Barbara Hannay

The Happiest Little Town is a contemporary Australian domestic drama set in the Atherton Tablelands of Far North Queensland. Kate is a 52 year old divorcée who has moved there to escape the scandals and notoriety surrounding her ex-husband. She plans a new life for herself renovating an old van, then an adventurous roadtrip. Her new plans come rapidly crashing down when a stranger drops a teenager on her doorstep. The 13 year old Tilly is a hitherto unknown daughter of her ex, and half sister to her two adult daughters, still grieving the death of her own mother.

The story then expands to include the cast of the local drama group, the aging actress Olivia, and the hot town sparky Liam. There is country town solidarity, a found family and a budding romance. This was a pleasant light read. My main criticism would be that Tilly, after a tiny bit of acting up in her distress, rapidly settled into a paragon of teenage virtue, which seemed rather inconsistent with reality. I am happy to accept an improbable premise, such as being forced to take in an unrelated child, because it is fiction and therefore I suspend my disbelief. However I still like my fictional characters to feel plausible. Nevertheless it was a feel-good easy-read story.… (meer)

In the Heart of the Outback...
4 Stars

Byrne Drummond first met Fiona McLaren on the worst day of his life in the aftermath of a devastating accident for which her brother was to blame. Now, three years later, Fiona and Byrne meet again and struggle against the sizzling attraction between them. But as they grow closer, Fiona knows that the information in her possession will break his heart all over again ...

Byrne and Fiona's romance is both heartwarming and heartwrenching. They are such loving and caring people, and one cannot help but root for their HEA of which they are both so deserving.

The descriptions of life in the Australian outback are compelling and call to mind some of my favorite television shows such as The Thorn Birds, Flying Doctors and McLeod's Daughters.

My only minor issue is that Byrne and Fiona's love scenes are fade to black. Others may, however, prefer this as it is a Harlequin romance.… (meer)

"The Garden of Hopes and Dreams" was a gentle, feel-good read which followed the lives of the residents of Brisbane's Riverview apartment. Each person had their own troubles and had very little knowledge of their neighbours. However, all that changed when it was decided to create a communal rooftop garden. I was touched by how these lonely people found solace in tending the garden as it provided them with opportunities to socialise and get to know each other.

I liked all the residents involved with the garden although I did find Maddie rather naive and frustrating. It also took me most of the novel to appreciate Nancy, However, I loved Vera and her grandson, Henry, who was just a delight with his enthusiasm for the garden and the worms. He made me smile.

Full of hope, second chances, connections and the power of nature, "The Garden of Hopes and Dreams" lacked depth but was a lovely novel that I enjoyed reading.… (meer)

This book was just lovely :O)
Tilly's world has fallen apart. Her single Mum died suddenly & to heap salt on the wound, she has been torn away from everything she knows & loves to a little town a million miles away where she knows nobody.
Kate is trying to move one from her divorce & her dream of doing up her camper van & taking it around Australia is suddenly put on hold by the arrival of an unexpected responsibility has landed in her door.
Former celebrity actress Olivia is used to getting the best roles in her local theatre group but when she takes the term 'break a leg' a little too seriously while exiting the stage, she is relegated to the wings.
These lost souls come together under the roof of Burralea's Amateuer Theatre, just before opening night.....
I loved this. It's a lovely easy to read story with a host of colourful characters, wonderful friendships tragedies & triumphs. The POVs from the vast age differences were pretty entertaining too. This was my first Barbara Hannay book but I don't think it'll be my last. She has a way of bringing the characters to life with her writing & I feel like I've made three new friends. I also loved reading about life in a small country town again, she made it seem so magical. All in all a wonderful, light, entertaining read.… (meer)