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.
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.