Rebel Spirits

 Rebel Spirits

Paula J Beavan

Reviewed by Helen

This is another fabulous Australian historical from one of my favourite authors, Paula J Beavan it is 1865 and we are in the small town of Jump Up Creek in The Hunter Valley of New South Wales and we meet the Maguire’s, Paddy and his two adult children Ellen and Michael, times have been hard since the death of wife and mother and since the railway went through, their roadside inn The Harp and Hound known as one of the best is no longer getting the patronage that it had and Ellen had promised her mother that she would keep things running and look after her father and brother.

Ellen continues to make the woman’s elixir that has been handed down from her granny then to her mother and now Ellen but when needs must with the help of their cook Mrs. Reid Ellen is soon doing something that she never would have thought possible, making poteen to an old family receipt and this could bring them back from the brink of ruin or destroy everything they have known as a family.

When Ellen rescues and injured Englishman Jack Bell who is searching for his long lost niece, Ellen offers him a place to stay and the care he needs for a while but soon there is a pull that she is not sure about, and it appears that Jack is feeling the same but they are from two very different worlds and with what she is doing at the moment nothing can happen.

Dangers seems to be appearing from all corners now when the mystery niece arrives with her secrets and what of her brother Michael and the things he is up to with the poteen she has been making and the sly grog shops and the neighbour who is after their land and the police are doing their best to contain the sly grog throw in a couple of children some Llamas and Alpacas and a race horse and this story has all that is needed for a wonderful story that had me smiling, cheering Ellen on and turning the pages.

I loved this one from start to finish, the author has bought the era, the characters and the events to life on the pages, who will Ellen choose family or the handsome Jack Bell? I do highly recommend this one, I never miss a Paula J Beavan story you will be transported back in time and get hours of reading joy, many thanks MS. Beavan for another fabulous story.

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

5 stars

May 27, 2026 by Paula J Beavan

The Marriage Trap

 The Marriage Trap

Victoria Purman

Reviewed by Helen

1960 in a suburban town in Adelaide and we meet the Langley family, Len, Olive, Cathy and Evelyn there are also another two sons and another daughter but they have married and moved out, this story concentrates on the three females Olive, Cathy and Evelyn and what life was like starting at 1960 and going through to 1970 and it was a bit different to what we know now come along and meet them.

Olive is sixty and is a strict catholic she has had five children the last one Evelyn was a change of life baby and born when she was fifty it was a big shock, did she ever want five children probably not but as a married woman and catholic there was not a lot she could do but she always hoped that her daughters would one day have a little more control over their lives.

Cathy is twenty and at teachers college she has her life planned teaching for a couple of years before she settles down and marries and starts a family of her own but she would like more control about those things but when she meets Andy she discovers that love is opening up a new world for her and one night will change all of her plans for the future and she finds herself married but one thing is for sure she is determined to decide how many children she has and she just might get that wish when there is talk of a contraceptive pill, this will change her life.

Evelyn is ten and is very smart she loves the family dictionary she uses it all the time she loves listening in on adult conversations and will look up any word that she does not know the meaning of and along the way she soon discovers that life for a woman is not all it is made out to be will things be different as she gets older, she certainly want sit to be.

I did enjoy this story and getting to know these three females and what life was like back then although I was born in the 1950’s and married in the 1970’s things were still changing for the better for me there is a lot of back story information throughout about the contraceptive pill and the catholic church and the thoughts of the men who ran it, did Olive’s ideas change over the years as her girls grew into woman? One thing is for sure I am glad things have changed for woman.

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

4 stars

May 1, 2026 by HQ Fiction

The Governess's Guide to Spells and Managing Misfit Marquesses

 The Governess's Guide to Spells and Managing Misfit Marquesses

The Parasol Academy #2

Amy Rose Bennett

Reviewed by Helen

I am loving this series, the first one was brilliant and now we get to know Parasol Academy Governess Hermina Davenport when she takes matters into her own hands to protect a child, come along for a journey filled with danger, fun and so much more.

Mina Davenport takes her job very seriously and when she is sacked form her job as Governess to a young, orphaned Viscount, she will use all of her magical powers that she needs to protect him and gets herself on the ship that is whisking him away to The Artic by his new guardian, too late to walk down the gangplank she uses her tel-ley-porting spell and finds herself and young Christopher on another boat this one belongs to an Irishman a huge man who has recently become a Marquess and here the journey starts with Phineas O’Connell , Lord Kinsale and his rather pugnacious pug Brutus.

Phineas grew up on the streets of Dublin and being a Lord was the last thing he expected and his life so far has not been easy he stutters and his accent is strong and he is finding it hard to fit in with The Ton, but when a mysterious woman and young child just arrive on his yacht, are they stowaways he has no idea but before long he comes up with a plan that this governess can help him with his etiquette and his elocution but first he must have a young ward to be able to hire her and in steps young pick pocket Tom Fleet, soon Mina, Phineas, Christopher and Tom are living and learning together.

This really is a fabulous story Phineas and Mina are perfect together and it shows when evil and supernatural forces make themselves known putting them all in danger Phineas stands his ground and will do anything to protect the woman he has fallen in love with and Mina a true Parasol Academy Governess uses all of her powers magical and beyond to keep them safe as she falls for her big bulking Irishman.

I do highly recommend this one, a fabulous historical romance with a twist it is as fabulous as the first one in the series and I am really hoping we will have more in the series, I loved it is filled with emotion, it is sensual and so much fun, Brutus is the best so many awesome characters.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

5 stars

March 31, 2026 by Kensington

The Hobart Hotel

 The Hobart Hotel

Mary-Lou Stephens

Reviewed by Helen

I loved this one, again MS Stephens has not disappointed me this story, it is absolutely fabulous told in two time lines, with wonderful characters and settings I fell into it and savoured the story.

1939 and it is the big opening for the Riviera Hotel in Wrest Point Tasmania and Mrs. Sabine Winters has travelled from Europe to be at the opening she is looking forward to the glamour after all that she has been through in Spain and now what is happening in Europe, she will have some choice selections for her (stolen) collection of jewellery she is sure, what happens is she is blackmailed by Mr. Grey into joining him in spying and she soon finds herself married to Mr. Grey and landing in Uruguay, South America where she puts herself in danger to get information about the Nazis who are doing their best to take over the country.

In 1973 Hobart is the place to be with the opening up of Australia’s first casino at The Wrest Point Hotel Casino and twenty year old Jenny Davis and her friends attend the opening and Jenny has found a gorgeous gold dress at the back of her mother’s wardrobe and she wears it, it really is special and she is soon approached by one of the managers and asked if she would like to become a Ladybird and Croupier but she knows that her mother will not stand for it she is against the Casino, but matters are taken out of her hands and soon Jenny finds herself, training to become a Ladybird, making new friends and earning more money that she ever did but is also causes a rift between her and her mother and soon she is living in The Riviera Hotel. With Jenny’s twenty first birthday coming up she finds a letter with a key that says this will change her life and soon Jenny and her friends will be uncovering an old mystery that will change her life.

This is a fabulously told story of two strong woman, two awesome settings it really is a page turner and has everything an historical fiction story needs, mystery, romance and adventure, I loved both Sabine and Jenny and the two timelines, the 1973 one bought back lots of memories for me with bands and music and The House or Merewether, I remember The Casino opening and all the fanfare that went with it. The ending is just the best, a fitting end to an awesome story.

I do highly recommend this one I loved it.

My thanks to Harlequin AU and Netgalley for my digital copy to read and review.

5 stars

April 1, 2026 by HQ Fiction

The Italian Correspondent

 The Italian Correspondent

Belinda Alexandra

Reviewed by Helen

Rome 1951 and Italian correspondent for Vogue, Veronica Gold is working hard after the war years and the loss of her daughter it is not always easy there is still a lot of conflict about the past and the fascists and the horrors she has seen while reporting the war are not easy to forget but she has her sister Penny and her cat Oggi and life will go on, but will she find love again?

With her life settled she is living in Rome when some men from her past arrive, Professor Marcello Fabbri, archeologist and former Partisan a man she spent one glorious night with during the war, her ex-husband Lyle Cooper who is an American diplomat he left her to marry her best friend heiress Emerald Evergreen add to that Count Carlo Durazzo, Emerald’s current husband and her life is just about to get turned upside down in so many ways.

When Lyle asks her to cover a story for him and then he is found murdered and it is looking like Emerald has killed him, Veronica is convinced she did it but Carlo says she is innocent but evidence shows that she may not have done it, Veronica and Carlo work together to set her free, this will need more help and Marcello steps in to help and a tangled web of emotions between all of these people grows making decisions for Veronica very hard, a couple of twists will really change the way she thinks, spies, the threat of nuclear war and so much more, but what of her heart will she finally find the love that she so very much deserves after all she has been through?

This is a story that is well written, Veronica Gold is based partly on the woman correspondents who worked so hard and made a difference back then, she is strong and determined but honest and real in herself, I could feel all that she was going through, there are so many fabulous characters in this story that made it what it is good and bad. There is adventure, mystery and murder and it is one that I highly recommend, I loved it.

My thanks to Harper Collins AU for my copy to read and review.

5 stars

March 31, 2026 by HarperCollins AU

Harbored Desires

 Harbored Desires

The Hazelby Sisters #1

Shannon Frances James

Reviewed by Helen

I do love an historical romance and this debut hit the spot beautifully I loved getting to know Harriet Hazelby and Alexander Ordell, come along and meet them for a rollicking sensual adventure.

Harriet is the third sister and has always been happier helping her father with his estates, riding horses and has been known to dress as a stable boy here and there for an adventure, it is one of these times when she has left her home after her eldest sister Eliza who is a duchess is insisting that she come for tea at the home of a Duke that she takes off into the town of Hull here she is mistaken for a sailor and ordered to board the The Seren with a message, this day could change Harriet’s life.

Captain Alexander is in a hurry to sail with the tide but when he discovers a stowaway on board who he wants off immediately that is until the young lad gives him a message and this message changes everything not only that but this young lad is not a lad at all but a young woman. This message cannot be ignored and it puts her life in danger so young Harry is soon sailing the seas with him and his crew and he puts her to work, was this the right thing to do, who is she really?

As they sail the sparks fly between them, Alexander is enjoying his spitfire she does not back down easily and Harriet is learning to be a sailor and quite enjoying it but she is also enjoying her time with Alexander and his dog Shadow. Alexander has sworn of marriage after what his mother went through but could Harriet be breaking down those walls and as for Harriet she has always thought she was not good enough to find a match as her parents did, could she be wrong?

This is a fabulous debut a beautiful story witty and sensual as we know love doesn’t always run smoothly and there are a few hurdles for Harriet and Alexander to jump before they find their gorgeous HEA, I loved both of them and the other characters in this story that help make it what it is and I am very much looking forward to more in this series and see what the authors has installed for them. I do highly recommend this one to any lover of a good historical romance it had me turning the pages and cheering them on and very happy at the end.

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

5 stars

April 11, 2026 by By The Fire Publishing

A Bride for Marcus

 A Bride for Marcus

The Devil Riders #6

Anne Gracie

Reviewed by Helen

Another beautiful story one of the best authors I do love a good regency and Anne Gracie does them so well and we have been awaiting for this one for a long time and finally Marcus has his story and it was worth the wait, I loved it, I loved Marcus and Tessa come along and meet them, although part of a series it can be read as a standalone.

Marcus Earl of Alverleigh is a most eligible bachelor but he is never going to marry he learnt enough from his parents’ marriage so that is not for him he has heirs in his brothers that will be enough, he is known as dull and quiet and that suits him well, that is until he reunited with an old friend someone he has not seen for many years his old neighbour and forest exploring friend Tessa Blaxland.

Tessa now Lady Hewitt has been widowed again and her brother Edgar has her back in London to do his best to marry her off again to pay his gambling debts she is known as the ice widow but this time she is refusing Edgar’s push to marry another old man, something that she is determined to never do again, she want her freedom, when at a ball she meets up with her old friend Marcus they had had so much fun together when they were young but her reputation is ruined and she keeps him at arm’s length.

But when Marcus steps in and rescues her things change with rumours spreading through the ton, Marcus offers her a convenient marriage of friendship and companionship, no passion, no love can she refuse and let her reputation be tarnished more and even worse what about Marcus’s reputation, maybe this will be good for both of them after all they are friends.

On their honeymoon though they are open and honest with each other and Tessa soon learns what making love is all about and Marcus’s walls are breaking down, could this be a match made in heaven, friends to lovers and a HEA so beautiful?

This is just the best story, fun, witty filled with humour but emotional and moving with such awesome characters, who cannot love Aunt Maude and Barney, Billy, Joey and Flora I laughed, I smile I cheered them on and felt for Tessa in so many ways but she stayed strong and so caring and Marcus what a hero he is the best, he knows how to love after all. I do highly recommend this one, sigh worthy and just what I needed.

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

5 stars

March 25, 2026 by Gracie Enterprises

My Fair Scot

 My Fair Scot

The MacKenzies Take London #1

Sara Bennett

Reviewed by Helen

When Callum MacKenzie is told by his father The Duke of Bonnyrigg that he must leave his beloved home in Scotland to go to London to find a wife who will bring respectability to the family he is not happy at all, Callum is very happy wandering the forests and caring for the animals but he must do what his father says, so off to London he goes to stay with his aunt but his first appearance amongst the ton does not go well, his aunt decides that he needs a tutor someone who can teach him the rules and manners of the ton and this person is Penelope Armstrong.

Penelope lost her parents in a carriage accident at the age of eighteen and with a young brother to care for Penelope does what she has to, but now she must find a way to keep food on the table and becomes a tutor in etiquette and manners for those who need it, this has not been easy to start with as she is known as a fallen woman but soon she is making a success of her small business but when she is hired to transform Callum MacKenzie she might just break her rule about her students.

The pull between these two is instant and soon Callum is becoming a gentleman but also falling for the beautiful Penelope and Penelope is feeling the same way and their time spent together is getting very sensual is there a chance that Penelope could be the wife that Callum needs, will his father accept her?

This is such a great story and I loved it I do love a good Scotsman and Callum is the best and Penelope is so caring and strong after all she has been through, their journey to a HEA was a beautiful one and I do highly recommend it and am looking forward to the next one.

My thanks to Dragonblade Publishing, Inc. and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

5 stars

March 6, 2026 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc

The Valkyrie Begins

 The Valkyrie Begins

The Valkyrie of Birca Series (a prequel)

Tanya Nellestein

Reviewed by Helen

I absolutely loved The Valkyrie of Birca series and was thrilled when the author put out a prequel before re-releasing this awesome series, it was fabulous getting to know Brenna from when she started her journey firstly to becoming a shieldmaiden then on to become who she is today The Queen of Birca and her relationship with her best friend Vali.

The seer has spoken she is destined to lead and heal the scars of her ancestors will the Gods be correct in their prophecy for what will happen with Brenna?

This story is just fabulous as is the series learning about The Vikings and their beliefs, the strength they carry and the deep love they share with each other, Tanya Nellestein has researched very well and brings the Vikings way to life on the pages, a must read, one that I highly recommend.

5 stars

February 18, 2026

The Resistance Knitting Club

 The Resistance Knitting Club

Threads of Resistance #1

Jenny O'Brien

Reviewed by Helen

This is such a lovely story based on a true story, a story of courage and strength of heartbreak and love. Leonora and James Galliene grew up on the Island of Guernsey bought up by an aunt after the death of their parents, Leonora (Lenny) started knitting at a young age, never knowing how much it could help later in life.

When the war starts James joins up and works for the War Office in London as an interpreter while Lenny stays on the island and knits socks for the troops but when a telegram arrives to say that James is missing in action and the island is just about to occupied by the Germans Lenny takes herself to London to get answers.

Then Lenny finds herself working for the war office and joining what has become to be known as Churchill’s secret army, months of training sees her going to France to become part of the resistance, her coding skills are brilliant and with her suggestion that Morse code be used in the knitting that is sent to the troops messages can be sent. She is in Paris with Harry Dennison an old friend of James working together in dangerous situations, things change very quickly and decisions must be made.

The danger grows, will Lenny and Harry escape in time and what will become of them in the future, this story is told in duel time lines when we first meet Lenny in 2010 and then we go back and learn her story and truly what a story I loved it from start to finish and I do highly recommend it the characters are just wonderful strength courage abound in this one and the settings so good, don’t miss this one and I am looking forward to more in the series.

My thanks to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for my digital copy to read and review

5 stars

February 6, 2026 by Storm Publishing

The Wartime Book Club

 The Wartime Book Club

Kate Thompson 

Reviewed by Helen

This is a story filled with heartbreak and it is so heart-wrenching but it is also a beautiful story of friendship, strength and courage shown by the people who lived through five years of Nazi occupation on the Island of Jersey during World War two, based on a true story of stolen German letters come and meet Grace and Bea.

Grace is the librarian and knows the power of books and how they can help and Bea is a postwoman sorting and delivering mail to people on the island, times are hard food is scarce and the morale is ebbing as people try to stay alive, Grace and Bea are taking very big risks to keep people safe but it is what they need to do, Bea is grieving the loss of her fiancé in an attempted escape and puts that grief and anger into what she can do to disrupt the Nazis Grace comes up with another plan to start a book club maybe that will build morale.

This book club works wonders and soon the library is lending more books than it ever has before with Grace also delivering books, banned books as well to help people being kept save she meets and American air force pilot shot down, Red and soon their hearts are growing but what a time to fall in love, how will it all end, is the end near?

This is a book that made me cry with what Grace and Bea went through but had me cheering them on as well and it shows what the power of books can do, I loved this one from start to finish the characters all of them played such a big part in this story and at the end the author has told her readers about the research, it is very interesting, I would highly recommend this one to any reader who loves a fabulous historical fiction.

5 stars

April 9, 2024 by Forever

Once Upon a Wicked Wager

 Once Upon a Wicked Wager

Spies Like Us #1

Cassandra Samuels

Reviewed by Helen

This is such a great story Oliver has come home to take the place of his brother Henry who died in a horse riding accident and is now the Earl of Bellamy and bankrupt because of a speculation that Henry invested in, Lisbeth has been through so much accused of murdering her husband Lord Blackhurst who was cruel and led the speculation although she was found not guilty for years she has been known as the Black Raven and kept to herself but she has decided to finally come out and find out who killed her husband but she needs help and Oliver is the one she finally allowes through her door to win the wagers that have been put up by the ton. The banter between Lisbeth and Oliver will keep you smiling as they journey to a HEA that is sensual and heartwarming with danger thrown in and Oliver's Aunt Petunia adds a lot to the story. Oliver is such a caring hero one that I would die for don't miss this one I highly recommend it I loved it.

5 stars

January 16, 2026 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc

Lies, Love and the Lost Lord

 Lies, Love and the Lost Lord

The Lost Lords #4

Karla Kratovil

Reviewed by Helen

The final book in this wonderful series and it was fabulous, Rhys Seaton has been one of my favourite characters throughout the series will he finally get his HEA and the three girlfriends Violet is not happy in her marriage to the Marquis of Sommerset will she find a way to save herself?

Rhys has come a long way since growing up in a brothel in Cheapside yes he has been called lots of things but these days he is a wealthy business owner, illegitimate son of a Duke who is now close to his half brother the Duke of Hartwick but when he makes a deathbed promise to the one man who has been a father to him, he sets out to discover the truth about The Duke Of Lavensham, could this be the turning point in his life when he meets up with Lady Violet Sommerset searching the Duke’s study?

Violet is in desperate need to escape her cruel and brutal husband she is pregnant and will do whatever she can to protect her unborn baby and comes up with a plan to blackmail her husband’s father the Duke but first she must find some incriminating evidence to blackmail him, she takes a chance on searching his study during party and here she encounters Rhys Seaton she knows who he is but she does not fell scared at all she feels safe and they come to an agreement to work together to see what they can find out, will she finally be safe from her drunkard husband but be safe with Rhys?

Working together their friendship grows and soon into more than friendship but the sensual pull grows but Violet is married and Rhys is from the wrong side of the street but their hearts are growing, are they are getting closer to discovering what the Duke has been doing? Will Violet be safe, after an accident takes her husband and when they do discover the truth it changes many things about Rhys but not the love that has grown between them.

This is a fabulous story and the author takes on issues that are an issue in our world today and done it well, Rhys has always been a favourite for me and Violet is strong and capable and together they fly, I do highly recommend this one an historical romantic suspense a wonderful end to the series.

My thanks to Tule Publishing for my digital copy to read and review.

5 stars

January 15, 2026 by Tule Publishing

The Masterpiece

 The Masterpiece

Belinda Alexandra

Reviewed by Helen

WOW what a beautiful and amazing story from start to the fabulous finish, this is the first book from Belinda Alexander that I have read but it won’t be the last, I can’t believe that I have not read any of her books before.

1946 Eve Archer grew up in Australia with only her French mother, Madeline, Eve was taught everything about the finer things in the world but that was only when her mother was not influenced by alcohol, but when her mother takes her own life she leaves Eve a letter to take to the man who is her father Serge Lavertu and Eve is determined to find her father and get to know him.

But when she arrives in Paris she sets herself up with a position as companion to a wealthy socialite and is slowly getting to know her father even if she hasn’t told him yet and then Serge is arrested and charged with art theft, dealing selling a masterpiece to Hitler and murder and Eve is determined to prove his innocence.

With her investigations she finds Russian artist Kristina Belova, Kristina has no memory after 1923 but as their friendship grows Eve learns about the life of the two art dealers Serge, Kristina’s husband Max and Kristina’s life it is a tale of love, heartbreak and so much more, what it was like living in Nice during the war but will she uncover the truth of the missing artworks and the death of a beloved French couple before it is too late to save Serge?

A story set across many years from 1923 till 1946, what Eve uncovers is a love triangle and a secret about her own heritage. This is a fabulous story that I devoured it is beautifully written, fabulous characters and one that I would highly recommend to any lover of historical fiction.

5 stars

September 4, 2024 by Harper Collins Publishers

Two True Loves by Joanne Austen Brown

 Reviewed by Nas Dean

Two True Loves by Joanne Austen Brown is a tender, emotionally rich story that pulls you in from the very first page. The characters feel wonderfully human—flawed, brave, and deeply relatable. The author weaves love, loss, and second chances into a touching narrative that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading.

If you enjoy romantic stories filled with warmth, hope, and genuine heart, this book is an absolute delight. Perfect for readers who believe love truly can come twice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Helen's review

England 1815 and a young Eleanor Compton, daughter of a Vicar wants to marry the love of her life Viscount Alexander Darlington the war with Napoleon, after her father agrees they have a few months off love and happiness before Alex goes of to fight at Waterloo.

Eleanor discovers she is having their baby just before she finds out that Alex will not be returning, heartbroken and devastated when Alex’s best friend Miles Farley, Earl of Axton arrives vowing to keep the promise he made to Alex and that is to protect Eleanor and his unborn baby.

Miles stays close to Eleanor and Alex’s family as there is problems with one of Alex’s brothers but soon Eleanor and Miles are falling for each other should this be happening can someone love two men as much as Eleanor is doing?

A short story of heart-beak and happiness as love find its way to Eleanor again. A lovely romance and a quick read.

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

4 stars

Abducted by the Highlander

 Abducted by the Highlander

Daughters of the Isle #3

Christina Phillips

Reviewed by Helen

What a fabulous finish to this awesome series, will Roisin MacDonald find her HEA like her two sisters have? Roisin is quiet and very close to Isolde and Freyja but they have left the Isle and having met Hugh Campbell when he came looking for his cousin, Roisin always had hoped that he would return after the friendship they started eighteen months ago but sadly that didn’t happen and now she is on her way to visit Isolde in the highlands but she doesn’t make it.

Hugh Campbell has spent the last eighteen months spying for The Earl of Argyll he leaves everything and goes undercover and becomes a mercenary but his hope of returning to the isle of Eigg to see Lady Roisin McDonald is shattered but one day he hopes to make her his. Then out of nowhere he comes across a group of bandits attacking a party of riders and rescues the woman and he finds Lady Roisin, but he must not let her know what he is doing and soon Roisin is in the rebel McGregor camp and Hugh vows to keep her safe.

Danger is strong at the moment and keeping the woman he loves safe and not opening up to her is hard but Roisin has become stronger in the last eighteen months and she will not be ordered about by anyone.

Roisin is stunned when Hugh is the one to save her and she is determined to understand why Hugh is with a group of rebels and to make him understand that she wants him but secrets don’t help their journey and of course the danger is front and centre, will they come out of this with their lives and theirs hearts united?

This is a beautiful story, Roisin is so strong and capable and Hugh what a hero I loved him and they are made for each other, I gorgeous romance that had me turning the pages cheering them on throughout and meeting up with Isolde and Freyja and their families was awesome. I do highly recommend this one, I loved it.

My thanks to Netgalley and Dragonblade Publishing Inc. for my copy to read and review

5 stars

December 2, 2025 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc

At The Foot of the Cherry Tree

 At The Foot of the Cherry Tree

Alli Parker

Reviewed by Helen

I needed a book to finish a challenge and decided to read this one and what can I say this debut by Alli Parker is brilliant I could barely put it down, a beautifully told story based on the author’s grandparents this one takes us back to Japan as World War Two has just ended and young Aussie soldier Gordon Parker goes to be part of the occupation force and meets young Nobuko ‘Cherry’ Sakuramoto falling in love starts what appears to be never-ending battle to be together.

Gordon Parker lives in regional Victoria and has turned eighteen and his parents have just let him sign up to fight in the war but just as his training ends so does the war but Gordon is happy to go to Japan and do what he can, he is based close to Hiroshima and is part of the medic team the first rule is no fraternisations with the Japanese but he meets one of the house maids a sixteen year old young girl and soon they are falling in love.

Nobuko (Cherry) has been through so much in her short life living in Hiroshima she was there that dreadful day the bomb was dropped she lost her mother but managed to get away she is living with her father and uncle in a shack at Kure and has a close friend she calls aunty but her job at the BCOF base is all the money they receive but when she makes friends with the young Aussie soldier it soon becomes more than friends.

Their love grows against many challenges and they secretly marry the years are flying by and they are up against the military police and the rules but when Gordon is sent home he swears to get Cherry to Australia very soon but what he finds is a brick wall built by the Australian Government and their White Australia Policy, he never gives up fighting travelling back to Japan twice to meet his daughters but he will never give up on getting his family to Australia, never.

I loved this story it is heart-wrenching but beautiful to see the love that flows through so many road blocks, it is one that I do highly recommend a truly beautiful true story. Don’t miss this one.

5 stars

August 2, 2023 by HarperCollins

The Adventuress of Albany

 The Adventuress of Albany

Darry Fraser

Reviewed by Helen

Another fabulous story from such a wonderful story-teller, this one had me with the title, I knew it was going to be awesome, come along and meet the wonderful characters in this one.

Molly Bentley has lived her life as Lady Mary Brinkley in England with the father Lord Cato and aunt but when her father offers her a chance to do something that she has always wanted and that is travel and find adventure in the colonies she jumps at the chance and is loving being in Albany with her chaperone Mrs. Caldicott, her aunt but then everything changes quickly when Molly is knocked down in the street by a horse and given a letter that is threatening.

She is saved from the road and carried into a house by a Mr. Leo McRae and attended to by midwife Mrs. Sloane people she has never met before but soon Molly is learning more about why her father sent her and her aunt to Australia and there is danger everywhere. Telegrams are being sent to and from the homeland and not only by Molly, it appears that there are other people involved in all of this and Molly is determined to get the answers she wants and to know why Mr. McRae and his cousin Alistair appear to have been sent to watch over her and her aunt.

When attempts are made on their lives that take a journey across the colonies towards Victoria and Molly learns more, a secret that will change everything that Molly has known about her family, the group that is travelling together Molly, Mrs. Caldicott, Leo McRae, Alistair, and Mrs. Sloane and young Joey are staying safe but there is always a feeling of danger, will they all make it to their destination.

This is such an adventure, danger abounds and secrets are uncovered, friendships are formed and love grows through it all, it takes in the royal Prince’s visit to the colonies in 1881 which was very interesting but above all else I loved Molly and Leo and loved their adventure, after all that has happened will Molly finally get the adventure she really craved and with the man that has won her heart?

I do highly recommend this one, a true adventure.

My thanks Harlequin AU for my copy to read and review.

5 stars

November 25, 2025 by Harlequin Enterprises (Australia) Pty Ltd

The Lupin Fields

The Lupin Fields

Fantail Ridge #2

Heather Reyburn

Reviewed by Helen

Dawn Burton, was happy with her life as a hairdresser in the city of Auckland her mother is a very standoffish woman and they don’t have a close relationship she was much closer to her grandmother who she misses, but when she meets a young man, a farmer who helps her on the street soon her life will change totally.

John Simpson grew up on his family farm, Fantail Ridge and loves being a farmer, there is no other life for him he has worked hard with his parents Alice and Harry, but meeting Dawn he knows that he wants to take her home make her is wife and enjoy a life like his parents have and soon they are moving into their own home on Fantail Ridge.

Dawn does love John but this was not the life she had dreamed of living in this small home learning to drive trucks and looking after animals that she had never been fond off and the loneliness that she feels while John is working all day, making friends has never been easy for Dawn but her mother-in-law Alice is lovely and soon Dawn is settling in and her life is changing for the better, there are many ups and downs along the way, sadness and lots of happiness as well.

This is another beautiful story in this series, a beautiful setting, and wonderful characters, I loved seeing Dawn open up to another life on the farm so different from her dreams and finally making friends and the strength she shows through the tough times, this is one that I would highly recommend, Heather Reyburn is now one of my favourite authors, I look forward to the next book in the series.

5 stars

November 1, 2021 by Heather Reyburn

The War Rings by Joanne Austen Brown

 Reviewed by Nas Dean

The War Rings by Joanne Austen Brown is an emotionally gripping and beautifully written novel set during the harrowing years of Nazi Germany. From the very first chapter, the author pulls you into a world torn apart by cruelty, fear, and impossible choices—but also illuminated by extraordinary acts of bravery and love.

The story centers around a love story that becomes a powerful symbol of connection, memory, and resistance. Through the lives of characters who feel painfully real, Joanne Austen Brown captures both the brutality of the era and the quiet, stubborn hope that survived even in the darkest places.

What makes this book stand out is the author’s sensitivity and respect for the historical setting. The atrocities depicted are heartbreaking, yet never gratuitous. Instead, they underline what the characters are fighting to protect: humanity, family, and the belief that goodness can endure even when surrounded by unimaginable evil.

If you enjoy historical fiction that stays with you long after the last page, The War Rings is a must-read. It’s emotional, tense, and beautifully told—a story that honors the past while reminding us why it must never be forgotten.

Highly recommended.

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The War Rings

Joanne Austen Brown

Reviewed by Helen

This is a story that is based on a true story, set in a time when Germany was changing, it is 1930 and Alida and Dieter literally run into each other and it is love at first sight, they marry and have three children but Hitler is climbing the ranks in the government and doing all he can to change things and not for the better.

Alida and Dieter both have Jewish blood running through them, Dieter is a doctor and it is getting harder for him to treat Jewish patients and Alida is getting more worried they make a decision to leave and go to England to be with Alida’s sister Marta but they all don’t make it and when Alida sees her children safe with her sister she goes back to find her husband.

What happens is a time of persecution, danger and pain, what will happen to them? And now all these years later after the war has ended it is time for Marta to tell the full story to Alida and Dieter’s children.
The truth is painful and will not be easy for some people to read, but it is a story that the author felt must be told, what the people of Germany went through even before the war started was terrible, the love that flows between Alida and Dieter was so strong and everlasting.
There is a lot of facts told throughout the book and that was very interesting, parts were hard to read but it is told with heart and care.
My thanks to the author for my digital copy to read and review.

4 stars

November 11, 2025 by Joanne Austen Brown