Aussie Book Review: Simmering Season by Jenn J McLeod

  Simmering Season by Jenn J McLeodPaperbackReview copy provided by publisherSimon & Schuster, April 2014 Synopsis- When a school reunion brings home more than just memories…Back in Calingarry Crossing to sell the family pub, Maggie Lindeman has no idea a perfect storm is heading her way until her past and present collide with the unexpected.Maggie once had a crush on Dan Ireland, now a work-weary police crash investigator, still hell-bent on punishing himself for his misspent youth. Dan has ample reason for not going home to Calingarry Crossing for the school reunion, but one very good reason why he should.Maggie is dealing with a restless seventeen-year-old son, a father with dementia, a fame-obsessed musician husband, a dwindling bank account and a country pub that just won't sell.The last thing she needs is a surprise houseguest for the summer. Fiona Bailey-Blair, daughter of an old friend and spoilt with everything but the truth, whips up a maelstrom of gossip when she blows into town.This storm season, when a school reunion brings home more than memories, Maggie Lindeman will discover … there's no keeping a lid on some secrets.

 Review- Simmering Season is another heart-warming women’s fiction novel by Australian author Jenn J McLeod.I like that the story revisited the small town of Calingarry Crossing, initially introduced in House for all Seasons.

The protagonist, Maggie Lindeman, who had a small role in the first book, becomes better known to the reader. She’s an interesting character whose greatest weakness is that she cares too much about those around her. She’s constantly putting everyone before herself, including her rock star wannabe husband who is trying to make a name for himself in the city. Their relationship is on rocky ground, but Maggie isn’t prepared to give up until she realises what life could offer if she only just opened herself up to the possibilities.

I liked the viewpoints of Maggie’s seventeen year old son Noah and her friend’s daughter Fiona who added a youthful spin on the somewhat serious adult happenings in the town. The catalyst for change for all the characters is the impending school reunion which will reunite Maggie with her first love and provide Fiona with endless opportunities to track down her long lost father.

I enjoyed warming up to the story’s characters, a town I’d come to love in House for all Seasons. There’s a realness to Jenn J Mcleod’s stories and although on the surface it appears that there’s not much happening (in terms of big events), there’s that slowly simmering unfolding of secrets, forming of relationships and the ties of a small community that really draws me in.

I’m looking forward to seeing what the author comes up with next installment of this series, Season of Shadow and Light (due for release in 2015).

Overall Rating

4/5

"I loved this book!"

Simmering Season can be purchased from Fishpond and other leading book retailers

This book was read as part of the AWW2014 challenge: