AustLit

'Can a person ever be free of their past?

'Boston 1735: A young lawyer discovers justice is not blind after becoming frustrated and disheartened by the inequality and prejudice he witnesses each day. Overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness, he turns vigilante, meting out violent justice to wrongdoers. But when his rage pushes him over the edge, he is shown it is his own demons he must battle. 

'Cornwall 1707: Blessed with beauty and intelligence, a girl attempts to control her own destiny but is thwarted by her violent father and the constraints of her birth. When a handsome naval Lieutenant arrives in her small fishing village, she finds love and with it a chance of escape, but to a new life that is no less menacing than her old one. 

'Book three of The Dawnland Chronicles welcomes back old friends and introduces new faces. The Lark’s Call is a tale of love, justice, and a bond that reaches through time and across lives.' (Publication summary)

'At what stage does a search for justice become a mission for revenge?

'When Tabby Post, a fiercely independent and dedicated healer, confesses to cold-blooded murder, she must fight to save herself from the gallows. 

'After her father is condemned for a crime he did not commit – the murder of his brother – Tabby embarks on a search for the killer. Along the way she helps a young mother and is drawn into the chilling world of the woman’s husband, a heartless preacher whose congregation is bound by fear. 

'When tragedy strikes, Tabby is pushed to the brink of her morality. She must risk all that she believes in, in her pursuit of justice.

'During her journey, Tabby comes to know a wealthy businessman, a character we originally met in Book 1 - The Hummingbird and the Sea. She forms ties with his family, including his pregnant wife’s mystical sister, who senses an unfathomable connection with the healer.

'Always at the forefront of Tabby’s thoughts is Kirkcaldie, the handsome and enigmatic Governor’s Surveyor with whom she is romantically tied. 

'Set in Maine in 1725, The Falconer is a tale of sacrifice, loss and new beginnings.' (Publication summary)

'How far will a person go to gain freedom? Set in 1717, The Hummingbird and the Sea tells the story of four people whose lives are inexorably linked when an enigmatic Englishman seeks shelter in the small, Puritan enclave of Eastham, Massachusetts. His brief presence upsets the balance of the close-knit town and sets in motion a tragic series of events that overturns lives and forces even the most constant and devout to rebel against everything they held sacred. Loyalties are tested and families are divided as individuals battle to deliver themselves from hardship, prejudice and injustice. Based on a true story of Puritans and pirates, The Hummingbird and the Sea is a powerful tale of love, faith, hidden passions and the eternal search for freedom.' (Publication summary)

'Set in Roosevelt's White House, this is a compelling story of politics, personalties and love that spans one of the most turbulent decades of the twentieth century.

'Robbed of her home and job by the Great Depression, the future looks bleak for Iris McIntosh - until a chance encounter with America's indefatigable First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. Propelled into the White House's brilliant inner circle, Iris finds herself at the centre of momentous change ... and her heart torn between two men. But her loyalty lies with a third: the complicated and charismatic President Roosevelt, who will ultimately force her to question everything she believes in.

'A compelling story of politics and power, love and loss, set in one of the most exciting and cataclysmic periods of history.' (Publication summary)