Finding Refuge in Bellbird Bay

This is the fifth book in the Bellbird Bay series and having enjoyed the previous ones, I was looking forward to reading more. It can easily be read as a standalone, as any essential information about past events is included, though I would recommend reading the whole series.

Bellbird Bay is a town in Australia, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, and we get to know the area and its inhabitants over the series of books. The story begins in July and concentrates on 55-year-old Bev Cooper, who owns the Pandanus Garden Centre and Café. At the start, Bev’s twin brother Martin and her best friend Ailsa announce they plan to get married in October. Although happy for them, Bev also feels a bit sad that she is single and likely to remain so. While she has seen many of her friends find love in later life, it seems the same opportunity will never come round for her.

Iain Grant is planning to leave Sydney and his architectural practice. After his daughter-in-law’s sudden death, his son Bryan and granddaughter Mia (6) needed him, so he had decided to take early retirement and move them all to Bellbird Bay, away from all the memories. He tells his son he has rented a house there for six months, so they can see how they get on.

Bellbird Bay is the sort of community where you soon get to meet everyone, so Bev and Iain end up working together on a planning issue, using Iain’s experience in architecture and urban planning. They’re a similar age, both single and there is an attraction between them, but can they overcome all the obstacles to have a romantic future together?

I found the book very easy to get into and I was interested in the characters and wanting to know what was going to happen to them. The chapters are an ideal length and I find Maggie’s writing style to be very good and accessible. The characters and storylines are believable and you soon become invested in them. It’s also good to catch up with the characters from the previous books in the series, if you have read those.

One of my favourite things about this series of books is that Bev – and many other characters – are around my age, so I can easily relate to them and the sort of issues they have to deal with.

If you enjoy books set in beautiful locations, this is also one you will enjoy. There’s plenty of sun, sand and surfing on the Australian coast here!

BLURB

Finding Refuge in Bellbird Bay

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 heart-warming tale of family, friends, and how a second chance at love can happen when you least expect it.

Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/FindingRefuge

Author Bio –

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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