I’m delighted today to be helping launch the blog tour for A Christmas Surprise in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen – the fourth in this lovely series, but every book entirely readable as a standalone – and sharing my publication day review. Published today (3rd December), it’s now available for kindle (free via Kindle Unlimited) and in paperback via Amazon in the UK and US. My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation to join the blog tour and for her support, and to both Rachel and Maggie for my advance reading e-copy.
You might just have noticed by now that I absolutely adore this series – the very real mature romances, the (now familar) Pelican Bay setting, and the new and established friendships between the individuals in its closely knit community. The series so far has picked up the lives of a group of female friends, who have met up regularly for lunch for many years. The first book in the series, The Restaurant in Pelican Crossing, was Poppy’s story – her developing romance with Cam laced with family complications and a fair bit of real drama too (you’ll find my full review here). In the second book, Secrets in Pelican Crossing, it was Liz’s turn – a really touching romance, more family issues, some emerging secrets and even a little more drama to make the pages turn faster (my review of that one is here). And the third, A New Dawn in Pelican Crossing? Well, that was Gill’s story – another wonderful (and very real) romance, with all the other elements I’ve so enjoyed (you can read my review again here). And this time it’s Rachel’s story – always there for others with a shoulder to cry on and some sage advice – and I was looking forward to getting to know her rather better…
Christmas is coming to Pelican Crossing, bringing with it a host of surprises.
Fifty-eight-year-old widow Rachel Mason thought she had her life all figured out – running her quaint Bed and Breakfast, spending time with her grandkids, and keeping her loyal West Highland Terrier by her side.
But when her son announces a Christmas surprise, Rachel’s world is turned upside down.
Luke Findlay, widowed, retired, and looking to check off items on his bucket list, suddenly finds himself back in his hometown of Pelican Crossing, where he is tasked with temporarily running the local vet clinic.
When the new vet turns out to be Rachel’s teenage crush, and her son’s Christmas surprise is very different from what she anticipated, her life becomes unexpectedly complicated. But then, Luke receives a surprise of his own.
As Rachel and Luke reconnect, sparks fly, and old feelings resurface. But with Luke’s impending departure and Rachel’s unforeseen responsibilities, can their newfound connection survive?
Fans of heartwarming romances will love this story of second chances and unexpected love.
I shared Rachel’s trepidation about the Christmas “surprise” her son had in store for her – after all, her life in widowhood has fallen into a comfortable pattern, welcoming guests to her bed and breakfast, regularly looking after her daughter’s children (perhaps being taken for granted at times – but that’ll ease a bit when they’re at school), the lunches (and a coffee now and then) with her friends, walking her West Highland terrier on the nearby deserted beach. And she’s already in a bit of a flutter with the arrival of Luke, putting his retirement on hold for a while to fill in as locum at the vet practice – he was her sister’s boyfriend in years gone by, and she’d always had a bit of a crush – but she’s certainly glad of his expertise when her dog is unexpectedly taken ill. There’s a real spark between them, but there are so many things going on in both their lives that a relationship proves difficult – and Rachel is always conscious that he has another life in the city that he’ll be returning to, so there’s little hope of a future together.
She rather expected her son’s surprise to be a new relationship – but when he arrives on Christmas Eve (and his failure to communicate made me so angry…) it turns out to be something quite different, other people getting the full picture rather sooner than Rachel does, with the expectation that she will pick up the pieces and cope as she always does. As always, the family relationships – Luke’s too, sharing his home with his son and his partner being a major reason why he took that locum post – are extremely well drawn, with their frequent ups and downs and regular bits of drama. The tentative romance was particularly lovely, with the author’s usual sure emotional touch – two very real and very likeable people, deserving of happiness, but with so many obstacles in their way.
I love spending Christmas in the sun through the author’s writing, and having an entirely different experience of the festive season – the traditions might differ, and that’s an element I really enjoy, but there are still those familiar family tensions and heightened emotions. And this time, there’s also an ongoing situation that’s striking fear throughout the whole community – hopefully resolved through Luke’s interventions and those of a few individuals we’ve met and whose company we’ve enjoyed in previous books in this lovely series. Those friendships, and the chance to catch up with people who became our friends too when we shared their own stories, are something I always really like about the author’s books – but every book is entirely readable as a standalone without making any reader feel they might have missed out on an earlier story.
And one of the other things I really enjoy is the authenticity of the more mature characters and the challenges they face – Rachel’s situation is so very easy to identify with, her response to situations so very real, her emotional turmoil wholly understandable. And her male characters are equally well drawn, as we also share their point of view, along with their hopes and fears – and Luke certainly has some difficult choices to make about his own future.
As always, this was a book I loved. The mature characters do always have a particular appeal for me – but this is a really engaging read that I’d thoroughly recommend to other readers, whatever their age, the perfect addition to a series I’m very much enjoying.
So, whose story will we read next? Well, it’s going to be Erica’s story – mayor Joe’s sister, who we met in A New Dawn in Pelican Crossing when she was fleeing from her abusive husband, and who finds herself again in need of a home and a fresh start. Safe Harbour in Pelican Crossing will be published on 8th April 2025, and is now available for pre-order – and it’s certainly a book I’ll be looking forward to!
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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