Rose River in Aussie Readers

Nov 27, 2014 Brenda rated it liked it

Shelves: read-on-kindle, aussie-authors, 2015-release, net-galley, own-read, arc, romance, rural

Jaime Hanrahan had arrived in rural Burdekin's Gap for a stint of housesitting over the Christmas period. She had recently been retrenched from her executive position in Melbourne; her mother had remarried and she didn’t want to celebrate Christmas with her friends in the city. So the opportunity to housesit in the country appealed to her – no one she knew around her, and all on her own in the house; she was sure she would enjoy her time there much more than in Melbourne which would be filled wi Jaime Hanrahan had arrived in rural Burdekin's Gap for a stint of housesitting over the Christmas period. She had recently been retrenched from her executive position in Melbourne; her mother had remarried and she didn’t want to celebrate Christmas with her friends in the city. So the opportunity to housesit in the country appealed to her – no one she knew around her, and all on her own in the house; she was sure she would enjoy her time there much more than in Melbourne which would be filled with heartbreaking memories…

Stirling McEvoy was the manager of the house she was looking after - he was a handsome man, young and quite delicious to look at - but Jaime found his temper and manner frustrating. After all, she was here to help – why was he so annoyed with her? And though her attraction to the taciturn stranger annoyed her, she was determined to accomplish what she had come for – peace and quiet over the festive season.

But life wasn’t meant to be easy, and it certainly proved that way for Jaime. With the arrival of her mother, step-father and cousin (so she wouldn’t be alone at Christmas) and the friendly curiosity of the folks of Burdekin’s Gap, she found herself the centre of attention – not what she wanted at all! Would Jaime have the quiet time she so desperately wanted over Christmas? Would she be able to grieve her father as she wanted? The magnificent views over Rose River and the inhabitants of Burdekin’s Gap seemed to be getting under her skin…

I was aware the author had adapted Rose River from the novella, A Bush Christmas, but I assumed it would pretty much follow on from where A Bush Christmas finished. I was disappointed to find the first third of this book is an almost exact duplication of the novella. Consequently I skimmed until I found where A Bush Christmas had ended, then continued reading. But having said that, I DID enjoy the rest of Jaime’s story; as well as the beauty of the Australian bush and the friendliness of the country people, which of course is very Australian. Recommended to lovers of rural romance.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy to read and review. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Jan 21, 2017 Janine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

This is Margareta's first book on audio so I was keen to have a listen. I found the whole book very entertaining - a rural romantic comedy! Jamie is retrenched from her city job and escapes to the country to take up a house-sitting position in a country town. The characters she meets are very warm and downright hilarious at times. Her "landlord" is a guy called Stirling McEvoy and although they do not see eye to eye in the beginning they eventually become friends and he helps Jamie adjust to cou ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Nov 27, 2014 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it liked it

Shelves: aussie-author, arc-are, netgalley-reviews

Rose River is a lighthearted contemporary rural romance from Margareta Osborn, expanded from her 2012 novella, A Bush Christmas.

Jamie Hanrahan can't see any reason to celebrate Christmas, a year ago her beloved father suddenly passed away and now she has been unceremoniously retrenched from her high-paying executive PR job. Eager to escape the festive season in Melbourne, Jamie impulsively accepts an offer to housesit in Burdekin's Gap, high up in the East Gippsland Mountains. Jamie is looking f
Rose River is a lighthearted contemporary rural romance from Margareta Osborn, expanded from her 2012 novella, A Bush Christmas.

Jamie Hanrahan can't see any reason to celebrate Christmas, a year ago her beloved father suddenly passed away and now she has been unceremoniously retrenched from her high-paying executive PR job. Eager to escape the festive season in Melbourne, Jamie impulsively accepts an offer to housesit in Burdekin's Gap, high up in the East Gippsland Mountains. Jamie is looking forward to peace and quiet, but then Polly Plains House manager, Stirling McEvoy roars into her life on his gleaming Yamaha and suddenly Jamie may be able to find a few reasons to celebrate the season after all.

It took me a little while to warm up to Jamie but she surprised me when she willingly helped Stirling draft cattle, despite being clueless, and quickly, if a touch reluctantly, involved herself in the Burdekin's Gap community. Emotionally Jamie is a bit of a mess, still grieving for her father and angry at her mother for her quick remarriage, but Burdekin's Gap, and the friends she makes, reveals a strength she never knew she had.

Stirling isn't terribly happy to make Jamie's acquaintance, he had been expecting a housesitter who could help around the station, not a Sass and Bide, Jimmy Choo wearing city slicker 'Princess'. I liked Stirling, whom Jamie nicknames 'Marble Man' due in part to his impressive physique, though I felt there were some inconsistencies in what I expected of his character in the second half of the novel, after his ex girlfriend shows up.

Complications between Stirling and Jamie arise in the form of Stirling's bitchy ex-girlfriend, Tiffany, who is reluctant to let go, and Jamie's stepfather's nephew, Marty, who seems determined to win Jamie's affection despite her oft repeated disinterest. With their relationship so new and undefined, neither Stirling nor Jamie are willing to declare themselves and misunderstandings abound.

I really enjoyed Osborn's portrayal of the Burdekin's Gap community, from Stirling's immediate family to pub owners Bluey and Jean, and the fundraising events, including Buck (naked) Cricket, and Cow (poo) Lotto, that unites the residents. The setting is also wonderfully drawn from the town itself, to the surrounding country landscape.

Those that read A Bush Christmas should enjoy the continuation of Jamie and Stirling's romance, though it should be noted that novella is reproduced almost verbatim within the story. I found Rose River to be a straight forward, high spirited romance, that should appeal to fans of the genre.

...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 27, 2015 Bree T rated it liked it

Shelves: romance, arc, australian, rural-lit, blog-tour, aww2015

Often I like to know something about a book before I dive in but it’s not always the case. Sometimes I don’t need to know because the author is someone I trust to always give me a good story. Sometimes I’m just lazy and don’t read the blurb before reading. I kind of wish I did for this one.

I didn’t realise this was going to be about Jaime Hanrahan and Stirling McEvoy, the couple of Osborn’s novella A Bush Christmas a few years ago until I read the author note at the beginning of the book. Given Often I like to know something about a book before I dive in but it’s not always the case. Sometimes I don’t need to know because the author is someone I trust to always give me a good story. Sometimes I’m just lazy and don’t read the blurb before reading. I kind of wish I did for this one.

I didn’t realise this was going to be about Jaime Hanrahan and Stirling McEvoy, the couple of Osborn’s novella A Bush Christmas a few years ago until I read the author note at the beginning of the book. Given that was quite short, I figured it might pick up from where that left off, giving us more of a glimpse into their future. But nope, the first 30-ish % of this book is simply the novella, which I have already read. Granted it was a couple years ago so not everything stuck in my mind but I remembered more than enough to make the re-read a bit unnecessary. I really loved the novella though so I persevered to get to the point where the novella had ended and the new part of this story would begin.

Unfortunately, I didn’t love where the story went. It introduced one of my new pet hates: the Clueless or Deliberately Ignorant Man. The Clueless or Deliberately Ignorant Man is generally a nice sort of bloke, perhaps a country boy who has been hurt in the past by a particularly nasty ex. He’s just beginning to move on when all of a sudden, nasty ex rolls back into town and wants him back! Nasty ex is nasty but the Clueless or Deliberately Ignorant Man either cannot or will not see it. He stands around passively unable to hear or act while the nasty ex makes disparaging remarks, acts cattily or pashes him in front of the entire town. He doesn’t do anything when the nasty ex is savage about the girl he has feelings for, leading that girl to believe that yep, he really will be getting back with his ex. The Clueless or Deliberately Ignorant Man has already experienced the nasty ex in all of her nastiness however cannot seem to extricate himself from her clutches or speak up to set the record straight or defend those which the nasty ex is basically being a grade A bitch to. And although Stirling, a character I loved in A Bush Christmas/the beginning of this book is such a decent guy, he really does turn into a bit of a dill in the second half of this story. I feel as though Stirling’s reasoning for spending so much time with his ex-girlfriend is pretty flimsy and also a bit out of character. He seemed a pretty no-nonsense sort of guy and although he is misled about Jaime’s connection to someone else, that sort of retaliatory behaviour seems a bit childish and hurtful. Because he really does hurt Jaime’s feelings and so often they could’ve just sat down and set the record straight but were both too stubborn.

My favourite part of this story was city girl Jaime learning to adapt to life in the bush. She worked in the heart of Melbourne, was connected to her iPad and iPhone, enjoyed eating out and shopping. When she came to house sit at the farm she was pretty much down and out. Stirling thought he was getting a stockhand named Jamie, and Jaime thought she was getting some time out. However she really does throw herself into learning as much about life on the land as she can. She makes mistakes – plenty of them. And she occasionally gets herself into embarrassing situations. But she learns and she soldiers on and she comes to realise how beautiful it is where she is and how much she’s actually enjoying being there, that it’s becoming home for her. It’s a steep curve at times – like the time Stirling takes her to shoot rabbits and she bawls because she thinks he’s doing it for fun. She does totally misjudge him and has to learn that things are much different out in the country. Rabbits are vermin who destroy the land. I do like the way Stirling and Jaime get to know each other and their chemistry was always pretty good. Even after Stirling’s ex rolls into town. Jaime lightens Stirling up – he has a tendency to be a little stern, hence Jaime calling him ‘Marble Man’ behind his back. And he calls her Princess, which I actually thought was kind of cute.

I don’t know how many people are like me and already read the novella two years ago but I think it might’ve been better if this book had picked up after it left off and guided the reader through the challenges Stirling and Jaime faced in a new relationship coming from different backgrounds and lives. The introduction of Stirling’s ex might’ve been a bit more interesting if he and Jaime were already an established couple, not still floundering around with how to move forward and where they both stood with each other. ...more

1 like · Like · see review