Daughter of the Hunter Valley is Paula J. Beavan’s debut romance novel with a touch of historical themes. It is filled with loss, hardship, aspiration, and determination.
England 1831, after the overwhelming loss of her mother Madeleine Barker-Trent decides to make the long journey across the sea to join her father in the Hunter Valley, NSW. She has not seen her papa in six years and now must face him with the terrible news of his wife. He has been in Australia building a house and establishing a farm in the new colony for them to settle.
The very next day after Maddy’s arrival the unthinkable happens and her father drowns in the river. She now must decide if she will stay as sole owner of a thousand acres or return to England. With much deliberation, she decides to stay and fulfill her father’s dream.
Maddy has a long road ahead of her, the farm and house are not what she had envisioned from her father’s letters. Until the house is built, she settles into a hut with two convict women, she has help from assigned convict labourers, overseer Daniel Coulter to cultivate the land, and her maid, Jane.
Over time Maddy establishes herself into the settler’s community, many have opinions of how she should be living her life, but she was determined to prove she was very capable of running Shelby.
I loved Maddy’s character, she developed from a lost only child to a woman that wasn’t afraid of hard work. She braved the harsh elements of the land with unpredictable heat, drought and floods, unknown wildlife, and an attack from a bushranger.
One cannot help but empathise with this beautiful young woman who wants nothing more than to break away from the strictures of feminine expectations. She is determined to live by her own terms, using her brains, intellect, and faith rather than submitting to the expectations of society.
The supporting characters of convicts, Worranua people, bushrangers, and an orphaned child are well balanced and thoroughly believable. Secrets, threats, and romance will pull you into the story.
Daughter of the Hunter Valley is a character-driven drama at its heart. Paula J. Beavan writes in a smooth, flowing style, making this a captivating and easy-to-read book. It engages the reader from the first page to the last with its atmosphere and dialogue.
The story incorporates Australia’s early colonial days that add an extra layer of authenticity to the narrative. A lot of research went into this novel and it shows.
I highly recommend it to anyone with a passion for historical fiction and those who enjoy stories about strong, resilient women.
Thank you, Beauty and Lace and HarperCollins Publishers for the opportunity to read and review.
Author: Paula J. Beavan
ISBN: 9781867221449
Copy courtesy of Harper Collins Publishers
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading Daughter of the Hunter Valley by Paula J Beavan. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
My love of books started at a very young age. My mum has always been a reader and encouraged me to read, buying me endless book from classic fairy tales advancing to the world of Enid Blyton, CS Lewis, Louisa May Alcott, Kathryn Kenny, Carolyn Keene, Francine Pascal. In my adult years the list of authors is endless and every room in my house is filled with books.
One of my favourite novels is Narnia which has always has a special place in my heart. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 1978 and when I was given this book to read it let me escape to another world where I felt like I was in the book with all the characters, it wasfun and exciting to escape from reality and eased the ups and downs of the disease at such a young age.
In books nothing is impossible and there is endless potential and hundreds of places to explore or being taken to places that are only made up from the authors’ great minds, the past and future to navigate, characters lives you step into taking you on an emotional rollercoaster ride or being scared out of your wits. I can experience things that I can’t in real life because they’re not possible or real. It challenges my perspective and mindset expanding my worldview.
I find joy, comfort and peace with books, many people may not get it, but I know bookworms like me truly understand. Reading makes my heart happy.
Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read Daughter of the Hunter Valley by Paula J Beavan.
I absolutely loved this book!!
Set in the 1800’s this a beautifully written historical romance and drama.
I loved the characters and their different stories.
With bush rangers and convicts this a definitely an interesting read!!
Heart breaks, hardships and triumphs this is a must read!!
I felt in love with some of the characters and others terrified me!
This is a must read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Paula J Bevan’s Debut novel is a delight. Well rounded characters with a very well researched historical background it is believable, interesting and thoughtful.
The strong female lead, Madeline Barker-Trent is a wonderful, inspiring young lady, far beyond the era she lives in with strong beliefs and empathy for those less fortunate. She doesn’t buckle under the intense strain of having come from England to be with her father after her Mother died to the wonderful life he has built for Maggie and her Mother to find it was all words without substance. Tragedy strikes almost as soon as Maggie meets her Father.
The story builds with excellent historical detail and interest. Thank you sincerely, Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins. I love historical fiction, especially when set in Australia and will look forward to reading more from Paula J Bevan.
Maddy is a naïve, sheltered eighteen-year old when she arrives in the colony of New South Wales in 1831 to join her father who had, she’d been told, built a homestead and was running a successful farm. To her shock, she finds that most of what she’d been told had been greatly exaggerated. When her father is drowned, she finds herself the owner of the property, with several convict labourers. In an unfamiliar, hot Australian summer, she attempts to keep the farm going and improve on the simple structures her father built. Fortunately, she has the help of kind neighbours and an overseer, a man she is immediately attracted to.
Maddy deals with the weather damaging crops, a bushranger, and relentless work while also being introduced to several society families with whom she realises she has nothing in common. She is determined to fulfil her father’s ambition and make a success of the farm.
Paula J. Beavan has done excellent research into the events of the period, and the hot and dangerous Australian bush comes alive through the pages. Maddy is a strong, determined and resilient young woman, surprisingly so, considering her privileged background, although I would have liked to see more of the challenges, fears, doubts and failures she might have faced.
The plot moves quickly and there is plenty of action and challenges for Maddy to face. She also uncovers mysteries and secrets which add an intriguing layer to the plot.
Those that like well-researched history, a range of relatable characters, and a fast-paced plot will enjoy this well-written, journey into the past.
Thanks Harper Collins and Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read ‘Daughter of the Hunter Valley’ by Paula J Beavan.
This an interesting and enjoyable book for any fan of Australian fiction particularly if as in my case you had family arrive in Australia in the early 19th century.
The story of Maddy covers not only her difficult journey to New South Wales and in particular the Hunter Valley but also gives insight into the social structures that existed at the time including the class system and issues with convicts and their treatment as well their management after they had served their sentence, becoming free men.
The story also shows the strength of the men and women who settled in Australia at that time and the issues they faced. Maddy’s challenges I think are a pretty true representation of how hard life was.
The story is interesting and engrossing and makes for a wonderful read! Highly recommended.
Thanks once again to Harper Collins and Beauty and Lace.
Daughter of The Hunter Valley by Paula J Beavan is a delightful read for lovers of Historical Fiction.
Madeline Barker-Trent is an English young lady who travels to the newly colonised Hunter River
to join her Father after her Mother’s death.
Her Father has written and made many promises to his family.
Madeline discovers they are all untrue.
When tragedy occurs, she inheirits the 1,000 acres of mostly undeveloped bushland,
and has a workcrew of 3 assigned Convicts and an Overseer,
The hardships of heat, dust, loneliness, violence, danger, Mother Nature and then a scandalous secret and a new arrival
may unravel all of her hard work,
Maddy must make a decision to continue or to give up and return to England.
She decides she will stay in the Colony and develop the property as her Parents dreamed it would be.
This wonderful book shows the strength and determination the women that pioneered the Australian Colony were made of.
Beautifuly written and very well researched, you can smell the stench from the soap making,
feel the dust, the flies and unforgiving heat that Australia is famous for.
I highly recommend this book and will be looking out for any of this Authors future books.
I really enjoyed reading Daughter of the hunter valley. While reading this book it really brought to life what Australia would have been like in 1831! The strength men and women must have had, arriving in Australia from England to the perils of the Australian bush and the extreme heat. A story of the perseverance and strength. A beautiful story that captures early Australia.
Daughter of the Hunter Valley is the debut novel from Paula J Beavan, set in rural Australia in the 1830s.
The lead character is Madeleine Barker-Trent, she arrives in Australia following the death of her mother to live with her father in the estate he has created in the Hunter Valley. Sadly she has no time with her father due to a mysterious accident and she suddenly finds herself in charge of the estate. Its quickly clear that her father has not been truthful about the progress he has made with building a home for the family and Madeleine is forced to decide whether to return to England or to make the most of what her father has built and manage the estate.
Madeline decides to stay and realise her father’s dream with the help of the workers on the estate, all of whom are convicts except the overseer Daniel Coulter. Madeline launches herself into her new life, making some mistakes along the way and gradually she earns the respect of Daniel Coulter. There is a spark between them but they’re both nervous about becoming involved.
The story follows Madeline’s story as she adjusts to life in New South Wales, the weather is a major feature of life and the title of each chapter is the date and a short description of the weather: “extremely hot with dry winds” or “sunshine, fair with a cool breeze”. Along the way Madeline has close encounters with snakes, bushrangers and women who enjoy nothing more than belittling others. All equally dangerous!
I really enjoyed this historical romance, and it was good to learn a little more about life in the Hunter Valley almost two centuries ago.
Thank you to Beauty & Lace Book Club and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this enjoyable novel.
Thanks to Harper Collins and Beauty and Lace Book Club I had the chance to read Daughter of the Hunter Valley by Paula J. Beavan. I have to say straight of the bat what a delight this book is from this first time author. It is an historical fiction book set in the 1800s and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Maddy and her journey of being newly arrived in Australia. She has to deal with terrible tragedies and build a life in a brand new country and all that Mother Nature and some people throw at her.
The book is well written and the story flows nicely. There is also a little air of mystery along the way. I did feel the story ended quite suddenly and can only wish there was another chapter or two or an epilogue. Although if there is a sequel then I can understand it ending where it did.
Daughter of the Hunter Valley is definitely worth a read.
So much hope for her future on the back of the death of her mother Madeline holds her breath reuniting with her father. But what she was met with was not the vision painted in his letters. No grand house, no developed farm, a shack and fields still being developed.
Unaware of the reasons his letters told such untruths, Madeline just longed to reunite with her dad. But tragedy was still on the cards. Her letter telling of her mother’s death had not arrived, the news taken badly by her father, a tragic accident found Madeline alone in the Australian Hunter River in an undeveloped outback. Should she go back to England? Should she stay? Her grief still fresh, decisions required.
An inspiring story of fighting for dreams, working hard and fighting against expectations. Proving herself, finding her place, making friends in different places, falling in love and making Australia her now home. Madeline fights, battles and struggles some more.
I love the passion, the ability of Author Paula Beavan to transport me and evoke such feelings for Madeline and her cause. She describes the outback so well. It truely is empowering to women.
Historical fiction is definitley a genre that is growing on me the more I read! This is the second pre 1900s tale of early Australia, it’s bushrangers and rugged landscapes that I have read recently, and again I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Daughter of the Hunter Valley is never bland or boring and feels like it is truly giving us a glimpse into what life was like in New South Wales in 1831. Madeline was a character we could really embrace and feel and it was truly enjoyable to read this book! Well done Paula Beavan and thank you Beauty and Lace!