Christmas at Coorah Creek

This was my first book that I have read by Janet Gover, and it definitely won't be my last. I was gripped from the first to the last word. Its a relatively short novella, and only took me around 90 mins to read it, and I was hooked.

It was also obviously my first encounter with Coorah Creek, a small town in the Australian outback, but as Scott returns to the place and takes a look around, you soon get a very vivid picture of what the town is like, and what life in the outback must be like.

Even in the first few pages, where Katie's car breaks down on a long very empty looking long road, there is a mention of the only sign of life she had seen for ages being a lone kangaroo, which really brought home the seriousness of her initial predicament, and also how the book is clearly set in Australia!

Katie is a young English girl, a nurse who has come to Coorah Creek to rediscover her love of nursing, after being fed up with doctor's attitudes in London to her. Scott is her rescuer, and he is dreading returning to Coorah Creek for the first time in 8 years.

There is a lot of action and drama is this book, as you would expect from Katie being an outback nurse, but she does have a lot of doubts as to whether its really the best place she should have escaped to. She also is doubting just how Christmas would be celebrated, since there is no chance of a white Christmas in the outback.

I won't tell you just how Christmas day is celebrated, but it does summon up the key themes of Christmas, in a really good way, and there is a, I hate to say Christmas miracle, but lets go for something unlikely happening,.

Christmas at Coorah Creek didn't completely feel like a Christmas book to me, however I really didn't care either, as I was enjoying the story so much, which was more the focus of the book, than the time of year. I loved my trip to Coorah Creek, and I hope to return there again one day soon.

Thanks to Choc Lit and Netgalley for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.

I absolutely loved the sweet story. This is a novella so it is not a long bool This is perfect Christmas read. A book that you can snuggle up to. I loved the characters and the story line. This book takes place in Australia, which Katie moved for a new job opportunity. This was so much more of a challenge she realizes and she starts missing London. I love the cover. It is perfect for the small town romance novel.

A lovely novella from Janet. I've read all her books and they are all truly wonderful.

Katie is an English nurse arriving in Coorah Creek to work at the hospital and Scott is returning after 8 years to try and make his peace with his father and the town.

The story follows Scott and Ed's attempts to bridge their differences, and the beginnings of the relationship between Katie and Scott.

I loved the ups and downs of the relationships, to say nothing of poor Katie and the ups and downs of the air ambulance! I couldn't see how the geographical problems could be resolved......but Janet's ending is a stroke of genius!

Next Coorah Creek book please!

Nurse Katie Brooks knew that leaving England was for the best. But Australia is so different and at Christmas time, it’s actually summer in Coorah Creek, deep in the Outback. Life and her new job, are far from easy and there are times when she wonders if she made the right decision coming here, but when she begins to doubt herself, she thinks of Scott Collins, the man who’s helped her out of more than one scrape since she arrive Down Under. The only problem is that Scott is getting ready to leave Coorah Creek and all its bad memories behind. Can he leave Katie behind as well? They will have one magical Christmas together before they decide if it will be their only Christmas together. Filled with the beauty, danger and wonder of the Australian Outback, this is a wonderful escapism read

It's always nice to read charming Christmas stories based in different counties. This was a very enjoyable story, great for a quick read to get you in the spirit of Christmas.

Two people, each with vastly different reasons for heading to Coorah Creek this Christmas season. What they find there will surprise them both – in a most wonderful way.

Katie has had it with the hospital scene in London. She is taking a chance, redefining her nursing calling and heading to another country in order to find the type of passion she needs for her career. But she really didn’t expect the quiet, heat, distance or the people of Coorah Creek. She certainly never expected to react to the air ambulance the way she did. But she also didn’t think she would find the man who would be perfect for her in this isolated part of the outback.

Scott was leaving his country and heading for a new part of his career in England. But he had one last thing to do before he left. He had to face his past and his father. Neither would be easy to do, but as a man now it was time. When he rescued a charming newcomer by the side of the road into Coorah Creek, he didn’t realize that he had in fact rescued himself, too.

Christmas at Coorah Creek is a wonderful story of two people making life changes which brings them into each other’s lives. Katie wanted a change, but it wasn’t exactly what she had in mind back in London. Scott knew he had to try to mend fences with his Dad, he just didn’t know if he could. Second chances at love don’t always have to be between lovers – another chance to bridge the gap between Father and son is simply another take on that type of chance.

The citizens of Coorah Creek are just as lively as ever – and some are just as gossipy as well. I enjoyed journeying back to Coorah Creek once again. Scott and Katie’s romance is lighthearted, fast paced with a satisfying conclusion for absolutely everyone. If you enjoy a good solid romance, with believable characters and a realistic, “it could happen to you” type of storyline – then Christmas at Coorah Creek needs to be added to your Christmas reading list – like right now.

*I received an e-ARC of Christmas at Coorah Creek from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*

I liked the story but it was a little short. I really liked the setting of the Australian outback and the reunion between father and son. I wish the story hadn't felt so rushed during parts though.

This is one of the best “culture clash” romances I’ve read, because it doesn’t treat different cultures as a source of amusement! As someone who has lived years in both Australia and England (and I see the author has similar experiences) this is the most realistic and believable one of these books I can remember reading.
Capturing a romance that happens in December, rather than a romance that is all about Christmas, I think the family issues and the resolution of those family issues was handled REALLY well in a short space of time. I believed in these characters, and they were those rare things: romance characters who act like real people!
I am a bit cautious about reading books set in rural Australia, especially when one of the main characters comes from overseas, as the clichés, the embarrassing stereotypes, and the weird slang tend to be played up to a painful degree. Not the case here.
I needed this well-written, simple (in a good way) Christmas novella after the melodramatic, sexist disaster I just finished reading! I should be looking for more from this author, because she’s one of the better writers I’ve read in recent times.

Wonderfully romantic and a perfect read for the approaching festive season, ‘Christmas at Coorah Creek’ takes us back to our favourite Australian outback, where we see some old friends, and make some new ones.

Janet Gover has a talent of taking you away from your life with her stories. For the hours that I read them, I’m not at home in between another day at work and another part of a dissertation, I am in the blazing heat and part of the small community of Coorah Creek, where life is at the same time so familiar and yet so foreign. I adored getting to see Coorah Creek from Katie’s perspective, a real outsider who has to contend with not only a different climate (jumping from British December to the height of summer would be a shock!) but a very different lifestyle. I loved seeing her struggles which were so true to what somebody so far away from home would be experiencing. The homesickness mixed with her uncertainty about the path she wanted to take in life made for a both emotional and exciting read.

The hero of our story, Scott, was a kind-hearted man who had a kick of bad-boy. With him we get to see another family story within Coorah Creek, and are given another piece of the puzzle that makes up this wonderful town. His and Katie’s relationship was a fast-paced one, but not once did I feel like it was rushed. Instead I felt sure in the way that their romance flourished and looked forward to their scenes together.

A festive novella that ticks all the boxes, ‘Christmas at Coorah Creek’ has romance, family drama, and the desire to find a home and purpose.

5 Stars!

*Review copy was kindly provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

When I was younger, I dreamed about starting over some where new and different. However, I would never have been as brave as Katie to travel half way around the world to do so as she does in Christmas at Coorah Creek by Janet Gover. So early on I knew she would be just the type of female character I like to read about in books. I think it was early on when she contemplated kicking the tire that I was sold on her. Even with her self-doubts this is a strong, wise woman. Also I would like to visit Australian outback after seeing it through Katie’s eyes.

For me, it is also a wonderful introduction to the outback town of Coorah Creek. Seeing this town from Scott’s perspective and how that perspective changes over the course of the story adds the overall striking sense of time going by

This is definitely a rich, vibrant story of romance, family, second chances, real life adventure, finding your place in life and coming to terms with the past. Oh yeah, it is also a Christmas story and I couldn’t help but fall in love with how the Coorah Creek pub celebrated at the hall. I guess I’m more like Trish Warren at this stage of my life.

Never having been to the Outback myself, I can still say it is a realistic, riveting read. Now I feel as if I have found new friends and a new place to visit (even if it is as an armchair visitor) again and again so I will be looking for more of the Coorah Creek Series by Janet Gover.

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A delighful tale of finding love in the Australian outback at Christmastime...

Katie, a nurse struggling with her career choices, migrates to Australia's Coorah Creek, where she is rescued by Scott Collins, a man with a short-term plan. She's running away, he's retuned to confront the past and leave. Can they find what they're looking for together, when life plans are pulling them in opposite directions?

This is the second Janet Gover book I have read, and just as enjoyable. I love the depth and rawness of her characters: they feel real, complete with flaws and vulnerabilities. The setting was strong, the plot gentle. A great feel-good holiday read!

When I was contacted by Susan about taking part in the Book Trail Advent, a 12 stop tour across blogs promoting books set in locations around the world, the hardest decision I had was to decide which book to review based on where it was set.

But in the end it was a fairly easy decision as soon as I saw that Christmas at Coorah Creek, the latest in Janet Gover's series, was available for review on NetGalley. Spending Christmas in the Australian Outback is as far removed from anything I've ever experienced so I decided why not read about it instead.

In this festive novella we meet Katie and Scott, two strangers whose paths cross on the road leading into Coorah Creek but their reasons for heading there couldn't be more different. One is looking for a fresh start whilst the other is looking to make amends for their past before it's too late. What neither of them expect is for a chance encounter to change their lives forever.

Katie was the sort of person who I would have liked to have been when I was younger, one who was brave enough to pack in her job and leave everyone she loves behind and look for a new challenge halfway across the world. Although it's clear that no matter how much research she had done beforehand she wasn't prepared for what life actually would be like in the Outback, especially where the air ambulance was concerned!

What I love most about reading book series is meeting up with old friends such as Jess and Adam, from Flight to Coorah Crook, who work alongside Katie, and pub landlady and town gossip Trish who plays her part to help push Scott to see what he needs to do. The festive element, albeit a small part of the storyline, was just perfect too as I loved how the townfolk all came together to celebrate.

Once again Janet's descriptive writing has taken me on a journey into the heart of the Outback, I could almost feel the heat and see the dusty landscape through Katie's eyes, and I cannot wait to take a trip back there again soon as I still have this Summer's The Wild One to review but fingers crossed we'll also be returning to Coorah Creek again in the future.

Although the town of Coorah Creek is a fictional town that Janet has created, the Australian Outback is real, somewhere that I've often seen featured in films and TV series such as The Flying Doctors, and I've often wondered whether I could live somewhere so remote. At times the idea really appeals to me, especially when day-to-day life gets on top of me, but a major hurdle that I would face is the fact that I cannot drive as I don't expect there would be an hourly number 7 bus passing by! Another factor that I would also have to overcome is the extreme heat as I don't think my pale Celtic skin would cope with the temperatures that they experience the whole year round. So for now I think I'll just have to imagine what life would be like through Janet's stories but you never know one day I might bite the bullet and take that trip...

For information about Janet's Coorah Creek series, and where the idea for Coorah Creek came from, why not head over to Janet's website here.

Loved the story! Loved the characters! Liked the story flow. Great read! Given copy for honest review.

I feel like I live in Coorah Creek, so this story felt very familiar on many levels. Many readers will find themselves in this story of difficult family relationships, personal challenges, and the possibilities that new love can bring. It also explores the age old question, can you go home again?