In one or two sentences can you sum up your overall impression of this book and how you feel about it?
I loved the historical
setting and decent people from convict bloodlines making good!
What did you think of Sergey and Catherine?
I liked both of them. They
were both strong-willed, had a need to serve others and make sure that
justice was served. Very honourable and decent people.
Since this story is set practically at your backyard, did you feel a sense of connection to the setting and the people?
I did, but what really
impressed me was how Ms Cooper connected me to the past. I loved
communications being done by horseback instead of the Internet, and the
complexity of moving a circus from town-to-town. I was brought not to
current day Syndey, Maitland and Bathurst, but to a time when I really
wanted to live in those locations and Ms. Cooper brought me there and
allowed me to live in those times.
Do you think the circus and its characters added a sense of exotic adventure to the story?
This story could have as
easily been told without the use of the circus, but it (and the horse
riding in particular) provided a great point of connection among the
main and secondary characters which was the glue that made the entire
story work from beginning to end. The horses provided the critical
connection between Sergei and Archie (Catherine's right-hand man) that
made this story a winner. This story was carried on the back of the
horses weaving in and out of the circus.
Do you think the plot twist added to the excitement of the story?
I love being surprised (I
hate cookie-cutter romance!) and there was a great plot twist 60% of
the way into the story which really added to the drama and brought the
story to life and made sense of the individual threads to that point.
Did you learn anything interesting about the history of the area and Australia in general?
Yes, I did not realize
there was a gold rush in NSW until reading this and I also learned a
lot about how far / fast horses could travel. I found the logistics of
communicating and accomplishing via horseback to be fascinating.
What stood out in particular for you or made the story enjoyable?
I loved the sense of
family and community that existed at Cottington Hill and how people looked
after each other. There was genuine 'good' in the people in this story,
and good won out over the liars and cheaters.
Do you think you'd like to read another historical set in Australia?
Of course, I learn a lot
of Australian history and I particularly like the early years.
Australia is my adopted home. I will read Ms Cooper's other novels now
also as they are set where I live.
What are you going to read next?
Forced Disappearance by
Dana Marton. (Hope it has more sex than just two kisses between the
hero and heroine!)
View all my reviews
About the author
Tea Cooper: Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads
About the reviewer
Steve Shipley: Website - Facebook - Twitter - Amazon
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Great review Steve I too loved this one :)
ReplyDeleteHave Fun
Helen
I read parts of it while Steve was reading. I enjoyed the parts I read.
DeleteSounds pretty good. I've not tried hers yet. LOL on hoping the next has a little more heat.
ReplyDeleteI don't think any of Tea's books have heat. :-(
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