Affiliate links can be found within this post. If you need additional information, please see the disclaimer.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
Book tour hosted by:
MY REVIEW:
Genre | Tropes: Historical Fiction, Suspense
Rating: 4 out of 5 ⭐
This book starts off with a strong suspense feel to it. The main character, Tess, is on the run from her abusive husband and trying to locate the right ship on the river to free herself. But things don’t work out exactly as she planned and she finds herself in a dangerous situation all over again. A fast paced historical novel set in Australia that is highlighting the strife of union workers during the late 1800s. It’s a dangerous world of union versus non-union people trying to survive hard times.
We have several main characters including Tess; her childhood friends Bram and Harry, as well as appearances from the Alby her dangerous husband. Everyone’s experiences are intertwined as the men are trying to find work and do what they need to survive, while Tess is dealing with her own personal issues of finding herself and establishing who she wants to be outside of what she has experienced.
This book was a little bit more explicit in tone and actions than I had expected, but the times where this appears was contextually important to the moment or the characters. Bram was one of my favorite characters in this story as his honorable nature really outshines every other man you come across in this book. He focuses heavily on being there for Tess, as he was fond of her as a child and then they both went their separate ways. The support system that Tess needs is found in Bram and carries the entire story all the way through.
GET IT HERE:
Amid the rising flood waters and shearers’ strike violence, can one brave woman reclaim her future? From an Australian bestselling author comes a riveting historical adventure about one woman’s journey from a life of isolation to one of love and acceptance.
1894, Echuca, Victoria
Tess Hawthorn is a woman on the run from her abusive husband. All she has to do is get on the riverboat Victor and she will be free.
But with tensions at an all-time high between unionist shearers and Scabs, Tess isn’t the only person trying to board a boat under the cover of night. When a brawl erupts between the union and non-union men, Tess is mistaken for a fellow Scab and in the chaos pulled aboard the PS Rodney – the same boat heading up the Darling River that her husband was bound for.
The last person Bram Kempster expects to see on board is Tess Hawthorn, the girl he’s loved from afar since they were young. But he can’t afford to get distracted, not when he’s on an urgent trip to Renmark. Tess didn’t want him back then and, if her haughty behaviour is anything to go by, she certainly doesn’t want him now.
But childhood hurts are the least of their problems. The continent is a tinderbox of violence and bloodshed waiting to ignite, and at home the Murray River is rising fast. Can they overcome their past in time to work together and survive?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Darry Fraser
Darry Fraser lives on the beautiful Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia, very close to the mighty River Murray.
Currently she writes empowering, feminist adventure fiction set in Australian history including Daughter of the Murray, Where the Murray River Runs, The Milliner of Bendigo, and her latest release, The Nigh on the Darling River. She has been published annually with HarperCollins Australia since 2016. Visit her at www.darryfraser.com.
Looking for book recs…
Adventures in Literature 
Leave a comment