The news that there is a new Maggie Christensen book coming is always welcome! This is the eighth book in the Pelican Crossing series, which is set in a small beachside town on the Queensland coast.
We had met Ranah Black in previous books in the series, given her friendship with Erica and Livvy who featured in early books in the series. Now Erica and Livvy are all loved up with their new partners and they want the same for her. Ranah does allow herself moments where she wishes for someone, but she has never been in a relationship and she can't see that changing any time soon. The reality is that she much prefers the company of her dogs to that of people. As a breeder of spaniels, she came into contact with people often enough.
When she meets a young woman who is crying on the street, Ranah does something completely out of character and offers Tiffany a place to stay. Tiffany works in hospitality in town but is finding it difficult to find accommodation due to the lack of affordable housing. She is also somewhat estranged from her family and in a situation not of her own making. The kindness of a stranger is the last thing Tiffany expects, but she is grateful for the offer and accepts.
Steve Morton has lived outside of Pelican Crossing for a few years now. He is an American with Australian heritage who found the town by accident and loved it so much that he moved there. However, he too keeps himself to himself. He runs his hot air ballooning and scenic helicopter business from his property but other than that he keeps himself to himself. Ranah and Steve have never even met despite the fact that they are neighbours.
Despite his aloofness, Steve has made a big difference to the town. They just don't know it. Over the years he has made anonymous donations for a variety of local causes, including saving the local newspaper. Now though, he is turning his attention to the housing situation, and he knows that if his plans come to fruition, there is no way he is going to be able to keep his philanthropy anonymous!
Steve and Rhana finally meet when she is invited to go on a hot air balloon ride with her friend which isn't really her idea of fun. Privately, Rhana calls Steve "the birdman" and she is not really that interested in getting to know him. However, sometimes fate has other ideas and the two of them seem to keep on running into each other. Soon, they discover
I thought that the author did a great job a looking at trauma and the way it can impact your whole life. Both Steve and Rhana have had significant impacts on their lives. For Rhana, it has shaped her in ways that have led her to isolating herself from people, and from never believing that anyone would want a relationship with her. She has never, ever told anyone what happened to her, and she doesn't intend to start now. However, when she sees Tiffany suffering, she knows that she needs to share to try to help the younger woman down a different path to the one that she has chosen. And she also might need to put aside the fear of intimacy she has and give the birdman a chance.
Whilst Steve loves his hot air balloon and helicopters, it is a double edged sword. He knows that if it weren't for the tragic loss of his fiancée in a small plane crash many years before he probably wouldn't even be in Pelican Crossing. He has build a successful life for himself despite his loss but he doesn't really want to broaden his life.
These books are my comfort read. I know when I pick them up I am going to get immersed in the lives of a small town where there is a solid community, good people, friendships, lifestyle and so much more. Would I like to live in a town like Pelican Crossing? Yes, I think I would. Do I believe that I would get absorbed into the town in the ways that are portrayed in these books. Probably not. At least I can get absorbed into Pelican Crossing through the pages in these books! I am already looking forward to my next visit!
I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. Thanks to the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy.
Rating 4/5
About the book
Something in the Air in Pelican Crossing
Rhana Black has always been content with her quiet life in the Pelican Crossing hinterland, where she spends her days breeding spaniels. Following a traumatic incident at her school formal and weighed down by her own insecurities about her appearance, Rhana has shied away from any romantic relationships. That is, until a chance encounter with a hot air balloonist changes everything.
Steve Morton has been struggling to move on after the tragic death of his pregnant fiancée. In search of solace, he finds himself in Pelican Crossing, where he rediscovers his love for flying and starts offering hot air balloon rides and scenic helicopter flights along the coast. When he meets Rhana, he is taken aback by the intense emotions he feels towards her.
As Rhana and Steve navigate their complicated pasts and undeniable chemistry, they must decide if they are willing to break their self-imposed barriers and take a chance on love. But with their old wounds and deep insecurities threatening to keep them apart, can they be able to overcome their fears and find happiness together?
Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/somethingPC
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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