I'd give it a try. It's a light read about a woman who suddenly has to run an ad agency with her ex-husband's widow because he never changed his will. Along the way, she manages to save her bakery, find herself again, and fall in love. Fairly typical.

[Raechel Morales · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes it is just good to read a book that I call brain candy. Nothing serious, no blood, guts, or gore no continuing on with the characters and a read that is not challenging in the least. Will it be the next great American novel no but sometimes you just need a break and that is what this was for me. For that reason alone I liked it.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned that you can become so afraid of failure that you will inevitably fail. You need tenacity coupled with perspicacity.

A fun read...a little divorce bitterness, a little romance, easy to digest.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very cute, but also touching at the same time. It deals with a divorced woman coming out of her fog and into the game of life again. The cover is pretty, but doesn't really reflect the book's humor or seriousness (the heroine owns a bread bakery, not one that makes wedding cakes!)

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slghtly longer than the average work of chick lit, the woman of a certain age in this book learns to face her demons and her dreaded nemesis, her husband's replacement wife, with large doses of humor, insight and sass.

[Elizabetta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a lot cuter than I expected. I normally don't like books with middle-aged divorcees, but I liked the quirky family and loved the foodie aspects. Hated Brandi but that was to be expected.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, mind-numbing read. I like Liz because she is as together as she is troubled, smart as she is ridiculous, fabulous as she is frumpy. Parts of the plot drag and my library's edition is riddled with typos (and the author misuses the word "regime," which is a pet peeve of mine).

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read - interesting characters and very well written. The cover artwork was an interesting choice considering that the main character has a passion for baking bread and cake isn't even mentioned but that's a very minor point. I'll look for more women's fiction titles by Laura Castoro.

[Lindsay Wooldridge-Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really cute, picked it up at the library and I was quite pleased.