Osprey Reef by Annie Seaton is full of suspense, mystery, history, and romance.
The story is set in Australia’s beautiful Great Barrier Reef and takes place in two different time frames, 1934 and 2019.
It is the story of two strong women, Stella Kristensen, and her great-granddaughter Bethany Kristensen.
In 1934 Stella Kristensen’s husband Jens and his boat, The Lady Stella, are missing at sea. The mystery of their disappearance has never been solved. Stella continued to run the business, leaving it as a legacy for future family.
In 2019 Bethany Kristensen has followed in her family tradition. After her father’s retirement, she has taken over as skipper of the Lady Stella Two.
As a lady skipper, she has a lot to prove, to her family, the clients and to the rival charter operators. The business is struggling and bookings are being cancelled with no explanation.
If Bethany’s quote for the tender for a new scientific research program is successful, it will solve her money worries. She knows she has the best boat for the project. But, a rival company is also desperate to get the contract and is undercutting her prices.
A series of unexplained and annoying mishaps take place out at sea on the Lady Stella Two. Questions are raised. Are these random accidents or deliberate acts of sabotage? Who is responsible and what is their motive?
Bethany has to stay strong and one step ahead of those who don’t want her to succeed.
The book is a great read. It’s exciting, suspenseful, and has some romance thrown in.
It is also quite thought-provoking. It explores the issue of coral bleaching, a current problem with the Great Barrier Reef, and how important research is for the survival of the reef.
The history of Mackay is also very interesting.
The book has been well researched by Annie Seaton. She has spent time in the Mackay Library and the Whitsunday region exploring the historical aspects and landscape setting.
To quote Annie, “Ninety-five percent of the ocean is unexplored and that leaves much scope for the imagination.”
I certainly recommend this book and look forward to her next story.
Thank you to Harper Collins for the opportunity to review this great book.
Author: Annie Seaton
ISBN: 9781489277787
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading Osprey Reef by Annie Seaton. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
I love to read, any book on any topic. I now love ebooks as they are easier to store, I was running out of bookshelves! My other interests are family, gardening and our beautiful King Charles spaniel dog who is my reading companion.
Twenty-eight-year-old Bethany runs her family’s charter boat business on the Great Barrier Reef. She’s an experienced skipper, but her business is struggling until a marine scientist, Peter, hires her and her crew to spend a few weeks near Osprey Reef to investigate the effect of global warming on the coral. Peter and Bethany develop a friendship and find they share the same passion for the ocean.
Woven throughout the narrative is the tale of Bethany’s great-grandparents and the establishment of the family shipping business in 1934. Stella, her great-grandmother, leaves her home and travels alone to Mackay to start a job and develop her independence. She meets a handsome Danish sailor and they fall in love.
The two stories complement each other very well and I enjoyed reading about women determined to forge their way in a man’s world with its inherent challenges. There’s a strong theme of family and the ties that link across generations as Bethany learns more about her ancestors while clearing out her grandfather’s house. Peter also faces his own issues of family and his upbringing.
During their voyages, Bethany and Peter are confronted with a number of mysteries: a missing sailor, ancient artifacts, the attempted sabotage of Bethany’s business, and a life-threatening situation while at sea.
The history of the area has been well researched and the description of the ocean is beautiful. The characters have depth, and the story moves at a good pace with plenty of action. My only negative is the inclusion of several American terms not used in Australia eighty years ago.
I look forward to reading more of Annie Seaton’s work.
Annie Seaton has written another amazing book
In 1934 we are introduced to Stella Booth she lives in a small town with her family and dreams of living in Mackay where she has applied for a job her family is reluctant to see her leave but Stella is determined your woman
Stella sets out on her journey when an accident happens and she meets Jens Kristensen a captain of a boat ( no spoilers )
2019 we are introduced to Bethany Kristensen who is running the family boat charter company her knowledge and love of the beautiful boat she captains “The Lady Stella “ is truly amazing, this boat has been passed down from her grandfather and then her father
Bethany has some fierce and dangerous competition from a rival company
The danger comes when she her crew and a group of scientists are out at the reef and all their lives are put at risk ( definitely no spoilers )
This is a wonderful book which I throughly enjoyed reading
Osprey Reef by Annie Seaton is a wonderful story spanning 3 generations of the Kristensen family. The story focuses on Stella Booth who marries Jens Kristensen and their great-granddaughter Bethany Kristensen. Both women are strong and resilient and face challenges in their lives but the main similarity is their love of family.
Stella moves away from her family to a new life in Mackay and after an eventful start meets Jens. The two form a close friendship that leads to love and marriage.
Bethany is the skipper of the family charter boat Lady Stella 2 and faces troubles with competing fishing charters in the town of Mackay. She is approached to charter a scientific trip with Peter Brooks and the two form a friendship. Bethany shows great strength while dealing with the sabotage and rumours that surround her beloved Lady Stella 2.
I really enjoyed this story. Reading about the two women at different periods in time was interesting and the challenges they faced were relatable. The descriptions of the scenery above and below the water were beautiful and enticing.
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins for the chance to read this book.
Annie Seaton’s Osprey Reef is set over dual timelines 80 years apart with two strong female characters: Stella and Bethany. As the tale unravels, we find out a family mystery which lends to many twists and turns along the way. Seaton’s descriptions of the Great Barrier Reef are wonderfully depicted which is where the backdrop of this novel is set.
I enjoy that the book not only has mysterious and romance elements it brings point more important matters like the effects on climate change. I have read a few of Annie Seaton’s novels and I always find them easy to immerse in and this book is similarly captivating.
Thank you to Beauty and Lace Book Club and Mira Publishing for the reading and reviewing opportunity. I am more then happy to recommend to friends and family.
Another wonderful read by Annie Seaton!
Flitting between present time and the 1930s the story focuses on Bethany skippering the family charter business and her Great Grandmother Stella who took on the business when her husband disappeared at sea.
Both draw on all their strength to face the challenges thrown at them head on.
The mystery, both past and present have you sucked in from the first page, with a bit of romance thrown in, I could not put ‘Osprey Reef’ down!
Thanks Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins for the chance to read and review Osprey Reef
A really interesting book that keeps your interest throughout. It’s an adventure, a mystery, a love story , which weaves the stories of Beth and her greatgrandmother Stella together. The story is based on the coast and surrounding reefs of North Queensland. The Author has really bought the area and the characters to life. Read it. It will be well worth your time.
The opportunity to read Osprey Reef, by Annie Seaton should definitely be taken up. This story spans across three generations and offers mystery, romance and history as well as climate change and a hint of danger. It is a delightful story about Bethany Kristensen, her family connections and the mystery of her great grandfathers disappearance.
Bethany inherited strength of character from her ancestors and is portrayed as a truly believable character striving to succeed with her own business in a male dominated industry. So glad to see that she made it and in the process gained a companion.
Most important for me personally, is that it is set in the Whitsundays, around Airlie Beach, Shute Harbour area, which just happens to be my most favourite place in the whole world. It is wonderful to see a great story based here.
Congratulations Annie Seaton, I enjoyed it immensely!
I was looking forward to reading Osprey Reef by Annie Seaton and I wasn’t disappointed. While this was an easy, light read, it was obvious that the issues and setting were well researched and the story line was interesting, characters believable and there was enough depth to keep me engaged.
Seaton cleverly wove her story line between two eras within the same family, the mid 1930s and current times, gradually revealing more detail and information which drew the characters of each era together. I don’t usually like the writing style whereby authors jump from character to character and era to era in subsequent chapters, but Seaton managed these transitions really well and it didn’t spoil the book for me.
Once I started I couldn’t put this book down so it is highly recommended and I am hoping that a sequel might follow.
Thank you Annie Seaton, HarperCollins Publishers and Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read and review this entertaining novel.
My first Annie Seaton book and I loved it and will be seeking out more from this author.
Osprey Reef easily followed the story of generations of the Kristensen family. The mystery that surrounds the family keeps you wanting more.
I loved the character Bethay Kristensen who was a skipper of the family charter business and was a strong and brave woman throughout.
Love, loss and family were highlighted.
It also included the important topic of environmental damage within our oceans including the Great Barrier Reef.
Beautifully written and I strongly recommend.
Thanks to Beauty and Lace as well as Harper Collins and Annie Seaton for this book to read and review.
Osprey Reef is written by Annie Seaton and is set on the beautiful Great Barrier Reef. The story is set in two different time frames 1934 and 2019 and goes into the life of 28 year old Bethany Kristensen who is trying to keep her family charter business running after she takes it over when her dad goes into retirement.
There are other charter businesses in the area who do not want to see her succeed and life is not going to plan with the business being very slow and unforeseen cancellations until marine Scientist Peter comes along and hires her and her crew for a scientific research programme. Now hired to do the research voyages Bethany and Peter become good friends and whilst at sea are confronted with many mysteries; a sailor who goes missing, an attempted sabotage of the boat endangering the lives of all onboard.
The story’s narrative goes through the tale of Bethany’s great-grandparents and how the family shipping business was established in 1934 and how they came to be in Mackay in the first place. The whole story is linked by a family mystery and Bethany has to dig deep to find what it is and put the pieces together to really see what happened all those years ago to her great-grandfather.
A great read encompassing both mystery and family history.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this. Absolutley loved it, I read it in 2 days & stayed up late to finish it.
A beautiful story line & so well written, It captivates you from the start until the end. I usally don’t like it when the story line moves from present time to the past, but it was so well placed in the book & helped to understand things more.
A beautiful story about generations of family relationships & love of the sea. And how family who are no longer with us still live on through the lives & memories of family.
Would recommend this book, a great read
Osprey Reef is written by the very talented Annie Seaton a well-known Australian author and published by Harper Collins.
Annie is the master of entwining two storylines from two different eras.
In Osprey Reef the two main characters are strong and independent women – Stella Booth whose storyline is set in the 1930s and her Great Grandaughter Bethany Kristensen who is present day. The way the book is set out it is easy to follow with each chapter listing the location and time frame this makes it easy to follow both women’s journeys.
When I was reading this book Christmas got in the way and finally, once I could sit uninterrupted I sat and just read and read until I finished. I absolutely loved it and would have to say it has been my favourite to date.
I find Annie’s book easy to read and she covers many genres this one was a bit of suspense, intrigue, romance, history, treasure, and full of great characters.
Bethany is a fiercely independent woman working in a man’s world – she is the skipper for the family charter business. Then there are the Riley’s who are doing all they can to discredit Bethany even claiming her Vessel Lady Stella 2 is not seaworthy. Business is not as good as it could be and she is hopeful that winning a tender for a new scientific research project is the best chance she has of proving that the business is successful since she took over the reins from her Father.
Stella is a young lady ready to find her way in the world, she is independent and ready to leave the safety of her small town and family. She has big plans and travels to Mackay to take on a position in the Mayor’s household. An accident changes her destiny and she meets the handsome dashing Captain Jens Kristensen.
Like always the locations in Annie’s books become characters in themselves – we learn about Coastal towns in this book especially Mackay and she vividly describes the reef and being out on the water. It is always interesting hearing some of the history from these areas, something I also enjoyed when I read Whitsunday Dawn another fabulous read by Annie.
I highly recommend you pick this book up, you will not be disappointed. Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins for giving me the opportunity to read and review this pageturner.