Annie's Choices
by Tricia McGill
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GENRE: Historical Romance
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BLURB:
In book 4 of the Settlers Series, we catch up with most members of the extended family from the previous three books. Annie at 18 is the eldest Carstairs girl. She has lived out at Bathurst west of the Blue Mountains, where she was born just after her Mama, Bella and Papa, Tiger settled there back in 1824. After visiting her brother Tim and his wife Jo just before Christmas 1843, Annie decides to stay in Port Philip, seeking adventure much as her brother did when he set out with Jo the previous year. Annie has inherited her mother’s independent streak, a character trait that sometimes leads her to make the wrong choices.
Jacob O’Quinn works for her brother, and the likeable young carpenter catches Annie’s eye. Jacob is quiet and reserved in his manner, having spent his life with his widowed mother. When handsome Zachary McDowell, the complete opposite to steady Jacob comes along, he sweeps Annie off her feet. Heedless of advice given by others, Annie makes a choice that turns out to be the worst she could ever make.
Restless, Annie decides to return to her home, and Jacob makes the decision to escort her. The journey back across the mountains proves to be a lot more eventful than she assumed it could ever be. The road itself may have seen improvements through the years but there will always be unexpected incidents to turn life around on its axis. A suspected murder brings the might of the law down on the shoulders of the young couple.
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EXCERPT:
The man who had held Annie’s attention took off his wide-brimmed hat and sauntered across to stand nearby as he took a swig from the water bag. “If that’s all today, boss,” he said, “I’ll get back to the workshop.” He grinned as he nodded Annie’s way. “Your brother is right, you know lass. You will ruin your lovely looks standing around in this sun.” He glanced up to where that sun glared from a cloudless sky. “If we don’t get rain soon, we’ll all melt away.”
He hesitated a moment, before strolling to the wagon and climbing up to the board. With a careless wave, he flapped the reins on the rump of the horse and clicked his tongue. As the wagon rolled away Annie’s cheeks flamed, and she knew the heat engulfing her had little to do with the sun. Why did she always have to go weak and tongue-tied in Jacob O’Quinn’s presence? Out at Bathurst across the mountains, where she had spent her entire life until travelling down here before Christmas with her Mama and Pa she was surrounded by men of all ages and not one of them had ever made her feel so unsure, and not one made her heart flutter with a feeling she could not understand.
My Review:
Annie’s Choices is an historical novel set in the early 1840’s in Australia. There were several things I liked about the book.
First, Annie didn’t behave as I thought a woman of that era would. She didn’t sit in the house wearing a corset and doing needlework. She dreamed of helping people and was adamant in making her dreams come true. She was blunt and honest and often acted on impulse, which sometimes caused problems for her. She was a well-drawn character whose path to emotional maturity I enjoyed following.
Second, the author created a vivid setting for the book. She didn’t have pages and pages of description or history, but she created a sense of place that was super well done. She chose her words wisely, and in this case less really was more.
Third, Annie was surrounded by a large and loving family. If you like stories of family life, you should enjoy this book. It’s Book 4 in a series so you can get to know the family very well. Each book is stand alone.
Fourth, the book is a clean read with no graphic sex.
And last of all, there are several surprises in the story that you probably won’t see coming.
All in all, I got immersed in the story and couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. I totally recommend it.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Award winning author Tricia McGill was born in London, England, and moved to Australia many years ago, settling near Melbourne. The youngest in a large, loving family she was never lonely or alone. Surrounded by avid readers, who encouraged her to read from an early age, is it any wonder she became a writer? The local library was a treasure trove and magical world of discovery through her childhood and growing years. Although her published works cross sub-genres, romance is always at their heart.
Tricia’s love of animals has always shown up in her books. Tricia devotes as much time and money as she can spare to supporting worldwide conservation groups and is passionate about supporting those who do all they can to preserve our wildlife for future generations. She also volunteers for a local community group that helps disabled adults and children to connect to the internet with provided computer equipment. When people ask what she does in her spare time, she is heard to ask, “Spare time, what is that?”
www.triciamcgill.com
http://triciamg.blogspot.com
https://www.facebook.com/authorTriciaMcGill
Buy Link: https://books2read.com/Annies-Choices
Author page: https://bookswelove.net/mcgill-tricia/
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
Tricia McGill will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
