Belle Hamilton is a romantic at heart. She's engaged to the love of her life and dreams of marriage, children and a happily ever after. Belle’s world is close to perfect until one afternoon she makes a decision she can't take back.
In the blink of an eye, Belle’s life spirals out of control. She loses everything that is dear to her and is forced to flee to the other side of the world where she meets Andrea, a local bartender from Rome, and develops an unexpected connection with him.
Can they break through the complications of past hurts and a long-distance relationship to make it work or will one terrifying night in Paris end it before it had a chance to begin?
Excerpt:
They’d met at Hunters Hill High School when they were sixteen. He’d asked for her help with his English and History assignments, subjects that he wasn’t terribly natural at, and she’d agreed.
After study each afternoon, he would walk her to the local milk bar for a strawberry ice cream cone. They would sit in the park by the water, licking their ice creams and talking for hours. It was during those lovely picturesque afternoons lying on the soft grass, beneath the trees that a delightful appreciation for each other’s company had ensued.
Belle wasn’t like the other girls in Ben’s class. She wasn’t loud or a show-off. She was shy, sweet and quietly curious. She was creative, loved books and was a whizz with a spoon in home economics.
He was handsome and spoke with an intensity and passion that had secured him a spot as captain of the school debate team. He was smart in science and mathematics, cleverly conversational, and popular with the girls. A beautiful young relationship had blossomed, for opposites surely did attract.
They’d graduated from Hunters Hill High School together at eighteen. He’d gravitated immediately toward a Bachelor of Law at university. Belle hadn’t felt the same pull, inclined more so towards a job in the food industry. Her father had balked, of course. After many arguments, ones in which she never did seem to get her point across, she’d reluctantly agreed to study a Bachelor of Communications in Journalism. She hadn’t been thrilled with the idea of going to university. It wasn’t at all what she wanted to do but it temporarily appeased her father and that made everyone’s life a little easier.
Ben’s career after university had taken off; exploded, more like it. He was ambitious, focused and brilliant in the courtroom. He regarded his career with the same kind of intensity and passion that Belle had come to love him for. He balanced her; completed her.
One night when they were twenty-six, Ben proposed. It was over dinner on a Wednesday evening at Tetsuya’s on Kent Street. He’d just been offered a position with the prestigious law firm, Richardson & Fields, as a junior criminal barrister. They took only one new recruit a year. It was a culmination of hard work and dedication that had finally paid off. He’d landed his dream job.
Ben had been animated that night, a number of scotches already under his belt. His happiness had been infectious, she remembered, as they’d laughed and celebrated his success. He’d gotten down on one knee and produced a small box: robin egg blue. Unmistakably Tiffany’s.
When he’d opened it, Belle’s breath had caught in her throat. A stunning engagement ring twinkled up at her, a thousand white diamonds, it seemed, set in an elegant round cut and sitting upon a diamond-encrusted platinum band. It was worth more than her car and tiny flat above Darling Street put together, she was sure.
Belle had shivered when he’d placed the ring on her finger and she’d whispered yes before he’d even asked the question. She wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol, the proposal or the dizzying thrill of being in love, but she’d had a feeling that night at Tetsuya’s that, like all good fairy tales, theirs was destined for a happily ever after.
Don’t forget to visit the other stops on the tour.
Author Bio and Links:
She has worked full-time in the corporate sector since 1998. It wasn't until she completed a writing course with James Patterson that she was inspired to write and publish her first novel, Interwoven, in 2017.
In addition to her writing, she also has a passion for travel and loves to combine her two favourite things - creative writing and travelling - to create vibrant worlds for her characters to explore.
When this busy mum is not working, chasing little ones or searching under beds for monsters, she can be found reading, writing or plotting her next story.
Buy Links:
THE BOOK IS ON SALE FOR $0.99 DURING THE TOUR
THE BOOK IS ON SALE FOR $0.99 DURING THE TOUR
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the tour everyone! Enjoy the excerpt and good luck in the giveaway.
Michelle x
How do you decide what to put on the cover of your book? Thanks for the giveaway. I hope that I win. Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com
ReplyDeleteReally great post, I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading the excerpt, thank you!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing cover . I just love it.
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