Secure Your Copy The Secret Ingredient Crafted By Dianne Blacklock Released Through Interactive EBook

predictable story covering love, loss, friendships, marriage breakdown and family dynamics but still an enjoyable read.
Taste was such an evocative sense Andie had closed her eyes, with the scone melting in her mouth, and been transported back to her grandmother's kitchen.
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Nourishment is nurture, That's what Andie learned from her grandmother and what she's always believed about cooking, But somehow, since marrying Ross, she's allowed her love of food to take a back seat and given up her dream of becoming a chef.


Lately she's been craving more, And when her marriage falls apart, she's determined to find herself again and take back control of her destiny.


The first step is taking a job in the kitchen of renowned chef Dominic Gerou.
The brooding Englishman is more than Andie bargains for, but the new Andie is ready for anything, even a badtempered chef who makes it clear he won't tolerate mistakes.


In this beautiful new novel, Dianne Blacklock takes us on a sumptuous journey of the heart as Andie uncovers the secret ingredient for her new life, and shows that no matter how many false starts you may have, if you hold on to your passion and your dreams, anything is possible.
I love when you start a book and enjoy it from the very start, I loved this book was great, The Secret Ingredient is the first novel I have read by Australian author Dianne Blacklock, Now that I have a taste for her contemporary fiction I will definitely explore more of her work.


Andie thought she had found the love of her life when she met Ross, a man more than ten years her senior.
Of course he was still married at the time, but he reassured her that the marriage had been over for years.
Andie, now a thirtysomething woman married to Ross for ten years comes home to find he has traded her in for a younger woman.
The sacrifices and losses she has experienced since she started a life with Ross come to the forefront and she realises it is time to reinvent herself and follow her dream to become a chef.
Andie takes on a job at the exclusive restaurant, Viande where she meets the mysterious head chef, Dominic Gerou.


Andie is a strong character who has experienced significant losses, but she has her weaknesses which make her easy to relate to and understand.


Ross irritated me throughout the entire novel, He was selfish, arrogant and controlling, It seemed that both women who left him ended up becoming stronger women who learnt to value themselves for their own merit and worth.


Andie and Dominics relationship is quite sweet and natural and just seemed to go at the right pace given the external issues happening in the book.
I enjoyed their connection and his caring, gentle nature was a nice compliment to Andie following her relationship with Ross.


This is a lovely story about relationships, family, love and loss, Blacklock found a nice balance between exploring the hardships the characters face and providing them with new pathways to heal and grow.
I actually read this book over several days, because I enjoyed picking it up at different times and finding out what happened next in the characters lives.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but that's not a surprise to me though because Dianne Blacklock is a very talented author who can weave a wonderful tale which holds the reader's attention.
I have never been disappointed when reading any of her books, I highly recommend The Secret Ingredient, The Secret Ingredient is the eighth book by Dianne Blacklock, The first sign that Ross Corcorans second wife, Andie, has that something is amiss with her marriage is when he introduces her as his current wife.
Andie gave up a lot to be Rosss wife: her dream of being a chef, of being a mother, of being something more than a trophy wife.
She has her gourmet deli, but shes restless, wanting more, When Ross uses his influence to get her a trial with renowned chef Dominic Gerou at the exclusive Viande, suddenly her whole life takes a turn, and not for the better.
Blacklock once again gives us realistic characters and credible dialogue and an excellent plot with a twist or two to keep it interesting.
There are plenty of laughoutloud moments as well as lumpinthethroat scenarios and the irony of the first wife/ second wife situation is delicious.
Blacklock touches on topics as diverse as being the other woman, how grief affects ones perspective, Catholic guilt, arrogant chefs, the power of charisma, and the responsibilities of the exwife.
Each time I pick up another book by Dianne Blacklock, I wonder if she can maintain the standard of her previous books, but she seems to do so with ease: this one is her best yet.
The worst thing about Dianne Blacklocks books is that eventually you reach the end: The Secret Ingredient was pure pleasure to read.
A modern Australian women's story that was engaging and easy to read, Afteryears of marriage to Ross is over Andie has to rediscover what she wants from life.
It is a story of messy relationships and achieving your dream, A good book to sit down to while having a cuppa while the you wait for the washing to dry.
An easy book to read one chapter and then leave for a few hours, The Secret Ingredient in an engaging contemporary novel that tells the story of thirty something Andrea who is crushed when she discovers her husbands infidelity but seizes the opportunity to rekindle her dream of becoming a chef.
I have had the book on my TBR list for quite some time, having enjoyed previous titles by Dianne Blacklock so I was grateful the author's impending visit to my local library finally gave me the excuse I needed to pick this novel up.


Blacklock writes believable fiction that women are able to relate to and in The Secret Ingredient she explores marriage breakdown, complex family dynamics and the need for self fulfillment.
The protagonist, Andie, confronts self doubt and setbacks to recover and develop a healthy sense of self and independence.

I have to admit I wasn't sure if I would be able to warm to, or sympathise with, Andie when I learned she was involved with her husband while he was still married to his first wife.
My initial reaction to Andie's discovery of his infidelity was something along the lines of 'Karma is a btch', so it is to the author's credit that I came to like her anyway.
The affair forces Andie to confront her own role as the 'other woman' and take responsibility for the circumstances she has found herself in.
Admirably, Andie decides to take back the control she relinquished in the name of love, despite the obstacles, and finds the strength to rebuild her life on her own terms.

The Secret Ingredient does play a little to Australia's current 'foodie' craze, giving us descriptions of carefully prepared meals and a handsome chef, Dominic Gerou, who becomes Andie's love interest.
Gerou contrasts sharply with the narcissistic cheating husband, Ross, and is an ideal partner for Andie, The relationship that develops between the two is nice, and though necessarily complicated, eventually resolves satisfactorily,
Of the other characters in The Secret Ingredient, I particularly liked Joanna, the first

wife, who provides a sort of role model for Andie.
Its a complicated dynamic between the women, which also includes Joanna's grown children, but Blacklock makes it believable.


I'm happy to recommend The Secret Ingredient, it is an entertaining read with satisfying depth that it is as easy to consume as a fine meal.
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