|
Ann Cliff
Robert Hale
release 31 July 2011/ ISBN 070909275X
Historical Romance / 1875 / Gippsland, Victoria, Australia
Amazon
US
|| UK
Reviewed
by Rachel A Hyde
Young Rose is keen to leave the family farm behind
when her father marries again, and her new stepmother dislikes her.
Handsome Luke Teesdale seems just the man for her, and when he immigrates
to Australia as a settler she joins him at the first opportunity.
But life in the bush is not what she is used to on a prosperous
Yorkshire farm, and despite her determination to make a go of it
her husband seems less fond of hard work and settling down. Soon
he is away more than he is home, leaving Rose to cope in a hut and
Haunted Creek is not always a safe place…
I’ve always enjoyed reading about Australia in the early days,
and this book is no exception. Rose makes for a delightfully spirited
heroine, taking on all that life throws at her with a true pioneer
spirit. Luke is not cut from the same mold, but don’t expect
a stereotypical bad, lazy husband either; they are very much real-seeming
people. Aborigines, native flora and fauna, settlers pleasant and
unpleasant and all the hazards of bush life are dealt with in this
enjoyable, absorbing book. As this is a romance there are also two
possible love interests for Rose – as well as her husband
– but this will appeal to more than romance fans. It is the
depiction of life in Gippsland in the 1870s that will remain in
the mind when the last page has been turned.
|
