One last Christmas book before I take a break and get stuck into the Christmas films? It’s a pleasure to share my review of A Family for Christmas in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen – the seventh book in this lovely series, independently published on 4th November, now available for kindle (just £1.99, or free via Kindle Unlimited) and in paperback. The ecopy I read was my own, preordered and purchased via Amazon.
You’ll know by now how much I love my visits to Pelican Crossing – and it’s always rather lovely to share the experience of a more unfamiliar Christmas down under. This is a series I’ve stayed with since the very first book, The Restaurant in Pelican Crossing – you’ll find all my reviews, of this series and a good number of Maggie’s other books too, if you pop put her name in the search bar. The last book, Waves of Change in Pelican Crossing, was one I particularly enjoyed – the story of Livvy and Dan, the tentative steps towards a relationship for two lonely individuals who really deserved some happiness, and the very real obstacles in the way (you’ll find my review here). And this latest book is Lou’s story – owning the bookshop Books and Coffee, she’s appeared fleetingly in the earlier books, and I’ve always been intrigued to find out more about her…
For Lou Chalmers, Books and Coffee in Pelican Crossing isn’t just a bookshop and café, it’s the realisation of a dream. But with her sixty-fifth birthday approaching, she’s beginning to feel the weight of time and harbours regrets over her estranged relationship with her sister. Facing yet another lonely Christmas, she wonders if it’s time to try and reconnect.
When retired widower Blair Stevens leaves Tasmania to join his daughter in Pelican Crossing, he questions if he’s made the right decision. But as he delves into the town’s history and starts writing the novel he’s always wanted to, he becomes engrossed in his new life.
When an event at Lou’s bookshop brings the two together, they strike up an unlikely friendship. As Blair helps Lou search for her long-lost sister, their connection deepens in a way neither of them anticipated. But as fate pushes them towards each other, will their friendship blossom into something more?
A heartwarming story of two strangers who find unexpected companionship in this small town on the Queensland coast.
Books and Coffee was the fulfilment of a dream for Lou – she still enjoys working alongside Ron and Denny (who run the coffee shop) and her two helpers in the bookshop, but at 64, and with the aches and pains reminding her of her age, her thoughts are beginning to turn to the possibility of retirement. And as she returns home at night to her empty house and grumpy cat – she’s remained single after a romance in her younger years went badly wrong – she begins to feel her lack of family as the festive season approaches. She’s been estranged from her sister Fleur since she left Pelican Crossing over forty years ago – and it might just be time to try and find her, and repair their relationship.
Widower Blair Stevens has come to Pelican Crossing from Tasmania to live nearer to his daughter Katrina and her family – although he initially worries he might have made a bit of a mistake moving into a retirement village. He also finds his daughter is using him as an unpaid babysitter – but he gradually finds his feet, makes friends in the welcoming community, and starts to focus on the historical novel he’d always wanted to write, researching his family history for the background he needs.
Lou and Blair meet when he takes his grandchildren to an event at the bookshop, and again when he attends her new evening venture, The Book Cafe (what a great idea – not the usual book club format, but an opportunity to talk to other readers about books enjoyed). A friendship develops, and he offers to help her find her sister, using his research skills – and, with a definite spark between them, she begins to look forward to his daily visits to update her on his findings. Her friends and his family think – and hope – there might be more to their relationship when they’re seen having dinner together, but taking things further would be a major step for them both. And as for the ongoing search for her sister…
Similarly single into my sixties, I identified really strongly with Lou and her hopes and fears – and that’s something I’ve always loved about the author’s books, where the individuals she introduces us to are always so very real, feeling like friends you know particularly well. There was also a lot about Blair’s fresh start that rang true – I’ve recently been looking at retirement developments, and think I’m too young too! As well as the gentle and rather lovely slow burn romance, I very much enjoyed the story that developed as a result of the search for Lou’s sister – wonderful storytelling as always. And there was also the opportunity to spend time with other friends I’ve met on earlier visits, the community pulling together as they always do when their Christmas is overshadowed by something they never expected. And who doesn’t love spending time in a bookshop – especially at this time of year, with the sparkling lights and the children’s story times?
Another delightful read from an author I’ve grown to love – and one I’d recommend to all, either as part of this very enjoyable series or as a standalone Christmas read. I very much enjoyed it…
And the next book in the series? Already available for preorder, Something in the Air in Pelican Crossing will be out on 2nd April. It’ll be Rhana’s story – she’s always intrigued me, living a solitary with only her spaniels for company, and I’ll look forward to getting to know her better…
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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Thanks so much, Anne.
My absolute pleasure Maggie…