The Night on the Darling River

 The Night on the Darling River

Darry Fraser

Reviewed by Helen

This book had me riveted all the way through, Darry Fraser has again taken me on a historical journey back in time to the way Australia was in the late 1800’s, Paddle Boat Steamers on the great Darling and Murray Rivers, this one starts in Echuca in 1894 where we meet Tess Hawthorn a woman on the run from her abusive husband, will she make it? Come along for the journey it is sure to keep you turning the pages.

Four young people grew up together on neighbouring farms in Echuca, Tess Hawthorn, Alby Slattery, Harry Goodwin and Bram Kempster now the years have passed and they are adults, Harry has run from town, Tess has married Alby and Bram is widowed and still reading his books, all of the farms these days are run down and in need of repair, times are tough with the shearers strike that has unionist against scabs and it is getting dangerous, but with this trouble it gives Tess the chance to run when Alby decides to take a trip he will be on the PS Rodney and Tess plans to board the PS Victor going in the opposite direction, will she get away? Things turn around quickly for Tess when she boards PS Rodney and is mistaken for a scab and now she is on the same boat as Alby heading up The Darling River.

Bram Kempster is on his way to Renmark to meet up with his uncle, trouble is brewing when he boards the PS Rodney between the unionist and the scabs and the last person he expects to run in to on board is Tess, the one person who has always held a place in his heart no matter what he has been through but he cannot let her distract him on his mission, He offers advice to her and sees her settled for the journey then takes his leave. When the unionist board the boat all hell breaks loose and Alby spots Tess what happens is terrible and no one thinks that she will live when the boat is torched.

Tess finds herself in a camp with the unionists and their woman and children here she is helped and someone from the past arrives, Harry she has not seen him for fifteen years and soon she is heading home to Echuca when she arrives badly scared to Echuca she finds it just about to flood, when the river rises she finds herself arriving at Bram’s place, Bram offers her shelter but memories from the past are rising high and with all that is happening not only the floods but the strike brings danger to them all, will Tess and Bram finally find peace, happiness and maybe love?

Huge congratulations on your 10th book MS Fraser and what an awesome story it is, you pulled this story together with fact and wonderful characters some good some bad been, I loved Tess and Bram, the setting was fabulous another one for the keeper shelf and one that I would highly recommend, make sure you clear some time to read it because you won’t want to put it down once you start.

My thanks to HQ Fiction for my copy to red and review.

5 stars

December 4, 2024 by Harlequin Enterprises (Australia) Pty Ltd

The Duke Says I do

 The Duke Says I do

Scoundrels of Mayfair #4

Anna Campbell

Reviewed by Helen

I never miss an Anna Campbell story, I love the way she brings her characters to life on the pages and pulls me into the story, takes me back to regency times and this one is no exception, it is steamy, sensual and a fabulous story of two very opposite people who look like finding love, will they get there?

Lady Portia Frain is the last unmarried Frain sister her two older sisters married in scandal, Portia is not that interested in marrying she instead spends her time rescuing mistreated animals and when she is doing her best to rescue a dog from a bully running a dogfighting ring she finds herself in danger, but who would come to her rescue none other than the most boring man in Britain the man who was jilted by one of her sisters The Duke of Granville a man she does not like at all.

Alaric Dempster, The Duke of Granville is a perfect gentleman his hopes for a political career are front and centre in his life he would like to marry the woman who would be the perfect Duchess but sadly he has been unsuccessful on two occasions and here before him is the sister of one of his ex-fiancé’s the air headed Portia Frain the last person he would want to come across, but she is in danger and he steps in and helps out this might have been a bad idea when he now finds himself the owner of a dog for the first time in his life.

Alaric’s life as he knows it is just about to change when Portia offers to help him with the dog they arrive in his stable and soon while washing the dog the chemistry and heat between them is growing and he dearly wants to kiss this woman, a woman that he clearly did not like before as for Portia she has in the past told him exactly what she thought of him but for some reason she feels this pull towards him and the more time they spend together the more that Portia is re-thinking her feelings for Alaric.

Soon Alaric is teaching Portia about kisses and so much more in a seductive, steamy and sensual romance, one that will change the way both of them think about each other will they find the love and happiness they deserve? I loved this one and highly recommend it to any lover of a good historical romance, I loved Alaric and Portia so much. It is witty, sensual and a must read.

5 stars

October 24, 2024

The Golden Thread

 The Golden Thread

Tea Coper

Reviewed by Helen

MS Cooper has never disappointed me and this one is another brilliant story from a master story teller, set around Maitland and Parramatta in 1889 we meet Nell Montague her granddaughter Connie and a cast of awesome characters that make this story unputdownable come along for a thrilling story filled with skullduggery, mystery and yes danger.

When Connie wakes up on a Wednesday morning and finds that her grandmother has gone and not home for their usual family breakfast with her mother Faith and then there to attend a meeting to be held that day Connie is very worried and when a walk doesn’t locate Nell, Connie is determined to track Nell down and finds herself on the train to Sydney going over the new Hawkesbury River bridge.

Connie with the help from a friend of Nell’s in Maitland and with directions given to her from journalist Bob Ballantyne, who she met on the train finds herself at the new Government House is Sydney asking after a Mrs. Alexander she is told that she is at the old Government House in Parramatta another train trip and Connie locates Nell and when she introduces Connie as her companion and not her granddaughter Connie is convinced that there is something going on and she knows she must get to the truth, who is her grandmother? Connie is soon very good friends with a couple of the residents Taylor and Maisie and also Miss Pettigrew, she is steering clear of the male residents.

Connie is soon learning small tidbits at a time about Nell’s past life and when there are small curios going missing and Nell is being blamed by the housekeeper Mrs. Alexander and there seems to have been a break-in at the guest house things heat up and danger is afoot but it also seems that Nell has found what she is looking for and the faster they get what Nell came for and get back to Maitland and sort out what started this trip the better but will there be more danger back at home, will they get the answers Nell is looking for?

This is such a brilliant story with awesome characters I loved Nell, Connie and Taylor and Maisie and of course Miss Pettigrew who might be hard of hearing but her eyesight is perfect. I do highly recommend this one, truly it is a must read for any lover of historical fiction the setting, the characters and the mystery are the best.

My thanks to HQ Fiction and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

5 stars

October 30, 2024 by HQ Fiction

Her Viking Saviour

 Her Viking Saviour

Lore and Love Trilogy

Steffy Smith

Reviewed by Helen

I am very fond of a good Viking story, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one, when Torben “Hel-Bringer” Ulfson comes across another Viking selling slaves he is not happy and proceeds to purchase them to give them a choice of what they would want to do one of them is a beauty and she is feisty and Torben is hoping that she will choose to return to his homeland of Klavik in Norway, he wants to get to know her better.

Wynflaed a handmaiden has been abducted in a raid from her homeland of Northumbria by Vikings she was meant to be sold as a slave at the markets they arrived at after a long journey but soon she is saved and given a choice in what she wants, she feels a pull toward the Viking who has given her this chance and chooses to return to his homeland, soon she is feeling comfortable when she is given the position of companion to Torben’s sister.

Neither of them ever expected to feel the chemistry and spark that flares between them but they are soon opening up to each other and finding a very sensual pleasure together, have they found forever lasting love, will the Norse Gods be happy with their joining?

I did very much enjoy this one, fabulous characters and there will be more in this series which I very much look forward to, I do highly recommend this one to any romance lover who loves a good Viking story.

My thanks to the author for my digital copy to read and review.

4 stars

November 1, 2024 by Steffy Smith Books

The Fallen Woman

 The Fallen Woman

Fiona McIntosh

Reviewed by Helen

This is another awesome story from fabulous story teller Fiona McIntosh, a story of love and romance but with heartache entwined throughout, come along and meet the wonderful characters and feel their emotions, this one is set in the early 1900’s and is a brilliant read.

Jane Saville is a botanical artist who was very close to her father, but he has passed now and when her scheming mother and sister come up with a plan to save her older sister, Charlotte and the family name from ruin, Jane is sent to the country here, soon she is happy with her adoptive family in Salisbury although life is not always easy with her unwarranted reputation.

Guy Attwood, comes from a wealthy family but his true love is apples. Yes he searches for rare apples and works with Kew Gardens, at the moment he is searching for a very rare apple that he hopes to find and present to the new King George V on his coronation.

When Jane and Guy meet unexpectedly with the help of a little boy Harry, their lives will change, Jane has never felt this way before but soon Jane’s family returns to cause lots of problems, jealousy and nastiness pull them apart, but Jane is determined that she will stand up to whatever is thrown her way and put her life back in order.

I loved this one from start to finish, I loved Guy and Jane they both showed strength and character when their worlds are torn apart but neither gave up and Harry oh what a fabulous character, this one is set in the most beautiful of settings, it is heart-wrenching and heart-warming at the same time and I do highly recommend, I am a big fan of MS McIntosh’s stories she never disappoints.

My thanks to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

5 Stars

October 1, 2024 by Penguin eBooks

Mary Christmas

 Mary Christmas

Mary-Anne O'Connor

Reviewed by Helen

If you are looking for a beautiful Christmas romance, set in the most gorgeous of settings, The Cotswold’s with snow and a yuletide ball, pantomime not to mention the fabulous characters and a wedding on Christmas day then this is the one to pick up come along for a journey that is sure to keep you smiling.

It is 1909 and Mary Richards has worked and studied hard to become a teacher in a man’s world she is now teaching at the village school in Bibury but there are some people who do not approve of her strong feminist ways Mary wants to stay independent so that means not marrying, where as her sister Emily is just about to marry the love of her life David Christmas this brings Mary into the family circle and meeting David’s brother Jonathan and Mary is soon finding herself torn between love and independence.

The snow is falling there is a Christmas market ice-skating and Mary is finding herself falling for Jonathon as he is for Mary but is there a way that she can marry and have her independence maybe with the right man, and is that man Jonathon?

This is a lovely romance and so Christmassy, there are some wonderful characters in this one as well, will Jonathon be that man to win Mary over will she see that they can have a future? I do highly recommend this one to any romance reader who loves a Christmas story.

4 stars

Penguin Au 1st October 2024

Agony in Amethyst

 Agony in Amethyst

Harriet Gordon #5

A.M. Stuart

Reviewed by Helen

Another brilliant story in this awesome series, and it had me up very late last night, a one sitting read for me because I could not put it down, Robert Curran has just arrived back in Singapore after being in Kuala Lumpur for months solving another case and on his return not only is he looking forward to catching up with Harriet but he is expecting a promotion, when the promotion doesn’t happen and he is told who is getting the job Curran is not happy an adversary from his Scotland Yard days.

With the arrival of Sir Henry Cunningham, Colonial Foreign Secretary this sets Curran on edge seeing he now has two people in Singapore that are both involved with one of his old unresolved cases that had been pushed under the rug so to speak, but at a ball to celebrate Sir Henry’s arrival there is a murder, a young school girl and the conflict is there as memories of that old case come to life.

Harriet is now working at a girls school and thoroughly enjoying it after that happened before, and she is thrilled Curran is back and hopping that their relationship will grow, she is there when the murder happens and as we all know Harriet gets involved to the annoyance of the new chief of police and when her and Curran discuss what happened and he opens up about the past case, Harriet is more determined to get answers but will that cause more problems to Curran especially when she opens up about what he told her?

When there is another two murders the stakes are getting higher and Curran must get the answers he and Harriet are getting closer to the answers but getting the evidence that will prove what happened is not easy in 1910, but we know how determined they are, will the culprit or culprits get away with murder?

I loved this one so much Harriet and Curran are one of my most favourite couples and even though this looks like it might be the last in the series I really do hope that we see more of them, the ending is just perfect, it truly is and I can’t highly recommend this one and the series enough A.M. Stuart is a fabulous author who pulls her readers in, makes them feel part of the story the setting is wonderful and the many fabulous characters add so much to the story, a must read.

My thanks to the author for my digital copy to read and review.

5 stars

October 28, 2024 by Oportet Publishing