Australia, 1879: He’s fighting bankruptcy. She’s avoiding a marriage. Together, can they solve their problems? Reclusive bachelor Walter Jamison has spent years trying to make his isolated cattle property viable. The unexpected arrival of Elizabeth Chesterfield, a young woman betrayed by her brother, gives him another goal—providing her sanctuary while his station is cut-off from the outside … is cut-off from the outside world during the annual wet season.
Elizabeth Chesterfield looks forward to her new life as her brother’s housekeeper on his cattle property— until she learns he’s arranged for her to marry his business partner, to gain access to her inheritance. She escapes and finds refuge with Walter. While her brother and her unwanted ‘fiancé’ camp on the other side of the flooded river, Elizabeth falls in love with Walter.
When the waters recede, Elizabeth still isn’t old enough to be free of her brother or to access her inheritance and Walter hasn’t repaid the crippling debt on his property. Can they outrun their pursuers and find happiness together?
This 30,000-word novella is book #3 in the Stations of the Heart series, a family saga set in colonial Australia during the Victorian era. If you love historical rural romance or sweet Victorian romance, then try this story.
Series overview:
The ‘Stations of the Heart’ historical romance series is a family saga of linked novellas set in rural Australia during the nineteenth century. It follows three cousins who migrated to Australia to make their fortunes. There they fight debt, drought, flood, fire, and entrenched snobbery to succeed in this challenging and dangerous new world.
Lord Muck and Lady Alice
Love and Other Addictions
Love at Lost Lagoons
Look for more books by award-winning author Isabella Hargreaves:
The Persuasion of Miss Jane Brody
Gentleman Wanted
Snowed in for Christmas
Runaway Christmas Bride
Regency Treats
Forbidden Valentines
Regency Rescues
Wanton Widows
Enthralled: a Viking Romance
Charity’s Cavalier: an English Civil Wars Romance
All Quiet on the Western Plains
Journey’s End on the Western Plains
more
This was a very sweet and gentle romance. Elizabeth runs away from her brother, who is manipulative and planning a horrible future for her. Walter is an honorable man who helps her and provides her shelter. It was touching to see Elizabeth and Walter get to know each other and grow close and watch them fall in love. The storyline was very captivating, providing for some tense moments with plenty of drama, suspense, and danger which kept me turning the pages to see how things would turn out. A really delightful story, and I truly enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend for fans of this genre!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Betrayed and with nowhere to go Elizabeth Chesterfield escaped from what could had been her horrible fate. Walter Jamison found himself as the protector of a damsel in distress that taught him that all wasn’t loose for him. Liked Elizabeth’s strong character, Walter’s honorability, the descriptions and narrations and the interesting plot development. Good that we met some characters from previous books and we have to keep a close eye for a threat. A lovely story with action, suspense, some violence and romance.
The third book in the Stations of the Heart Series a well written story with a very good storyline it kept me turning pages. Elizabeth Chesterfield is hiding from her brother she comes to Lost Lagoons cattle station and she meets rancher Walter Jamison. There is suspense, drama, danger, kidnapping, villains, and love. I want to read the next book. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Sweet period romance in Australia’s vast Outback
I liked it. The plot is pretty straightforward with the villains’ greed the major element that drives leads Walter and Elizabeth together. Elizabeth is a well brought-up young thing orphaned, recently arrived from England, and under the thumb of her brother. Walter is a struggling rancher with a strict code of honor who’s been isolated in the Outback for years.
The story has periods of action and suspense interspersed with Elizabeth’s gradual education in the cattle station lifestyle and budding affection for her kind and earnest employer. It’s not deep or complex, but the story is a nice escape to another time and place.
There’s a brief passage near the end that indicates these characters are meant to reappear in some subsequent story but Love at Lost Lagoons has an entire start-middle-end and a satisfying HEA.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review and the opinions expressed are my own.
Desperation calls for desperate measures when faced with her brother’s manipulative plans, forcing Elizabeth Chesterfield to flee in the night into the Australian Outback. Finding a temporary solution to ensure her escape, Elizabeth lands in the hands of Walter Jamison. Realising that Elizabeth is deeply fearful and frantic, Walter locks her up safely, both for her sake and his, until she is ready to talk to him. Unexpectedly discovering her secrets, Walter feels he has no other option other than to give her refuge and a place to earn her keep. Elizabeth and Walter start a very slow and tentative interaction, one born of fear and distrust, but as they get to know one another, they find common ground. This novel is well written and interesting, giving glimpses of life on a cattle station in the late nineteenth century, and the harsh conditions of life in the Outback. I received a copy of this novel as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.
Set in Australia, Elizabeth is literally on the run from an unwanted marriage (seedy brother and his seedier business partner). Walter locks her up then gives her a place to stay (the wet season cuts off his land).
I liked Walter, who felt older and weary but she wakes him up (it’s hard to find a pretty young thing in the bush).
3 5