The Maxwell Sisters in Aussie Readers

Jul 15, 2014 Brenda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own-read, arc, net-galley, aussie-authors, 2015-release, read-on-kindle, contemporary-fiction

4.5★s

Natasha Maxwell along with her sisters Eve and Phoebe had been close once – best friends and confidantes; their motto had always been Club Members only. But twelve months before the wedding invitation arrived there had been a massive falling out between Tash and Eve – so much so that they hadn’t spoken to each other in that time. Tash was living in Sydney while her siblings still lived in Western Australia. But the wedding invitation to Phoebe and Spider’s forthcoming nuptials showed that t 4.5★s

Natasha Maxwell along with her sisters Eve and Phoebe had been close once – best friends and confidantes; their motto had always been Club Members only. But twelve months before the wedding invitation arrived there had been a massive falling out between Tash and Eve – so much so that they hadn’t spoken to each other in that time. Tash was living in Sydney while her siblings still lived in Western Australia. But the wedding invitation to Phoebe and Spider’s forthcoming nuptials showed that the huge event would be held at the family winery; Tawny Brooks Winery, which was one of the Margaret River wine region’s largest; known worldwide for its delectable wines.

With Tash having secrets that she had kept from her family, she had no idea how she would avoid the confrontation. And it seemed that Eve had secrets as well; the return to their family home was fraught with danger – how would they face one another? How would they face their mother and father? The phone call from Phoebe which asked them all to arrive one month before the wedding date to help with preparations created an even bigger issue though – reluctantly and with shattered nerves, the sisters arrived at Tawny Brooks Winery; Tash from Sydney and Eve from Perth. And so did everyone else!

As the extended family members began settling in, the hostilities were immediately apparent. Spider’s parents wanted the wedding to be run their way, or at least his mother did – but Phoebe’s mother wanted it her way. The strain between bride and bridegroom was beginning to show. But that wasn’t the only problem that needed sorting – what would happen in the month leading up to the wedding? Would there even be a wedding?

I thoroughly enjoyed The Maxwell Sisters by Aussie author Loretta Hill. A slight departure from her previous books, this was nonetheless a brilliantly executed novel. The characters were fun and enjoyable – the plot unique. The Maxwell Sisters is a mixture of mystery, romance and suspense with the inclusion of an area in WA which I would love to visit one day. I have no hesitation in recommending this one highly, and eagerly await the author’s next release.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy to read and review.
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Dec 15, 2014 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-are, netgalley-reviews, provided-by-publisher, aussie-author

Phoebe Maxwell is getting married and she is determined that the occasion will be the catalyst which mends the rift between her two older sisters, Eve and Tash. To that end, she insists on having her wedding at the family home and winery, Tawny Brooks, necessitating all hands on deck to repair the restaurant her fiance and Eve once ran on the grounds. Eve and Tash are both reluctant to return home, but for reasons that have little to do with their feud. The Maxwell sisters are keeping secrets...
Phoebe Maxwell is getting married and she is determined that the occasion will be the catalyst which mends the rift between her two older sisters, Eve and Tash. To that end, she insists on having her wedding at the family home and winery, Tawny Brooks, necessitating all hands on deck to repair the restaurant her fiance and Eve once ran on the grounds. Eve and Tash are both reluctant to return home, but for reasons that have little to do with their feud. The Maxwell sisters are keeping secrets... and they aren't the only ones.

With warmth and humour Hill introduces a family bound by love but divided by secrets. Everyone wants Phoebe to have the wedding of her dreams so they are willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen but putting aside their own problems is more difficult than they expect. As the story unfolds we learn of Eve's guilty conscience, Tash's heartbreaking tragedy and that Phoebe is keeping secrets of her own.

Hill's characters are easy like and relate to, Phoebe is the optimist, Eve the pessimist and Tash the perfectionist. The Maxwell patriarch is considered to be a little crazy and the girls Greek mother is all about family and food. The men in the sister's lives, Heath, Spider and Adonis..uh Adam, are all quite different but prove to be more than capable of holding their own against the Maxwell clan.

The relationships between the family, the sisters and their various lovers are well drawn, though I did think one couple declared true love a little too early to be sensible. It's perhaps the only off note that mars the plot which includes a touch of suspense, a healthy dose of romance, and lust, and plenty of drama.

Hill has left behind the dry and dusty Pilbara and set this novel in the fertile southern region of the state. I spent many of my school holidays in and around the area of Margaret River, so I particularly enjoyed being able to visit towns familiar to me.

The Maxwell Sisters, Loretta Hill's fifth novel, is an engaging story about love, relationships, loyalty and family. Enjoy it with a glass of Western Australian wine. ...more

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Jan 01, 2015 Bree T rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle-version, netgalley, arc, australian, aww2015

It’s the invitation that Natasha Maxwell has been dreading. Even though she’s happy that her younger sister Phoebe is getting married, it means she’ll have to go home. Have to face telling her family that not only did she lose her job months ago and hasn’t been able to find another one but that she and her husband have also split up.

For youngest sister Eve, the idea of Phoebe’s wedding is just as painful. She’s been in love with the groom (known as ‘Spider’) since they met years ago but he has n It’s the invitation that Natasha Maxwell has been dreading. Even though she’s happy that her younger sister Phoebe is getting married, it means she’ll have to go home. Have to face telling her family that not only did she lose her job months ago and hasn’t been able to find another one but that she and her husband have also split up.

For youngest sister Eve, the idea of Phoebe’s wedding is just as painful. She’s been in love with the groom (known as ‘Spider’) since they met years ago but he has no idea. In his mind they’re best friends and former business partners, having worked together in a failed restaurant attempt that still plays heavily on Eve’s mind. Now she learns that Phoebe wants to fix up the restaurant Eve ran with Spider and have the wedding there. It’s the absolute last thing Eve wants…..and she’ll also have to face her older sister Natasha, who told her in no uncertain terms what she thought of her after the restaurant failed.

Phoebe just wants her wedding to be a happy occasion that brings everyone back together. She wants to mend the rifts in the family and thinks the wedding is the perfect way to do it. She’ll fix the problems between her sisters and she’ll get Eve interested in the restaurant again. But it seems that in all her attempts to make things right, she’s creating a rift between herself and her groom, who is losing patience with not being privy to decisions. There’s also the possibility that Spider is not anywhere as trustworthy as he seems. And then there’s the secret Phoebe is keeping…

Loretta Hill leaves the mines, construction sites and FIFO lifestyle behind in her latest novel which is set in the Margaret River region in Western Australia. It’s an area I’ve never visited (I’ve never been to the west) but it’s an area well known for its food and wine. The Maxwell family are winemakers, growing grapes and producing their own wines. And Eve is a chef, who once operated a restaurant on the vineyard property with Spider who is now Phoebe’s fiance. Twelve months ago the family was torn apart when the restaurant caught fire. Eve and Spider went their separate ways business-wise and Natasha and Eve had words and haven’t spoken since. Phoebe is the sister caught in the middle and she wants to fix things between her sisters, make them as close as they were as kids.

Loretta Hill writes amazing relationships. Not just romantic ones but family and friendship ones as well. There are some intricate and complicated relationships in this book and she handles them all with brilliance. There’s nothing like the bringing together of two families to create tension and the mother of the bride and mother of the groom are locked in a battle to outdo each other from the very moment everyone arrives at the Maxwell family home. Add in Natasha and Eve’s tension, Eve and her unresolved feelings over the failure of the restaurant and the awkwardness with Spider plus her discomfort around her parent’s new employee plus the fact that Natasha’s estranged husband has been invited by a well-meaning Phoebe who doesn’t know they’ve split up. And he’s made it perfect clear to Natasha that he doesn’t want to go ahead with the separation anymore, he wants them to get back together.

So there’s a lot going on. But it really does work, there’s a real sense of authenticity whenever the characters are interacting. One of my favourite types of story to read is actually the torn apart lovers reconnected so I was really interested in Natasha’s story and what had happened with her husband. It’s slowly teased out and their interactions at the Maxwell family property are still full of chemistry as well as heartache. I think out of all of the various threads, I was engrossed in that one the most – but a close second was the truth behind the fire that destroyed the restaurant. Who really set it and why?

There are several incidences in this book where people jump to conclusions pretty quickly, usually the wrong ones but the story was so good that I could go with it. People are often rash to judge, especially when it involves their families and people they care about. I feel as though Loretta Hill created a whole family unit here and even the characters which don’t get as much time are still interesting and contribute to the whole picture. Although I have to admit that at times the character of Adam, the winemaker the Maxwell’s had hired after the family patriarch retired, got on my nerves I was glad to see Eve, the youngest sister, get a chance to find happiness after so long wanting a man she couldn’t have. Eve has seriously lacked confidence since the demise of the restaurant, working in a job she dislikes for people who take her for granted. She’s the quintessential “can’t say no” type of person, always doing things she doesn’t want to do because she can’t bear to refuse. Adam, however obnoxious he occasionally was, actually saw Eve in a way that others didn’t seem to. He got her right away, saw the things she wanted, the things she needed, the person that she was and he pushed her to fulfill her potential. Often his methods were a bit maddening but there was plenty of humour in them as well.

Overall I really enjoyed this – I feel as though Loretta Hill has become one of those authors who can basically do no wrong for me, every release is charming and contains characters I love who stay with me. I still think about Lena and Dan from her first book, The Girl In Steel-Capped Boots. And I’m happy to learn from Danielle’s review here that there are going to be more books from Loretta set among the wine-making families of the Margaret River. ...more

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Jan 08, 2015 Sheree rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2015, reviews, contemporary-fiction, aussie-author

I adore sister/family themed stories and being a bit partial to a nice wine myself, I loved the Margaret River wine region setting and the descriptions of Tawny Brooks vineyard, the grape varieties, their harvesting process. It took me back to weekends spent touring wineries, soaking up the sights and smells, sampling wines until we found a new favourite.

The Maxwell family are a mildly dysfunctional bunch, likable, frustrating and entirely real. Happy-go-lucky Phoebe (the youngest Maxwell siste ...more

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