It’s an absolute pleasure today (as it always is!) to be helping launch the blog tour for Maggie Christensen’s Finding Refuge in Bellbird Bay, and to share my review: published today (7th February), this is the fifth book in her latest series (and with the loveliest cover yet…), set in a small community on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, available both as an e-book (free via Kindle Unlimited) and in paperback. My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to both Rachel and Maggie for my advance reading e-copy.
I felt so at home in Granite Springs through Maggie’s last wonderful series that I wondered if I’d be as happy exploring a new location (you can find out more about that series here – and if you pop her name into my search box, you’ll find reviews of most of its books). But I love Bellbird Bay every bit as much – and the author’s wonderfully drawn and sympathetic mature characters continue to delight me. Summer in Bellbird Bay was the perfect start in February last year (you’ll find my review here), followed by a small slip when I just couldn’t fit in the second, Coming Home to Bellbird Bay – but I was delighted to catch up with the third (every book is perfectly readable as a standalone), published in August 2022, Starting Over in Bellbird Bay (you’ll find my review here). And there was a particular treat for the festive season – Christmas in Bellbird Bay, second chance romance at its very best as always, with the perfect emotional touch (you’ll find my review here). And this time it’s Bev’s story – moving to centre stage when she’s been a supporting character in the other books, and I was particularly looking forward to this one…
Thirty-five years ago, tragedy forced Bev Cooper to cut short her university studies and seek refuge in her hometown of Bellbird Bay. Today, as the owner of the thriving Pandanus Garden Centre and Café, Bev has moved beyond the past and is happy in her solitary existence.
Following the tragic death of his son’s wife, Iain Grant takes early retirement and moves with his devastated son and granddaughter to the peaceful coastal town of Bellbird Bay hoping it will provide the change of scene they all desperately need.
When Iain’s son accepts a position at Bev’s garden centre, the pair find themselves drawn into each other’s lives. But as they begin to enjoy an unexpected attraction, issues from the past threaten to derail their growing relationship.
Will the healing atmosphere of Bellbird Bay work its magic and provide a second chance in life, or will Bev find it too difficult to put the past behind her and enjoy her own happy ever after?
A heartwarming tale of family, friends, and how a second chance at love can happen when you least expect it.
Do you know, I think this book might be my favourite so far. Bev and her highly successful garden centre have featured in all the earlier stories – she was partly instrumental in bringing a few of the other couples together, especially her brother Dan and friend Ailsa, but I’d always been intrigued by her own story. I always suspected she had an edge of sadness in her past, and in this book we find out a great deal more – a devastating experience in her youth that changed the course of her life and made her particularly independent and self-sufficient. But the arrival of a new family in Bellbird Bay sees her letting others in a little – they need a refuge, as Bev did when she first joined the community, seeking a fresh start after a tragic family loss.
Iain Grant has taken early retirement, returning to a place that holds happy holiday memories, seeking to help his grieving son Bryan and six year old granddaughter Mia come to terms with their loss – and while his son thrives on the total change of direction provided by a job at the garden centre, while making new friends and throwing himself into training for the upcoming triathlon, Iain finds that he rather misses his former high-powered planning career. Rediscovering his love for sketching doesn’t fill the yawning days – and he’s more than happy to be drawn into helping Bev with a planning application for an enterprise she’s undertaking, and being on hand to help her handle some of the real issues that later arise. The book follows their developing relationship – which felt particularly authentic, between two characters I really warmed to, and with just the right emotional touch – but, like the planning application, things don’t run entirely smoothly. The appearance of Iain’s ex-wife puts a spanner in the works – but there are even more potentially serious obstacles to their happy ever after when Bev is forced to face up to her own past and memories.
I really loved this story – although I always find the author’s mature characters very easy to identify with, I felt a particularly strong emotional attachment to both Bev and Iain and the situations they were handling, with the story told from both their perspectives. But, as always, every single character in this book is a real person and perfectly drawn, whatever their age or involvement. The community gives both Bev and the new arrivals its usual warm hug of support, and it was lovely to spend time again with so many individuals who have also become my friends – although if this is your first visit, you’ll quickly feel as at home in Bellbird Bay as I always do. But this story does have a real twist in its tail – one I certainly didn’t see coming – with a particular emotional edge and extremely well handled. And running through the whole book is the build-up to a happy event that will delight anyone who read the first book in the series – I don’t want to spoil it for anyone – but perfectly integrated into the story and making its ending especially heartwarming and uplifting.
Have you read any of the author’s books yet? If not – and I’d rarely recommend a fifth book in a series as the place to start – I think this book might well be a perfect introduction to the author’s lovely writing. Go on, give it a try – you might just love this series as much as I do.
About the author
After a career in education, Maggie Christensen began writing contemporary women’s fiction portraying mature women facing life-changing situations, and historical fiction set in her native Scotland. Her travels inspire her writing, be it her trips to visit family in Scotland, in Oregon, USA or her home on Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast. Maggie writes of mature heroines coming to terms with changes in their lives and the heroes worthy of them. Maggie has been called the queen of mature age fiction and her writing has been described by one reviewer as like a nice warm cup of tea – warm, nourishing, comforting and embracing.
From the small town in Scotland where she grew up, Maggie was lured to Australia by the call ‘Come and teach in the sun’. Once there, she worked as a primary school teacher, university lecturer and in educational management. Now living with her husband of over thirty years on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, she loves walking on the deserted beach in the early mornings and having coffee by the river on weekends. Her days are spent surrounded by books, either reading or writing them – her idea of heaven!
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I really must read something by this author. Your reviews certainly make it sound like I’d enjoy her books.
Thanks so much, Anne. I’m so glad you enjoyed their story.