Drawn together by fate, can this midlife couple find happiness?University lecturer Alex Carter is devastated when her partner ends their long-term relationship. Accepting a position at a university on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, she plans to spend time with her family, renovate her beach cottage and forget all about men.But, as she is making a new life for herself, the past rises up to throw a … herself, the past rises up to throw a spanner in the works and she has to make a determined effort to reset her compass.
Shocked by a colleague’s suicide, Jack Russo leaves his high-powered city career and travels north, settling in a coastal town in an attempt to simplify his life. Yet, even here, he discovers, everything isn’t what it seems. When his fledgling handyman business appears to be in danger of collapsing, he is forced to make some hard decisions.
A feel-good story of discovering that there can be second chances if only you can learn to trust again.
A Brahminy Sunrise women’s fiction featuring compelling real-life characters, fascinating plot twists and a strong mid-life heroine. If you like feel-good stories of second chances, you’ll love Maggie Christensen’s latest book.
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This is a really good, feel good story, a story of love and getting back to normal after a one relationship ends and there is a tragedy that makes you stop and think, in this story we meet middle aged University lecturer Alex Carter and stockbroker Jack Russo, and join them on their journey to a HEA in such a fabulous setting.
Alex is happy in her life she has a good job, a partner she loves and a happy dog Tess, but when said partner leaves her for his ex, Alex decides that moving away from Brisbane and to the Sunshine Coast is what she needs, she buys a beach side cottage she is going to renovate, and this starts her on a new leg of her journey, although not without a few hurdles as she meets lovely handsome Jack of all trades Jack Russo.
Jack works in a high powered job and when his mate takes his own life, Jack sits up and takes notice he resigns and moves to the Sunshine Coast with his new friend, his dog Steed and starts working for himself as a handyman, he meets the beautiful Alex when he renovates her kitchen and there is a pull that cannot be denied, but no one is rushing in, it takes a while and an incident before they finally get there.
This is a lovely story quick easy to read and very sweet and one that I highly recommend MS Christensen writes fabulous stories about more mature heroes and heroines’ ones that are very easy to fall into and will have the reader turning the pages, it has all of the feels for a beautiful romance and some fabulous characters that do add to the story and one that I am sure all romance readers will thoroughly enjoy.
There’s no on-page sex but it’s implied.
There are conflicts one or both main characters witness or deal with, but there aren’t conflicts within the couple other than a lack of confidence or incorrect assumptions.
When they finally drop their barriers, their relationship slowly builds.
Clean Romance
This clean romance is novella length and takes place in Australia. It is a romance between 40 somethings who have thought themselves immune to love. It has a good plot and a satisfying ending. This author always captures the essence of her characters and never wastes book space with who wore what or who ate what. The characters are mature, her writing is clean and her books are treasures. I was given this book for free and this is my honest review.
Maggie Christensen does it again!
Alex quit her job at the university, packed up and left Sydney with her dog, Tess, to find a new life after her boyfriend announced he was marrying another woman he had gotten pregnant. She loved her new house but it is a complete fixer-upper and she decided to hire someone with real skills for the renovation.
Jack left corporate Sydney for the beautiful Northern Beaches after the death of a good mate and co-worker, Don. He realized that his stressful life in Sidney was slowly killing him too, so he and Don’s dog, Steed, moved north. Using his college construction skills, he started Jack of all Trades, a handyman business.
Alex took an instant dislike to Jack when they met on the beach with their dogs. When she opened her door to greet her new handyman she was surprised to see Jack standing there. As the renovation progresses so does their relationship.
This is a good story with well-developed characters and realistic situations. I liked the way the author brought real life concerns and problems into the story, addressing elder abuse and sexual assault. My copy of the book was free, but my review is honest and voluntary.
This is such a sweet, light-hearted read. The characters and descriptions are well crafted.
I am looking forward to the next book
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book for Hidden Gems
Maggie Christensen, ‘A Brahminy Sunrise’
As a Hidden Gem ARC reader I received this book for free. And promised an honest review. Here it is.
English isn’t my first language. Sorry for errors.
Rating: 4 stars (of 5).
In general: Nice second chance love story.
Main characters:
– Alexandra (Alex) Carter. Lecture at the Brisbane University. After an intense relationship of some years her boyfriend Connor informs her that he has to marry his former, much younger girlfriend for she’s pregnant. Alex throws him out of her house. She’s broken and starts a new life by moving to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Around her new home live a lot of Brahminy birds. They have the same colour as her beautiful hair.
– Jack Russo. Working as a stock-broker in Sydney. Realizes that his work is too stressed after the suïcide of a colleague and good friend. He quits work in Sydney and moves to Coolum on the Sunshine Coast. He starts a handyman’s business to bring in some money and organizes his work in a manner that he has enough time for his favorite surfing and live a life without the ‘Sydney-stress’.
Jack and Alex meet at the beach, both walking with their dogs. Secretly both think that the other one is good looking, but Alex has more than enough of men and reacts a bit rude to him. But she needs a handyman in her new house on the Coast, looks in a paper and makes contact with a, for her, unkown firm: ‘Jack of All Trades’.
So Jack visits her to advise her about ideas for a new kitchen. And he starts the renovation of her house. They like each other and gradually Alex thinks that a new relationship with this man is a possibility.
The author, Maggie Christensen, describes the feelings of the two ‘second chance’ lovers with a great insight and love for these main characters. They are very sympathetic and credible. And that applies also for the other persons in the story.
The development of the relationship between Alex and Jack was a page turner for this reader.
Only the end was somewhat disappointing for me. A stiff running conversation during a dinner date and suddenly Alex wants a break up. Shortly thereafter, an – on the quiet Coast unusual – incident and she’s totally in love again. In my opinion a bit overdone. But all in all a very pleasant book to read.
R. Huiszoon.
A Brahminy Sunrise is a captivating novella by Maggie Christensen. Set on the Sunshine Coast of Australia, the story introduces readers to Alex and Jack who are both reeling a bit from broken relationships. I’ve read two other books by this author and they both have older, more mature figures as the main characters who find that second chances do come around. Alex and Jack are what one might label as middle-aged and neither one is really looking for any romance, just trying to begin again in new circumstances, hoping that the majestic creation of nature of the beach area will work its magic and bring contentment and peace. Even though the book is a novella, the author takes on some gritty subjects as she deftly deals with the unsavory business practices, the possibility of unplanned pregnancies, and elder abuse. The characters are strong and vibrant and their emotions and actions are realistically portrayed as they work through their sometimes tangled issues. I loved Flo, the elderly neighbor, such a trusting, friendly soul. In Brahminy Sunrise Ms. Christensen gives her readers another second chance story that brings a sense of hope and expectancy. Love journeys may be fraught with struggles and make the reader wonder if the couple would ever be together and yet they are captivating to read about. I am hoping for more about Alex and Jack!
I received a complimentary copy of the book and was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own.
Lovely romance for two forty-somethings who both end up starting over in a small Queensland beach town. Easy and quick to read, with some drama and two protagonists who take awhile to find common ground and open up. This is a good author who’s great at developing mature characters and the issues in their lives.