Book Review: Heartbreak Cake

By Sara Steven

I’ve read my fair share of books that revolve around food. I chalk it up to being a self-professed foodie. I find myself gravitating towards anything with delicacies and if there’s a cherry on top of some tasty little dessert morsel, even better. What I didn’t count on, however, were the intricacies that surround Heartbreak Cake. There’s plenty of mouth-watering desserts and goodies, but there’s also plenty of drama, intrigue, and chaotic moments that make this a total page-turner.

Indira owns the Cake Pan, an up-and-coming sensation best known for it’s creative cakes and delicious desserts. While she holds it together in the kitchen, the rest of her world is falling apart. She’s fallen in love with a married man, who in turn has professed his undying love for her, yet he’s never truly available. While they forged a kinship based on baking, it doesn’t help that he’s the one who becomes her biggest competition, managing a restaurant which far exceeds the Cake Pan monetarily. Indira has to make a lot of tough decisions where her heart and her head are concerned, especially when an opportunity arises in the form of a very rich client who needs a wedding caterer. This could catapult the Cake Pan into the stratosphere, should she get the account, and should her former lover not stand in the way of her success.

Rumors fly. Soon everyone knows about Indira’s indiscretion, which only hurts her and her business. Somehow she’s the one left with the scarlet letter on her chest and has to figure out a way out of the mess. How can she move past this, while attempting to heal a broken heart?

I loved the realism behind this book. I felt like I was reading someone’s story, not just a story line. Human nature dictates that we’re bound to make mistakes in order to learn and grow in our lives. I could see real growth and progression for Indira. It certainly helps when she comes face to face with a potential love interest along the way, and has to make a choice between the past and the future. While there’s plenty of cake in Heartbreak Cake, there’s also plenty of fun, a little pain, and a lot of love.

Thanks to Cindy Arora for the book in exchange for an honest review.