"Along Elena's smooth white back is an ancient scar that
cuts downward in
grotesque beauty like a long, graceful snake." So, goes the
first sentence of
Barbara O'Neal's first novel, The Lost Recipe of Happiness."
Like a snake
charmer, O'Neal has written her first novel with beautifully
crafted characters
and a storyline filled with human frailties and dreams of
happiness.
Everyone needs a fresh start. When that opportunity falls
into Elena Alvarez's
lap five minutes after getting fired from a hot Seattle
restaurant, it almost
seems too good to be true. Given the opportunity to run her
own kitchen in
Aspen, Colorado, Elena takes a leap of faith that Aspen is
the fresh start she
needs. However, Elena is no fool and the ghosts from her
past creep up at
every chance they get. Working hard to create an
authenticate menu blended
from her culinary and personal experiences, she also finds
herself working
hard to avoid her attraction to the famous Hollywood
celebrity and restaurant
owner, Julian Liswood. What is the Lost Recipe of Happiness?
It's a blend of
food, family, and love through all the ups and downs of life.
Barbara O'Neal is a selected Bantam Discovery author and
travels the world
teaching workshops and lectures on several subjects. One of
her most
popular workshops and lectures are on helping women to
create an artful life
"because most women are trying to figure out how to take
care of themselves
and everbody else!" She is currently at work on her next
novel, which is
tentatively another foodie book, centered in a town that has
got a reputation
for food culture. I can't wait to check it out!
In this sumptuous new novel, Barbara O’Neal offers readers a
celebration of food, family, and love as a woman searches
for the elusive ingredient we’re all hoping to
find….
It’s the opportunity Elena Alvarez has been
waiting for–the challenge of running her own kitchen in a
world-class restaurant. Haunted by an accident of which she
was the lone survivor, Elena knows better than anyone how to
survive the odds. With her faithful dog, Alvin, and her
grandmother’s recipes, Elena arrives in Colorado to find a
restaurant in as desperate need of a fresh start as she
is–and a man whose passionate approach to food and life
rivals her own. Owner Julian Liswood is a name many people
know but a man few do. He’s come to Aspen with a troubled
teenage daughter and a dream of the kind of stability and
love only a family can provide. But for Elena, old ghosts
don’t die quietly, yet a chance to find happiness at last is
worth the risk.
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