Showing results by author "AnneMarie Brear" in All Categories

Yorkshire Dales, 1850. As a terrible storm rages, Annabelle Wallis is shocked to find a distressed young woman at her cottage door, heavy with child. Moments later a baby girl is born. But by dawn, the mother has vanished, leaving behind the helpless child wrapped only in a silk peacock shawl. When news spreads that Lady Eliza Hartley, sister to a wealthy estate owner, has been found dead, Annabelle realises the terrible secret she has stumbled on. Terrified she’ll be blamed for Eliza’s death, Annabelle flees to the slums of York, where she plans to raise the orphan as her own.

1853. In the serene countryside of rural Yorkshire, Caroline and Trixie's unbreakable bond, forged amidst the hardships of York's slums, is the cornerstone of their shared dream: to transform their modest farm into a flourishing haven. . .Amidst this toil, Caroline finds herself caught in a delicate dance with Max Cavendish, the charismatic land agent of Melliton Abbey estate. Caroline remains hesitant to confront her own feelings, unwilling to risk their friendship.

Yorkshire, 1864. The daughter of a wealthy Yorkshire landowner, Anna Thornton leads a privileged life but longs to be accepted for the independent woman she is. When she meets Matt Cowan, she thinks she has met her soul mate. However, he’s not the man she thinks he is. After he sets sail for South America, Anna discovers she’s pregnant. Heartbroken, she flees her family home to keep her child’s illegitimacy a secret. As she starts to settle into her new life, Brenton O’Mara - who has turned his back on his father’s wealth - seeks work as a labourer at Anna’s new home....

With the heat of their beloved India far behind them, Evie Davenport and her widowed British Army officer father, are starting a new life in England. But Evie is struggling. With her dearest mother gone, Yorkshire with its cold, damp countryside and strict societal rules makes Evie feel suffocated and alone. Her friendship with Sophie Bellingham, the gently reared daughter of a wealthy rail baron, is Evie’s only comfort. Until the arrival of local cotton mill owner, Alexander Lucas. Newly returned from America, it is expected Alexander will marry and finally make England his home.

Wakefield 1870. On the banks of the River Calder, Meg Taylor struggles to care for her younger siblings and sick mother whilst her father is away working as a boatman on the canals. The slums where they live are rife with disease, and Meg longs for a different life, away from the grinding poverty, but she'll never leave her family. But with the canals slowly dying as trade moves to the railways, and with Meg’s father stubbornly holding onto the past, Meg fears her family’s future is going to get even bleaker. If only there was a way she could save them.

Ireland, 1851. After enduring years of the devastating potato famine, Ellen Kittrick is a survivor. To put food on the table, and to stop the landowner's agent from tearing down their cottage due to unpaid rent, Ellen defies her family and works at an Englishman's manor. But with an unemployed husband and a secretive brother-in-law wanting her for his own, she must face every challenge with new strength.

It’s 1850, and the Noble family have travelled to the other side of the world to start a new life after scandal drove them from their native England. Pippa Noble is determined to reclaim their honour by making her father’s plan for an outback farm a reality, although her ambition is frowned upon by a society that has very set ideas about a woman’s place. Pippa learns the hard way about the unforgiving nature of the bush, sometimes with devastating consequences.

Charlotte Brookes flees her lecherous guardian McBride, taking her younger sister with her. After a year on the road, they stumble into a Yorkshire village where the Wheelers, owners of the village shop, take them in. This new life is strange for Charlotte, but preferable to living with McBride or surviving on the roads.

1866: Kitty McKenzie's path has taken her from the slums of York to the inhospitable bush of colonial Australia. Yet when she believes her dreams will never be attained, she is shown that sometimes life can be even better than what you wish for. Kitty is gifted land in the far north of New South Wales. Life at the northern property is full of hardships - however, Kitty's strength of will and belief in herself give her the courage most women of her time never realise they have. A decided thorn in her side is the arrogant and patronising Miles Grayson, owner of the adjourning run.

1914, Australia: As war is declared, the idyllic world of Blue Water Station is torn apart when Oliver, the eldest grandson and heir, shares his desire to enlist in the army. His enthusiasm ignites his brother, cousins and friends to do the same but upsets his sister, Tilly. After a tragic family incident, she is left to run the cattle station and take care of the older folk. A chance meeting with a sophisticated lieutenant opens up a friendship through letters, but it’s a rogue stockman who attracts her attention - with dire consequences....

From the best-selling author of The Slum Angel. After losing her father, Thea Goodson is alone in the world. She has a husband. But Ernie is a brutal man who uses his fists to keep Thea in line. And besides, Ernie Goodson has secrets – secrets that even his wife cannot share. And yet in Victorian Yorkshire, appearances are everything - and they must be maintained whatever the cost. Thea has no choices but to cover up her bruises with powder and keep a forced smile on her face while she looks after Ernie’s home and tobacco shop.

Orphan Victoria Carlton is brought up by her uncle to be a lady and make a good marriage. Yet, she is drawn to help the poor families in the slums, much to her family’s disgust. When her uncle dies suddenly, her cousins blame Victoria, and she is thrown out of the house with nothing. Victoria flees to the poor side of York to start again in a world that is full of perils.

Australia, 1853. Settled in the colony, Ellen is determined to make a happy new life for her family and forget the horrors of famine-struck Ireland. Married for security, she works hard developing their estate in order to give her children the privileged life they could have only imagined back home. However, danger lurks when a man from her past threatens her beloved sons; and when her marriage begins to crumble, all that she thought was safe is suddenly in jeopardy.

Bridget Kittrick, headstrong and independent, is ready to show her worth when she's left in charge of her family's estate. She meets Lincoln Huntley, a man with a mysterious past which only heightens her attraction to him. A vicious neighbour, Mr Roache, holds a grudge against the family and orchestrates for Bridget to be kidnapped by wanted men, bushrangers, who take her deep into mountainous country to a hideout. The Boss, Donovan, is unlike any other man Bridget has known and he soon shows her a side to him that pulls at her heart.

West Yorkshire, 1914. Newly married to Noah Jackson, Beth is happily content working on her family's market stall while Noah fulfils his dreams of being a teacher. When war erupts, Beth's peaceful life is shattered by events beyond her control. Noah enlists to fight alongside his brothers. A devastating accident occurs that changes all their lives. Once a loving home, Beaumont Farm becomes Beth's responsibility.

The Scottish Highlands, 1899. A life-altering event led Catrina Davies to hide from her family and society. But Travis Millard, the man she used to love, finds her, and she agrees to marry him and to return to her family estate, Davmoor Court in Yorkshire. But while her father clings to life, Davmoor is nearly ruined by her brother's gambling obsession. As Catrina adjusts to her regained position in society, her marriage comes under attack from Travis' grandmother, who has her own reason for loathing the family.

Orphaned as a child, Fliss Atkins has spent her life working at her uncle’s pub, The Bay Horse Inn, nestled along the banks of the River Calder. Life has been anything but easy for Fliss. Her aunt is unloving, and her older cousin Gerald is cruel. Then she meets Oscar Nolan, whose adventurous spirit makes her wonder if there might be more to life beyond the only home she’s known. Could Oscar and his dreams of travel be her chance at a fresh start?

1867: Nicola Douglas attends a lecture given by Miss Maria Rye, the founder of the Female Middle Class Emigration Society, which inspires her to change her life. With no family, but a good education, she boards a ship to Australia with high hopes of a fresh start in a new country as a governess. Sydney is full of young women with similar ambitions and poor prospects - but when a wealthy benefactor appears, she finds a foothold. What she never anticipated was the attention of two suitors: Nathaniel, a privileged and attractive English gentleman; and Hilton, a beguiling American.

Everyone thinks Lexi is crazy when she falls in love with Hollingsworth House, a crumbling old Georgian mansion in Yorkshire – and nobody more so than her husband, Dylan. But there’s something very special about the place, and Lexi can sense it. Whilst exploring the grounds, she stumbles across an old diary, and within its pages she meets Allie, an Australian nurse who worked in France during the First World War. Lexi finally realises her dream of buying Hollingsworth, but her obsession with the house leaves her marriage in tatters.

Lincolnshire, 1854. After much reflection, Caroline Lawson has accepted Max Cavendish's marriage proposal. Yet their peaceful life on the farm is soon threatened by a series of mishaps and the strange deaths of livestock. As pressure mounts for Max to make the farm a success, the weight of responsibility becomes overwhelming. Meanwhile, Caroline's closest friend Trixie struggles with a deep conflict between friendship and love. Can she balance both, or will fate decide for her?