Description
City girl Hannah Stockton writes histories as her day job and family histories in her spare time. Needing a temporary escape from a violent boyfriend, she takes up an advertised position as a live-in caretaker ‘with light duties’ at a country retreat outside Melbourne. The owner, Philip Boulton, is a hunky high-flying banker who visits on weekends to attend to his small herd of cattle. Hannah is dismayed to discover that Philip has been taught all he knows about farming by his next-door neighbour, who lusts after Philip and resents Hannah’s presence. Hannah can’t tell whether Philip is ‘more than friends’ with his guru. Philip has recently discovered a family secret. Given his profession, he’s sensitive about this fact becoming public. Fearing Hannah’s skills as a family history researcher, he keeps her at a distance while he processes his secret. Meanwhile, as her ‘boss’, he helps Hannah to overcome her fear of cattle and she learns to love country life … and Philip. In a world gone mad, we often look to our families for love, comfort and support.Louisa Valentine focuses on this theme in her writing, attempting to inject much-needed kindness into love stories about marriage, children, divorce, parenting and women in the workforce.Her first novel ‘Retreat into Paradise’, an Australian rural romance of the old-fashioned variety, explores cautious relationship building.Her second novel, ‘Trading Secrets’, introduces a little mystery to a family story set in the Sydney financial world – and an infertility clinic.Her third novel, ‘Still Waters Run Deep’, features two young expat couples struggling with lives that haven’t gone according to plan.Writing as Louise Wilson she has also published nine non-fiction books. These bring previously untold aspects of Australia’s fascinating history to life in well-researched and award-winning historical biographies and family histories, starting with the First Fleet of 1788. Website for both author names is https://www.louisewilson.com.au
