Beautiful Disaster

by Laura Spinella

A story of love lost...and found.

Mia Wells's eco-friendly career goals are about to become a reality-but her life-altering moment is interrupted when an unexpected call ushers in her tremulous past. A man who's never left Mia's Flynn, the enigmatic, passionate man whose disappearance broke her heart, has mysteriously resurfaced.

Now back in her life and in the hospital, Flynn is gravely injured. Mia keeps a bedside vigil-terrified that he will die, awestruck at the prospect of his survival. In a story filled with sweetness and suspense, Mia's what-ifs are endless. And Flynn's return ignites an achingly powerful tale about the most enduring love, one that is greater than honor, or friendship, or the passing of time.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Adult, Drama

374 pages, Paperback

First published November 23, 2010

About the author

Echo Moon is my eighth published novel. Author? Maybe. In truth, I’m a girl from Long Island who fell in love with the South and ended up calling New England home. Along the way, ideas emerged, leading to the books I've written, and Echo Moon is among my favorites—it is the final novel in the Ghost Gifts series.

When Ghost Gifts was published, I never thought I’d write about ghosts again. One and done, as they say.

To my surprise, the book was the #1 bestseller in Kindle store during most of its debut month, and went on to become a RITA awards finalist, RT Book Reviews finalist, and winner of an Audie, for Best Paranormal Romance. Foretold, book two, was an Amazon Editors' Pick the month it debuted. I remain humbled by reader reaction and the desire to hear more of Aubrey Ellis’s story.

Not all my novels are about ghosts, though I seem to have a good relationship with the ethereal world. Unstrung offered a change of pace for me and readers. The mainstream women’s fiction novel met with solid critical acclaim, including a starred review from Publishers Weekly, as well as being named to PW’s seasonal list of most anticipated and notable titles. I hope readers are as taken with quirky and capricious Olivia Klein as I was; I had the most marvelous time writing about her.

I live not far outside Boston with a husband, three technically grown children, two dogs and two cats. That's Auggie in the photo! Life takes place in a 130-year-old house where I can always be found writing my next novel. As always, I love to hear from readers. Feel free to drop me a line here, and many thanks for reading a Laura Spinella novel!

Reviews

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a 21 year old male who sees my local Barnes and Noble as my favorite store in existence. For, I'd say 13 or so years, my library has consisted of a plethora of YA fiction, mostly in the vein of Potter, Twilight and so on. Every so often, in the last few months, more specifically, I would find myself hurtling down the adult fiction section, spurred by my urge to read an "adult novel" both to expand my literary journey and to make my 23 year old sister stop her "you only read kids books" mantra, I understand it's a joke and there is nothing wrong with reading them at any age, but it still hurt. I firstly found A Discovery of Witches, by Debora Harkness, Angelolgy by Danielle Trusonni and The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, all excellent novels. After finishing those three within a few months my hunger for more seemed to be unable to be satiated. So I found myself at the new fiction table where I discovered, Beautiful Disaster.

I read it in a span of three days unable to put it down. It was it my first "romantic" fiction novel, if you will, the closest to which I had gotten was "they made out with the passion of two lovers" the farthest most YA novels go. So to see a relationship both sexually and romantically develop and manifest in such a way is, for loss of a better term, refreshing. So, Ms. Spinella, I thank you for a novel I greatly enjoyed and will recommend to all. The way Laura Spinella weaves her prose is something done by the masters of the literary word and for this to be her first novel is honestly astounding. I cannot wait to read what she puts out next.

I often found myself wanting to skip the Athens chapters just to see what happened next in the present, a true testament and praise for an exquisite novel. Looking forward to her next novel. In other words, READ THIS BOOK!!!!

[TeriLyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

5+ "It's a sign of faith." Stars

This brilliant and beautifully written story had a little bit of everything: coming of age, second chances, age gap between H/h, and romantic suspense. Told in Laura Spinella's eloquent style of third person point of view, this author toggles us between the past and present of Flynn and Mia - a rare couple with a connection so deep its as soul-shattering lovely as it is devastatingly haunting.

"She went for a ride on a motorcycle and everything changed."

Beautiful Disaster contains a lot of heavy plot executed with attention-demanding prose and wonderfully built structure. The story of these two characters beholds a truly rare gem of instant yet hesitant friends, wanting to be lovers, becoming everything to each other with an ill-timed fate of unfortunate, brave, and lasting circumstance. Flynn being older and more experienced than the naive yet strong Mia provided a couple for whom you felt every emotion. The introduction of their romance stems from tragedy as Spinella weaves you delicately through each chapter as if those individual pieces of their story are small edges for you to straddle between mystery and faith.

In the past, through Mia and Flynn you learn quite a lot and you feel everything. The strongest of which are faith and love. Undeterred and unabashed Mia forges through this whole story with an abundance of faith and the utmost understanding. She's the quintessential heroine in my reading eyes. Brave and forthright in her beliefs yet needing a little push. Her beauty is found in her patience, her kindness, and unyielding love. She gives Flynn so much consideration and shows him a love unlike any he's ever known. Likewise, Flynn's gifts to Mia are in her maturing. Where she's naive and easily controlled he shows her a sense of self she never knew allowing her to blossom. He exudes a sense of safety she's never felt. Flynn's belief in her, in her innate goodness and her staunch desire to make the world a better place, settles into Mia's heart and the hearts of Spinella's readers. But with a maelstrom of ill-timed coincidences, an ignorant and steadfast best friend, and this sordid past you'd never expect, Flynn and Mia are on an egg timer both in the past and the present. How Spinella unravels their story will leave you spell bound.

With secondary characters providing depth to the story and much additional conflict, Mia changes in unexpected ways further than she could have ever anticipated. Roxanne and Michael are two characters for whom you'll feel a range of emotions. How Mia and Flynn react to them both lends more to their complex characters and the telling of story. Diving into an analysis of these two would definitely not be easy without spoiling plot so I'll leave this as vague as it sounds.

Faith being a recurring theme from beginning to end is so fitting for these characters destined to be in each other's lives. It's a humbling theme designed to remind readers that this soul shifting, forever kind of love exists and can change your life if you just believe. Believe in yourself and your instincts and the matters of your own heart. I love how this author makes choices in her writing coaxing readers to have faith in her characters. Through Mia's faith Spinella opens a gap for readers to enter Flynn and Mia's world and cling to their story entirely. And then when she presents that faith in such a immovable light she tests it, challenging her characters and her readers. What choices will you make when your faith is questioned and how will your life look when you have years to undermine your own heart?

There's a lot of poignancy and sadness in this story. Discussions that evoke tears, some that make you angry, but every single one will make you feel. All the parts of their lives compound into this romantic tale through seasons of vibrant change. Vulnerable yet blind trust coupled with two characters you can't help but be in awe of make their love poetic. The captivating passion these characters have for each other and for Mia's dream creates a dynamic story.

Beautiful Disaster isn't your typical romance, making unexpected twists and turns pulling at your heart strings unlike anything I've read. It's a hard, delicate journey full of much love and despair. It's a love story that's very aptly defined as a "beautiful disaster". And it's so very much worth the ride.

[Betsy James · Rating 1 out of 5]

This novel, while considerably promising, lacked in character structure and believable dialogue. I found Flynn and Mia to be completely unbelievable from their very first encounter, and the progression of their relationship to be all the more outrageous. Highly recommend this novel to those who are interested in cheesy romance and weak leading female protagonists blinded by foolish and outlandish "love".

[Susan Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding faith

Beautiful Disaster is a riveting novel, an emotional roller coaster filled with ups and downs, twists and turns. It is a story about trust and honesty, and believing in a person no matter what they look like, no matter what secrets are hidden in their past, no matter that the odds seem stacked against them. When Mia meets Flynn, he is a drifter on a motorcycle riding through town. Despite her own misgivings, and especially the concerns of her friend Roxanne, Mia can't fight her growing feelings for Flynn; somehow she must not only convince herself that she can trust him, but prove to him that she can be trusted with the things that cause him nightmares. Flynn and Mia are complex characters whose emotions and feelings are felt on each page of this book. This is a powerful story, compelling and fraught with tension, but filled with passion and love.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

POTENTIAL SPOILERS..POTENTIAL SPOILERS...POTENTIAL SPOILERS

4.5/5 Stars

I am about 115 pages in and loving this book because of the development of the characters..I know a book is good when you have shake your head moments re: the main character, Mia and want to bitch slap her for stupid decisions and don't like a character who is in a coma! I think the thing that I like most about this book is that it is probably a combination of Womens Lit and Mystery...It is not your typical womens lit book where you need to do a glucose test while reading it to make sure you have overdone it on the sugary sweetness! I really wish there were more like it...

Just Good Readin'

[~Tina~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mia Montgomery is just your average college student. She always plays it safe, leveled-headed and doesn't usually wander off to the dark side of her existence, but the moment she meets Flynn McDermott she want to be daring and different. See, Flynn is all wrong for her, or at least according to her best friend, Roxanne, he's the kind of guy that would take you to bed, break your heart and never look back, but despite the long hair, motorcycle and dangerous look that Flynn seems to sport, he is so much more then he appears to be. But Flynn is beyond complicated. He has a very dark and haunted past with memories so twisted that it eats him alive. So it's safe to say that he wasn't ready when Mia walked into his life destroying everything in the process. He didn't want this complication in his life, hell, he never wanted to fall in love, he didn't deserve it after all. But somewhere between fighting who you are and the desire you have in your heart, Mia and Flynn started up a very sweet, very real romance.
Till one day...Flynn vanished.

12 years later Mia Wells, gets the phone call that changes all the rules. After the devastating hole Flynn left after twelve years of not knowing what happened, why he broke the one promise he made to her, Flynn's back.
Only he's in a coma fighting for his life.
Mia- ever present by Flynn's bed side connects us to the past and the now. Was what they shared all just a dream? Was it ever real? Is is possible that a love so strong and so wrong can survive everything or was it all just some Beautiful Disaster...?

This is a story about love lost and found, a second chance and two hearts that were always fated to be one.

At fist I wasn't sure about this book. It had it's share of flaws. The dialog didn't quite delivery but at the same time I was hanging on ever word. The writing is promising and has random moments of brilliance but then it would drag in a few chapters making it seem flat. While Flynn's story is obviously tragic and broke my heart it felt forced or maybe to much to believe. Mia has to be a saint to actually want to hold on to someone so damaged. I don't think I would be able to under all those circumstances. Add a bunch of murdered girls, an obsessively controlling best friend with the whodunit finger pointing to the only badass in town and it just seemed so off balanced and everywhere.

But! Despite the flaws, I couldn't for the life of me stop reading this book. I enjoyed the raw energy that Flynn and Mia shared. I enjoyed how intense some of those scenes got and I liked that Laura Spinella wasn't afraid to push her characters and the readers to the limit. There is an extreme amount of heart in this story and I found myself really caring about what happens to these characters. I've always loved stories about second chances, loving the dramatic and romantic which this book delivered quite nicely.
So while I was a bit conflicted with a few things, I'm still glad I picked this up. It's one of those reads that you have to look past the flaws and just put yourself in these characters lives, what they went through, how they felt and what they did to get it right once and for all.
In a nut shell, It made me smile and that's good enough for me.
A really great debut by Spinella! I'm looking forward to seeing what she has in store for us next.

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

For college student, Mia Montgomery, it's just another day hanging out with friends until she lays eyes on Flynn; a scruffy looking, coarse mouthed, motorcycling drifter with a past full of secrets and a future full of nothing but uncertainty. When they meet later on in a bar, it's as if the two of them just knew they were soul mates.

"Silence settled between them as Flynn searched the busy bar for a place to hide his vulnerability. He rubbed his palms over his denim-covered thighs, realizing his hands were sweaty. The attraction, like the tide to the moon, kept pulling the two of them toward each other. "

Mia's youth, freshness and naivete crumbled Flynn's defenses and brought out his vulnerabilities. Flynn was like no one Mia had ever known before. Despite their obvious differences and against all advice from Mia's best friend, Roxanne, Mia and Flynn began an intense love affair that would change both their destinies almost destroying them in the process. On the other hand, it might just be their salvation.

Flynn was the kind of man that could not be pinned down; it would be like trying to chain a rainbow or a breeze to earth. Even though Flynn could not promise her any future, Mia had complete faith in him knowing that he would never hurt her. The best he could promise was that he would not leave her. That's why it was so devastating when suddenly he was just gone without a word of explanation leaving Mia to agonize over her lost love and wondering how she would take her next breath never mind getting on with her life.

Now he is back; but not the way Mia would have wanted. Roxanne, now a doctor in the local hospital, has called Mia to let her know that Flynn had been in a motorcycle crash and is now in a coma in the ER. Mia leaves a life changing business meeting to rush to Flynn's side. Oh, yeah, there is a slight complication. In the twelve years Flynn has been gone, Mia married Michael Wells after waiting for years for some word or news from Flynn.

Along with the main plot line, there is a bit of a mysterious sub-plot going on. College girls have been murdered from the midwest all the way to Alabama and Roxanne, is convinced Flynn was somehow involved. This suspicion on Roxanne's part almost ended her long friendship with Mia.

For a debut novel, this was beautifully written and very enjoyable. In fact, other than one scene in the middle, I had a hard time putting this one down. I was so captivated by the characterizations, southern setting, depth of emotions and plot line that I couldn't wait to see what happened next; I just kept turning the pages almost non-stop. Laura Spinella has dug deep to flesh out her characters' feelings and thoughts. It's as if I had been a close friend of Mia, Flynn and Roxanne for years and had been through all the heartache right along with them. Highly recommended.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

CAUTION: CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS! (AS OPPOSED TO COMPLETE SPOILERS.)

You know, I picked this book up on the cover alone. "Different than the minimalist mystery of most modern day novels?? I'll take it!" Plus, it was 60% off...sadly (Borders was going out of business.)I didn't even read the back, skim the pages, nothing. I just took it home.

I started reading it when I got home. My other take that day was a HUGE cookbook, so I really had no choice.

THANK GOD FOR NO CHOICE.

The book is not complex in vocabulary or themes. It doesn't have poignancy or nuance. It is a blatant telling of the story of passive artist, Mia, and how her life is changed over the course of one year when she meets Flynn, a one-named James Dean type, in the summer of her senior year of college. Unlike most of the other books I read, it was fairly simple...but utterly addictive.

This book is like that chick flick that you love simply for the leading man. Maybe it's not the best movie, with massive character development or emotional revelation, but it is just...so...good.

"Beautiful Disaster" made me nervous at work. I was waiting to get to my lunch break so I could keep reading and alleviate the butterflies. I got pissed at parts of this book. I cried. I threw it across the room. I read all 400 pages in 2 days...I NEVER do that. I identified with Roxanne...then I hated her. I felt bad for Micheal...then I hated him. I know a guy JUST LIKE Flynn, and he really spoke to me because of it. Mia was a wash for me. I admire her faith...but I'm not so sure how I feel about her overall.

What I am sure of is this...I loved the book. Its pure modern fantasy, like the Princess Bride, made it easy and FUN to read. It didn't change my life or my outlook or awaken any beast within me (save for the squealing romance-movie loving girl that has always been there) but it did, at the end, feel like I had a great time.

If you appreciate the necessity of fun, "fluffy" novels in the record of avid readers, pick this one up. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

[Ashley Drummond · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't even know if I can put into words how beautiful this book was. There couldn't be a more perfect title than Beautiful Disaster because that's exactly what this story was. Heartbreakingly beautiful. The author of this book is brilliant. She is beyond talented. It takes a great story to make you cry tears of happiness or just from the beautiful touching moments. I didn't even know that was possible until tonight. I never put this book down from the moment I opened it. I now have a new all-time favorite book.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review to be posted on the blog in a few days, but as with many other books this year, it was good while I was reading it and fairly forgettable after. I liked Mia a lot, but found both flynn and Michael a bit unbelievable.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.I could not put it down!! in fact,I read the whole book in one day. Flynn/Mia's story had me on a rollercoaster ride of emotion. It had me hooked from the first chapter. It is a MUST READ for people who love romance novels.

[B.N. Toler · Rating 5 out of 5]

First and foremost, wow. Laura Spinella is an amAzing writer. Second, I bought this book by accident and I'm so happy I did. It is a beautiful love story that ends so perfectly, but you don't think it will. I highly recommend this book. AMAZING BOOK!!

[Amanda white · Rating 4 out of 5]

Im a sucker for books that weave the past into the present. I have this 4 stars instead of 5 because the past wasn’t near as attaching as id like it to be. I was actually really on the fence about Flynn until well past half way into the book. Turns out I loved it. It had enough heart wrenching in it for me to tear up a handful of times. However to be the first novel this author published she did an amazing job with her writing abilities and telling the story. I’ll definitely read her others.

[Mettie]

Great! Story line had some surprises I didn't quite see coming but it was an easy ready.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first glance of the title (and the cover), Beautiful Disaster looks like a suspense but it is actually a story about love lost and found.

Mia Montgomery's dreams is to be a successful interior designer; not any interior designer but one who focus on holistic design and to promote an eco-friendly concept in her work. She takes pride in her work, and she thinks she is getting there when she received a telephone call from a doctor friend, Roxanne, that Peyton Flynn McDermott is in the ICU due to an automobile accident and he is in a coma.

Memories of the past began to creep up on her, after all Flynn is her ex-lover and she thought that she would never hear from him after all this time. He has walked out of her life twelve years ago but that does not make Mia stop thinking about him over the years. Mia knew Flynn when she was just a design student at the University of Georgia then. Flynn was the one who took notice of her initially, but he didn't think they belong to the same league anyway since he has a dark secret past while Mia looks like she doesn't belong to anything in his world. But then fate seems to be in their way as they later met each other in a pub, and Mia strike up a conversation with him both out of curiosity as well as a bet which she had with Roxanne, in which she was sure that she would get this mysterious stranger to buy her a beer, which he did.

However, Roxanne isn't pleased with the idea that Mia is getting too close with Flynn. On top of that, there is a serial killer on the run and with Flynn's mysterious background she tries all means to stop Mia from being with him. On the other end, Flynn does live dangerously in the past, but he has reasons and to avoid spoiling anything I would not disclose much about his character. Instead I could only tell you that there is a lot of sexual intense between Mia and Flynn, and that you would be enticed with Spinella's prose as she weaves this story between the present and the past.

Characters wise, I think Laura Spinella has done a great job in portraying Mia, Flynn, and Roxanne as well. I think readers would be able to connect with them through Spinella's detailed descriptions of them. However, though I think the characterisations are great, I have to admit that Roxanne's attitude is a little off putting from the way she fussed over Mia's love life but from another perspective, I think she is simply concerned about Mia, that's all. Mia, on the other hand, is a true romantic who totally believes in love and herself.

Beautiful Disaster may have a slight suspense tone, but at its core it is about the power of love and second chance. And oh, did I mention that there is a Southern setting to this story? Well because I absolutely love reading fictions that have a Southern setting. This book is Laura Spinella's debut and I can't wait to find out what she has in store next.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a reader, I love books that leave me thinking about the characters, the plot and why I felt the way I did at the end of the book. Ever since finishing Beautiful Disaster, it has remained in my thoughts as I have discussed various different points of views with other readers and even debated why we felt different ways about the various characters. Thought-out the entire book my feelings about the various characters changed from dislike to hatred, to liking, it just depending on what was going on. Overall, I can’t remember the last time that I disliked a group of characters as much as I did in various parts of this novel. Yet, I loved the plot and felt that the actions of the characters were suiting to the plot and they were consistent. There was no, at least to me, any character deviations from what I would have expected based on the way that they were introduced.

For me the book raised several questions about the nature of love. Is it possible to love people in different ways and which path should you take in order to be happy? That to me is the main question that Mia faced when Flynn came back into her life. Should she follow the love of her life that she hasn’t seen in over a decade or the guy she has attempted to make a life with? While I don’t agree with everything that Mia did throughout the book, in the end, I feel that she was true to her heart and the decision she made was the right one to me. But then, I am a true romantic at heart and always want the HEA ending, and anything else to me wouldn’t have been one.

[Jackie Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great debut novel from Spinella.

Mia Montgomery (Wells), who is going to college to be an eco-friend designer, meets Flynn, an older, motorcycle riding bad boy. Flynn is running from something but Mia doesn’t care. She loves being with him through good and bad and he promises never to just leave. He does just that and it shatters Mia.

Mia goes on to marry and is on the verge of realizing her eco-friendly dream when her best friend, Roxanne, calls her to tell her that her lost love has been in a motorcycle accident that he might not survive and is at the hospital where she works in the trauma unit. Mia rushes to the hospital and keeps vigil over Flynn in the hopes that he will recover.

Mia’s husband is away on various business trips while Mia continues to work at Flynn’s bedside. Roxanne continues to warn Mia off, but Mia will not listen.

When Flynn awakens and confronts Roxanne about a letter he wrote that Mia obviously knows nothing about, everything begins to unravel.

Can love survive years later after all the pain Flynn has inflicted on Mia by just leaving? Can the friendship between Mia and Roxanne survive?

In the end second chances are possible and love can survive.

I was very satisfied with this read. It has a little bit of romance, a little bit of mystery and just enough intrigue to keep me guessing.

4.5 out of 5 stars

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!! How could this be a debut novel?? For me, it was perfect! It pulled me right in and never  let me go! Mia is a college student when she meets Flynn, an older drifter who is nothing like she would ever go for but for some reason she is drawn to him.  Flynn comes with many mysteries and Mia tries to get him to knock down the walls to his heart and let her in.

They have a wild relationship until one day, Flynn disappears.  No note, no good bye, no anything! Mia is devastated and she never really gets over him.  Fast forward, twelve years later. Mia is married to someone else, not really happy but trying to get on with her life.  One day, she gets  a call from her best friend, Roxanne, a doctor.  She tells Mia that Flynn is back.  He was in a really bad motor cycle accident and is barely hanging on.  All of her old feelings come rushing back to Mia and she runs to him.

Beautiful Disaster took hold of my heart and pulled me right in to the story of Mia and Flynn.  I found myself hurrying through the pages because I had to know how it was all going to come together in the end.  I was not disappointed.  I can't wait to read more by Laura.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura Spinella is both a very nice person and an engaging writer. Her debut, BEAUTIFUL DISASTER, is a wonderfully intense romance that is sure to please fans of relationship fiction. Her hero (or anti-hero, as the case may be!), Flynn, is one tough cookie. Bearded and scruffy, he's riding his Harley cross-country when he stops in Athens, GA, and bumps into beautiful co-ed Mia. There are sparks from the start, even though Mia's best friend, Roxanne, loathes Flynn at first sight. But the chemistry between Flynn and Mia is too hot even for Roxanne to combat. Mia trusts Flynn implicitly but realizes he's keeping plenty of secrets from her. Will he learn to trust her enough to reveal what he's hiding? Will Roxanne eventually pry them apart? Or will their true love triumph? BEAUTIFUL DISASTER will keep you turning pages until you reach the end and find all the answers.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is well told as it switches from present to past throughout the book, and it was good enough to make me stay up late to finish it because I absolutely had to see how it ended. The focus is on a college girl who, much to her best friend's horror, falls in love with a drifter. There are several times throughout the story when they refer to the term "beautiful disaster" to describe both themselves and their relationship. Although I was pleased enough with the ending, I did find myself with questions after the fact. Some ideas and resolutions just didn't seem to make sense to me and I was left wondering, "Hmm, what was that all about?" when it came to certain outcomes or irrational behaviors. All in all, I suppose it was a good enough story to make me overlook the little inconsistencies.

[Maggie Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura Spinella's romantic, mysterious story kept me up late until I finished this terrific novel. I loved the central characters of Mia and Flynn, soulmates who will have to endure serious hardship before they are able to love each other. The book is a very sexy read, told in an engaging voice that moves in between the past and present at a brisk pace. Unanswered questions about the hero's traumatic past, combined with a thriller-type murder mystery at the heart of the story kept me turning pages as I tried to put together the pieces of this intriguing puzzle. More than a romance, this is a story that asks questions about morality, love, friendship and marriage and the power struggles that define a person's closest relationships. Definitely recommended. Thank you, goodreads!

[Ena Novakovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming from a new author, I did not know what to expect, but after reading Beautiful Disaster, I was pleasantly surprised! Laura Spinella transports the reader into a wonderful, captivating romance. As a college student, I found Mia very relatable. Don't we all want to fall for the bad boy with a good heart? Flynn's character made me wish that he actually existed! The way Spinella describes their romance allows the reader to forget the present and fall deeply into the story, experiencing the character's emotions as their own. I would recommend this book as it can be enjoyed by anyone! If you don't already have a copy, go get one ASAP!

[Loren Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Beautiful Disaster over a weekend and could not put it down. The plot hooked me, but the author's voice kept me turning the pages. Laura Spinella is a romance writer who accomplishes the difficult task of describing intimacy in an elegant way. Her characters have dimension. She also has a natural knack for dialogue. The characters in Beautiful Disaster have a mysterious quality that adds to the suspense of the novel. This book is very well-written.

[Jamie Pettyfer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a college student and not having much time for outside reading, I'm really glad I chose this as my once-in-a-blue-moon read. The story of Mia and Flynn just captivate you, making it hard to put the book down. Spinella weaves her way between past and present with incredible tact and skill creating a unique flow for the story that's easy to follow. I highly recommend this book to anyone just looking for a good read.

[Linny Sommers · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a book stays with you for weeks after you've read it, what does that say? I think it says it's one heck of a book! Beautiful Disaster has it all, love, passion, suspense, and unforgettable characters! The writing is exceptional, funny at times, compelling, always engaging. Great dialogue... terrific love scenes! Spinella delivers page after page! She keeps you guessing, though I found myself rooting for Mia and Flynn from the first chapter to the very end!

[Barbara White · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is still one of my top ten favorite reads of all time, and I read this novel over a year ago. I love darker characters, especially romantic heroes. Flynn captured my heart and never let go. I don't re-read many novels--too many great books, not enough time--but this is in my re-read pile. Anyone who enjoys quality women's fiction will love this book. Escapism at its best. I would have given it more than 5 stars if I could. Can we start a Flynn fan club?

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A complete impluse buy, and one I wasn't disappointed with. I'm not sure I knew what to expect going in, but I really enjoyed this. I was completely rooting for Mia and Flynn, in both the flashbacks and present day. At one point I thought I had the book figured out, but was pleasantly surprised. All in all, a decent read.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura Spinella weaves the past and the present in a seamless love story that grips you from the very first page. To say I loved this story is understatement. Kudos to Ms. Spinella on her debut novel. A definite must read!

[Jeannine J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! The author weaves the past and present together seamlessly. Romance and mystery meld together to tell the story of enduring love, lost and then found. The characters stay with the reader long after the last page. Wonderful debut novel. Kudos to Author Spinella.

[Brandie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This book grabbed me from the first page and wouldn't let go. As much as I was dying to find out what happened and finish it - I didn't want it to end. Beautiful story with wonderful characters. Loved it.