Anne Brown lives in Raphoe in County Donegal, Ireland, her family live in poverty and she feels as plain as her name. One night, when all the young people of the village celebrate Beltane, she’s tricked, she leaves Ireland and travels to England. In London she makes a new life for herself, her fortunes change when she’s left some money and a ticket to Colonial Australia. A chance to escape her past, a fresh start and in a brand new country.

Sir John Worthington dies, his son Will and daughter Marigold are stunned when their father’s last will is read. He’s left his money and Mari’s dowry from her mother to his mistress and they can’t believe it. Poor Mari, she thought her fiancée Robert will stand by her, with no dowry and he ends their engagement. The siblings decide to travel to Australia, going with them is Will’s best friend Charlie Tuner, he’s a talented painter and they hope they can all improve their financial situation in Australia.

A heartbroken Mari has a terrible journey to Australia, she suffers from sea sickness and is relieved to make it onto dry land. Will and Charles venture out, to explore Melbourne and they meet Thomas McIntosh. He’s a successful businessman, he owns a winery in South Australia and land in Victoria. Will’s rather taken with Tom’s daughter Alice, he has political aspirations, she comes from a good family and Alice and Mari become friends. Charlie, Tom, Mari visit the high country of the Victorian Alps, it's full of wild horses called brumbies, they might be small and they can run fast.

Charlie finds inspiration for his painting, he also meets a mysterious exotic dancer called Miss. Love, he falls madly in love and can they possibly have a future together? It’s not only horses that run wild in the high country, a gang of bushrangers are on the loose and danger lurks behind ever bend in the dense bushland. Will, Charlie, Mari and Chrystelle Amour are all trying to make their fortunes in Australia, the choices they made in the past tie them together, loyalties are tested, and can they all follow their hearts and start afresh in the new wild land of Colonial Australia?

Where Fortune Lies is the fifth book I have read by Mary-Anne O’Connor, I like her writing style and find her books entertaining. I especially enjoyed reading about the Australian landscape, the wild brumbies and the new wine industry in my home state of South Australia. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Harlequin Australia in exchange for an honest review and four stars from me.

Australian historical fiction is one of my favourite genres. Despite this, for me this one lacked the emotional attachment and interest in the characters I needed to fully absorb myself and enjoy the story. I enjoyed the beginning but I found the action aspect when they first move to Australia too fast paced and my interest quickly dwindled. It's well written, it just wasn't the story for me.

Where Fortune Lies by author Mary-Anne O'Connor is a story with melding storylines and some angst moments. Chrystelle (aka Anne) proved a strong character who stood out from her first introduction. Her character had more than a few challenges to face that kept the story flowing well. A few loose ends that were left to wonder, but overall a good read.
Review copy received from Harlequin MIRA via Netgalley

‘Will had disclosed his ambitions to Charlie over many ocean-watching pipe sessions such as this. It really came down to needing one thing and one thing only: a change in fortune.’


Mary-Ann O’Connor has again woven an amazing story about life in early colonial Australia. I thoroughly enjoyed her book, ‘In a Great Southern Land’ and looked forward to being whisked away to bygone days once more in her most recent tale. Filled with many colourful characters, great adventures and locations to lose yourself in, Mary-Ann is to be commended.


Firstly, this is a great tale with lots of fun characters. If you ever wanted a window into the classic Aussie colonial, this is your book. Mary-Ann creates characters that work together well, there is real depth to their traits. I liked these characters and enjoyed their various journeys. Mary-Ann also does an excellent job of capturing the divide in the wealth status and represents the whole bushranger episode from an interesting perspective. The incorporation of political themes of the day, especially the courtroom drama was likewise engaging and thought provoking.


‘... there was an abundance of green on that horizon, and flashes of gold on her shores too. Plenty of scope for manifesting good fortune in this land where their futures now lay.’


The imagery is rich as the Victorian High Country comes to life on these pages. The scenic descriptions are superb. The story, whilst good, gets just a little far fetched for me at times - a few too many coincidences, convenient encounters and tidying up of tricky situations. I l did, however, love the feature of Australian art, particularly ‘Tom’ from the Heidelberg School of painters. That combined with the scenic imagery is well done.


If an escape to the High Country of last century sounds inviting then take a trip in this action packed drama that is vibrant, fun and full of engaging characters. This is an enjoyable read with good research as once again Mary-Ann presents another quality Australia colonial story.


‘...it was time to play a part once more, the performance of a lifetime, and find out whether this would all end in love or tragedy. Whether she’d reclaim her fortune, or end up fortune’s fool.’





This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Book blurb...
An epic and lyrical tale of love, adventure and gambled fortunes that ranges from the wild cloaked woodlands of Ireland to the Victorian Alps of colonial Australia from a bestselling Australian author. For fans of Nicole Alexander, Colleen McCullough, and Fiona McIntosh.
1879: 'Invisible' Anne Brown fears she'll never escape the harshness and poverty of her life in County Donegal, Ireland. Until, one heartbreaking Beltane night, her life is changed forever and she leaves to seek her fortune in far-flung Australia.
Upon the death of their father, charismatic Will Worthington and his beloved sister Mari are stunned to find he has left all their money and a ticket to the far shores of Australia to an enigmatic painted woman. It seems their only hope for a brighter future also lies in Australia, where together with Will's best friend, the artist Charlie Turner, they seek their fortunes.
Charlie finds love with a mysterious exotic dancer, yet there is trouble on the horizon. His new friends up in the Victorian Alps might be teaching him to run with the wild horses and find his talent with a brush at last, but life in a bushranger gang is a dangerous game.
As Charlie struggles to break free from his fate, all four are left with impossible choices as fortunes waver between life and death, loyalty and the heart.

My thoughts…

PLOT
Tight plotting, to me, means no unnecessary or irrelevant detail or padding, but a story with threads coming together to create a satisfying ending. Where Fortune Lies delivers perfectly. I was always keen to get back to it and did not want to stop reading.

LANDSCAPE
I love an Australian landscape and this author painted wonderful pictures of Victoria’s vast and stunning High Country. I felt at one with the characters as they rode their mounts over the terrain. Having visited the towns mentioned in the story, experiencing the same places in late 1880’s was a bonus.

CHARACTERS
This is a story where almost every character captures your heart. They all have solid backstories and a purpose. I loved them all and understood their plights.

OVERALL FEELINGS ABOUT THE STORY
In case you did not pick up from my previous comments how much I enjoyed this story, understand this! A fantastic read and a book for your to-be-read pile this year.

Well this is definitely a book with a bit of everything. To be honest I struggled in the beginning finding it a bit heavy and hard to get into, but I am so glad that I kept going. A different perspective/story of coming to Australia for a start of a new life. Anne was definitely my favourite story to follow of all the characters.
A great historical fiction romance adventure story. Thank you for my ARC NetGalley.

Recently I have fallen in love with historical fiction, and have read a few lately.

Where Fortune Lies is the first of Mary-Anne O’Connor’s books I have read, I enjoyed the story and loved the outback setting in the Victorian high country. I found the main characters real and relatable.

I did however struggle a bit to finish it, but I am glad I pushed through as the ending was perfect.

All in all it was a beautifully written and researched book. I liked how true events of bush rangers were weaves throughout the story, make you almost feel this could have all been true too.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

It was 1879 when Anne Brown’s fate was decided on a mystical and magical Beltane night in Ireland. Determined to escape the fate of her mother, Anne left Ireland for London, then on to Australia where her fortunes would change once again.

Will Worthington and his sister Marigold were shocked to find Mari’s fortune – her dowry – had been left to another woman when they heard their father’s will being read. In the following days, Mari also lost her fiancé over the scandal, and shattered, she and Will, along with budding artist Charlie Turner – their non-brother – put things in order and departed London for Australia, where they’d heard fortunes lay.

As Mari recovered from sea sickness in a nearby hotel, Will was searching for his destiny. And it seemed, when he and Charlie met up with the larger-than-life Tom McIntosh, that their future indeed looked brighter. With a mixture of the high country of the Victorian Alps, the wild horses called brumbies, bushrangers and the McIntosh family, Will and Charlie were enjoying their lives in Australia. Mari was happier than she’d been in some time and her friendship with Tom’s daughter Alice meant she no longer was the only female among the men.

But what had happened with the young Anne Brown after she’d arrived in Australia?

Where Fortune Lies by Aussie author Mary-Anne O’Connor is her best yet in my opinion! An excellent read, beautifully depicted and artfully described, it is heartfelt and poignant. I enjoyed reading the Acknowledgements, about the author’s inspiration for this book, her father and the family’s love of the Australian Alps. A book I loved, Where Fortune Lies is one I highly recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

‘From this day forward she would travel towards the horizon, not expecting to find, just to follow…’

April 1879, Donegal, Ireland. Anne Brown is seen as drab, always dressed in brown, and feels invisible. One night, she’s made feel special, she’s chosen as May Queen at the Beltane Festival. But Anne’s joy is to be short-lived.

September 1879, London. After their father dies, Will and Marigold (Mari) Worthington are stunned to learn that he has left the money that was to be Mari’s dowry to ‘Miss Chrystelle Amour I leave a personal cheque and passage to Australia, as promised, under the proviso that she raise our child in good faith and care.’
Will and Mari, together with their artist friend Charlie Turner, also decide to travel to Australia: there’s little left for them in England.

Chrystelle Amour is determined to make a new life for herself, but fate intervenes after she is robbed by bushrangers. Will finds friendship, and possibly love. Charlie is enchanted by the Victorian high country, which provides him with both ample material for painting and some dangerous friends. But Charlie also falls in love with a mysterious exotic dancer.

Ms O’Connor weaves together several different threads as the four main characters seek their fortunes in Australia. Money, as each of them will learn, isn’t everything. Ms O’Connor is a fine storyteller, and I enjoyed this novel.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin HQ Fiction for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Where Fortune Lies
Mary Ann O’Connor has again woven an amazing story about life in early colonial Australia.
Wonderful characters with a great tale of adventure, love and where one’s fortune really lies.
The story spans across Ireland, England and to early Australia.
The lives of the characters are intrinsically entwined.
Chrystelle Armour formerly of Donegal Ireland and know as plain Anne Brown has left England after securing a nest egg of £10,000 from the Worthington estate under the pretext of carrying Lord Worthington’s child. Chrystelle travels to Australia to start a new life but circumstances see her lose her nest egg to bush rangers. She reinvents herself as Miss Love an exotic feather dancer to make a living for her and her son but she didn’t travel all the way to Australia to lose her fortune.
Will Worthington, his sister Mari and good friend and artist Charlie Turner find themselves also travelling to AustralIa following Lord Worthington death. The family name has been shamed and there is no reason to remain in London. They also seek their fortune on Australian shores.
On arriving in Australia Will befriends Tom McIntosh a self made man who has investments in wine and armed coach escorts. Tom takes Will under his wing with Will soon falling in love with Tom’s daughter Alice. Tom’s sons Harry and Richie are estranged from the family life in Melbourne living in the Victorian alps on the family’s farm, taming wild horses. Will convinces the boys to return to the family for Alice’s sake and they leave their outlaw ways behind them.
Everyone is seeking to make their fortune and better their lives but it isn’t always money that is the fortune as the characters find out.

A great read, well researched and highly recommended. Mary Anne O’Connor does not disappoint in delivering another quality Australian story.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an Advance Reading Copy of one of my favourite author's latest novels in exchange for an honest review. Mary-Anne O'Connor novel writing talent lives up to expectations with every novel she has written, and her latest one is no exception. Set during the late 19th century, this novel is an epic and lyrical tale of love, adventure and gambled fortunes that ranges from the wild cloaked woodlands of Ireland to the Victorian Alps of colonial Australia.

In 1879 in the village of Raphoe in Country Donegal, Ireland, 17 year old Anne Brown is a quiet, young Irishwoman living in harsh, dysfunctional poverty that she fears she'll never escape from. With an abusive drunk for a father, named Shamus and a submissive and fearful mother named Colleen, along with her younger sister, Bridget, Anne feels trapped, and her only refuge for now is the tree which she climbs up on and sees the horizon with longing. She is largely ignored by villagefolk as they see her as a dull and uninteresting woman who always wears brown and has her hair worn in long braids on the exterior, but the people never care about her interior life. Beneath Anne's dullness lies a very intelligent and observant woman with a wellspring of knowledge and an undercurrent of passion, but Anne has always kept people, especially men at arm's length because she doesn't want to be taken advantage of, and therefore doesn't trust easily, however she does have her eye on the village's local heartthrob, Patrick O'Grady. However, Anne doesn't want to end up like her mother, being lead astray and then end up being fearful for simply existing as a woman and having all tragedies of life that men face being solely blamed on her. One day, on the eve of the famous festival Beltane, which is a real-life event-a Gaelic May Day festival, widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. It celebrates pagan traditions and is the only day in the year that the villagefolk can let their hair and guard down, forget all the rules and customs set by the Church that have ruled their lives. Anne decides to let her guard down for once and wear another colour for a change, instead of her usual brown. On this particular, special night however, Anne experiences passion, but then the moment is quickly replaced with a heartbreaking betrayal that ruins her life. Anne then sees no choice but to flee her homeland and head for the horizon, all the time vowing that she'll never let her guard down again and to always be cautious-that while she will now wear colour and appear pretty on the outside, her once vibrant inside will be replaced by dull grey.

In England, charismatic Will Worthington and his beloved sister Mari are grieving the recent death of their father, Sir John Worthington. Unfortunately, their father had very little propensity for making an honest life, as he constantly gambled his fortune away and womanised, and his children are very shocked and angered, especially Will when they discover in the reading of his will that he had left the last of their fortune as well as a ticket passage to the far shores of Australia to a mysterious woman named Chrystelle Amour so that she can build a new life for herself and their child. Hurt by his father's latest betrayal, and the fact that their once rich and well connected family has a very paltry income now and a sullied reputation in England, the very little money they have left won't be sufficient to pay the bills, or his education and can't even finance his sister's Mari's dowry for her upcoming nuptials, the Worthington siblings decide that they have no future in England now, especially after Mari experiences heartbreak and humiliation, they along with Will's longtime best friend and considered a non-blood brother, Charlie Turner who used to belong in the upperclass but whose family is deceased now, understands Will and Mari's plight as he had been in the exact same position, but tries to make ends meet as an art professor at a prestigious school, but he is struggling to find inspiration as an artist as his life feels dull and grey to him, and he doesn't like dealing with stuffed shirts who belittle his worth, and therefore agrees without question to accompany Will and Mari to Australia to seek their respective fortunes.

Chrystelle, Will, Mari and Charlie's lives all intertwine as they reside in Melbourne, Australia bordering next to South Australia-in the Victorian Alps mountain range, especially in the renowned Barossa Valley wine region which was rising in prominence for its liquid gold Opportunity wine, and they branch out living different lives, doing their level best to achieve their dreams-but not without numerous challenges and difficulties encountered along the way. Soon, Charlie finds love with a mysterious exotic dancer, yet there is trouble on the horizon. His new friends up in the Victorian Alps might be teaching him to run with the wild horses and find his talent with a brush at last, but life in a bushranger gang is a dangerous game.

The bushranger gang in real life included notorious criminals like Ned Kelly, who was ultimately executed in 1880 with his final words being "Such is life". Bushrangers were originally escaped convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who used the Australian bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities. By the 1820s, the term "bushranger" had evolved to refer to those who took up "robbery under arms" as a way of life, using the bush as their base. Bushranging thrived during the gold rush years of the 1850s and 1860s, hen the likes of Ben Hall, Frank Gardiner and John Gilbert led notorious gangs in the country districts of New South Wales. These "Wild Colonial Boys", mostly Australian-born sons of convicts, were roughly analogous to British "highwaymen" and outlaws of the American Old West, and their crimes typically included robbing small-town banks and coach services. In other infamous cases, such as that of Dan Morgan, the Clarke brothers, and Australia's best-known bushranger, Ned Kelly, numerous policemen were murdered. The number of bushrangers declined due to better policing and improvements in rail transport and communication technology, such as telegraphy. Although bushrangers appeared sporadically into the early 20th century, most historians regard Kelly's capture and execution in 1880 as effectively representing the end of the bushranging era.

Bushranging exerted a powerful influence in Australia, lasting for almost a century and predominating in the eastern colonies, with several notable bushrangers operating elsewhere on the continent. Its origins in a convict system bred a unique kind of desperado, most frequently with an Irish political background. Native-born bushrangers also expressed nascent Australian nationalist views and are recognised as "the first distinctively Australian characters to gain general recognition." As such, a number of bushrangers became folk heroes and symbols of rebellion against the authorities, admired for their bravery, rough chivalry and colourful personalities. However, in stark contrast to romantic portrayals in the arts and popular culture, bushrangers tended to lead lives that were "nasty, brutish and short", while some were notorious for their cruelty and bloodthirst.

As Charlie struggles to break free from his fate, all four are left with impossible choices as fortunes waver between life and death, loyalty and the heart. They came seeking fortune, instead they found passion, danger and adventure...Overall, a wonderful novel about discovering that the truest of fortunes lie in love and family and the concept of belonging. I loved learning about bushrangers and the brief history of how Barossa wine originated. I can't wait for Mary-Anne O'Connor's future novels.