But instead of her fiancé, Finella is met by Shadrach Jones, a poor farmer sent to collect her from the busy Melbourne pier. This is not what her father planned. And it’s only the beginning of the unraveling of Finella Mayfield ~ the bride with no groom.
All Shadrach Jones longs for is rows of mustard and chicory. He’s busy growing a farm near the Phillip Island fishing village of Cowes, and caring for Molly, his simple sister. Far from the brutal life they remember with their ex-convict father, Shadrach’s building something new.
But he’s also made a promise to a dying friend. To collect and marry the English girl destined to never be a preacher’s wife. Can Shadrach convince Finella she has a future with a farmer? Can he convince himself, knowing his family secrets will haunt their future?
Carry Me Home ~ Book 1 in the Blue Wren Shallows series. An Australian historical romance set in the pioneering era of the 1870s, on Victoria’s majestic Phillip Island.
My Thoughts:
This debut novel from Dorothy Adamek left me with all
kinds of emotions. I laughed, smiled, cried and worried – all with some amazing
characters that I had the privilege of meeting through this book.
When we first meet Finella, I have to admit I was not her
biggest fan. Headed with her father to Cowes to marry her intended, she seems
very high-class and a little snooty to me. But once she arrives to her new home
and discovers her groom has passed away, she becomes someone that I fall in
love with. Determined to figure out her new life, I see that she becomes a
strong and independent woman – something that is not typical of women in the
late 1800s. Throughout this story, we get to see Finella completely change as a
person and I absolutely love the character we are left with at the end of this
story.
Shadrach is one honorable man and my heart went out to
him the minute we met him. He is a dear friend to the preacher and makes a
promise knowing it is going to be difficult to keep. But he is a man who keeps
his promises and he spends this entire book trying to fulfill that commitment.
He is also a man who will do anything and everything to care for his sister,
Molly. Molly is a child stuck in a teenager’s body and it is obvious that Shadrach
is in over his head trying to care for her. But Shadrach is determined and that
is a quality that I completely love about him.
As this story goes on, we see Finella and Shadrach form a
relationship that will win your heart. But you also know it’s too good to be
true. Sure enough, trials and obstacles suddenly hit them from every angle and
I found myself crying with these characters as their hearts broke so
completely.
As this book comes to a sweet end, Adamek sets these
characters up for a highly anticipated book two in this series. I totally and
completely loved this book and I cannot wait to see what the next installment
has in store for these characters and this community.
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