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
The drive from Balmain to her parents’ house in Hunters Hill normally took ten minutes if the traffic on Victoria Road cooperated. The day was lovely and warm, the sky effortlessly blue, as though to mock Belle’s mood. She’d hung up the call with her mother, made herself a piece of toast, another coffee, and had stood in the shower for a long time.
She was anxious about the visit to her parents’ house, anxious to know what Ben had told her father. It was a devious move on his part, to get her father on side so quickly. She wondered as to what watered-down version of events he might have relayed; what sordid bits he may have left out.
She knew Ben had always valued his relationship with Edward Hamilton, appreciated the mentoring and enjoyed the boost to his reputation that a friendship with a Supreme Court judge could bring. Belle had never minded. She’d welcomed the bond that had formed between them. It had served to ease her own strained relationship with her father. However, Edward was still that. Her father. It was irritating that Ben would speak to him before speaking to her.
Belle drove along St Malo Avenue and rounded the corner onto Le Vesinet Drive. Her parents’ house was nestled at the end of the peninsula in a cul-de-sac flanked by lanky palms and velvety soft lawns. Belle steered her car into the driveway, pressed the intercom button and heard Mr Sutton’s clipped British accent greet her through intercom static.
‘Good day, Miss Belle. Drive on through.’
A grey louvered gate slid open, and Belle manoeuvred her car down the black drive, parking by a row of lilly pilly hedges. Grace Hamilton was waiting for her by the double oak front doors, arms outstretched. She was dressed in grey slacks and a white blouse, a blue and white silk scarf tied around her neck. She was graced with the same ballet-honed physique as her daughter.
‘Belle, darling! Mr Sutton said you’d arrived.’
‘Hi, Mum,’ she said, letting her mother embrace her.
‘How are you, sweetheart?’
Belle shrugged. Her mother squeezed her shoulders.
‘Come on in. Mrs Sutton is preparing afternoon tea for us. We can have it outside since it’s such a lovely day.’
Belle followed her mother into the cavernous foyer of her childhood home. It was as she’d always remembered it; nothing ever changed. It reeked of conservatism—her father’s love of rich leather couches, dark timber flooring and heavy burgundy drapes. Framed pictures of hunting themes adorned the walls—deer, buffalo and forests. Lots of forests. There was a large round table in the centre of the foyer with a vase full of fresh flowers from her mother’s garden; the only splash of colour in the house.
Michelle Montebello was born and raised in Sydney, Australia, where she lives with her husband and two young children. She has always had a passion for reading, writing and the dramatic arts and she spent most of her childhood immersed in books, writing stories and performing in plays.
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.
THE BOOK IS ON SALE FOR $0.99 DURING THE TOUR
Social Media Links:
Twitter : https://twitter.com/michelle_monteb
Giveaway
Michelle will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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