It was the smell that really knocked her sideways. She was expecting the heat, the smoke and the noise, but not the sickening stench of burning oil and blistering paint mixed with sizzling eucalyptus from nearby trees.
Jess stood numb as the miasma of smoke and the acrid smell wove thick, back plumes around her. It was surreal, it couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t end like this; all her dreams and hopes burnt to nothing.
Jess Wainwright has been successful in business. Since starting her own cafe and gallery, her professional life has gone from strength to strength. But on a personal level, things are not so rosy. So, when the opportunity arises for her to move to the city and use her design skills to forge a new career, she feels she has to take the chance.
But saying goodbye to Stump Gully is hard, and life in the cut throat world of design is challenging. Jess rises to the new challenges, but still feels torn, until tragedy strikes and her hand is forced.
Chanel Sweethearts is a warm, witty tale of the contrasts between country simplicity and city ‘sophistication’, with a dash of mystery, family drama and romance. An engaging read.
Chanel Sweethearts, by Cate Kendall
Bantam, 2010
ISBN 9781863256940
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