australia | Lost in a Good Book

Rebel Spirits by Paula J Beavan

26 May 2026 1 Comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, Australian Women Writers, Historical Tags: australia, australian, aww, ebook, five stars, historical, historical romance, paula j beavan, romance

Published: 27th May 2026
Publisher: Paula J Beavan
Pages: 350
Format: ebook
Genre: Historical Romance
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars

In the harsh world of nineteenth-century Australia, honesty has a price—and some risks can’t be undone.

Irish immigrant Ellen Maguire is fighting to keep her family’s roadside inn, The Harp and Hound, from ruin. With the railway diverting travellers and her father lost to grief, desperation drives her to a dangerous distilling illegal poteen from her grandmother’s remedy book—a venture that could save them or destroy them.

When injured Englishman Jack Bell arrives searching for his missing niece, Ellen offers him shelter. Attraction flares—but her family’s future can’t be put at risk, not even for love.

As Ellen’s illicit trade draws the attention of sly-grog operators, ruffians, and the colonial authorities, pressure mounts on every side. Then Jack’s niece appears—with secrets of her own, and a threat that could ruin everything.

Torn between protecting her family and telling the truth to the man she loves, Ellen must decide how far she is willing to go.

Perfect for readers of Tea Cooper, Jackie French, and Darry Fraser, Rebel Spirits is a sweeping Australian historical romance filled with danger, mystery, and heart.

Note: I was provided with a copy of this book by the author for review.

What I loved about this story is it captures the strength, resilience, and despair of not only the family struggles and heartbreak, but also living in a colony town in the middle of the Australian bush and realising the bush isn’t always your friend. It is a compelling story of found family as well as real family and a desire to establish foundations for the future.

This book is aptly named because while Ellen is rebelling against the law, she herself is a rebellious spirit who doesn’t always line up to what a woman of her time is “supposed” to be doing. Colonial women doing most of the real work is reflected well, with Ellen’s brother and father scheming and keeping secrets from her, taking her stuff unasked, all while she fights to keep the family afloat without much thanks.

The writing is well suited for the historical setting but it is easy to understand and helps cement the bygone era without alienating modern readers. Through detailed and vivid descriptions Beavan captures the harshness of bush life, of colonial men and their approach to women – their wives or strangers – and how women must endure and adapt because of the men around them.

Beavan is good at building drama and tension without affecting the gentle pace. There is mystery around family secrets, tension around the local constable and the natural environment, and the uncertainty over whether Jack will find his niece.

The easy banter between Ellen and Jack is charming and it was delightful to watch as they go from strangers, to friends, to something more. With Ellen’s toughness and Jack’s easy curiosity they make a great pair.

As a character Ellen is a delight; she has the propriety of a woman and she tries very hard to maintain that while completely unaware she bucks expectations at every opportunity because things need to get done. For every time she tries to be proper there are three other instances of her sneaking out in men’s clothes and being socially improper some way or another.

I enjoyed reading about the history of the Hunter region that is woven through the story, and the author’s note goes into additional details as well about the real history it’s based upon. Seeing this little family in a town struggling to survive was powerful, it might end up being a losing battle – mother nature and the reality of progress being what it is – but the determination of people to make their roots and fight for what they want is admirable.

There’s excitement and tension, a sense of community and a clear admiration for the bush. The characters are full of life and their own pasts which comes across naturally and is woven wonderfully into the current storyline. The realities of early colonists is there from orphans to migrants, as well as the hardships of enduring those in control and those who want power. All of that alongside an incredibly sweet love story filled with stubbornness, admiration, and compassion.

Rebel Spirits is due to be published 27 May 2026

You can purchase Rebel Spirits via the following

Dymocks | Booktopia | Wordery | Blackwell’s

Amazon | Amazon Aust | Author website

47 Degrees by Justin D’Ath

23 Jul 2019 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Junior Fiction Tags: australia, australian, bushfires, four stars, junior fiction, justin d'ath

Published: 8th January 8th 2019
Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia
Pages: 256
Format: Paperback
Genre: Junior Fiction
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Zeelie wonders if they’re in danger.

When temperatures soar to 47 degrees one hot summer day, 12-year-old Zeelie hopes the neraby bushfires everyone’s talking about aren’t heading towards her family’s new home. What will they do if the wind changes direction? What about their belongings and their beloved pets? And why hasn’t her mum and brother returned from Melbourne?
Nothing can prepare Zeelie for what’s to come.

I will be 100% honest and say I read the first quarter and then I was experiencing so much anxiety about this book I skimmed the rest of it, reading a few full pages here and there to get to the end. I could not handle this story. I’m trying to work out if now I know how it plays out I could go back and read it again but I’m not sure.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved it, but it is so stressful to read. Whether it is because I’m Australian and have seen the damage fires have done I was imagining the worst anytime anyone got in a car, on a road, near a fire; it just set off Worst Case Scenarios in my head. But despite that, I thought it was such a wonderful way to discuss the events of what happened on Black Saturday and through the eyes of Zeelie who is at the cusp of childhood and being a teenager; she is growing up but still has trouble handling the scope of what is happening around her.

Having the experience through Zeelie’s eyes shows the rapid nature of fires, how quickly plans change and go awry. Black Saturday was Victoria’s worst fire and seeing the trouble Zeelie and her dad get into are important experiences to understand, even if this story is fictional, it rings true to so many real life situations that people have experienced. We get to see how other communities and families are affected and Zeelie’s own worries about her family that she can’t contact adds an extra level of suspense. These are all real situations though as phone lines and power limit communication, closed roads and no news can add to the already stressful situations. D’Ath never makes it too overly dramatic, but the realities are there – well, as much as they can be for a children’s book.

D’Ath captures Zeelie’s voice beautifully. I saw her naivety but her confusion, but also her bravery, and when she is asked to pack up things to take with them I understood the trouble she had in deciding what was important to take for people. Her character is the epitome of someone her age. She expresses her love for her family but also her frustration about her brother and their relationship. I understood her uncertainty when she has moments where she first starts to doubt her dad, doubt his decisions; that unwavering trust of childhood starting to falter as she witnesses the things around her. I think it gives great power in allowing a kid of Zeelie’s age show anger at her parents, and frustration at their decisions and her own lack of power in a lot of cases.

Let it be noted that all the dogs are ok by the end of it. I actually texted a friend who’d read it the second I thought it could go otherwise because I was not prepared to read that so you don’t have to worry about anything happening to them. There is other animal death but it is unseen or has limited detail.

One thing I found impressive was how D’Arth captures the experience of a bushfire in its entirety. From start to finish you see the early warnings, the evacuations, the road closures and the devastation. D’Arth makes sure not to leave it there as you also see the healing and the community support of this kind of disaster. Even if I didn’t already know, this story helps you understand how fast bushfires can start and spread, as well as the damage they can cause. I am glad I pushed through my anxiety to finish the story because it was good to see the full circle and Zeelie’s story is one that covers a lot of important situations and experiences.

You can purchase 47 Degrees via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

The Lost Man by Jane Harper

19 Mar 2019 2 Comments

by Amy in 5 Stars, Australian Women Writers, Crime Tags: #aww2019, australia, australian, australian women writers challenge, aww 19, aww 2019, book bingo, book bingo 19, crime, five stars, jane harper, mystery, outback

Published: 23rd October 2018
Publisher: Macmillan Australia
Pages: 362
Format: Paperback
Genre: Crime
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars

They are at the stockman’s grave, a landmark so old, no one can remember who is buried there. But today, the scant shadow it casts was the last hope for their middle brother, Cameron. The Bright family’s quiet existence is thrown into grief and anguish. Something had been troubling Cameron. Did he lose hope and walk to his death? Because if he didn’t, the isolation of the outback leaves few suspects…

This is definitely my new favourite Jane Harper book. From the start I was immediately pulled in, the voice and tone drew me in and I wanted to stay in this story and keep reading.

Nathan doesn’t set out the solve the mystery of his brother’s death, but a few things don’t sit right with him and little by little he tries to fill in the gaps. This is not a police procedural story however, the focus is on trying to come to terms with his brother’s death and while the family wonder about what happened to him, it is also about getting through the grief together.

Harper hints at secrets and events, baits us into keep reading and honestly it works. Not quite so much to get answers, the anomalies are not followed up like a detective would, but the tone feels so comfortable that you want to keep following this narrative. She lays down clues and hints that you don’t even realise long before but at the same time once she has planted a seed the tone shifts and a whole other component is explored. It never felt out of place, or unconnected, and I couldn’t help but marvel at how she mixed everything together so seamlessly, never breaking from the flow of the story. She doesn’t focus constantly on speaking in riddles, she gets on with the story while making well placed and relevant hints about characters throughout which could easily mean nothing as they could everything.

Harper captures the outback environment brilliantly without resorting to long details and descriptions. She uses the characters and the story itself to reflect the harshness of the land and the dangers it holds. One great surprise was the blink and you miss it reference to some familiar faces from Harper’s debut novel, The Dry. I enjoyed the connection to the two stories but Harper also uses it to add an entire new layer to the characters as well.

I loved being in this story and I loved everything about this story. I loved these characters and their honesty and their secrets. I loved Nathan and his fractured, broken self but still with a strong family commitment buried deep inside. His character is one of honesty but also one of damaged resilience. Harper could have gone so many different ways with his personality but she dances on the edge of the line skilfully instead of making him cross it which I adored.

People are right when they say this is Harper’s best book to date because there is a comfortableness about this book, but it is one that still contains mystery and heartache, and complications that don’t overwhelm one another but coexist side by side remarkably, balanced back and forth as the story progresses.

You can purchase The Lost Man via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

11 Feb 2019 2 Comments

by Amy in 1 Star, Audiobook, Australian Women Writers, Fiction Tags: #aww2019, Audiobook, aussie books, australia, australian women writers challenge, aww 2019, caroline lee, liane moriarty, one star

Published: 18th September 2018 (print)/18th September 2018 (audio)
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia/Bolinda Publishing
Pages: 464/19 hrs and 9 mins
Narrator: Caroline Lee
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Fiction
★ – 1 Stars

Could ten days at a health resort really change you forever? Nine perfect strangers are about to find out…

Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they can’t even admit to themselves. Amidst all of the luxury and pampering, the mindfulness and meditation, they know these ten days might involve some real work. But none of them could imagine just how challenging the next ten days are going to be.

Frances Welty, the formerly best-selling romantic novelist, arrives at Tranquillum House nursing a bad back, a broken heart, and an exquisitely painful paper cut. She’s immediately intrigued by her fellow guests. Most of them don’t look to be in need of a health resort at all. But the person that intrigues her most is the strange and charismatic owner/director of Tranquillum House. Could this person really have the answers Frances didn’t even know she was seeking? Should Frances put aside her doubts and immerse herself in everything Tranquillum House has to offer – or should she run while she still can?

It’s not long before every guest at Tranquillum House is asking exactly the same question.

The LONGEST, most TEDIOUS 19 hours of MY LIFE. I swear somewhere around chapter thirty it never progressed no matter how many hours I listened to it. It felt like I was trapped in the thirties forever and with a book of eighty chapters this was a nightmare scenario. I am quite convinced time stopped because I listened to it almost every day and I never seemed to get anywhere. Just when I thought I think I’d listened to it for another 3 or 4 hours I was only one of two chapters ahead. In the end, I had to bring it in from the car and put it on the computer so I could get it to play at double speed. Even then it dragged on. It’s an amazing feat that a book this long could have nothing happen in it.

I am not convinced it was only the fault of the audio either. I have generally enjoyed Lee’s narration, she has done every single other Moriarty book I have listened to. But from the initial chapters I knew this one felt different. It was slower, much slower than her other ones, and I couldn’t understand her decision with some of the voices she chose for the characters. Francis is one of the main characters who gets most of the perspective and I could not stand her from the very beginning. I did not like her portrayal but retrospectively I appreciate her character. She was bubbly and naïve, she was idealistic and at least she felt like a real person. It’s just that from the start I was on the wrong foot with the narration and these characters and unfortunately it never managed to recover. For having a dozen key characters I felt that maybe only a few were really fleshed out. Even if some got fewer chapters for us to get to know them, I was still able to grasp who they were as people. Some of the others who had multiple chapters gave me so little I have no real idea who they are.

But I also didn’t care enough to care.

I did not care about their personal journeys and while Moriarty deserves credit for the variety of characters she has included, the execution was lacking.

I am trying not to just dump on this book, but after hour upon hour of waiting for something to happen I feel let down as a reader and I am disappointed because this isn’t the writing I have come to expect from Moriarty. With no plot except listening to these people and their boring lives I was desperate to grasp onto any real story at all. Where was the Moriarty’s Reveal™ that she is renowned for? Where was the intrigue and the suspense? How can such a diverse range of characters hold so little intrigue?

There is a moment that Moriarty breaks the fourth wall later in the book through Francis and not only does it read like she is venting her own frustrations at her career and the writing process, it jars the flow of the narrative and it took me out of the story because it doesn’t sit right. And to be honest, by that point I was using all my effort to keep myself in the narrative.

The ending was stranger and even more ridiculous than the rest of the book. I had heard the ending was amazing and while it might be the only time it got actually close to something happening, it still failed to hit the low bar I had placed on it after listening to the other 18 hours.

I understand from talking to other people that this is a book that divides people. They either love it or they thought it was boring and terrible. I know people in both categories and with my history of Moriarty books I went in with an open mind. It seems though that this book is yet another of Moriarty’s that didn’t quite hit the mark with me. There aren’t enjoyable moments, there are simply moments that aren’t terrible.

You can purchase Nine Perfect Strangers via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Happy Australia Day! (+Giveaway) – DRAWN

26 Jan 2019 4 Comments

by Amy in Giveaway Tags: australia, australia day, australia day book giveaway, giveaway, jessica townsend

It is so hot in Australia right now and this Australia Day long weekend is no exception. With temperatures going to be 36 degrees (97F) all weekend at my place I have grand plans to do nothing except sit under a fan and read because anything besides that sounds like a lot of effort. I hope however you chose to spend today it is somewhere cool and enjoyable. We’ve got the new lamb ad to enjoy, but I actually haven’t bought a single lamington which in itself is a small disaster, but I am not going to make any or go out and buy some because obvious combustion will occur is I go outside. Instead, I will stick with my reading plan and maybe try to incorporate a Vegemite sandwich into my lunch.

Alongside this plan, I am also going to giveaway an awesome Aussie book which is much more interesting! The joy of having a blogiversary so close to Australia Day means that I will have two giveaways running so if you want some more variety, have a sticky beak over at my blogiversary post where I am running an international giveaway and maybe one of those will tickle your fancy.

Today though, in order to celebrate Australia Day and Aussie authors, I am giving away a copy of Jessica Townsend’s new book Wundersmith, the second book in her Nevermoor series.

Wunder is gathering in Nevermoor …

Morrigan Crow may have defeated her deadly curse, passed the dangerous trials and joined the mystical Wundrous Society, but her journey into Nevermoor and all its secrets has only just begun. And she is fast learning that not all magic is used for good.

Morrigan Crow has been invited to join the prestigious Wundrous Society, a place that promised her friendship, protection and belonging for life. She’s hoping for an education full of wunder, imagination and discovery – but all the Society want to teach her is how evil Wundersmiths are. And someone is blackmailing Morrigan’s unit, turning her last few loyal friends against her. Has Morrigan escaped from being the cursed child of Wintersea only to become the most hated figure in Nevermoor?

Worst of all, people have started to go missing. The fantastical city of Nevermoor, once a place of magic and safety, is now riddled with fear and suspicion…

To enter: Leave a comment on this post telling me your favourite thing to do on Australia Day, or maybe a favourite thing you used to do as a kid that had great memories for you.

Entries close on 11:59pm 2^nd February and due to shipping costs it is for Australian residents only.

Good Luck!