Top Ten Tuesday: Christmas reads!

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Books I Hope Santa Brings/Bookish Wishes. I don't tend to ask or receive books as gifts, with the notable exception of cookbooks. So, here are the ten Christmas books I have read so far this year. I am currently reading another two as well!

Actually, I am going to start with a bonus book! Last night I read this book to my nephew. My sister, her husband and my husband were all in the room as well, so it was like a group readalong.

And now on for the actual top ten!

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - I can't believe I haven't read this until now!

The Silver Haired Sisterhood by Judy Leigh - Christmas on the Isle of Skye sound great. (My review)

A Christmas Surprise in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen - It's so nice to read a Christmas novel set in Australia! (My review)

The Christmas Book Hunt by Jenny Colgan - A fun short story! Must read more Jenny Colgan (My review)

A Skye Full of Stars by Sue Moorcroft - Yes, this is another Christmas novel set on the Isle of Skye. (My review)

Someone Like You by Sandy Barker - This one was set in both London and Seattle, which I loved! (My review)

A Recipe For Christmas by Jo Thomas - This one had it all! Chocolate, grumpy hero, and snow in Switzerland! (My review)

The Village Christmas Party by Sue Roberts - What happens when the village senior Christmas lunch is booked at the same time as a birthday party for a 5 year old. (My review)

One Winter at the French Chalet by Mandy Baggot - When a journalist is sent to a village in the French Alps to cover a story about a pregnant reindeer and a man named Wolf, Christmas magic ensues. (My review)

Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel by Rebecca Raisin - Christmas in Paris! Yes please. (My review)

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Blog Tour: A Christmas Surprise in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen

 

Rachel Mason has kept herself very busy since her husband died several years ago. Between running a busy B&B, looking after her energetic grandchildren and her dog, she doesn't have a lot of time leftover. Despite all of her friends recently meeting their second chance loves, Rachel doesn't have the time even if she had the inclination. And now that her son, Alexander, has announced that he is coming home from London and that he is bringing a surprise, she still has a lot to do before Christmas.

Luke Findlay was glad to offer his son and his partner a place to live when they needed it, but now he feels a bit uncomfortable. When he is offered the chance to take up a locum position in the small town of Pelican Crossing, he knows that his son can look after his veterinarian practice, so he decides to take the offer. After all, he grew up in Pelican Crossing, and being there will help him find out more about his family history.

When Rachel needs to take her dog, Molly, to the vets, she is surprised to see that it is Luke. Luke used to date her sister, and Rachel had a bit of a crush on him. Luke was always really nice to her, and even had a nickname for her, Red. And he is still very attractive! Rachel's own self worth is a little damaged and so she can't believe he would be attracted to her.

Luke is very attracted to Rachel, but he knows that he is only in town for a limited time so it wouldn't be fair to start anything anyway. So why can't he seem to stay away?

And when Alexander arrives with his surprise, it is not at all what she was expecting. To be honest, Rachel was far more patient with him than I would have been! 

I always love visiting the town of Pelican Crossing. I swear if it was a real place, I could walk into town and recognise some of the people and places in the books. And because it is a very friendly place we could have a chat before I continued on my merry way.

Maggie Christensen's books are very much comfort reads for me. I know when I pick up one of her books, I will be drawn into the lives of the characters, that it will be a book that I can get lost in and that I will close it with a smile. Whilst I have read a lot of her books, I do have some that I am saving for a rainy day, for one of those days where I just need a pick me up read!

Obviously with the title this is set at Christmas time.  It's nice to occasionally read a Christmas story where there is sun and sand, which is what I am used to, rather than cold and snow. 

This is another fun read in the Pelican Crossing series, and I can't wait for the next one!

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted by The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below. Thanks to the publisher, and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. This also counts for the 12 Books of Christmas Challenge.

Rating 4/5

About the Book

A Christmas Surprise in Pelican Crossing

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.

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Surprise-Pelican-Crossing-perfect-ebook/dp/B0DBXPL4NM/

https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Surprise-Pelican-Crossing-perfect-ebook/dp/B0DBXPL4NM/

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!



Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/maggiechristensenauthor
https://twitter.com/MaggieChriste33
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8120020.Maggie_Christensen
https://www.instagram.com/maggiechriste33/
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/maggie-christensen?list=about
https://maggiechristensenauthor.com/

This week...

I'm reading

Last week I started reading Last Night in London by Karen White. It's not the book I intended to read, but never mind! I enjoyed it nonetheless. I did pick the major twist in the story pretty early on, but I was a little bit surprised by one of the other twists.

Next up I read a super short and sex story by Rachael Johns called The Ex Proposal. It was originally released as part of an anthology, but now the authors have the rights back and so Rachael released it. The link is available on her author Facebook page. 

Next up I read A Christmas Surprise in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen. I really enjoy everything I read by Maggie Christensen and this was no exception. My review will be up in a couple of days

I then started reading Judie Leigh's new book, The Silver-Haired Sisterhood. The review for this one will also be up later this week. Then I have one more review due and then a month or so before the next one. Of course I will be reading to get ahead of due dates, but there will also be some time for me to just read whatever I like which I am looking forward to!

I was listening to The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley, but I have put that aside for now. Last year I listened to the Secret History of Christmas by Bill Bryson twice, and I felt like listening to it again, so I did. It's full of very interesting Christmas facts! I then began my annual listen to Hogfather by Terry Pratchett. Once I have finished this I will go back to The Missing Sister. I did recently hear that Richard Armitage narrates the next book in the series, Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt, so I will need to get onto that asap! But I also have the new Nora Roberts book waiting for me, and so many other audiobooks too!




I'm watching

SailGP is back! We therefore watched the first race last week. Last year we went to Sydney to watch a live SailGP race, and the year before we went to Christchurch but this year we will only be watching from home.

We finished watching Nobody Wants This which was a lot of fun. It stars Kristen Bell and Adam Brody. I think I will try to start the new Ted Danson series next or maybe we should continue with some of the series we already have on the go?

I also watched Meet Me Next Christmas which was a fun Christmas movie. I am hoping to watch more Christmas movies, but I don't really seem to have enough time which is a bit weird!



Life

How on earth did I ever have time to work. The second half of last week was super busy, featuring a brunch on Thursday, lunch at Geelong, people around for lunch on Saturday, and then visiting a Christmas market on Sunday. 

The other thing that we did on Friday night was to go and visiting the Da Vinci exhibition at Lume. We had seen it before, but this time there was a quintet from Melbourne Symphony Orchestra playing which made it a really nice experience.

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Back to the Beginning
Blog Tour: Casa Paradiso by Francesca Scanacapra
Blog Tour: Celebrating 25 books by Sue Moorcroft
Weekend Cooking/Cook the Books: Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: December Links
Festive Treats: November


I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date

This week....

Life


We took advantage of the beautiful weather on the public holiday and went for a drive in the country to a garden where there were both cherry blossoms and tulips in bloom! All the way through the gardens there were these inviting benches to just sit a while.

On Sunday afternoon, we went and had high tea at Koi Dessert Bar. We have been to the Sydney restaurant years ago, but this is the first time we have been since they opened in Melbourne

I'm reading

It's been a busy reviewing week for me. I finished reading The Resistance Bakery by Siobhan Curham and then read both  A New Dawn in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen and Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel by Rebecca Raisin.

I also finished listening to The Yellow Wood by Minnie Darke. I started listening to it a couple of months ago but I didn't listen while we were away and so it has taken me a long time to get through, especially considering that it is only 4 hours long. 

I started listening to The Lost Bookstore by Evie Woods. I also started reading The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson after loving her latest book, The Beforelife of Eliza Valentine. Yes, I am still gushing about this book!

I mentioned last week that my next book club theme is Going Back. So far I could choose from The Resistance Bakery, A New Dawn in Pelican Crossing,  The Yellow Wood and presumably Mabel Beaumont as well as options and I still have another 4 weeks before the meeting!



I'm watching

It was the AFL grand final on Saturday  so we had a long weekend (I know, odd reason but still). In addition to watching some of the final we watched some of the Americas Cup sailing, and started a new cooking show called The World Cook

On Friday night, we went to movies and watched an Italian movie called Comandante. It's a WWII move, based on a true story about a submarine commander who sinks a merchant navy ship and then picks up the survivors and is trying to get them to a safe port.

Here's the trailer

Posts from the last week


Top Ten Tuesday: Books on my Spring 2024 To Read List

Blog Tour: The Beforelife of Eliza Valentine by Laura Pearson
Blog Tour: Falling for Provence by Alison Roberts
Blog Tour/Weekend Cooking: The Resistance Bakery by Siobhan Curham
Blog Tour: A New Dawn in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen

Blog Tour: Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel by Rebecca Raisin

I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date

Blog Tour: A New Dawn in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen

What's that saying about there being only two things in life that you can be certain of? Death and taxes. For me, I would like to add a third certainty. If there is a new Maggie Christensen book out then I will be reading it.

This is the third book in the Pelican Crossing series and this time the main focus is Gill Dickson, local divorce lawyer, and Joe Harris, widowed town mayor. Gill is in the midst of an acrimonious divorce from her husband Max, which in turn has caused her daughter to cease speaking to her. Not only is she upset to find herself in this situation, the fact that it is dragging on and on given that she is a divorce lawyer is a bit embarrassing. There is no way known that she is interested in meeting anyone new. She will throw herself into her work, just as she always has, even though Max has often said that was a big part of why they have divorced. The only time when she isn't on edge is early in the morning when she joins the wild swimmers in the ocean, whatever the weather.

Joe has been widowed for a while now after a very happy marriage to Barb. He has his chocolate lab, Coco, and he has the mayoralship which keeps him very busy. He's lonely, but not really ready to do much about it, but when he meets Gill he is immediately attracted to her, despite her prickliness.

When Joe's sister, Erica, suddenly contacts him in a distressed state, he has no qualms in offering her a refuge. He never really liked his brother in law, Geoff, but even he can't believe what has been going on in his sister's life. When a friend suggests that Gill might be able to help, it enables him to see her even more. Whilst Gill  is advising Erica on her next steps, Joe is helping Gill to try some new adventures, with the hope that she will thaw a little towards him.

Gill is a bit of a funny characters. She is very emotionally contained, which I guess serves her well as a lawyer, but probably doesn't serve her that well when it comes to making new friends. She definitely makes Joe work hard for every little step in their relationship. I did like that Gill was very community minded.

As always, this is another fun visit to Pelican Crossing, and we also got to revisit a few of the characters from the previous series which was set in nearby Bellbird Bay. I can always rely on Maggie Christensen to write feel good second chance romances for older characters.

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted by The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below. Thanks to the publisher, and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy.

Rating 3.5/5

Before finishing, I thought I would share a picture of my beautiful chocolate lab, Max, just  because I can.

About the Book

A New Dawn in Pelican Crossing

Divorce lawyer Gill Dickson thinks she has seen it all, until she finds herself in the midst of her own acrimonious divorce and estranged from her daughter. Her one certainty is that the last thing she wants in her life is another man.

Pelican Crossing mayor Joe Harris has buried himself in his work after his wife's death, finding solace with the companionship of his faithful dog, Coco. But when Joe needs Gill's legal expertise for a family matter, he is unexpectedly drawn to her.

Can Joe break through Gill’s emotional barriers and earn her trust? And can these two lonely souls find the happiness they deserve in each other?

Set in the small Queensland coastal town of Pelican Crossing, this heartwarming romance will keep you captivated until the very end.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/NewDawninPC

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!



Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/maggiechristensenauthor
https://twitter.com/MaggieChriste33
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8120020.Maggie_Christensen
https://www.instagram.com/maggiechriste33/
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/maggie-christensen?list=about
https://maggiechristensenauthor.com/

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I have read while on holidays

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Planes, Trains & Automobiles/Books Featuring Travel (books whose plots involve travel or feature modes of transportation on the cover/title) (submitted by Cathy @ What Cathy Read Next)

Oooops. I did holiday vibes post last week. Probably should have looked ahead a bit before choosing that topic. So what am I going to do instead? How about books I have read on holidays, including on planes! 

I am currently on holidays in South Africa, so here is a pic of the book I was finishing off today sitting outside at our lodge, looking out at the pool and the bush.

The Map Maker's Promise by Catherine Law - This is the book I was reading in the picture above.

Champagne Widows by Rebecca Rosenberg  - I read this on the plane home from Queensland

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr  - I read this on the way to Tassie a couple of years ago.

Escape to Bellbird Bay by Maggie Christensen - I read on the way to Broome

The Language of Love by Annabel Abbs - I read this during an Easter road trip down the Great Ocean Road

Homecoming by Yaa Gyasi - I read this while I was on holiday in South Africa last time

Just One Wish by Rachael Johns - I read this book on my way to my wedding in Vanuatu

The Flat Share by Beth O'Leary - According to my blog I read this on a plane to somewhere

Barriers to Entry by Ariel Lawhon - I read a few short stories on my flight this week, and this was one of them.

Come Fly With Me by Helen Rolfe - I couldn't not include this book which is about a helicopter pilot in an emergency response team

Do you read much while you are on holidays

This Week...

Life

On Sunday we went to a cafe in the inner city suburbs where they were advertising Parisian Hot Chocolate, and I have to say it was worth  the drive. What is that, you may ask? Well, it was a very thick drinking chocolate that comes with a big serving of cream. We had a ham and cheese croissant and then shared a banoffee cream croissant which was oh my goodness good. The cafe only does the Parisian Hot Chocolate during winter, but all the food looks so good, we can see ourselves going back again.

It did make me reminisce on all the delicious hot chocolates we had when we were travelling through Europe, which I posted about here.

This follows our visit to a German Christmas Market on Saturday which I am counting as our Christmas in July for this year. It was a bit cold and rainy (it is winter after all) but we got to enjoy some mulled wine and there was a nice vibe. We intended to grab some dinner there but the queue for the Bratwurst sausages was at least an hour long, so we ended up going to the local pub for their Christmas in July menu. We do try to do something for Christmas in July most years!

I also had a work offsite this week which was in a gorgeous location and with great food! It was an enjoyable couple of days but quite full on!

I'm reading

After a slow reading week last week, this was a much better week in terms of the number of books read. I read both Secrets in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen, which I reviewed last week here), and The One That I Want by Sandy Barker which I will review this week. I also started reading Poppy's Parisian Patisserie by Daisy James

I finished listening to Sidelines by Karen Viggers, which was an interesting read. It's not my normal type of read but I did enjoy it in the end. It covered a number of issues. I then wanted a change of pace and so I started listening to Funny Story by Emily Henry.


I'm watching

It was the finale of Masterchef Australia this week. Whilst I am not going to spoil the results, I can say that I wasn't the biggest fan of the winner. Never mind. Bring on Dessert Masters!

I did  start watching a British show called Extraordinary Extensions. The show is basically a home renovation show. It is hosted by rapper Tinie Tempah, which gives the home renovation genre a bit of a twist. The renovations they are featuring are amazing, featuring people who make very brave design decisions and do something different with their houses. Oops...apparently the host just goes by the name Tinie now.

Other than that, I did watch a couple of movies. I watched the new Harry Connick Jr movie set in Cyprus - Finding Me Falling. It was pretty standard rom com and it was ... you know...fine. Harry Connick Jnr stars as a faded rock star who buys a house on a clifftop in Cyprus. When he runs into an old flame, things change more than he could ever imagine.

After our fancy brunch, we went to see Arctic Convoy (Konvoi) which is showing as part of the Scandinavian Film Festival. This is a Norwegian film which tells the story of an Arctic convoy which plied the seas from Norway to the USSR, providing much needed provisions in the depths of WWII. It was a pretty good movie, although it did lose it's way a little bit at times. It was certainly dramatic. Here's the trailer.

Posts from the last week


Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Things I Love About Books Set in France

Blog Tour: Secrets in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen
Weekend Cooking/Paris in July: The Taste of Things

Paris in July: Paris: Impressions of Life 1880-1925




I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date

Blog Tour: Secrets in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen

 

Welcome back to Pelican Crossing, an idyllic beach town in Queensland where the waves roll in, the town people are welcoming, and there is love in the air, particularly if you are a bit older and been by yourself a long time. This is the second book in the Pelican Crossing series by Maggie Christensen, which in turn is a spin off from the Bellbird Bay series, which in turn was a spin off from the Granite Springs series. I don't think that was a spin off, but I could be wrong. Granite Springs was where I started my Maggie Christensen journey, and I have been with her all the way reviewing nearly all of her books.

Liz is a divorced mother of two grown up daughters.  She is the practice manager at the local medical clinic, she has a good group of friends, and she isn't really looking for love, although her daughters are encouraging her to try dating. Liz also has a secret she has been hiding for year from everyone.

Finn moved to Pelican Springs from Bellbird Bay when his son in law died in a drowning accident and he needed to move to the town to support his grieving daughter and grandson. He is editor of the local town newspaper  and he also is not looking for love.

Somehow, whilst they knew of each other, they hadn't really met, but when they do sparks fly but the timing is all wrong. Liz's daughter Mandy has just moved back in, and Liz's big secret is about to come out. It could be a blessing or it could completely destroy her entire family. For Finn, he is way too busy looking after his family and trying to save the newspaper.

As you can probably tell from my intro, I am a big fan of Maggie Christensen's books, and this book was no exception. In fact, this is probably one of the better ones. Some times I find some of the secondary adult characters a bit annoying, and there was definitely the possibility of that with this book, particularly in the way that Liz's younger daughter reacted to her mother's secret. In this case though, I could see how someone would react in that way.

Finn's grandson Sandy was a big part of this book. He was traumatised from seeing his father drown the year before, and the way that this was portrayed was very sensitively handled. His determination and joy at getting a puppy was so lovely!

I feel like I don't even need to say this, but I will of course be reading the next Pelican Crossing book and the one after that and so on. We have already met a number of characters in the first two books in the series who will feature in future books!

Thanks the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog

Rating 4/5

About the Book - 

Secrets in Pelican Crossing

Divorced, frustrated by her daughter's matchmaking, and resigned to staying happily single, Liz Phillips thinks she has her life all figured out… until she meets Finn Hunter.

Having moved to Pelican Crossing twelve months earlier to support his daughter after a family tragedy, Finn finds himself juggling family obligations and a demanding job as the editor of the local paper. He has little time for romance.

When Liz and Finn’s paths cross, there’s an undeniable spark between them. They quickly form a connection which neither of them anticipates.

Amidst the whirlwind of their relationship, a secret from Liz’s past resurfaces, threatening the closeness she shares with her daughters. Having Finn to lean on is a godsend, but Finn is concealing a secret of his own. A secret that once revealed could undermine the trust and understanding they share and destroy any chance of a future together.

Can Liz find her happy ending or is she destined to face the future with only her family for company?

 

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Secrets-Pelican-Crossing-heartwarming-chances-ebook/dp/B0CYSVSKFH

https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Pelican-Crossing-heartwarming-chances-ebook/dp/B0CYSVSKFH

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!

 

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/maggiechristensenauthor
https://twitter.com/MaggieChriste33
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8120020.Maggie_Christensen

https://www.instagram.com/maggiechriste33/

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/maggie-christensen?list=about

https://maggiechristensenauthor.com/

Top Ten Tuesday - Happy!

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Books I Had VERY Strong Emotions About (Any emotion! Did a book make you super happy or sad? Angry? Terrified? Surprised?), I am focusing on books with variations on the word happy in the title.

The Happiest Refugee by Ahn Do - Ahn is pretty much a national treasure at this point but he started his life in Australia as a refugee.

The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku - This man went through so much but still knew how to be happy.

Happy Ever After in Bellbird Bay by Maggie Christensen - Book number 9 in the Bellbird Bay series (review)

Happy Place by Emily Henry - I must get to the new Emily Henry book.

The Recipe for Happiness by Jane Lovering - I read this a while ago and really enjoyed it. (review)

Isla and the Happy Ever After by Stephanie Perkins - This was the follow up to the hugely successful Anna and the French Kiss!

The Lost Recipe for Happiness by Barbara O'Neal - I doe enjoy Barbara O'Neal's books.

Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith - Book number 7 in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency (review)

Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts - The covers for this series are so gorgeous!

Happy People are Annoying by Josh Peck - No, I haven't read this one! But it did amuse me to include it in this list.

Blog Tour: The Restaurant in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen

Poppy Taylor has been successfully running her restaurant, Crossings, on her own for 5 years. Originally the restaurant was owned by her parents but then she and her husband had been transforming it into a new style of restaurant when he suddenly passed away, leaving Poppy to continue raising their daughters and building a successful business. She has been happy enough with her life. She has her three lovely daughters, and good friends, especially her husband's best friend Cam. Cam is always there for Poppy, no matter what she needs. But what happens if she acts on her growing attraction to him. Will it ruin their friendship, and is that a risk she is willing to take?

Cam has also been single for a long time, after his wife left him for a woman. He too has been busy raising his son and building his business managing a marina. He has long been attracted to Poppy, but he is not willing to start anything with her without a sign from her. Now, his son is marrying one of Poppy's daughters, binding the two families together even more. 

When Poppy receives a very generous offer for her business, she starts to wonder what life might look like if she didn't have to manage the restaurant. When an old flame turns up in a flash yacht, no one is exactly sure what his intentions are. One thing for sure is that not everything is as it seems, and Cam is determined to understand exactly what is going on.

For a very calm read there is quite a lot going on in this book. 

I love Maggie Christensen's writing. It is the very definition of comfort reading to me, so as she moves from one series to another, there was never any doubt that I was going to make the journey with her. It was certainly a book that I could lose myself in when I was reading it while I was in hospital last week. Like Bellbird Bay, Pelican Crossing is going to be one of those towns where there is something in the water, where there is true love to be found no matter how old you are, as long as you are open to it.

The last series was set in Bellbird Bay which is not very far away from Pelican Crossing geographically (in an imaginary way!) and so there were a number of cameos by characters from Bellbird Bay. There are definitely similarities between the two towns and I look forward to seeing more of the similarities and exploring the differences. I was interested to see that there was a bit of sailing in this book. While I won't confess to doing a lot of sailing, we do love to watch competitive sailing on TV, especially SailGP.

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge, hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review. Thank you to Rachel's Random Resources and the author for the review copy.

Rating 4/5



About the book

The Restaurant in Pelican Crossing: A second chance romance to tug on your heartstrings



Poppy Taylor has always been content with her life in Pelican Crossing, but as she watches her youngest daughter get married, she can't help but feel that there’s something missing. Never would Poppy have predicted the dramatic transformation that occurs as she reunites with an old love and makes a choice that will reshape everything.

Cam Mitchell has always felt a strong attraction to Poppy, and when she reveals her plans to make changes in her life, Cam sees it as his chance to finally reveal his feelings. But Cam's hopes are crushed when he discovers Poppy's past love is back in the picture.

Cam becomes increasingly sceptical of the man from Poppy's past – a feeling that escalates when he uncovers his shocking plans for Pelican Crossing.

With their town now at risk, Cam and Poppy must work together to save their home and find their own happy ending. But will their feelings for each other be enough to overcome the obstacles in their way?

For fans of small-town romances and heartwarming stories of second chances, Pelican Crossing is a must-read. A captivating tale of love, loyalty, and the fight to protect what matters most.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/RestaurantinPC

About the author

After a career in education, Maggie Christensen began writing romantic women’s fiction, feel good stories of second chances. 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!



Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/maggiechristensenauthor
https://twitter.com/MaggieChriste33
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8120020.Maggie_Christensen
https://www.instagram.com/maggiechriste33/
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/maggie-christensen?list=about
https://maggiechristensenauthor.com/

This week....

Life

Well, I didn't really have a hospital stay on my bingo cards for last week, but that's what ended up happening. I had a minor issue that I went to the doctor about on Friday the week before last. When I went back for the follow up she told me I had to go to Emergency for a minor surgery. What I didn't expect was to end up in hospital for four nights while I waited for my surgery. It wouldn't have been so bad apart from the fact that I had to start fasting at midnight each night just in case the surgery was going to happen the next day. Over the course of four days I had 2 sandwiches and 2 dinners and that is it food wise. You would think I would have lost a couple of kilograms as a result, but it doesn't seem that I have!! Very disappointing.

I am glad to be home. No more poking, prodding, lectures. No more being woken in the middle of the night.

We did go to Cirque de Soleil last night which was pretty amazing! Such a spectacle of colour, music, acrobatics, humour all within the big circus tent. I have been meaning to got to Cirque de Soleil for years, but it just hadn't happened before now. Of course, it probably would have been better not to go the day after getting out of hospital.

I'm reading

Well, it's been a big reading week for me. I guess that's what happens when you don't have many options on how to entertain yourself when you are not sleeping. I finished three books this week which gives me a little bit of space to read a non review book.

First of all, I finished reading Kate Frost's A Greek Island Summer. I was supposed to review this last week but hopefully I will get that review done in the next couple of days.

I then started and finished reading The Restaurant at Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen, who is definitely what I would call a comfort read for me - definitely required this week.

Next, I read One Greek Summer Wedding by Mandy Baggot. If I had to give a one word review of this book it would be madcap. I will have a review for this one shortly.

Finally, I started reading The Shakespeare Sisters by Juliet Greenwood. I have the second book in this series to read for a blog tour later this month. I definitely prefer to read series in order so I have found some time to read the first book so far.

I'm watching

I didn't watch anything this week, except for the view from the window

Posts from the last week

Six Degrees: The Anniversary to Equal Rites

Weekend Cooking: What I Baked (In My Kitchen) in April

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge - May Links

I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date

Top Ten Tuesday: You already own that book!

 

 

 

 

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme Bookish Superpowers I Wish I Had (e.g. never accidentally buying the same book twice, every book I buy would be automatically signed/personally dedicated by the author, the ability to read faster, etc.) (Submitted by Cathy @WhatCathyReadNext)

My list takes one of those suggestions and twists it just a bit. Fortunately, whenever I try to book that I already own, Kindle very gently reminds  me that I already own it! My list this week is therefore the books I have tried to buy more than one!

The Enchanted Garden Cafe by Abigail Drake - I have actually read this book, but that doesn't stop me from attempting to buy it again! (my review)

The Recipes for Love by Anni Rose - Food and romance. What isn't to love. And what's better than 1 book. Well a box set obviously!

The Other Side of Beautiful by Kim Lock - I think I first bought this after seeing Kim Lock at a reader retreat last year.

The Right Place by Carla Caruso - From memory this is another foodie book. I just read the blurb again and it does sound good!

The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson - I saw this book around the place last year and bought it, and then attempted to buy it again.

Champagne for Breakfast by Maggie Christensen - I have read many, many Maggie Christensen books, but not this one! Yet.

Elizabeth's Star by Rhonda Forrest - This is partially set in New Guinea in WWII, which is a very unusual setting! 

This Has Been Absolutely Lovely by Jessica Dettmann - I read Without Further Ado last year and loved it, so now I need to read her backlist at some point.

 

The Irish Cottage by Juliet Gauvin - Maybe I should read this book soon given that Reading Ireland hosted by Cathy at 746 Books is about to start.

A Rogue of One's Own by Evie Dunmore - I can't even remember the last time I read a historical romance, and yet I still keep on trying to buy this one!

Blog tour: Happy Ever After in Bellbird Bay by Maggie Christensen

 

Cass Marshall has watched one of her best friends, Greta, fall in love but she knows that her chance for love is well and truly gone. She was badly burned years ago and she is not going back Although...she has always had a bit of a thing for Greta's ex, Mick, but she knows that she could ever act on that attraction. After all, Mick had a reputation for being a ladies man back in the day.

The reality is Cass doesn't have time for romance anyway. Her mother is in a nursing home. Some days she recognises Cass but most of the time she doesn't. And Cass is bearing this burden alone as her sister lives in London. What she doesn't expect that her sister will send her nephew Justin to live with her to get him away from a bad crowd.  The biggest issue with Justin really appears to be that he doesn't want to follow in his father's footsteps.

Mick has now accepted that his ex Greta has moved on, so he is throwing himself into his business running a whale watching business. However, he and his brother have responsibility for ensuring that theirdad is getting adequate care, and so he too has a parent in the nursing home.

Cass and Mick keep on running into each other, especially after he offers Justin the opportunity to work with him on the boat. But Mick isn't the only man who has his eye on Cass. Her ex, a successful TV anchor, is back in town and he wants to reignite the relationship which floundered so long ago, and he isn't going to take no for any answer. 

Despite the challenges that are put in their ways, Cass and Mick find a way to begin to explore their feelings, but will their relationship be able to get off the ground?

Once again, there are plenty of familiar characters that we have met over the course of the last 9 books, including Ruby Sullivan who once again has a prediction for our pair.

In some ways it is quite bittersweet to read this final book in the Bellbird Bay series. I followed from Granite Springs to Bellbird Bay and I will definitely follow again to Pelican Crossing! We did take a brief trip to Pelican Crossing in the pages of this book.

This book counts for both new release challenge and What's in a Name Challenge. I am using this for the "double letters" prompt

Given that this is the last book in this series, I thought I would share the links to all the Bellbird Bay reviews I have previously shared 

Summer in Bellbird Bay

Coming Home to Bellbird Bay

Starting Over in Bellbird Bay

Christmas in Bellbird Bay

Finding Refuge in Bellbird Bay

Escape to Bellbird Bay

Second Chances in Bellbird Bay

Celebrations in Bellbird Bay

Thank you to the author and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy.

Rating 4/5

About the Book

Happy Ever After in Bellbird Bay

It’s been over twenty years since Cass Marshall’s relationship fell apart, and she returned home to Bellbird Bay. Now, although happy with the success of her beachwear business, Cass often longs for someone special to share her life.

Nursing the wounds of a failed marriage, Mick Roberts has finally accepted his ex has moved on with her life. Determined to avoid his daughter’s attempts at matchmaking, he immerses himself in his whale-watching business.

When family sickness brings the two together, Cass wonders if her life is about to take a turn for the better. But with Mick’s ex-wife also being Cass’s best friend, a seed of doubt emerges.

This doubt intensifies when Cass’s recently widowed ex arrives in town, determined to use any means to drive a wedge between Cass and Mick as he fights for a second chance.

Can Bellbird Bay work its magic again and provide a happy ever after for Cass and Mick, or are they destined to spend the rest of their lives alone?

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Happy-Ever-After-Bellbird-Bay-ebook/dp/B0CJ4KYJMH

https://www.amazon.com/Happy-Ever-After-Bellbird-Bay-ebook/dp/B0CJ4KYJMH

About the author –

After a career in education, Maggie Christensen began writing romantic women’s fiction, feel good stories of second chances. 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!



Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/maggiechristensenauthor
https://twitter.com/MaggieChriste33
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8120020.Maggie_Christensen
https://www.instagram.com/maggiechriste33/
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/maggie-christensen?list=about
https://maggiechristensenauthor.com/