Author: Maya Linnell
ISBN: 978-1-76052-981-9
Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin
Maya Linnell is the bestselling author of Wildflower Ridge, her debut novel that was released last year and I was lucky enough to read and review it for Beauty and Lace. While Wildflower Ridge followed the story of Penny and Tim we were introduced to the McIntyre sisters – Penny, Lara, Diana and Angie who grew up on the family farm based in the Grampians region of Victoria.
Bottlebrush Creek centres on Angie McIntyre and her partner Rob Jones and their adorable two year old Claudia. These books can be read as stand alone novels but the sisters all feature in the book in some way.
Angie and Rob have had a very whirlwind relationship, falling pregnant and having Claudia early in their relationship and are caught up in the day to day pace of life.
Angie manages her beauty salon and Rob works as a fly in and fly out worker. They are outgrowing their rental and Angie dreams of the day they will have their own place. When Rob faces retrenchment, he comes home all excited to show Angie yet another fixer-upper and he swears that this time the drive would be worth it.
With 200km to drive they chat about what needs to be done and Angie does like what she’s in the photos but knows there would be lots of hard yakka. The cottage weaves its spell on Angie and she can see it as their family home. Angie is startled to hear a voice and Rob’s mum is heading across the paddock, she then realises it is beside Rob’s dairy farm. Mmmmm would you want to live that close to your In-Laws, what would you do?
Maya has once again written a beautiful rural tale that I find to have very realistic characters with challenges that many may have. Renovating or building a home is very challenging to a relationship, trust me I know and Maya also has experience building a family home and that comes through in the book. Within the story we also read of Angie’s challenges with her
self -image and Rob’s past issues with his dad and brother all while having the McIntyre sisters drop in from time to time.
I find Maya’s books easy to read and it was like coming home and leaving me eager for the next instalment of the McIntrye sisters.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading Bottlebrush Creek by Maya Linnell. You can read their feedback below, or add your own review!
Love reading especially on my train commute to and from work. Read most genres but my favorite would be Australian Rural Fiction. Love to support Australian Authors and Beauty and Lace have shown me some fantastic writers that I now read and follow.
Maya Linnell’s Bottlebrush Creek is a fabulous, thoroughly enjoyable romantic drama set in beautiful countryside familiar to me, and full of well drawn and engaging characters. Angie and Rob are tackling parenting a young child, engagement, moving 200 km, renovating a house and dealing with multiple family dramas – all at the same time! It’s certain to throw up a few bumps and issues along the way for our reading pleasure. I really enjoyed the family dynamics involved as well as the relatability of characters and events!
This is the perfect book to settle down with in a cosy chair perhaps by the fire with a cuppa on these chilly winter weekends. I would definitely recommend, and I’ll be looking out for Wildflower Ridge for more McIntyre sister stories. Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Allen and Unwin for this lovely book.
I enjoyed this story, I liked the fact they were an established couple struggling with real-life issues and I liked the setting where it took place. I didn’t connect with the characters the way I would have liked though. I completely understood what they were going through and felt for them, but I didn’t like any of them particularly which I was disappointed about, but that perhaps was just my mood at the time of reading.
Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Allen & Unwin for a copy of this novel in return for an honest review.
I really enjoy rural fiction. This story was evolving around a Relationship and their families. The story was entertaining, and showed the every day struggles encountered by families and tensions between in laws…Angie annoyed me and I feel her reactions were unwarranted at times. A solid read, I would have preferred a bit more of a solid storyline however a nice read over a coffee
Another great rural romance read . Following a young family as they set up new lifestyle for themselves, all be it in a cottage next to mother in law. Full of love, trials and family issues to overcome. Interestingly enough it was when the mother-in-law backed off from meddling that the situation and family issues were resolved and peace and harmony prevailed . Easy read from cover to cover
Enjoyed reading this book, very easy to read. Flowed well & was believable.
A great read. Hard to put down. It is about a young couple who are trying to set up a perfect life for themselves. But next to the inlaws, we can all see the drama that is about to unfold! Lots of love and speedbumps! Would recommend as a lighthearted easy read.
I have read a couple of Maya’s novels now and thought this was another nice story of hers.
Angie and Rob are married and have an adorable 2 year old named Claudia.
The young family are in the process of renovating a fixer upper, which happens to be located right next door to Rob’s parents.
For Angie, this isn’t always a situation she is happy to be in, and she struggles at times to adapt.
I like that the story has a real family drama feel to it, with some relatable characters.