Indie Tuesday: On Any Given Sundae by Marilyn Brant

Marilyn Brant’s On Any Given Sundae is sweet, sexy, and super fun. I loved the story line, I loved the characters, and I loved the setting. 

Elizabeth Daniels is a self-conscious, stuttering cookbook writer who sometimes works at her uncle’s ice cream shop.  She was nicknamed “Frizzy Lizzy” in high school, and though she got along with the star of the football team, she never believed she was together enough to attract his long-term attention.

Rob Gabinarri was that football star, and now he’s a big shot restaurant owner in Chicago. He’s returned to Wisconsin to help run Tutti Frutti, the ice cream shop, while his uncle is out of the country. 

Now, after years apart, Elizabeth and Rob are forced to work together to run the ice cream shop while their respective uncles travel together overseas. Before long, Elizabeth and Rob are spending evenings at family dinners with Rob’s family. During the course of their friendship, the two remember all of the things they don’t have in common, but also discover a few things that do draw them together. But can Rob stick around his small hometown, where everyone knows him as Rob the football star? And can Elizabeth overcome her stuttering and shyness to hold Rob’s attention long-term?

I really, really loved the role played by each and every character in this story. Elizabeth is so sweet and endearing. Rob is a little self-deprecating when it comes to Elizabeth, which I also found to be endearing. I really enjoyed the way the two of them interacted, as well. Rob is a great guy, and he is wholly aware of how the relationship could affect Elizabeth long term. He’s careful to make sure Elizabeth knows he’s not interested in a long-term relationship, but at the same time, just can’t seem to stay away from her.

I liked the way Elizabeth just seemed to sneak into Rob’s life and Rob’s thoughts, and I enjoyed watching her grow as a character and in the relationship throughout the story. 

And because Elizabeth did slowly creep into Rob’s life, the relationship moved kind of slowly at first, which made it really sweet and so much more real to me. Rob and Elizabeth took time to get to know one another. I could feel the apprehension between them; I could feel the nervous energy between them.

Brant has filled On An Given Sundae with an awesome, unique and fun group of secondary characters, too. Elizabeth has an entourage, which consists of her best friend Gretchen, her French friend Jacques, and her gay friend Nick. Rob has his own group of unique supporting characters, too, including his Madonna-loving mother, his brother, his sister-in-law, their five children, and Miguel, Rob’s gay restaurant manager. 

Add in a couple of antagonists in the form of Rob’s high school girlfriend and high school rival, and Brant has created a full list of vivid and funny extras.

On Any Given Sundae is a great read, especially for the price! You can find an excerpt from the book on Marilyn Brant’s website, and make sure to check out the author interview that Brant did with Romantic Love Books!

Title: On Any Given Sundae | By: Marilyn Brant | ASIN: B0053QI4I6 | RLB Grade: A | Find it on Amazon: On Any Given Sundae