Beautiful Disaster
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Series: Contemporary Romance & Women's Fiction
Published by: Penguin
Release Date: January 4, 2011
Pages: 384
ISBN13: 978-0425238608
Synopsis
RITA Finalist
NJRWA, Winner, Best First Book
Golden Quill, Best First Book
SheKnows.com, a Best Book of 2011
Set in the Deep South amid magnolia leaves and college life, Beautiful Disaster begins with Flynn’s arrival. He’s a man with a doubtful past, half a name, and no ties to anything earthbound, except Mia. For a year they share the kind of love affair a man like Flynn inspires. Mia trusts him with her life—even after discovering that he’s a fugitive on the run. For the next twelve years Mia will keep Flynn’s secrets, long after he vanishes, devastating her.
Succumbing to the common sense she once defied, Mia eventually marries. Michael Wells is a wonderful man: patient, kind, driven. She does love him. Who wouldn’t? Mia never anticipates Flynn’s return and is stunned to learn he’s at a nearby hospital, gravely injured. It’s a bittersweet truth as Mia admits to a love story that never died.
As Flynn recovers, the puzzle unfolds. His recollections are sketchy, piecing together the years and moments leading up to his accident. A smart man for whom honor has been a nemesis, Flynn unravels the truth: one well meaning lie has altered three lives, creating futures that should have never been. Filled with sweetness and suspense, Beautiful Disaster is a powerful tale—a love story greater than honor or friendship or the passing of time.
Praise
"This is a story about two people from completely different walks of life, somehow colliding and falling in love even though all odds are against them. This truly is one of the most beautiful love stories I have ever read. Seriously, I’d give it 100 stars if I could! I implore you to purchase this book."
—Romance Novel Releases
"Spinella crafts a beautiful story, traveling back to Mia and Flynn's past and seamlessly returning to the future."
— Las Vegas Review Journal
"I got so lost in this story. Beautiful Disaster is definitely a love story. But there is so much more to it. This is a story of love, honor, morals, and believing in each other. I will most certainly share this with all my friends."
—A Novel Review, Charlotte Lynn Reviews
Backstory
Answers vary when it comes to Beautiful Disaster's backstory. When book clubs ask, I explain that Flynn turned up one gloomy April afternoon. He appeared in my sunroom like an apparition looking to come in out of the rain. I also give Athens, Georgia—home to my college alma mater—credit. In many ways, I painted the characters into the town's eclectic canvas. Sometimes readers are curious to know if Flynn is based on a real person, I reply back and confess (perhaps to their disappointment) that he's pure imagination.
So what is the real story behind Beautiful Disaster? The answer is D, all of the above.
Excerpt
Chapter One
You wouldn’t think that the smell of bourbon could derail a business dinner. Yet as Aaron Hough was served another drink, Mia wondered if holding her breath was a viable option. Time had a clumsy clutch on her arm, the thick aroma of distilled grain grabbing like an embrace—or maybe just a noose around her neck. Focus, focus, focus . . . You’ve worked twelve years for these two hours. She sipped her wine, and tried to fill her nose with the benign bouquet of house chardonnay. It really didn’t help. It wasn’t really the bourbon. The smell was a trigger for banished thoughts and discarded dreams—things that no longer had a place in her life. But as the millionaire investor turned to his PDA, Mia seized the opportunity and slid the glass of bourbon toward him.
He caught her.
“Is there a problem, Mia?”
“Problem?” She blinked, doe eyed, her fingernails tapping against his glass. “No . . . no problem.” Tipping it, she examined the tea-colored liquid. The contents of the glass—or her head—caused Mia’s toes to curl up tight inside her sandals. “Ice,” she insisted, clearing her throat. “It didn’t look like there was enough ice.”
“I drink it neat,” he said, gliding a toast toward her before drawing a long sip.
“Bourbon’s kinda meant to be sipped, not slung. Like this . . .”
The words in her head were old, though the voice was crystal clear. And it invaded like always, like a vagrant crashing a country club. Pursing her lips, Mia focused on the silver-haired businessman seated across from her. Seeing this man hold a glass of bourbon, it was a stark contrast. While Aaron Hough could be described as dashing, he hardly matched the untamed image that bourbon conjured up. Mia cleared her throat, dismissing the inappropriate thought.