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THE POSTMISTRESS
(The Women of Maiden's Creek Book 1)
WORLD edition
Life on the Australian goldfields demands grit and determination—especially for a woman.
Adelaide Greaves, widowed mother and postmistress in the isolated mining town of Maiden's Creek, hides a dark secret behind her respectable façade. When Caleb Hunt, a battle-scarred veteran of the American Civil War, saves her young son's life, an undeniable connection forms between these two wounded souls. But Caleb has come to Australia to escape his own dark memories. The mysterious widow and a town that needs him are the last things he is seeking. As their bond deepens, a figure from Adelaide’s past emerges to further threaten her carefully constructed world. Adelaide and Caleb must face their worst fears in the race against time and nature to protect what matters most. Can they escape their pasts and find a life together? For readers who crave a meticulously researched and vibrant tale of loss, desire, and courage that is full of the terror and the beauty of the Australian bush. |
Australian edition
To forge a new life she must first deal with her past…
1871. Adelaide Greaves and her young son have found sanctuary in the Australian town of Maiden’s Creek, where she works as a postmistress. The rough Victorian goldmining settlement is a hard place for a woman — especially as the other women in town don’t know what to make of her— but through force of will and sheer necessity, Adelaide carves out a role. But her past is coming to find her, and the embittered and scarred Confederate soldier Caleb Hunt, in town in search of gold and not without a dark past of his own, might be the only one who can help. Can Adelaide trust him? Can she trust anyone? When death and danger threaten — some from her past, some borne of the Australian bush —she must swallow her pride and turn to Caleb to join her in the fight, a fight she is determined to win… |
THE GOLD MINER'S SISTER
(The Women of Maiden's Creek Book 2)
World Edition
'There are people in this town with the gleam of gold in their eyes and cold steel in their hearts.'
Drawn by her brother's promise of a fresh start in Australia, Eliza Penrose journeys from England to the gold-mining town of Maiden's Creek, only to arrive in the shadow of tragedy. Finding herself alone and friendless in a town where answers about her brother's fate remain frustratingly elusive, Eliza seizes an unexpected chance to establish herself as the settlement's schoolteacher. Among the townspeople she encounters is Alec McLeod, the mine's engineer and her brother's friend, who still carries the memory and guilt of his wife's death. Though he's rebuffed the attention of every eligible woman in town, Alec finds himself unexpectedly drawn to Eliza—an attraction complicated by a promise he made to her brother. While Alec struggles between his growing feelings for Eliza and his obligations to the mine and its men, Eliza delves into the mystery surrounding her brother’s death. As secrets, lies, and betrayals circle around them, both Alec and Eliza are drawn deeper into the town's web of secrets. When disaster strikes the mine, the truths begins to surface. The revelations come at a heavy price, and Eliza and Alec risk losing everything they have fought for, including their lives. With time running out and stakes rising, will their newfound bond be enough to overcome the forces threatening to tear them apart? |
Australian Edition
‘There are people in this town with the gleam of gold in their eyes and cold steel in their hearts.’
1873. Eliza Penrose arrives in the gold mining town of Maiden’s Creek in search of her brother, planning to make a new life for herself. Instead she finds a tragic mystery – and hints of betrayals by those closest to her. Mining engineer Alec McLeod left Scotland to escape the memory of his dead wife and child. Despite the best efforts of the eligible ladies of Maiden’s Creek, Alec is determined never to give his heart again. As lies and deceit threaten Eliza’s life, Alec steps in – although he has problems of his own, as he risks his livelihood and those he holds dear to oppose the dangerous work practices at the Maiden’s Creek Mine. When disaster draws the pieces of the puzzle together, Eliza and Alec must save each other – but is it too late? |
THE HOMECOMING
(The Women of Maiden's Creek Book 3)
WORLD EDITION |
Australian Edition |
“They say you can never go back…but some things that happen to you as a child can never be forgotten…”
1893: After an absence of 20 years, Charlie O’Reilly is drawn back to the goldmining town of Maiden’s Creek. Despite the bitter memories of isolation, injustice and fear she knew as a child, she is determined to prove her worth as the new matron of the hospital. The anonymity of the little town, will also provide her with a chance to escape the unwanted attentions of a man who can bring her nothing but trouble. The town also left its scars on Daniel Hunt. Despite his wealth and success as a criminal lawyer in Melbourne, his own childhood memories have left him with questions his parents are reluctant or unable to answer. When the opportunity arises to travel to Maiden’s Creek he hopes that there he will find the answers he is seeking. When a nurse at the hospital is brutally murdered, Charlie and Danny come together in an uneasy alliance, with one purpose: To clear the name of a mutual friend who stands accused of the woman’s murder. The deeper they dig into the town’s secrets, old wounds are reopened and when a devastating storm tears the town apart, long buried secrets rise to the surface and new dangers threaten everything they hold dear. With the past and present colliding, can Danny and Charlie overcome their personal demons and the mounting perils surrounding them? Or will unspoken truths and lingering fears keep them apart? If you loved meeting Charlie and Danny in The Postmistress and The Goldminer’s Sister, don’t miss joining them in this concluding tale of dark deeds and secrets in the town of Maiden’s Creek. |
Gold is a fever. Will it lead her to love … or death?
1873. Eliza Penrose arrives in the gold mining town of Maiden’s Creek in search of her brother, planning to make a new life for herself. Instead she finds a tragic mystery – and hints of betrayals by those closest to her. Mining engineer Alec McLeod left Scotland to escape the memory of his dead wife and child. Despite the best efforts of the eligible ladies of Maiden’s Creek, Alec is determined never to give his heart again. As lies and deceit threaten Eliza’s life, Alec steps in – although he has problems of his own, as he risks his livelihood and those he holds dear to oppose the dangerous work practices at the Maiden’s Creek Mine. When disaster draws the pieces of the puzzle together, Eliza and Alec must save each other – but is it too late? |
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If you enjoyed THE POSTMISTRESS and THE GOLDMINER'S SISTER... Here are a couple of suggestions for other books by Alison Stuart with Australian themes you may enjoy...
GATHER THE BONES
A gripping historical mystery about grief, love and the hauntings of the past
The love stories of two women from different times connected by the secrets of an old diary … England 1923: After the loss of her husband during the Great War, grieving widow Helen Morrow and her young daughter move to England into the family estate her husband grew up in. They share the old house with Helen’s mother-in-law whom she never met and her husband’s reclusive cousin Paul. Helen wishes to finally get some answers as to what happened to the man she loved. Instead she finds an old diary of a woman who lived in the same house years ago and plunged the family into scandal before disappearing. Together with Paul, who is still caught in the shadows of the war, Helen is looking for answers and finds herself drawn to the tortured, quiet man. And at night she seems to sense a lingering presence she can’t quite explain. Soon Helen realises that she will not find peace or happiness until all the mysteries are solved. |
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