Carry Me Home

GIVEAWAY

ADAMEK, DOROTHY
CARRY ME HOME

Finella Mayfield hates two things: liars and thieves. And she’s determined to marry a man who’s neither. Chasing her dead father’s dreams, the twenty-year-old English bride arrives in Australia in 1875 for an arranged marriage. Anticipating her future as village preacher’s wife, she records her thoughts in her Everlasting journal.

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?

My Review:

Stunning debut novel! Exquisite writing creates vivid pictures guaranteed to carry any reader away. Loved the 'exotic' setting (well Phillip Island is exotic to this Canadian.) So refreshing to read a historical romance set outside North America or England. That alone made me eager to read this story. And the beautiful cover begged me to keep her at the top of the TBR pile. She wasn't in my home long before a peek inside captured my fancy and sent me on a dramatic tilt-a-whirl reading frenzy.

Emotions exude from every page. Heart-rending, funny, romantic and sometimes devastating. There were times I forgot to breathe. Take one proud and stubborn farmer doing his best to eke out a living under harsh conditions. Add one displaced English bride-without-a-groom, Throw them together in remote circumstances and watch the sparks fly.

Major clashing of wills and hidden sorrows make the going rough but there are some beautifully tender moments as well. And a very romantic muddy romp that made me giddy. Adamek captures it all -- the witty banter and blistering arguments. The nursing of hurt feelings. The fragile hope that comes from an unexpected act of kindness. I laughed and swooned and cried bitterly before I reached the end of this blissfully captivating read.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  Carry Me Home please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday January 24 2016 . Offer open to international readers. Good luck!