Book Review: Montana by Fiona McArthur

Montana

by

Fiona McArthur 

 

Publisher: Self published

Publication day: 30th October 2020

Series: Lyrebird Lake #1

Genre: Romance

Pages: 213

Format read: eBook

Source: courtesy of the author

 

About the book

 

For midwife Montana, finding out she was pregnant was the best moment of her life. But days later she was widowed.
Nine months have passed, her daughter is born, and Montana knows she needs a fresh start.
Dr Andy Buchanan is building services at Lyrebird Lake Hospital and he wants Montana for the new maternity unit. He can’t get the beautiful new mum out of his mind.

Lyrebird Lake is the perfect place for Montana to build a new life – with Andy?
And then there’s the magical myth of the lyrebirds…

 

My review

 

Fiona McArthur has given her readers a wonderful start to the Lyrebird Lake series, featuring midwife Montana Browne and doctor Andy Buchanan.

 

The story opens on New Years Day and it is the first year Montana will start without her husband Duncan, who had died unexpectedly nine months ago.

Montana is a midwife so it's only natural that pregnancy and birth feature largely in the Lyrebird Series. Fiona McArthur's birth scenes are calm, magical and beautiful.

 

Montana meets Dr Andy Buchanan and finds herself instantly attracted. However she feels deep guilt over this attraction and the fact that Andy makes her laugh. Isn't it too early in her bereavement to be having any happy thoughts?

 

McArthur includes many themes that encapsulate hospitals and childbirth, such as, lack of hospital staff in small country areas, teenage pregnancy, genetic diseases and adequate birthing units in hospitals. There are also emotional themes explored throughout the book such as, feelings of guilt when a partner has died, moving on in life and looking to the future.

 

Montana is a beautiful, gentle read. A feel-good story with depth. Just what I needed this week! Andy and Montana's slowly evolving relationship came across as very real and I love that the story wasn't all about the romance and Montana's angst.

 

Lyrebird Lake is full of lovely welcoming residents and I am eager to read the next book in the series and hopefully revisit a few of these wonderful characters.

 

4.5 / 5   ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

 

Meet the author 

 

Photo Goodreads

Fiona McArthur has worked as a midwife for thirty years. She is the clinical midwifery educator inner rural maternity unit and teaches emergency obstetric strategies while working with midwives and doctors from remote and isolated areas.

Fiona has written more than thirty romances, which have sold over two million copies in twelve languages. She has been a midwifery expert for Mother and Baby magazine and is the author of Aussie Midwives. She has also written the novels Red Sand Sunrise, The Homestead Girls and Heart of the Sky. She lives on a farm in northern New South Wales. 

 

 

Challenges entered: Aussie author challenge  #AussieAuthor20

                                 Australian Women Writers Challenge #AWW2020