ABOUT THE BOOK
Following her divorce, Greta Roberts has found solace running Birds of a Feather, an upmarket boutique in the seaside town of Bellbird Bay. But when a ghost from her past reappears, Greta’s peaceful, single life is sent into a spin.
Leo Carlson has built an empire of hotels and resorts but has never forgotten the perfect summer he spent in Bellbird Bay in his teens. When the opportunity to purchase a hotel there arises, he finds it difficult to pass it up.
Meeting again, Greta and Leo are quick to discover they are different people from the young couple who kissed on the beach and vowed to love each other for ever. Beset with challenges which threaten to keep them apart, can Bellbird Bay work its magic and provide these two with a second chance at love?
MY REVIEW
This is my second visit to the beautiful Bellbird Bay where the community is small and the gossip is big.
Second Chances in Bellbird Bay is told from dual third-person perspectives. The story follows Greta Roberts, owner of the Birds of a Feather boutique at Bellbird Bay, and her first love and hotel magnate Leo Carlson who took her heart and virginity 35 years ago and has returned to Bellbird Bay. Their feelings for each other never changed. Is she being a fool? Will he stay this time?
Leo and Greta’s sad story is about young love hindered by life’s unfortunate circumstances. When an opportunity to buy a hotel on Bellbird Bay presented itself, Leo jumped at the chance. His memories of the peaceful location and the beautiful surfer he fell in love with gave him hope for a happy future and to correct the mistakes of the past. But it was going to take some time to earn her trust and prove he was not going anywhere. Greta’s daughter has finally returned home with secrets at the same time Leo Carter appears out of nowhere after 35 years. Unable to hold back her feelings she opens her heart again only to see him leave once again over small-town gossip and wrong assumptions.
I have to admit I’m not a fan of the main characters. Greta needs to let her adult daughter, Jo, live her own life and stop interfering with her relationship. And as a chip off the old block, Jo AND her father need to stay out of Greta’s love life as well. As for Leo, he needs to stop coddling his manipulative ex-wife and his expectation of thinking Greta would jump back into his arms after abandoning her is just arrogance. There are obstacles to overcome, trust issues to get past, and rumors to refute, in order for the lovers to find their happiness once and for all which is worth the wait.
I did enjoy seeing the many friendly characters in Bellbird Bay. They are a close-knit bunch who come through for Greta and Leo giving great advice and selfless support.
If you enjoy a second-chance romance between a more mature couple in a beautiful setting, give this book a try.
Thank you to Ms. Christensen for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.
Bellbird Bay Series
1. Summer in Bellbird Bay (2022)
2. Coming Home to Bellbird Bay (2022)
3. Starting Over in Bellbird Bay (2022)
4. Christmas in Bellbird Bay (2022)
5. Finding Refuge in Bellbird Bay (2023)
6. Escape to Bellbird Bay (2023)
7. Second Chances in Bellbird Bay (2023)
8. Celebrations in Bellbird Bay (2023)
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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!
Follow Maggie on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram, Bookbub, and website.
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