Life’s not always a piece of cake… 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 … 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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Reading now. :). Like it a lot
Thank you to the author and Rachel’s Random Resources for a copy of this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed *A Recipe for Disaster *. It is about a couple that separated (it wasn’t mutual) so that Oliver could follow his dream. His wife, Lucy, was left behind to deal with the mess.
We get to see the story through Lucy’s eyes. The reason I can’t give it a 5 star rating is that I could not connect with Lucy. I found her weak and selfish. It is mostly due to my life experiences. My hubby and I have moved across the USA several times and at one time we didn’t live together for 2 years. I find moving to new places to be an adventure. But I can see how others can empathize with Lucy. I know many people who would never move from their home town. As for Lucy, I think a lot of her problems would have been relieved if she just would talk to Oliver.
He is the Aussie version of Gordon Ramsay. FYI don’t read this book hungry! The food was so delicious. I made several unnecessary trips back to the kitchen for snacks.
Anyway, I did like the love story. Oliver is swoon worthy and I absolutely adore how hard he tries to get Lucy back. There was a lot of drama, I mean alot! Somebody was sleeping with some one they shouldn’t. There was lying, cheating, and spying. But in a light hearted way. Think of *The Other Woman* with Cameron Diaz. The story was cute and definitely a feel good read. It was a perfect summer read!
A romance about second chances. Since I believe in second chances (some would say a bit too much) I identified with the main character–the roller coaster of emotions she was on, wanting and not wanting, not knowing what to trust or what to believe, in love and angry, forgiving and resentful… I could go on, lol.
I can’t say I was “in love” with her husband which I guess was the author’s intention. I was never quite sure whether he was trustworthy and that he truly loved her or if he was just playing her. The story is told from the main character’s POV so we kind of struggle with our feelings for her husband alongside her.
Those who love a story sprinkled with food will love this one. At times, it actually made me hungry. All in all a well-written, entertaining and easy read with a satisfying end.
Good read
4.5 STARS
A Recipe of Disaster by Belinda Missen is a sweet, enjoyable chick lit novel. It had just the right combination of romance, laughter, and angst!
Lucy is a fantastic and talented cake baker. She is tasked with baking her friend a wedding cake on short notice when her world is rocked in the form of her estranged husband. As you might imagine, her new boyfriend is not really thrilled. After a horrendous outburst with Lucy being humiliated, her life seems like it’s headed toward disaster. Sometimes life throws you a curveball, and Lucy and her estranged husband, Oliver, might just be granted a second chance. As you will come to see, it won’t be an easy journey, but I promise, you will love being a part of this second chance romance.
I liked both Lucy and Oliver. Oliver seemed more mature than Lucy, but that’s what made her such an easy character to relate to. I loved Oliver’s determination in trying to win Lucy’s heart again.
I haven’t had the pleasure of reading anything by Belinda Missen before, but I’m so glad I discovered her. Her writing is very good, and I loved the setting. So, I’m looking forward to reading more from her.
Favorite Quotes:
A nervous Oliver was like Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket. You knew there was one out there somewhere, but you’d be hard-pressed to find it without some serious legwork.
A small crowd of adults gathered around the cake, like it was baby Jesus in the manger. Instead of offering me any kind of rare gifts, they offered my cake to the Instagram gods.
My vagina is depressed – that is officially something that can happen, mind you– and I don’t know what to do… It’s a thing… They waste away and die. God knows they probably drop off and run away of their own volition.
You don’t know this is for sure, though, so let’s not roll down worst case scenario hill, it’s right next to depression valley and crazy cat lady land.
I slipped across the road and into my car, all the while reminding myself there were no cakes in prison, nor were there any savoury pinwheels or cheese twists.
A local bookshop is, and I quote, going down quicker than a cheerleader on a Saturday night. Can we please stop by and buy some books?
My Review:
I giggle-snorted my way through this delightfully witty and cleverly written tale. I have a new favorite author to fangirl as I treasured Belinda Missen’s cunning and irreverent sense of humor and would gleefully worship at her writing desk as her rabid acolyte. I had reams of favorite quotes to painfully whittle down to include in my review. The characters were quirky and endearing yet deeply flawed and I held my breath for them as a couple as I couldn’t tell what outcome this sly scribbler was going to choose for them. Lucy was a prickly pear and still nursing a grudge and tended to be defensive and pick unnecessary fights and fly off in a temper, yet I still adored her.
The writing was crisp and insightful and pulled sharp visuals to mind while tripping my salivary gland and whetting my appetite with the keenly detailed efforts of, and the sumptuous meals and delectable treats created and ingested by, Chefs Oliver and Lucy. For some reason, my clothes feel a bit tighter – as if my immense enjoyment of Ms. Missen’s crafty and delicious words had led my traitorous body to believe I had actually consumed the vast amounts of butter and sugar described. Curses! If this phenomenon were possible it would surely happen to me.
After three years abroad in France building a career for himself, Oliver returns to the small town of Inverleigh in Victoria, Australia, and purchases a building where he plans to open a new café. The only problem – he hasn’t told his wife that he’s back in town and that he wants her to work with him.
Lucy, a fabulous baker, has spent the last three years working jobs that made little money, including in a school canteen, while trying to keep her life on track after her husband took off to France without her. Now he was suddenly back, and she has to decide whether she wants a divorce, or to become a part of his celebrity lifestyle, and make a name for herself.
We watch as the two of them spend time arguing, and then making up. As they discuss business, and then their personal situation. Throw in a couple of friends with their own problems, a mother-in-law who thinks her daughter’s husband is just the bee-knees, and cakes – lots of cakes – and we have a sweet, sugary delight of a tale.
For me, as a reader, the stories I enjoy reading are the ones where I can picture everything that is happening as I read it. This is one of those books and I was hooked from the start, right through to the end.
The descriptions of the places in the book, took me there with the characters. The Great Ocean Road. Apollo Bay. Geelong. And of course, Inverleigh – a place I feel I now know almost intimately, despite only venturing there once before for a day.
A Recipe For Disaster is a fabulous story, that I thoroughly enjoyed, and I highly recommend it for anyone who likes to read about characters who are flawed, who make honest mistakes, and who generally like to make a mess of all things in life until they get it right. A story about love, and supporting those you love the most.
Now, where’s the cake?
I had a hard time following it, ended up just skipping chapters to see what happened at the end. Didn’t even go back to put it together. Written in first-person and I dislike that.
I enjoyed A Recipe for Disaster. It takes place in Australia, so some of the context is tough to relate to or understand. It is a story about love that starts very early in life and goes through some growing pains, but eventually the main characters are older and come back together.