Book Review: Cockatoo Cove by Maya Linnell -

I’ve talked here plenty of times about how much I enjoy Maya Linnell‘s writing – her rural romance novels are the perfect blend of sweet and serious, and come with such a feeling of familiarity and nostalgia that make them a perfect comfort read for me. So it probably comes as no surprise at all that I’ve been looking forward to her newest novel – Cockatoo Cove – hitting shelves today. The lovely team at Allen and Unwin kindly sent me an early copy, which I devoured in just a few sittings over the weekend, and I’m excited to share some of my thoughts. I’ve popped the blurb for Cockatoo Cove below, keep reading below that to find out what I thought (spoiler – I loved it).

What is Maya Linnell’s Cockatoo Cove about?

Maggie West has worked tirelessly to prove herself, establishing a successful cattle stud instead of following her father into the crayfishing industry, though it’s never enough to stop local speculation about her family’s holdings. And with her teenage daughter veering off the rails, she knows all too well that money doesn’t provide immunity against heartache or hardship.

Since landing in South Australia’s picturesque Limestone Coast, Scottish winemaker Fergus Abernathy has gone from strength to strength. But it isn’t just the awards that are keeping him in the district; if he can put down roots, perhaps he can persuade his family to join him Down Under.

Missing his family back in Scotland, Fergus looks a little enviously at the close-knit West family, until a shocking phone call changes everything.

Misunderstandings and long-withheld secrets create roadblocks for Maggie and Fergus, and with a community fundraiser hanging in the balance, it seems they’re never destined to be in the right place at the right time.

My review of Cockatoo Cove

Honestly, Maya has done it again with Cockatoo Cove! It’s packed with the same authenticity and warmth and care as her previous books, and it was such a treat to slip back into the Limestone Coast towns Maya has introduced us to in Kookaburra Cottage and Wallaby Lane.

Maggie and Fergus were lovely protagonists – I found myself on their side from the get-go. I liked that they had quite a bit of life experience under their belts, both being in their mid-thirties, and I also really liked seeing the positive representation of Maggie’s relationship with her ex-husband.

Something that I especially appreciated in Cockatoo Cove was the glimpses we saw into the lives of a number of characters we’ve met and built a kind of relationship with in the previous two books. In fact our leading man, Fergus, had roles in both those books, which also made it extra special to get to know him better. I think Maya has really nailed the building of connections between characters across books in this one, and this really adds to the wonderful feeling of community in her writing. It was also fun to be back at the Penwarra Country Show again. Given the excellent call backs and cameos I couldn’t help but wonder who we might get to know better in Maya’s next novel – I have a few ideas, but if you’ve read this one I’d love to hear your theories too!

Seven books in I feel like Maya’s books are staying much fresher than my reviews of her writing – I really feel like I’m really running out of ways to tell you how much I love these stories and how highly I recommend them to anyone looking for a literary rural (romance) getaway!

As always, huge congrats to Maya on the release of another lovely novel, and big thanks to A&U for getting an early copy of the book to me to review. Let me know in the comments if you have read this or have it on your ‘to read’ list!

xo Bron
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Cockatoo Cove by Maya Linnell
Out now from Allen & Unwin
Source: The team at Allen & Unwin kindly sent me an early copy for review.
Category: Contemporary Aussie rural romance (closed door)

Cockatoo Cove on Goodreads
You can keep up with the latest from Maya online on her website here, and her Instagram account here.

Check out my previous reviews of Maya’s books