Margareta Osborn

Margareta Osborn’s books are always brimming with love for the mountain country of Australia. Add to that a plot that takes you off the beaten track and you get Lake Hill. It is a fascinating story dealing with love, loss, family and secrets. What I particularly enjoyed about this story was that it didn’t have the romance as the main plotline and interwove stories from the other characters, making it all the richer.

Julia Gunn is finally free (although not by choice). She’s decided to quit her job and move away from Melbourne to open a café on the coast. Unfortunately a poorly timed rockslide has her car rendered useless and she’s stranded in the small mountain town of Lake Grace. The town also happens to be primarily owned by Rick Halloran, who was also Julia’s first love. Julia recognises him instantly, but Rick is slower to remember and then suspicious as to her reasons for being there. Is she a journalist only there to capitalise on his family’s fame? Julia’s definitely not in Lake Grace for a long stay – she wants to get going! But a gorgeous building by the lake has her changing her site for a café. As her relationship with Rick grows, Julia knows that there’s a secret she needs to reveal – until that secret appears in the flesh…

The community feeling of the small town of Lake Grace is palpable in this story, particularly in the beginning as most of the townspeople descend on the local pub to the bewilderment of Julia. She’s amazed at their familiarity, knowledge of each other and gentle teasing. The town is also willing to accept and support Julia once she makes the decision to open the café – all and sundry stop for a coffee and some even get behind the counter! It’s just what she needs as Julia is revealed to be a damaged character, suffering from bullying, humiliation and rejection throughout her life. She can’t even bear to show Rick the pain of her past, even when it’s in front of him! Even though she lacks self-confidence, Julia is stronger than she knows. As the community helps to build her business, she comes up against some odd scenarios that will draw on quick thinking and trusting in others.

Rick plays his cards much closer to his chest but it’s more obvious that he’s hiding something than Julia. He’s been hurt by his parents and fiercely overprotects his now adult sister. He wants to protect Julia in the same way, but she’s not keen as his protection can be overbearing. He’s more broody a hero, but it’s the townspeople’s trust in him that leads the reader to trust him too.

There are also some wonderful supporting characters in Lake Hill. Ernie, a retired doctor with a knack for scones, hides a secret too. There’s the lonely figure of Miss Finch, lost in another time and Montana, Rick’s sister, who is like a puppy, eager to try everything at least once. They are a disparate group, but they all work wonderfully when crisis arrives. The latter part of the story has so many twists and turns that they will need to draw on each other for strength. It’s overall an interesting story that’s both fun and eye opening.

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Mountain Ash by Margareta Osborn was a standout read for me in 2014, so of course I was eager to pounce on her latest release, Rose River as soon as I could lay my hands on it. For those of you who have read her novella A Bush Christmas, you will be delighted to see familiar faces in this novel as it takes the beginning of that story and turns it into what is a wickedly funny and tender novel. While Mountain Ash was all about the drama, Rose River is more light-hearted and proves that Margareta can nail a fish out of water story.

The story opens with Jaime deciding to do a spot of housesitting in the high country. Having recently lost her job, she can no longer afford the luxuries that were once common place, like a flashy apartment on the river and Jimmy Choo shoes. It’s a wild thing to do, but getting out of the city is a priority for her. This will be a perfect place to escape Christmas, which is a difficult time for Jaime after the death of her father. No way will she be spending it with her mother and her new husband. Everything was going so well until the appearance of Marble Man. (His real name is Stirling, but Marble Man describes this man so well). Jaime never expected to find a man in the back of beyond, but will Stirling help to heal the pain of missing her father? He’s a gruff man originally, but the two turn into friends with the possibility of something more until Jaime’s most ardent fan Marty turns up along with Stirling’s ex, Tiffany. It’s a comedy of errors as the wayward lovers try to explain their feelings but are thwarted at every attempt in the tiny community.

I loved Rose River. The only thing I didn’t was that it took me from Perth to Melbourne to Canberra and back to Melbourne to finish it! It’s the type of story that makes you think, ‘just one more chapter…or two’ but I read this on the way to the Australian Romance Readers Convention and I simply ran out of time and energy in between things to finish it in a big greedy lump! The bonus was that I did get to meet Margareta, and tell her in person how wonderful her stories are. Plus I got my copy of Rose River signed – thanks Margareta! (And thank you for the cattle tag and bookmark).

What really amazed me about Rose River was how funny it was, taking Jaime’s fish out of water status in the country and having her fall into nearly every trap possible. There’s an incredible scene that involves a goat and dogs in a kitchen with a load of groceries that made me laugh and laugh as poor old Jaime had to try and herd the animals outside. It wasn’t funny to Jaime, but it was hilarious for the reader. The community events also accurately represented the larrikin behaviour that can occur (like trying to talk Jaime into a game of cricket while conveniently neglecting to tell her it’s nude cricket). There’s the committee of women who try to endlessly organise everything (leading to a mishap for Jaime with a sponge until Stirling saves the day) and there’s the good hearted folk who welcome newcomer Jaime.

At first I thought Jaime was a little immature, but she really grew on me during the course of the novel. She grew up too, learning to stand up to various people (such as Marty, who just won’t believe that Jaime isn’t his perfect match) and learning to be part of community rather than acting in the best interests of the individual. But I think it was her determination in the end to let Stirling know how she felt that really captivated me. The finale is perfectly wonderful. As for Stirling – well, at first I thought he would be the silent, brooding type but as he opened up to Jaime I could see that there was much more to him. His warmth and generosity shone through as Jaime got to know him and I was determined that Tiffany was not going to walk away with him! I loved Stirling’s family too, as they were quirky but were still a close, loving family. Tiffany, as Jaime’s rival, was hideous enough to make me hope she’d just disappear and Marty was like a really annoying little brother (I did admire his determination to win Jaime, but not the method). You can tell that the characters in Rose River really captured my heart – as we’ve been cross country together, I feel like they’re old friends.

This is a wonderful story, full of warmth and humour that celebrates all that is good about rural communities. I loved it.

Thanks to Random House for the eARC - I ended up buying my own copy of this as a paperback to add to my shelves.

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