GRR Reviews The Icing on the Cake by Rosemarie Naramore

The Icing On the Cake is a clean romance about second chances, and a girl's journey from being a doormat to finally fighting for her own worth.

Kristine Branton co-owns Branton's Bakery with her mother and sister in the small town of Cooper Glenn, but it's in name only, as she's the only one really putting in hours... and working herself to death. Her mother is basically sulking at home after her father's death from heart attack. Her sister Lori was a habitual liar that takes all the credit and none of the responsibility, and comes and goes as she wishes as the bakery's "manager". Despite having a son, Lori prefers to be wooing men and often sent Kristine to pick up her kid. When Kristine tries to fix the Branton's Bakery sign and falls, she was surprised to be caught in the big burly arms of Joe Lancaster, her long-time crush. however, Joe had once dated Lori (Kristine's liar big sister) back in high school, so it was a secret crush only. However, Joe soon made it clear that he's after Kristine, not Lori, even as Lori dated the lawyer in town, then claimed she still had feelings for Joe. When an unprecedented disaster struck the Branton family, Kristine must reconsider her future as she confronts her family about having enough of being a doormat... will she accept Joe's affection, or try to push him into someone else's arms?

The push-pull between Joe and Kristine was nice, and both Mom and Lori came out to be complete douchebags. However, the unprecedented disaster caused them to reevaluate the situation, and both made a 180, which I find rather unrealistic, but, well, perhaps that disaster left them changed. Still, for a clean romance, the novel does get tense, and sweet, if a bit slow.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Bakery Co-Owner Found Her Crush who Liked Her Back, but He Once Dated Her Sister...

Tropes: restaurant / bakery, sibling problem, triangle, unrequited love

Overall Rating:  4/5