Christmas at Brigadier Station: An Outback Christmas Novella

Sarah Williams

Nov 2019 · Brigadier Station Book 5 · Serenade Publishing

About this ebook

She thought they’d missed their chance. But he never forgot her.

When Tom Carmody buys a run-down cattle station in outback Queensland he is shocked to discover that the woman living next door is none other than Harriet McGuire, his high school crush – the woman who mysteriously never returned to boarding school after the summer break.

In a time when women did as their fathers bid, Harriet agreed to marry the charming Daniel McGuire and move to Brigadier Station. But she soon paid the price for her naivety. Forced to protect her children from her abusive husband, she never forgot Tom’s kindness.

More than thirty years after their innocent school flirtation, Harriet and Tom begin to rekindle their friendship only to find the flames of their attraction are stronger than ever.

As Christmas approaches, rain storms finally break the decade long outback drought. But can the floods wash away the ghosts of the past? Or will they cause yet another disaster?

Set in the drought stricken plains of Julia Creek, North Queensland and the coastal city of Townsville this is a rural romance that will leave you asking: Will she marry the right man, for the right reasons?

Christmas at Brigadier Station is the fifth in the Brigadier Station series and can easily be read as a standalone. Each of Sarah's stories are linked so you can find out what happens to the other brothers and your favourite characters in future books. 

Ratings and reviews

I absolutely loved this book and never wanted it to end! This was a short novella, but packed all the emotional punch of a longer novel. Harriet has been a widow for quite a while, and has enjoyed the satisfaction of watching her sons find their perfect partners. When the neighboring station is bought by a man she remembers from her teens, it's the perfect second chance for them. Tom is everything you'd want in a partner; he's kind and gentle, hard-working, and oh-so-deliciously charming. Since his divorce many years before, he's focused on passing the family station on down to his son. Having accomplished that, he purchases a distressed station where he can settle in and enjoy the next chapter of his life. Luckily, it's right next door to his beloved, never-forgotten Harriet. There's is a quick romance, yet it was decades in the making. The story is centered around the Christmas holiday and the focus on family goals and generational impact was very nicely done. I wish I could spend years with the McGuire family, instead of just a few short hours in a book. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Christmas at Brigadier Station: An Outback Christmas Novella is the fifth book in the Brigadier Station series. I really enjoyed this sweet second chance romance about Tom and Harriet, two people in their fifties who meet again thirty years after high school. The characters are well developed, likable, and relatable. The storyline is well written and has wonderful descriptions of the Australian outback. I am looking forward to the next book in this charming series. I read and reviewed this book with no obligation.

Another Excellent Installment I have read a few books in this series and have enjoyed them. While this book was shorter than the previous ones I read, I felt like I was stepping back into the lives of people I already knew and liked. That's the joy of a well-done series. A new book is like coming home again. I particularly adored that the McGuire matriarch was the heroine of this book. Not nearly enough contemporary romances focus on a mature couple, and I think that authors miss out by not at least considering creating a story with such characters as a focal point of a romance. While the flush of first love is interesting, the deep backstories of older characters only enrich plots and storylines. Such is the case here. The couple at the heart of the story had known each other as teenagers and had an attraction back then that was never fulfilled. So when they meet again as new neighbors some thirty years later, they find those old feelings stirred to life again, and those intensify as they get to know each other again. Yes, at times it did feel a little like instalove, as is often seen in contemporary romance, but this had been a long time in the making! The heroine’s previous marriage had not been a good one, and that does cause her some problems. The hero has some issues with his son in the present day. While all these personal conflicts go on, there is also a greater story of a drought-busting storm that threatens everyone's safety and livelihoods. As with other books in this series, this one gives a good sense of what it is like to live in such a remote and harsh landscape. There were some issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage; wrong words were sometimes used, like cursing versus coursing. But all in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this trip to the outback and the mature romance at the core of it. I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

About the author

Sarah Williams is the bestselling author of Australian romantic fiction including the successful Brigadier Station series.

Sarah Williams spent her childhood chasing sheep, riding horses and picking Kiwi fruit on the family orchard in rural New Zealand. After a decade travelling, Sarah moved to Queensland to raise a family and follow her passion for writing. She currently resides in Maleny on the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, Australia. 

When she's not absorbed in her fictional writing world, Sarah is running after her family of four kids, one husband, two dogs, a horse and a cat. She is CEO of Serenade Publishing, hosts the weekly podcast/vlog Write with Love, runs writers workshops and retreats, mentors and supports her peers to achieve their publishing dreams. 

Sarah is regularly checking social media when she really should be cleaning. 

You can find her online at:

www.sarahwilliamsauthor.com

www.facebook.com/sarahwilliamswriter 

www.instagram.com/sarahwilliamsauthor/

www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomsarahwilliams

www.bookbub.com/profile/sarah-williams