Finella leaves England with her father to marry a pastor in Australia. What she doesn't anticipate is both men dying. She finds purpose and a job taking care of Shadrach's sister. Shadrach is the son of a convict, and she's not interested in staying at his muddy farm now that her fiance is dead. She's waiting for her aunt to come fetch her, but will Shadrach be able to convince her to stay?
Finella doesn't start out as a very sympathetic character. She comes across as one of those spoiled ladies who raises their nose in the air at dirt and dust. Her "qualm" with mud was a bit strange, even with the explanation, but it wasn't super distracting. Her hoity-toity attitude doesn't last long, and most of the book was happy enough. It wasn't until the end that fell apart, and it did lower my rating a bit.
There's a few errors in there (mostly extra words that don't fit into sentences), but the writing style is pleasant. The thing that has me hesitant to pick up the second book is the tragedy. The second book is about a shipwreck, so I'm afraid the tragedy elements won't change much. It's important to know that I think this is a good book, but it did have some major tragedy that was not only somewhat unexpected, but it also affected my overall enjoyment of the book. I'm torn on this one, and I can't say for sure if I'll pursue the next one. Most readers probably won't share my issues, but I love a happy ending, and this one was bittersweet.
