Review: Icing on the Cake by Amanda Uhl
Icing on the Cake by Amanda Uhl is an April 2026 release from Harpeth Road Press--my go-to publisher for clean, romantic reads.
While the novel boasts its share of charming moments, it's a disappointing read overall.
Icing on the Cake by Amanda Uhl--The Plot
Bethany Parker and her brother Travis own and operate Grandma Lou's Kitchen and Pantry--a family business founded by their grandmother and passed to them upon the death of their parents.
Grandma Lou's is barely afloat with the threat of closure looming, thanks to Bethany's ex swindling her out of her savings. Bethany enters a baking contest in hopes of winning a cash prize in order to save Grandma Lou's but is miffed to learn that Hank Haverill, a Hollywood heartthrob, is her new landlord who plans to transform the building into a fitness center.
When Hank visits his hometown of Tremont to promote the flagship location of his fitness venture, he's swarmed by fans and ducks into Bethany's kitchen. Unlike the rest of his adoring fans, Bethany is unimpressed and refuses to succumb to his charm as she fights for ownership of the building.
Bethany soon learns there is more to Hank than just a handsome face, and as the two spend time together, her stubbornness starts to crack. Will he end up breaking her heart, or will she break his?
Icing on the Cake--The Enjoyment Factors
As an Ohioan, I'm always delighted when I stumble upon a novel that is set in my home state. The majority of the action takes place in Cleveland.
Most book nerds will agree that novels play like movies in our minds, and Icing on the Cake is no different. From cover to cover, I pictured the character of Hank Haverill as the prolific romcom leading man, Christopher Russell, and this heightened my enjoyment.
The characters are interesting and their arcs leave the reader satisfied. Hank never forgets his roots and manages to juggle career obligations, his fan base, and his personal life with heart. Bethany is hard-working and compassionate but very guarded, yet she gradually learns to trust again. Travis is a likeable fellow who offers unwavering support for his sister while he finishes his college degree.
The plot tension is just right (not too flimsy, not too stressful). The characters who generate stress include Hank's father, Bethany's ex, Hank's publicist (Elizabeth), and a local girl intent on reeling Hank in for her own.
I always appreciate a look into the future, and the author provides this at the end of the story. The reader gets to peek at the characters a year later, a nice tool to pull all the threads together for closure.
Despite the positive aspects of the novel, Icing on the Cake includes enough turn-offs to overshadow the story.
Icing on the Cake--The Flaws
The entertainment industry can't resist injecting wokeism into everything these days, and there's no shortage of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in Icing on the Cake. It's not overdone and "in your face," but it's not exactly organic either. It seems the author intentionally fixated on including it, which makes readers recoil who are sick of this trend.
Bethany feeds a LOT of people for free and wonders why her business can't survive. While it's admirable to feed the hungry, the idea that you should be a do-gooder even if you go under yourself smacks of socialist dogma. Homeless shelters, churches, food banks, welfare, and other non-profits exist for this purpose, so Bethany's business model is foolish.
Bethany appears to be mixed race to appease the diversity-demanding crowd, and her biggest helper is a Hispanic woman with no money--as if the author is intentionally trying to paint immigrants as hard-working people rather than burdens to our welfare system.
Whether mild or blatant, I don't read woke books, so I am one-and-done with this author.
While I appreciate an enemies-to-lovers story, Bethany is far too prickly to earn Hank's affections so quickly, making the attraction unbelievable. The emotional rollercoaster Bethany and Hank experience is wildly overdone. Bethany resists Hank, slowly warms to him, and then backtracks emotionally too many times. Just when she finally comes around, Hank (whose sole purpose has been to win her), suddenly pulls away, and despite the author's attempts at justification, it feels contrived and inauthentic.
Review: I Do Not Recommend Icing on the Cake by Amanda Uhl
Icing on the Cake is a clean read with just the right amount of chemistry. Story arcs are admirable, the writing style is clear, and a satisfying closure is achieved.
DEI is embedded in the novel, and many situations are forced, unnatural, and too perfectly timed to be believable.
With all the quality romance novels vying for your attention, you'll want to skip this one.
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