What do you think?
Rate this book
Master of Maramba
After a car accident destroyed her career, all Catrina Russell wanted was a quiet place to recover; so she took a job as housekeeper on a farm in Northern Queensland. Royce McQuillan never would have chosen Carrie for that work if it had not been for the immediate affection that had arisen between his daughter and she. What was more difficult to understand was what he himself felt for Carrie. After his wife left him to return to the animated life of the city, how long could he hope that this beautiful housekeeper would share the tranquillity and isolation of his farm?
192 pages, Paperback
First published April 7, 2004
12 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Way
612 books162 followersMargaret Way was born and educated in the river city of Brisbane, Australia. Before her marriage she was a well-known pianist, teacher, vocal coach and accompanist, but her hectic musical career came to a halt when her son was born and the demands of motherhood dictated a change of pace.
On a fortuitous impulse she decided to try her hand at romance writing and was thrilled when Mills & Boon accepted her first effort, Time of the Jacaranda, which they published less than a year later in 1970; a feat that brought tears to her father's eyes. Some seventy odd books have followed resulting in a loyal readership whose letters provide a source of support and encouragement. A driving force in all her writing has been the promotion of her much loved country, Australia. She delights in bringing it alive for her readers; its people, way of life, environment, flora and fauna. Her efforts so far have not excited official recognition, but she expects one day she will be awarded the "Order of Australia."
Her interests remain with the arts. She still plays the piano seriously, but her "top Cs" have gone. She is still addicted to collecting antiques and paintings and browsing through galleries. She now lives within sight and sound of beautiful Moreton Bay and its islands, inspiration for some of her books. Her house is full of books, spectacular plants, Chinese screens and pots. She is devoted to her garden and spends much time "directing the design and digging and providing cold drinks and chocolates."
On a fortuitous impulse she decided to try her hand at romance writing and was thrilled when Mills & Boon accepted her first effort, Time of the Jacaranda, which they published less than a year later in 1970; a feat that brought tears to her father's eyes. Some seventy odd books have followed resulting in a loyal readership whose letters provide a source of support and encouragement. A driving force in all her writing has been the promotion of her much loved country, Australia. She delights in bringing it alive for her readers; its people, way of life, environment, flora and fauna. Her efforts so far have not excited official recognition, but she expects one day she will be awarded the "Order of Australia."
Her interests remain with the arts. She still plays the piano seriously, but her "top Cs" have gone. She is still addicted to collecting antiques and paintings and browsing through galleries. She now lives within sight and sound of beautiful Moreton Bay and its islands, inspiration for some of her books. Her house is full of books, spectacular plants, Chinese screens and pots. She is devoted to her garden and spends much time "directing the design and digging and providing cold drinks and chocolates."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 24, 2020
With a title like MASTER OF MARAMBA (add the sound of thunder here), I thought I was getting one of those non-p.c., vintage, crazed-alpha-mine-mine-mine, HPlandia stories.
But it turned out to be a pretty tepid story. I just don't understand why you set up a governess situation with a devilish (by all accounts) child and the very first five minutes of meeting her charge, they actually become best friends and the child turns overnight into an angel. Even Julie Andrews in that fantastic escapist caper, Sound of Music, had to overcome a couple of obstacles before getting her kids to thaw.
Why set up all this drama about heroine's thwarted piano career, and then conclude that thread tritely with a couple of lines to the effect that the heroine found her love for music again by using piano therapy on her charge?
Why all the family dysfunction drama including a cruel stepmom straight out of Disney'stock, only to leave it unresolved?
Why spend so much time developing the psycho ex wife of the hero who was all but ready to stab the heroine or at least burn the mansion down, only to have her run with her tail between her legs never to be heard from again?
Too many incomplete threads to this story. Too many OWs. Too abrupt an ending.
But it turned out to be a pretty tepid story. I just don't understand why you set up a governess situation with a devilish (by all accounts) child and the very first five minutes of meeting her charge, they actually become best friends and the child turns overnight into an angel. Even Julie Andrews in that fantastic escapist caper, Sound of Music, had to overcome a couple of obstacles before getting her kids to thaw.
Why set up all this drama about heroine's thwarted piano career, and then conclude that thread tritely with a couple of lines to the effect that the heroine found her love for music again by using piano therapy on her charge?
Why all the family dysfunction drama including a cruel stepmom straight out of Disney'stock, only to leave it unresolved?
Why spend so much time developing the psycho ex wife of the hero who was all but ready to stab the heroine or at least burn the mansion down, only to have her run with her tail between her legs never to be heard from again?
Too many incomplete threads to this story. Too many OWs. Too abrupt an ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2016
A concert pianist heroine whose career is cut short by a tragic accident finds new meaning and love in the Outback as a governess to a disturbed little girl. The bitter hero is a cattle king with an adulterous ex wife who shows up every now and then to cause trouble.
To complicate family matters the hero's uncle's young second wife comes on to him all the time and stays in contact with his ex. Rounding out the household is a sympathetic grandma, a stern housekeeper, and enough flora, fauna, and colonial Australian history to fill a guidebook.
The young heroine (only 22) handles them all with aplomb. She is no Mary Sue, but she speaks up for herself at every turn, handles the little girl with compassion and intelligence, and manages to enjoy the hero's advances without collapsing with nerves or guilt or confusion. Her backstory (evil stepmother) gives her insight into the little girl. Her musical training and time in the public eye allowed her to show composure when she need it most.
The hero is bitter at the right women - never the heroine. He doesn't fight his attraction to the heroine, doesn't mock her for being so beautiful. There are some lovely tender moments between the two.
So why not a higher rating? It's *really* slow getting started - like four chapters of slow. The "meet cute" with the car parking in Brisbane goes on for too long. The scenes with the evil stepmother never really go anywhere. Still, the H/h romance is sweet and believable and it's a joy to read about a heroine who has her act together and can straighten everyone else out.
To complicate family matters the hero's uncle's young second wife comes on to him all the time and stays in contact with his ex. Rounding out the household is a sympathetic grandma, a stern housekeeper, and enough flora, fauna, and colonial Australian history to fill a guidebook.
The young heroine (only 22) handles them all with aplomb. She is no Mary Sue, but she speaks up for herself at every turn, handles the little girl with compassion and intelligence, and manages to enjoy the hero's advances without collapsing with nerves or guilt or confusion. Her backstory (evil stepmother) gives her insight into the little girl. Her musical training and time in the public eye allowed her to show composure when she need it most.
The hero is bitter at the right women - never the heroine. He doesn't fight his attraction to the heroine, doesn't mock her for being so beautiful. There are some lovely tender moments between the two.
So why not a higher rating? It's *really* slow getting started - like four chapters of slow. The "meet cute" with the car parking in Brisbane goes on for too long. The scenes with the evil stepmother never really go anywhere. Still, the H/h romance is sweet and believable and it's a joy to read about a heroine who has her act together and can straighten everyone else out.
July 9, 2018
4 Stars! ~ Carrie needs a quiet place away from the public and her over bearing family to recover her sense of self. A car accident broke bones in her hands, shattering her dreams of being a concert pianist. When Carrie's Uncle mentions a client who is looking for a Governess for his daughter, Carrie jumps at it. The job means travel to remote area of Australia, and the child is known to be a problem child. Royce isn't sure why he feels the need to sweep Carrie away from her family, but taking her home to be governess to his troubled daughter may well be a mistake. Carrie's too young for him. And yet the attraction between them grows stronger with each moment spent together.
This is a wonderful Cinderella story. Carrie runs from her evil stepmother and sister into the arms of her dashing Prince Charming. Royce plays the reluctant Prince Charming but he soon discovers that Carrie is everything he's been looking for. I really enjoyed this one. Sweet, with some passion. A very good read!
Edited to add ----> 4 Stars ~ I originally read this story in 2006 and I've enjoyed reading it as much this time as I did then. Ms. Way's love for the Australian Outback comes through in her wonderful descriptions of it's beauty. The setting is as important to this story as the secondary characters are. From the first pages, Ms. Way had me enchanted with the hunky charismatic hero and the lovely feisty heroine; these two are so wonderfully suited. The child, Reggie, is adorable though suffering from her mother's rejection. The big black moment was rather shocking, as it involved the ex-wife and Reggie, however, as in all good Harlies the HEA washed all that pain away.
This is a wonderful Cinderella story. Carrie runs from her evil stepmother and sister into the arms of her dashing Prince Charming. Royce plays the reluctant Prince Charming but he soon discovers that Carrie is everything he's been looking for. I really enjoyed this one. Sweet, with some passion. A very good read!
Edited to add ----> 4 Stars ~ I originally read this story in 2006 and I've enjoyed reading it as much this time as I did then. Ms. Way's love for the Australian Outback comes through in her wonderful descriptions of it's beauty. The setting is as important to this story as the secondary characters are. From the first pages, Ms. Way had me enchanted with the hunky charismatic hero and the lovely feisty heroine; these two are so wonderfully suited. The child, Reggie, is adorable though suffering from her mother's rejection. The big black moment was rather shocking, as it involved the ex-wife and Reggie, however, as in all good Harlies the HEA washed all that pain away.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 27, 2021
In this one we get Catrina Russel (Carrie) a beautiful gal who has just suffered a terrible accident ending her professional pianist dream. She’s depressed and needs to get away. Enter Royce McQuillan a freshly divorced, super-rich & sexy cattle baron in need of a governess for his borderline demonic child. Match made in heaven….sigh
This book had so many good things going for it.
✔ Likeable smart h who is a total child whisperer.
✔ Likeable H who doesn’t deny his feelings or project his ex-hate on the h.
✔ Abundance of hateful women including… An awful step-mom, jealous ½ sis, psychotic ex-wife with a clingy sis who also fancies the H, and a nutty married aunt (in law) that wants desperately in H’s pants.
The problem is there are a couple negatives that dropped this to a 3⭐ for me.
X The first 30% was boring AF.
X None of the OW are very good at meddling. They sort of pop out, say something nasty, then disappear.
X The evil child is tamed in like two pages.
There’s also this weird cycle of teasing drama that goes nowhere. For instance, the evil stepmom & 1/2 sis just disappeared after a lot of buildup. Same thing for the potential wannabe OM, introduced then disappears. Same with the potential wannabe OW Ina, introduced then disappears. Also, I couldn't get a read on the daughter, who I believe is 6. She talks like an adult sailor is WAY wise beyond her years, but is fascinated with a jack-in-the-box, which can I say is the most f-upped toy ever. I blame the damn thing for my irrational fear of clowns…who thought scaring the absolute shit out of little kids was a good idea??!! For example,
”You should hear what Aunty Ina calls her, and they’re supposed to be friends.”
“No, thank you, Reggie. I don’t want to know.”
“Well, it’s slut,” Reggie muttered.
Bottom Line Just ok. It sounded awesome, but fell flat. There’s no real drama or angst; it’s kinda lukewarm, but sweet. It felt like all her energy/page-time was put towards introducing/setting up drama that just went away. I kept asking what was the point, and waiting for something to happen. It ends a smidge abrupt, with a few loose ends, and no epilogue.
This book had so many good things going for it.
✔ Likeable smart h who is a total child whisperer.
✔ Likeable H who doesn’t deny his feelings or project his ex-hate on the h.
✔ Abundance of hateful women including… An awful step-mom, jealous ½ sis, psychotic ex-wife with a clingy sis who also fancies the H, and a nutty married aunt (in law) that wants desperately in H’s pants.
The problem is there are a couple negatives that dropped this to a 3⭐ for me.
X The first 30% was boring AF.
X None of the OW are very good at meddling. They sort of pop out, say something nasty, then disappear.
X The evil child is tamed in like two pages.
There’s also this weird cycle of teasing drama that goes nowhere. For instance, the evil stepmom & 1/2 sis just disappeared after a lot of buildup. Same thing for the potential wannabe OM, introduced then disappears. Same with the potential wannabe OW Ina, introduced then disappears. Also, I couldn't get a read on the daughter, who I believe is 6. She talks like an adult sailor is WAY wise beyond her years, but is fascinated with a jack-in-the-box, which can I say is the most f-upped toy ever. I blame the damn thing for my irrational fear of clowns…who thought scaring the absolute shit out of little kids was a good idea??!! For example,
”You should hear what Aunty Ina calls her, and they’re supposed to be friends.”
“No, thank you, Reggie. I don’t want to know.”
“Well, it’s slut,” Reggie muttered.
Bottom Line Just ok. It sounded awesome, but fell flat. There’s no real drama or angst; it’s kinda lukewarm, but sweet. It felt like all her energy/page-time was put towards introducing/setting up drama that just went away. I kept asking what was the point, and waiting for something to happen. It ends a smidge abrupt, with a few loose ends, and no epilogue.
July 27, 2018
لا اعرف كيف اصف مدى الهبل
اوك رواية رومانسية متوقعة
بس مش هيك
قرفتنا حادثة وما حادثة الماضي
وهي ما ببتعدى جرح اصبع
November 17, 2017
I don't remember the cover nor the name of the book but the story was so familiar I thought I might have read it before. But there were things missing from the story that I didn't read in this one. I have looked at my other Margaret Way books and can't see that I have a different cover book. I thought the story was, as usual, a bit lacking. It may be because I remembered so much of the story from the other book I had read. I am sure this is the same or similar story but by a different author or the same story line by this author. I didn't enjoy it as much as I should because I was expecting other things to happen with the story.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews