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A Recipe for Disaster by Belinda Missen - Book Tour

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A Recipe for Disaster


Meet Lucy, master wedding cake baker, idealistic school canteen crusader, and someone whose broken heart just won’t seem to mend…
Lucy is quietly confident that she has made the right choices in life. Surrounded by friends and family in a small country town, Lucy can easily suppress the feeling that something is missing from her life.
But when a blast from the past arrives in the form of her estranged husband, international celebrity chef Oliver Murray, Lucy’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble beneath her like overbaked meringue.
Is Oliver’s return all business or is it motivated by something more?
A Recipe for Disaster starts long after most love stories would have ended, proving it is never too late to offer someone a second slice of cake or a second chance.
Perfect for fans of Carole Mathews, Mhairi McFarlane and Carrie Hope Fletcher.

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Excerpt

Background:
Oliver has just come to the rescue of Lucy, whose car has broken down on the side of the highway. It’s late at night and, reluctantly, she accepts a lift from Oliver. This takes place just as he drops her home.

Farm fences gave way to streetlights, the pub, the general store, and then our street. My street. I was opening the car door before we’d come to a standstill. Stepping up onto the veranda, careful to bypass a broken plank, I’d planned to make a silent getaway until my phone rang. An unknown number. Without a second thought, I answered it.
‘Hello?’ I said.
‘Will you look at me?’ Oliver asked. ‘Please?’
If my head whipped around any quicker, it might have snapped off, leaving me forever looking like a Pez dispenser.
‘Please don’t hang up.’ He held a finger up. ‘Can I have five minutes of your time to have a reasonably adult discussion?’
‘This better not involve phone sex.’
‘I’m game if you are.’ He laughed at his own joke until he realised I wasn’t. ‘No, no phone sex. Just talk.’
‘Okay,’ I answered quietly.
‘My name is Oliver,’ he said, palm pressed into his chest. ‘What’s yours?’
I took a shaky breath in. ‘I’m Lucy.’
For the first time tonight, I looked at him. Not just a passing glance while trying to ignore him, but a proper look. It had been so long since I’d seen him in a suit and tie that I’d forgotten just how good he looked. He wore classic black and white with perfectly styled hair like he was born for it. He was always going to be someone special in this world.
His whole body relaxed. ‘I like that name. You look lovely tonight. Have you been out somewhere?’
‘Family dinner.’
‘Lucky family.’
‘Maybe not so much,’ I joked. ‘Where have you been?’
‘Just catching up with friends I’ve missed. It was nice to see them again.’
‘I’m glad you got to see them.’
‘Me, too.’ He smiled gently. ‘What’s the stain on your dress?’
I looked down at the still-blotchy mark. ‘That’s coffee. My nephew spilt coffee on me.’
‘Sounds interesting.’
‘It was awful,’ I said. ‘So, what brings you to a small town like this?’
‘Well, it’s a long story,’ he started. ‘But, basically, it’s about a girl.’
‘Oh, one of them,’ I played, feeling a lump tickle at my throat. ‘I get it.’
‘I knew her a long time ago, and I think I ruined something precious.’
‘I’m sorry for that.’ And I was.
‘Me, too.’ His voice broke. ‘I met her when I was very young, and I loved her for a long time. Then, one day, I thought I was better than all that, and left without thinking of the consequences.’
‘That would have hurt her. Greatly.’
‘I’m sure it did. When I close my eyes at night, I imagine her face.’
‘What does it look like?’ I asked. ‘Her face?’
‘Beautiful. When she smiles, she lights up a room. Unfortunately, the last time I saw her she was uncontrollably upset, so I often see that, too.’
Wind whipped up and rustled trees. Oliver blurred in my vision.
‘Really?’ I squeaked.
‘Really.’
‘Have you spoken to her since?’ I dabbed at my eyes with a thumb.
‘I tried to, but I understand she’s still hurt.’
‘Maybe she’s been trying to sort herself out. Have you tried since?’
He peered down at the steering wheel, picking at something. ‘Do you suppose she’d want to see me? Maybe catch up for coffee and a chat?’
‘It might be too hard for her yet,’ I said. ‘Start small.’
‘Would you let your husband back into your life? I mean, what if I told her I was back for good?’
‘If it were me? I would tell you I never was a fan of Take That.’
Oliver laughed. I’d always loved the sight and sound of his laughter; it was both beautiful and infectious.
  



Author Bio –
Belinda Missen is an award-winning and best-selling author, screenwriter, and freelance writer from Geelong, Australia.

A reader from an early age, Belinda began writing her own stories shortly after her love affair with Steven Spielberg’s film Jurassic Park began. What began as fan-fiction soon took deeper root, and she was scribbling out strange little stories in empty notebooks she found laying around the house.

With qualifications in transport and office administration, and a combined career of fifteen years in these industries, Belinda decided to uproot everything in 2013 and return to her first love of writing. She now writes full-time, between cups of coffee, binge watching television, and feeding her cats and husband.

In April 2016, she was awarded the JOLT Courthouse Youth Arts Award in the Inspire 26+ Category for her piece Obsession.

In February 2017, her book Love And Other Midnight Theories clawed its way to the top of the Amazon charts in its category of Performing Arts, beating JK Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. True story – she has the screenshots to prove it.

When not dabbling in the written word, Belinda can be found mentoring other writers, beta-reading, reviewing, helping others to ready books for publication, and sleeping. In the digital world, she can be found online at Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest




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