What do you think?
Rate this book
A Mindalby Outback Romance #2
Starting Over
When fashion designer Serena Quinlan arrives in Mindalby for the annual cotton festival, she is hoping to do two things: meet local leather worker Paul Carey and check out all the 50-year-old men to see if they might be her father. She doesn't expect the explosive attraction she feels towards Paul, nor the untimely and unwanted arrival of her ex-fiance. When her search for her father leads to unexpected results, Serena will be torn between the past she came searching for and the possibility of a future she never expected. Mindalby, a small town, a community, a home. But when the mill that supports the local cotton farmers and employs many of the town's residents closes unexpectedly, old tensions are exposed and new rifts develop. Everyone is affected and some react better than others, but one thing is certain: living on the edge of the outback means they have to survive together, or let their town die.
- GenresRomance
392 pages, Paperback
Published September 12, 2018
41 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Susanne Bellamy
68 books75 followersBorn and raised in Toowoomba, Susanne is an Australian author of contemporary and suspense romances set in exciting and often exotic locations, and rural romance and set in Australia. She has also written several historical stories. She adores travel with her husband, both at home and overseas, and weaves stories around the settings and people she encounters. One Night in Tuscany almost wrote itself after her travels in Italy, and her rural romances were inspired by a stint teaching in far north-west Queensland.
Her heroes have to be pretty special to live up to her real life hero. He saved her life then married her. They live on the edge of bush land on a mountain in beautiful sunny Queensland, Australia, with their dog.
Susanne is a member of the RWA (Romance Writers of Australia) and is a finalist in their 2021 RuBY award for her seasoned romance, 'Home from the Hill'. She has also been a finalist in the Emerald Award and Pan Macmillan competitions.
Her heroes have to be pretty special to live up to her real life hero. He saved her life then married her. They live on the edge of bush land on a mountain in beautiful sunny Queensland, Australia, with their dog.
Susanne is a member of the RWA (Romance Writers of Australia) and is a finalist in their 2021 RuBY award for her seasoned romance, 'Home from the Hill'. She has also been a finalist in the Emerald Award and Pan Macmillan competitions.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 10, 2018
Serena Quinlan arrived in Mindalby after a long drive from Sydney, tired and ready to relax. She was a fashion designer and was meeting with Paul Carey regarding the annual cotton festival, and what she had to offer the town. But the local cotton mill had recently closed, and the workers were out of work with not much chance of receiving the money they were owed. The festival would possibly not even go ahead. Serena’s meeting with Paul was unexpected on his part – he hadn’t checked his messages – but the instant attraction they both felt toward one another was a shock to them both.
Serena had an ulterior motive for her trip to Mindalby. All her life it had been just the two of them; she and her mother Dawn. Serena had never known who her father was. Her mother’s recent health scare had Serena wanting to find her father – and the only thing she knew was Mindalby featured in that past. But when her ex-fiance, reporter Max from Sydney, arrived unexpectedly, Serena knew there would be trouble.
What would happen to the people of the small town, where tempers were frayed, and deceit had occurred? And would Serena find her father – or was he nowhere near Mindalby?
Starting Over is the 2nd in the Mindalby Outback Romance series – a multi authored series of novellas, with this one by Aussie author Susanne Bellamy. Mindalby is a fictionalized town set in rural NSW, inland between Newcastle and Dubbo – the story revolves around the closing of the cotton mill, and the actions of the town to help each other find a solution. Recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read and review.
Serena had an ulterior motive for her trip to Mindalby. All her life it had been just the two of them; she and her mother Dawn. Serena had never known who her father was. Her mother’s recent health scare had Serena wanting to find her father – and the only thing she knew was Mindalby featured in that past. But when her ex-fiance, reporter Max from Sydney, arrived unexpectedly, Serena knew there would be trouble.
What would happen to the people of the small town, where tempers were frayed, and deceit had occurred? And would Serena find her father – or was he nowhere near Mindalby?
Starting Over is the 2nd in the Mindalby Outback Romance series – a multi authored series of novellas, with this one by Aussie author Susanne Bellamy. Mindalby is a fictionalized town set in rural NSW, inland between Newcastle and Dubbo – the story revolves around the closing of the cotton mill, and the actions of the town to help each other find a solution. Recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read and review.
August 11, 2018
I have travelled back to the country town of Mindalby and am finding out more about the people who are struggling with drought and a cotton mill closing down, these farmers are the backbone of our country and they are doing it tough and MS Bellamy has bought to life the characters in her story, I loved getting to know Paul Carey and Serena Quinlan as they journey a tough path to a beautiful HEA, make yourself comfortable you are in for a great read.
Serena is a fashion designer and has been asked to design some clothing for the Mindalby Cotton Festival and she needs to talk to local Paul Carey but rather than do everything online she decides to make the trip to Mindalby in person, you see she has another matter that she needs to sort out and that is to find her father, a daunting task but one she will not give up on. Her first meeting with Paul goes totally different to what she thought it would, there is a spark, a pull not good considering that she has recently broken up with her fiancé, and life throws some different balls at times and Serena shows the strength to catch those balls.
Paul is big on family and their family has been through a lot with the cotton farm and then the closure of the mill, his parents and brother are running the farm while he keeps up with his art as he is very gifted but he is struggling with the fact that he will not be getting paid for the beautiful leather panels that he has been contracted to do and then in walks the beautiful Serena and life as Paul knows it is going to change so many ups and downs but he cannot deny his feelings for Serena for too long.
There is a lot going on in this story both Paul and Serena have been through a lot but now is the time for them, Paul has always put everyone in front of himself and Serena is just such a beautiful caring person they deserve to find happiness and love and they do in such a gorgeous way, loved this one and am loving this series, always great to make friends with the characters in a story thank you MS Bellamy, this is one that I do very much recommend.
Serena is a fashion designer and has been asked to design some clothing for the Mindalby Cotton Festival and she needs to talk to local Paul Carey but rather than do everything online she decides to make the trip to Mindalby in person, you see she has another matter that she needs to sort out and that is to find her father, a daunting task but one she will not give up on. Her first meeting with Paul goes totally different to what she thought it would, there is a spark, a pull not good considering that she has recently broken up with her fiancé, and life throws some different balls at times and Serena shows the strength to catch those balls.
Paul is big on family and their family has been through a lot with the cotton farm and then the closure of the mill, his parents and brother are running the farm while he keeps up with his art as he is very gifted but he is struggling with the fact that he will not be getting paid for the beautiful leather panels that he has been contracted to do and then in walks the beautiful Serena and life as Paul knows it is going to change so many ups and downs but he cannot deny his feelings for Serena for too long.
There is a lot going on in this story both Paul and Serena have been through a lot but now is the time for them, Paul has always put everyone in front of himself and Serena is just such a beautiful caring person they deserve to find happiness and love and they do in such a gorgeous way, loved this one and am loving this series, always great to make friends with the characters in a story thank you MS Bellamy, this is one that I do very much recommend.
July 20, 2018
A nice enjoyable second book of this series. More on my blog https://heyjustreadit.wordpress.com/2...
July 20, 2018
I’m really enjoying this series of Australian romances about Mindalby, a small outback town whose residents all depend in one way or another on the local cotton mill for their livelihoods. When the mill suddenly closes down unexpectedly and the owner goes missing under a cloud of suspicion, the residents must find ways to survive and figure out a way through the crisis.
While this is a series, each of the books can be read as a standalone. There are a few characters who appear in several books, and a few events too such as the mill closure as they all seem to be happening in approximately the same time frame.
In Starting Over, a newcomer to town arrives at just the wrong moment, when tensions are running seriously high. Serena is a fashion designer from Sydney who has created a range for the upcoming Cotton Festival, now in serious doubt. She does have an ulterior motive for coming to Mindalby in person, though, searching for the father she’s never known.
When she meets up with saddler and leatherwork artist Paul Carey, who she’s commissioned to make accessories for her range but never met, sparks fly right away. The path to true love is definitely not going to run smooth with an entire town in turmoil, though, and there are lots of interesting twists to the story as Serena tries to work out who her father is (Paul’s father is even, briefly, a potential candidate!) and Paul tries to work out how he’s going to survive in the town with no business coming in.
I’ve lived in a small country town completely dependent on one major business and this series has, so far, depicted perfectly how the population react the moment there’s even the hint of a threat to their livelihoods. The authors writing the series are doing a tremendous job of covering those gritty realities and not letting escapist fantasies take over - it would be terribly easy to have a billionaire move to town and fall for a local girl, investing to solve everyone’s problems, but that’s not the way things happen in the real world. Instead, people get angry, they drink too much and make reckless decisions, their loved ones make desperate interventions and at the end of the day perhaps, working together, they’ll find their way to a happy outcome.
It’s rather like how real-life relationships work… there are bumps in the road, but with patience and love, you can pull through and find a happy ending. The realism in these stories makes them wonderfully vivid, and I’d highly recommend to anyone who wants a taste of real life in an Australian outback town. Five stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.
While this is a series, each of the books can be read as a standalone. There are a few characters who appear in several books, and a few events too such as the mill closure as they all seem to be happening in approximately the same time frame.
In Starting Over, a newcomer to town arrives at just the wrong moment, when tensions are running seriously high. Serena is a fashion designer from Sydney who has created a range for the upcoming Cotton Festival, now in serious doubt. She does have an ulterior motive for coming to Mindalby in person, though, searching for the father she’s never known.
When she meets up with saddler and leatherwork artist Paul Carey, who she’s commissioned to make accessories for her range but never met, sparks fly right away. The path to true love is definitely not going to run smooth with an entire town in turmoil, though, and there are lots of interesting twists to the story as Serena tries to work out who her father is (Paul’s father is even, briefly, a potential candidate!) and Paul tries to work out how he’s going to survive in the town with no business coming in.
I’ve lived in a small country town completely dependent on one major business and this series has, so far, depicted perfectly how the population react the moment there’s even the hint of a threat to their livelihoods. The authors writing the series are doing a tremendous job of covering those gritty realities and not letting escapist fantasies take over - it would be terribly easy to have a billionaire move to town and fall for a local girl, investing to solve everyone’s problems, but that’s not the way things happen in the real world. Instead, people get angry, they drink too much and make reckless decisions, their loved ones make desperate interventions and at the end of the day perhaps, working together, they’ll find their way to a happy outcome.
It’s rather like how real-life relationships work… there are bumps in the road, but with patience and love, you can pull through and find a happy ending. The realism in these stories makes them wonderfully vivid, and I’d highly recommend to anyone who wants a taste of real life in an Australian outback town. Five stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.
June 30, 2018
The second story in the Mindalby series, I was hoping it might include the characters from the first book a little which was slightly disappointing, but I still thought it was a great read. The town of Mindalby's population is growing with each chapter. I thought Paul's character was great though both him and Serena often jumped to conclusions about the other a bit too often, what would be best for the other without asking said person, saying this I liked the way the whole story and Serena's reason for coming to town was resolved.
Thanks to NetGalley and Escape Publishing for a copy in return for an honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Escape Publishing for a copy in return for an honest review.
August 2, 2018
This is the second book in the Mindalby series, and tells the story of city slicker Serena who arrives in town to work with the cotton industry and look for her long lost father while she is there. Serena meets Paul Carey, local leather artisan and dreamboat, and sparks fly. Their first meeting is quite amusing and very sexy!
More of the town's characters are introduced, and some familiar faces show up. The closure of the cotton mill is seen from an alternate perspective as that show in book one, and this helps to move the story along while reminding readers of past events.
Family seems to be a key value in this series and again in 'Starting Over' there are great scenes full of family, love and humour. The lovely scenes between Paul and Jack are well done and add to Paul's character development. They also bring a tear to the eye!
A good read, and I look toward to continuing with the rest in the series.
More of the town's characters are introduced, and some familiar faces show up. The closure of the cotton mill is seen from an alternate perspective as that show in book one, and this helps to move the story along while reminding readers of past events.
Family seems to be a key value in this series and again in 'Starting Over' there are great scenes full of family, love and humour. The lovely scenes between Paul and Jack are well done and add to Paul's character development. They also bring a tear to the eye!
A good read, and I look toward to continuing with the rest in the series.
June 19, 2018
Loved it good read enjoyable would recommend reading it and the author amend other books in series won’t disappoint
June 15, 2018
Starting Over is the second book in the Mindalby Outback series, and this one is written by Susanne Bellamy. I love these short stories and the amount of background and content that each author has managed to include in each book.
The characters are well developed and the story keeps the reader entertained until the end. I look forward to the next book and discovering another fabulous author.
The characters are well developed and the story keeps the reader entertained until the end. I look forward to the next book and discovering another fabulous author.
August 24, 2018
Starting over by Susanne Bellamy.
Mindalby, a small town, a community, a home. But when the mill that supports the local cotton farmers and employs many of the town's residents closes unexpectedly, old tensions are exposed and new rifts develop. Everyone is affected and some react better than others, but one thing is certain: living on the edge of the outback means they have to survive together, or let their town die.
When fashion designer Serena Quinlan arrives in Mindalby for the annual cotton festival, she is hoping to do two things: meet local leather worker Paul Carey and check out all the 50–year–old men to see if they might be her father. She doesn't expect the explosive attraction she feels towards Paul, nor the untimely and unwanted arrival of her ex–fiance. When her search for her father leads to unexpected results, Serena will be torn between the past she came searching for and the possibility of a future she never expected.
This was a fantastic read with brilliant characters. I loved the characters and how they were. Especially Serena and Paul. My favourite was when Paul was on the catwalk. 5*.
Mindalby, a small town, a community, a home. But when the mill that supports the local cotton farmers and employs many of the town's residents closes unexpectedly, old tensions are exposed and new rifts develop. Everyone is affected and some react better than others, but one thing is certain: living on the edge of the outback means they have to survive together, or let their town die.
When fashion designer Serena Quinlan arrives in Mindalby for the annual cotton festival, she is hoping to do two things: meet local leather worker Paul Carey and check out all the 50–year–old men to see if they might be her father. She doesn't expect the explosive attraction she feels towards Paul, nor the untimely and unwanted arrival of her ex–fiance. When her search for her father leads to unexpected results, Serena will be torn between the past she came searching for and the possibility of a future she never expected.
This was a fantastic read with brilliant characters. I loved the characters and how they were. Especially Serena and Paul. My favourite was when Paul was on the catwalk. 5*.
August 3, 2018
After reading and enjoying Cotton Field Dreams the first book in this series of short standalone books written by different authors I went straight on to this book and what another wonderful read this was. Like the previous book, this had a good storyline and I really liked both Paul and Serena they clashed often and jumped to conclusions about each other but they had me laughing out loud this was a great little read
March 30, 2020
A good insight to the trial and tribulations that can and do affect country towns in the Australian outback. There are always a few characters in every town to add colour to the story and this book certainly had a few. The hero and heroine Paul and Serena were both good people trying to solve difficult problems. Of course, there were the mandatory tear jerker moments as well to round off the story. Definitely a good read.
September 24, 2018
This is the 2nd book of 4 that I received in a bind up and I was quite looking forward to continuing with this series after I enjoyed the first one so much.
The story revolves around Serena, a fashion designer who arrives in Mindalby for two reasons – one to meet a leather worker she wants to work with and two, to see if she can track down her biological father. Conceived at a music festival in NSW years ago, Serena has been raised alone by a single mother but her mother’s illness a short time ago has really motivated her to find her father, despite the few sketchy details that her mother has.
Serena and Paul have an instant attraction (they meet when Paul is kind of erm, exposed) and the banter flows but there are quite a few complications from the beginning. Like most of the town, Paul is preoccupied by the cotton mill closure and what it means for his extended family, especially his troubled younger brother who isn’t coping well with having his cotton held hostage. Both Paul and Serena have quite a lot going on and their strong attraction takes them both by surprise. Serena is just also coming out of a break up as well but the pull between them is hard to ignore.
I really enjoy the way thing are going with the town in this book….the town feels consistent between the two volumes and this one expands upon some of the hardship and difficulties that it’s facing with the closure and limbo of the mill. Tempers are fraying and people are starting to struggle as bills go unpaid and crops face being lost. Paul isn’t strictly a farmer but his family farm and he has financial interests tied up in it so he’s also invested in the outcome of the mill. He also created some leather panels for an event that he now thinks he might not be paid for, which was supposed to be something that turned his finances around.
Serena is using the excuse to meet Paul (randomly, she’s been asked to design some clothing for a town event) to come to Mindalby because it’s where her mother thinks her father might still be living. It’s a bit awkward to be trying to track down your father without even having a name to go by. It leads to a lot of weird situations where she thinks various people might be her father and they all bring severe complications to her burgeoning relationship with Paul. Also her ex-fiance is in town for some reason and seems bent on causing trouble and confusing Serena with mind games.
While I enjoyed the town journey I wasn’t as invested in Paul and Serena – it felt a bit too instalove for me and some of Paul’s early remarks left me feeling a bit icky. They didn’t even know each other so I just found some of that a bit distasteful, a bit ‘old romance’ rather than the type I enjoy reading in 2018. And all of the drama surrounding just precisely who Serena’s father was felt a bit contrived – like the only early options were really the ones that would create the most amount of drama and there are no other men in this town of the right age but it also wasn’t particularly convincing either. Just felt a bit like filler to pad the story out a bit and create some conflict between Paul and Serena when there was probably already enough going on.
This was okay – I enjoyed it for the town development but overall, I wasn’t particularly invested in the romance part.
***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review***
The story revolves around Serena, a fashion designer who arrives in Mindalby for two reasons – one to meet a leather worker she wants to work with and two, to see if she can track down her biological father. Conceived at a music festival in NSW years ago, Serena has been raised alone by a single mother but her mother’s illness a short time ago has really motivated her to find her father, despite the few sketchy details that her mother has.
Serena and Paul have an instant attraction (they meet when Paul is kind of erm, exposed) and the banter flows but there are quite a few complications from the beginning. Like most of the town, Paul is preoccupied by the cotton mill closure and what it means for his extended family, especially his troubled younger brother who isn’t coping well with having his cotton held hostage. Both Paul and Serena have quite a lot going on and their strong attraction takes them both by surprise. Serena is just also coming out of a break up as well but the pull between them is hard to ignore.
I really enjoy the way thing are going with the town in this book….the town feels consistent between the two volumes and this one expands upon some of the hardship and difficulties that it’s facing with the closure and limbo of the mill. Tempers are fraying and people are starting to struggle as bills go unpaid and crops face being lost. Paul isn’t strictly a farmer but his family farm and he has financial interests tied up in it so he’s also invested in the outcome of the mill. He also created some leather panels for an event that he now thinks he might not be paid for, which was supposed to be something that turned his finances around.
Serena is using the excuse to meet Paul (randomly, she’s been asked to design some clothing for a town event) to come to Mindalby because it’s where her mother thinks her father might still be living. It’s a bit awkward to be trying to track down your father without even having a name to go by. It leads to a lot of weird situations where she thinks various people might be her father and they all bring severe complications to her burgeoning relationship with Paul. Also her ex-fiance is in town for some reason and seems bent on causing trouble and confusing Serena with mind games.
While I enjoyed the town journey I wasn’t as invested in Paul and Serena – it felt a bit too instalove for me and some of Paul’s early remarks left me feeling a bit icky. They didn’t even know each other so I just found some of that a bit distasteful, a bit ‘old romance’ rather than the type I enjoy reading in 2018. And all of the drama surrounding just precisely who Serena’s father was felt a bit contrived – like the only early options were really the ones that would create the most amount of drama and there are no other men in this town of the right age but it also wasn’t particularly convincing either. Just felt a bit like filler to pad the story out a bit and create some conflict between Paul and Serena when there was probably already enough going on.
This was okay – I enjoyed it for the town development but overall, I wasn’t particularly invested in the romance part.
***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review***
January 18, 2019
A sweet romance, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It had an interesting and storyline, love Serena and Paul’s first meeting. Their likeable characters and I really wanted them to succeed. Would recommend this story.
It had an interesting and storyline, love Serena and Paul’s first meeting. Their likeable characters and I really wanted them to succeed. Would recommend this story.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews