The Downs Series

A heart-warming Australian historical rural family saga with a love story at its core. Book one in the Downs series.   They say bad things come in threes... Tragedy forces the teenaged Cleary sisters to join the thousands leaving Ireland for the fabled good life in the colonies. But at the bottom of the world, they encounter dangerous and disconcerting characters, prejudices they thought they'd left behind, and choices that can only drive them apart. Through the eyes of the dutiful and naive, Roisin; lovelorn stalwart, Grace; and feminist artist Stella, The Darlings of the Downs explores the secrets and the ties that bind families from one generation to the next and the impossible choices women make for the people they love. Set against the backdrop of colonial and post-war era Australia, this richly layered historical family drama traces the delicate threads of cause and effect throughout five generations.   Features a discussion guide for book clubbers.

An Australian gold-rush adventure novella. Book two in the Downs series.   'She wholly believed that he was a heart-breaker, but that didn't stop her from wanting to be his next victim.'   It's 1880 and gold fever grips the colony, transforming the barely-there town of Gympie into a Mecca overnight. Gorgeous thief and unapologetic ladies' man, Eamon Phelan, and his gang descend upon the town and are soon offered a job too good to refuse. Amidst a flood, a daring rescue, the wrath of a spurned heiress and the schemes of an old foe, their best-laid plans are finally derailed and Eamon finds himself imprisoned for a crime that for once, he didn't commit. Can his gang do the impossible and find the real culprits before it's too late and claim the tantalising reward on offer, one that could change their lives forever?