18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Perfect Recipe for a Great Read, January 2, 2009
I've been a fan of Barbara Samuel since reading my first Ruth Wind authored Silhouette Special Edition. I followed her into her historicals, then stayed with her as she moved into big women's fiction. For me to want to put my life on hold and read an author's work, she has to own her voice, to be a confident master of her prose, and Barbara does it every time. She is a brilliant storyteller, one who wields the tools of a wordsmith with such skill that getting lost for hours in her world is pure pleasure.
Her latest book, THE LOST RECIPE FOR HAPPINESS written as Barbara O'Neal (Bantam Discovery, trade $13, mmpb $6.99, 464 pages, December 30) continues her exploration of troubled, damaged women who find their place in life, make peace with their past, and allow themselves the love of a good man. Elena Alvarez is hired as executive chef to take over a failing Aspen restaurant owned by restauranteur and movie mogul Julian Liswood. Julian also owned the Vancouver restaurant from which she was fired as sous chef the very day he asked her to resurrect what becomes The Orange Bear. Elena has her work cut out for her, dealing with a kitchen staff of illegal immigrants, a previous executive chef whom she dubs Rasputin, the pressure of being a female chef running her own kitchen (and with a boss to whom she is attracted), and working on her feet for long grueling hours with her physical body betraying her.
As a teenager, Elena was the sole survivor of a horrible car accident that killed two siblings, a cousin, and her boyfriend. Her sister, Isobel, and Edwin, whom she was to marry, still appear to her all these years later, as Elena's survivor's guilt keeps her rooted to her past -- and unable to put down roots in any of the cities where she's worked. Aspen is different, however. Whether it's being in charge of her own kitchen and bringing her New Mexican culture, customs, and cuisine with her, or whether it's the comfort of including old friends in the venture while growing close to new ones, Elena finds herself shedding the old skin of the life she's lived and trying the fit of this new one -- one in which Julian Liswood and his daughter Portia play a huge part.
Barbara O'Neal tells the story of Elena Alvarez's spiritual and emotional recovery with unmistakable authenticity. The colorful details of the Colorado and New Mexico Southwest flavor the book as fully as the recipes she's included, and the food is as much a character as is Elena's dog Alvin - and anyone who regularly reads Barbara's blog knows of her enjoyment of cooking, her passion for her heritage, and her love for her animals. I found myself hungry for tamales and churros and pork pie, and dying to try the pomegranate baklava. (I did try Juan's Carne En Su Jugo, and loved it!) My only quibble with the book was never feeling as if I knew Elena's old friend Patrick (who has a substantial role) as fully as I knew her new friends Juan and Ivan and Julian and Portia, or even as fully as her long dead sister Isobel. But that doesn't keep me from recommending this book highly. It's big and lusty and delicious, and well worth taking a day away from real life to spend in the world Barbara has created.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Barbara O'Neal Writes a Winner!, December 31, 2008
This review is from: The Lost Recipe for Happiness (Paperback)
Barbara O'Neal offers a scrumptious feast in The Lost Recipe for Happiness, a Bantam Discovery book. If you like food and love - and who doesn't? - there's plenty to savor in this story of Elena Alvarez, a chef who must free herself from the ghosts of her past in order to secure her future.
Life got an early start in teaching Elena that nothing lasts forever. Abandoned by her single mom, she found a new home and new loves, only to have tragedy rip her away from them. When movie producer Julian Liswood offers her a second chance - at love and at carving her own name in culinary fame - Elena searches for signs and the strength to believe in a forever kind of love.
The Lost Recipe for Happiness offers terrific insights into the demanding world beyond the dining room's swinging doors as Elena and her staff of delightfully wounded souls create the Orange Bear, Aspen's newest world-class restaurant. This is a man's world, one that seriously challenges even the hardiest individual. Elena, who fights daily battles against the ravages of a tragic car accident, relies on sheer strength of will as she pits herself against the daunting physical demands of her new job as executive chef. But will her strength of will be her undoing? Will it prevent her from embracing true love when it's finally her turn at the table?
The Lost Recipe for Happiness tells a great story in a wonderfully engaging manner. Those with a passion for food will drool over the sumptuous descriptions and mouth-watering recipes (I've tried a few and they are fab.) A delightful supporting cast, including a gorgeous bear of a dog and a guileless teenager who reminds Elena of possibilities, add to the ambiance. With a story of love and redemption that brings the reader to tears and warms the heart, Barbara O'Neal has gently folded all the right ingredients together to make The Lost Recipe for Happiness a must-have for every bookshelf.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Read, June 3, 2011
This review is from: The Lost Recipe for Happiness (Paperback)
Easy to read book with great recipes included between some chapters. Easy to get lost in the book and feel like you are in the kitchen of the restaurant enjoying the smells of the food.
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