It's always a pleasure to spend time in the small country towns that Maggie Christensen has created and Bellbird Bay is no exception. And Bellbird Bay at Christmas, even better.
When Libby Walker and her husband planned their sea change move, they had no idea that it would be only Libby who actually made the move. A couple of years on, Libby is mostly settled. One thing that she knows she has no interest in is men. Which is lucky, because her daughter has just separated from her husband and is spending the summer in Bellbird Bay while she sorts out her life.
Adam Holland is only in Bellbird Bay for a few weeks. He needs to fulfil a promise to one of his best friends to spread his ashes in his home town on Christmas Eve. Adam has avoided commitment his whole life, and this trip is well timed to give him some space from the woman he has been seeing. It is also giving him a chance to clear his mind. Adam is a successful author, albeit somewhat reclusive, but the longer he spends in Bellbird the more he realises that what he really wants is to take his writing in a different direction. Now he just has to convince his agent that his established fan base will follow him with his new character.
When Libby meets Adam, her daughter Emma makes it clear that she would disapprove of any type of romantic entanglement with any man, but seemingly especially Adam. Libby enjoys spending time with him though and that is the first time she has felt anything since her husband died.
With so many difficulties navigating the complexities of the relationships on the peripherals, can Adam and Libby give themselves time and space to explore their growing feelings. Of course, the course of true love never runs smooth.
My only slight issue is really with Emma. I love reading these mature romances where older people meet and fall in love. I do sometimes find the older children a bit irritating and selfish. Having met my husband when we were older, I am well aware that it can be a bit difficult. A couple of days ago we were having a conversation with my son who lives with us. We were talking about this and he asked what would happen if he said that he disapproved now, bearing in mind that Robert has been living with us for 5 years. My response was that he could move out but he would have to leave the dog!
So many Christmas books are set in the Northern Hemisphere where Christmas means snow and darkness, for us it is about warm weather and if you are lucky sand and surf, and this book really gives a taste of that.
I really enjoyed spending more time in Bellbird Bay and I am already be looking forward to the next book!
Rating 4.5/5
Thanks to Rachel's Random Romance for providing a review copy of this book.
About the book:
Christmas in Bellbird Bay
Libby Walker never imagined she’d be moving into the dream house she and her husband had purchased for their retirement as a widow. Intent on making a new life for herself in the quiet coastal town of Bellbird Bay, Libby’s life is upended by an unexpected call from her daughter.
Adam Holland’s unhappy childhood and broken home has left him scarred. Content with the life he has built for himself as a journalist and author of political thrillers, Adam arrives in Bellbird Bay to fulfil the deathbed request of an old friend.
When Libby and Adam meet, there is an initial attraction. But Libby is grieving for her late husband and trying to help her daughter sort out her life, and Adam has no intention of forming a relationship, wary of commitment because of how his family was torn apart.
Will the peace and tranquillity of Bellbird Bay help these two move on from old hurts and make this a Christmas to remember, or will events conspire to keep them apart?
A heartwarming tale of family, friends, and how a second chance at love can happen when you least expect it.
Purchase Link - getbook.at/ChristmasinBellbirdBay
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. It is warm,
nourishing, comforting and embracing.
From the small town in Scotland
where she grew up, Maggie was lured to Australia by the call to ‘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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