I received this ARC from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

A decision made in an instant will dramatically alter the course of your life. England born Kitty steals a pocketful of jewels and she is on the run. Taking her mother, she flees to Australia and starts a new life. Although attracted to Rufe, she marries William because he offers a homestead and security. But did she make the wrong decision when the dark side of William's personlity appears?

The writing is good, the conversation and characters are believable and the language is clean. The 1800's is my favorite era to read about, being set in untamed Australia was just a plus. This is a quick read and not a terribly complicated story line to follow. Good beach read or a rainy day book.

3☆

Once I adjusted my expectations, A Woman of Spirit was a solid read that begins in Victorian England and concludes in colonial Australia.
I expected this to be more historical romance than general historical fiction (it was tagged “romance” on NetGalley). It turns out it is a family saga, complete with a to be continued at the end.
I love both the Victorian era and women-centric books concerning colonial Australia, and this was solidly researched on both counts. The main character has to flee England after false accusations against her, and after actually committing a crime that might get her in very serious trouble.
I will say that the idea she came up with to hide the evidence of her theft was a little… it made me queasy (think modern-day drug mules)!
The woman and her mother reach New South Wales fairly early in the story, and the real plot begins there. I did find it a bit odd that one of the first people they met in Sydney knew their family back in England, and recognised them by their surname! There were tens of millions of people in Britain in the late 1870s, and Australia was working its way up to a million.
If you read the blurb put out by the publisher, you are going to learn almost the entire plot. I’m not sure this is a good way to sell a book, giving everything away at the start.
However, this was solid historical fiction. I am appreciating that publishers are starting to take chances on books set in 19th century Australia. Variety is always good!