Despite their growing attraction, both Peter and Elizabeth have secrets that will come between them. New South Wales, 1887
Peter Rowe’s life is in the city, but his soul is in Australia’s southern tablelands – a place he’s never seen. Taking the new land manager’s position on the thriving estate of Endmoor is the chance he needs to discover what happened to the family he has never met. What he … happened to the family he has never met. What he doesn’t expect to find in the bush is his employer’s talented, beautiful sister.
Elizabeth Farrer’s world is changing rapidly. An artist whose work has begun to gain acclaim, her brother’s marriage has made her redundant in her own home and she intends to leave the country and make a life of her own. Her plans would take her far from her beloved New South Wales, but with the arrival of Endmoor’s newest employee – a man unlike any other she has met – she discovers there might just be a reason to stay right where she is.
Just as they conquer their most difficult obstacles, old prejudices rise up and threaten to keep them apart …
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A new author for me and was so glad to have found her. Having not read many books set in Australia, the author drew a vivid picture of the landscape and times that drew me in quickly.
Peter has come to work as the new land manager to a budding winery. He also is trying to find out more about his mother’s family, as she was an aborigine and he is of mixed blood which appears to have detractors just as anywhere else during this time. He is drawn to the owner’s sister, Elizabeth who has been helping with the books but she only wishes to pursue her art, which has started getting noticed.
This is a character driven story that pulled me in and made me so glad to have read. I need to go back and read the first book, although it is not necessary, because I know it will give even more background.
‘Peter Rowe’s life is in the city, but his soul is in Australia’s southern tablelands – a place he’s never seen. Taking the new land manager’s position on the thriving estate of Endmoor is the chance he needs to discover what happened to the family he has never met. What he doesn’t expect to find in the bush is his employer’s talented, beautiful sister.
Elizabeth Farrer’s world is changing rapidly. An artist whose work has begun to gain acclaim, her brother’s marriage has made her redundant in her own home and she intends to leave the country and make a life of her own. Her plans would take her far from her beloved New South Wales, but with the arrival of Endmoor’s newest employee – a man unlike any other she has met – she discovers there might just be a reason to stay right where she is.’
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The Artist’s Secret is the second book in Sonya Heaney’s debut series, Brindabella Secrets and is a historical romance set in historical Australia’s New South Wales. Whereas the first book in the series, The Landowner’s Secret told the story of Robert Farrer, this second book follows two years later and tells the story of his sister Elizabeth and the man who has come to take up a new position and live on their estate.
I quite enjoyed the first book in the series and had been looking forward to reading this one, but found that it didn’t quite measure up to the first book for me. I found that it was a slow read and it took me a while to get into it. Much of the beginning of the book is following the characters puttering about the estate while not much else goes on. The story didn’t really pick up until about three-quarters of the way through the book at which point a whole lot happens at once, which I really enjoyed because there was a sense of urgency and danger which made me much more invested in the characters than I had been up until that point. I wish the story had picked up a little earlier or had been more evenly spread out because that would have made a big differnce for me as to how much I enjoyed the book.
The artist being Elizabeth, I didn’t find her secret to be much of a secret, but it did add a bit of conflict to the storyline. I really enjoyed the characters and loved that we got to revisit ones that we had met in the previous book and see how things were doing for them after the conclusion of The Landowner’s Secret. And I liked both main characters individually but at times the connection between them felt to be a bit one-sided or even to flip-flop at times.
It is not a clean romance, but that being said there is only one short intimate scene which isn’t very detailed and could very easily be skipped over if you wish not to read it.
I’m curious to learn if there will be a third book in the Brindabella Secrets series and, if so, where it would take us. Perhaps to learn more about Martha or Daisy?
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I would like to thank NetGalley and Escape Publishing for sharing an eARC of The Artist’s Secret by Sonya Heaney with me. This is my honest review.