Elsa Goody lives on a farm near Robe in South Australia, her father Curtis is unwell, Elsa has been running the small holding by herself and she has two older siblings. Her brother George doesn’t like farming, he's left and traveling to Victoria. Rosie her sister, is married to tight Frank a baker and they own a busy business in Robe.

A letter arrives from a man called Ezekiel Jones, he lives in Casterton in Victoria, he informs the family that George has sadly passed way and he’s been buried on his property. After receiving the bad news, Elsa goes to Robe to tell her sister Rosie and when they both return to the farm their father Curtis has died. Elsa has no idea that Rosie isn’t happy in her marriage, she has a plan to leave Robe, start again and wants Elsa to go with her.

Curtis Goody found a tin of gold sovereigns, Rosie and George knew about the fortune, after searching the farm the sisters can’t find the tin and they wonder if George took it with him. Two women traveling by horse and cart on country roads will attract attention, the sisters travel on back roads and hide at night. One day, the sisters are driving a long a track, when a Cobb & Co coach comes out of nowhere, traveling at a fast speed and at the same time bushrangers decide to rob the coach. During the confusing, the coach driver thinks the bushrangers used the women as a decoy and are part of the robbery. Elsa's accused of being a bushranger, which is just downright silly, now the law is looking for them and Rosie's husband?

Elsa arrives at Ezekiel Jones farm, he’s not at all what she’s expecting, and he’s a widower and a father of three adorable children. He explains that he found George wounded, he lingered for a few days, and sadly he passed away and with only a few small items in his possession. With everyone chasing her, a violent man posing as her father, a broken foot and life is extremely complicated for Elsa. She finds Ezekiel Jones to be an honest and very attractive man, she needs to help Rosie solve the mystery of the missing fortune, make sure she’s not wanted by the law and then she will be free to follow her heart.

Elsa Goody, Bushranger is an action packed adventure story, set in the Australian bush, it has a cast of likeable characters, with elements of mystery and romance. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Harlequin Australia in exchange for an honest review and four stars from me.

I'm a big fan of Darry Fraser's historical fiction novels, she has a way of transporting you back in time so that you just about feel that you are there with the characters. In Elsa Goody Bushranger, I was definitely travelling the roads from Robe, South Australia to Casterton, Victoria in 1896. This was not an easy time or an easy journey for Elsa and her sister Rosie, and there were many times I didn't want to go any further with them because I was so worried about the outcomes.

It is a time where women don' t have a great deal of rights, but in South Australia women are just about to be able to vote for the first time and make history in Australia. For Elsa this is of mighty importance, but her sister cannot understand this at all. We take our right to vote to be a given these days, I wonder if we would have fought for that right back then.

When Elsa and her sister Rosie are thrown together after their brother and father die, the two must get to know each other properly for the first time and travel a dangerous road to find out what happened to their brother. Things don't go as planned, what was supposed to be an uneventful journey becomes fraught with danger from more than one direction and Elsa becomes wanted for helping to hold up a coach.

Hearts are also on the line for both sisters and for the three Jones' brothers. I enjoyed getting to know the two sisters and the brothers, all so different from the other and all with lessons to learn about what they want in life and what is important. I really liked Ezekiel Jones and his children, who were just gorgeous, and I loved the way they took to Elsa.

This was a journey and a half and though it had me stressed out at times, I found this to be another great read from Darry Fraser. I certainly would not have survived back them, that is a definite.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for a copy of this novel in return for an honest review.

This was the first book I have read from this author! this is also not the type of book I usually read but I thought id give it a go!. Elsa Goody, Bushranger had a slow start , but as the story progressed the pace picked up and I found myself really enjoying it. I really liked Elsa and her sister! I thought the romance in this book was sweet too.

Book blurb...
Elsa Goody is a woman on a quest for buried treasure - and her own freedom. A thrilling historical romance adventure from a bestselling Australian author.
1896 Robe, South Australia
When Elsa Goody's father and brother George die in quick succession she and her sister Rosie are in trouble. Pursued by an unpleasant suitor with dubious motivation, Elsa leaves for Victoria on the hunt for a fortune in gold coins that her brother has hidden. If Elsa can find it she will be able to save Rosie and herself from married slavery.
Their quest leads them on a cross-country journey to find the last man who saw her brother alive, Ezekiel Jones. But Elsa is not the only one looking for buried treasure. She and Rosie are beset by bushrangers and in the confusion Elsa is accused of being an accomplice. Luckily not everyone believes that Elsa is a criminal. When she finally catches up with Ezekiel, it's clear that for him she can do no wrong.
But with everyone chasing her and bloody violence on the horizon, life is becoming increasingly complicated. Will she and Rosie ever manage to solve the mystery, find the gold and free themselves from a dark future?
'Outstanding prose that flows and ripples through every page.' Starts at 60


My thoughts…

PLOT
Centred around the lives of the Goody family in the Late 19th century rural Australia, Darry Fraser is meticulous in her character and story development, starting with a hook and ending with a sigh of satisfaction.

PACE
Darry manages to fill her pages with authentic descriptions of the era, the landscape, and the characters while still maintaining reader engagement and a page-turning novel.

LANDSCAPE
This is one of the key areas of enjoyment for me as I have travelled through the story’s location in current day. Regardless of when I travelled the region, Darry Fraser was able to show me, through her storytelling, what the area was like in late 19th century Australia.

CHARACTERS
Women with grit combined with major conflict is the recipe for great characters and while I connected and enjoyed a few, I fell in love with Ezekiel. I almost wish I had lived in his time period - almost!!! (I’d still want my Kindle!)

OVERALL FEELINGS ABOUT THE STORY
This is an enchanting romantic adventure that drew me in from the beginning and did not release me until days after I finished the story.

Darry Fraser has written some fabulous Aussie historical fiction and her latest offering is no different - great adventures in the outback. Once more there are colourful characters with an engaging dynamic and storyline. Darry will take you from tough farming life and country communities, to wagons on the road where bushrangers rove. It’s fun and exciting with danger and some unpredicted consequences.

‘You’re a scheming witch, Elsa,’ she said, a light in her eyes. ‘I never knew you to be so ...’ ‘Practical, inventive,’ Elsa finished for her, and stepped around the fallen man. ‘All this talk of bushrangers has made me quite daring.’ ‘Elsa, the bushranger,’ Rosie said in wonder ...’

The leading lady on this occasion, Elsa Goody, is strong and feisty but also caring and honest - the absolute star of this story. I particularly enjoyed Darry shining the spotlight on votes for women and Elsa’s earnest desire to be one of the first women to vote in South Australia. Supporting Elsa is a strong cast of characters from her sister and leading man, to a range of secondary characters who all in their way add to the story. I particularly enjoyed Ezekiel’s character as Darry made him multidimensional with his interactions not only with Elsa and his brothers but his softer side in the care of his children.

‘But having a vote means we can change the way things are, change the way the world sees us because we now have a voice.’

The storyline of this book has many layers which is what lifts it to another level. From the votes for women (and indeed treatment of women as property) to the harsh day to day life on the land. Covering themes of domestic abuse, grief, female independence, family love - all tied together with a buried treasure - there is much to enjoy here. Love is the underlying motivation whether it be familial or romantic and it was good to see that this also was presented in more than one form.

If you enjoy good Australian historical drama/romance then you will appreciate a few hours in this story Darry offers. I found it to be her best yet - it’s lots of fun.

‘Elsa squared her shoulders. ‘None of that. We are strong women, and we will find our way out of this.’ She raised her chin higher. ‘We are the Goody sisters.’




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

Darry Fraser has done it again, taken me on a wonderful journey back in Australian history this is a story of determination of strength and courage and the hard times that these people lived and of course love, a love that shines and brings hope and smiles to a lot of people, I do hope that you will pick this one up and be transported with this page turner.

Elsa Goody lives in Robe South Australia and is doing it tough on the family farm with her very ill father, she has a sister Rose who is married and living in the town and her brother George is off on an adventure, when a letter from a Mr. Ezekiel Jones arrives with news that her dear brother George has passed away and within a day their father passes as well, Rose and Elsa decide that they need to search for a tin that George had on him worth a lot of money this is all that will save them both so they pack up and start their journey to Victoria.

What a journey this turns out to be the trip is rough going, someone else is also trying to find George’s fortune and when they are caught up in an armed hold up by bushrangers and accused of being part of the robbery things could turn very dangerous for them, but they are taken in by a group men living tough, to find out that one of her saviors is the brother of Mr. Ezekiel Jones the man she is trying to find.

I loved Elsa and her strength her wish to be one of the first woman voters in South Australia and the way she stands up for herself, she is caring and has such courage and meeting Ezekiel is the best thing that happens to her, of course in these times lives can be lost very easily and danger is around every corner but helping each other has Zeke and Elsa falling in love. There are so many wonderful characters in this story The Jones brothers and even though Rose can be very hard on Elsa she showed her love and Zeke’s children are so very good.

I would highly recommend this book, it is fast paced filled with action, it is moving and emotional and a darn good read, thank you MS Fraser for another keeper.

I love Darry Fraser’s ability to sweep readers away from our busy modern lives and into an earlier time in our history. Elsa Goody, Bushranger does just that as it takes us back to the end of the 19th century, to difficult times in rural South Australia and Victoria, where hardship comes in the form of illness and poverty.
I was so taken with Elsa, a strong woman who was willing and able to both care for her ailing father and farm their tiny allotment ensuring that even with no stock left there would be something on the dinner table. I also loved her passion and determination to be the first woman to vote in her town. Clearly Elsa was a woman determined to make her mark and in this novel she surely does. I was swept away with her grit in the face of the challenges she faced, both losing the last of her three brothers and then her father in quick succession and in seeking out the stranger who had cared for her brother in his last hours.
While this story is largely Elsa’s, and thank goodness there was Zeke to bring some happiness into her life, it is also peppered with other lively characters. Her sister Rosie is largely a burden born with grace, while Zeke and his children are bright shining lights. The characters very much make this story and I found myself utterly invested in them and their lives.
Late 19th century rural Australia offers a far from easy lifestyle and I certainly sat up and took a hard look at my own life in comparison to how it was in those times. This book, while fictional, certainly provided what I believe to be a very accurate picture and one that I found utterly fascinating.

It was 1896 in Robe, South Australia where Elsa Goody lived with her father on a small holding on the outskirts of town, and her sister Rosie lived with her husband Frank over the bakery which Frank owned in Robe. The day Elsa received a letter from a stranger in Casterton, Victoria, was the day the sisters’ lives changed. Their father died the day after receipt of the letter, so there was nothing to stop them heading to Casterton to find Ezekiel Jones, the person who’d sent the letter to advise of the death of their brother, George.

Grief stricken and devastated, the sisters travelled with Pippen the horse and their cart, keeping to the backroads – not much more than tracks through the bush – until they encountered a Cobb & Co coach and bushrangers. Their fright was real, but this was to be the start of a danger they weren’t aware of; it seemed there were others searching for their brother’s last resting place…

Elsa Goody, Bushranger by Aussie author Darry Fraser was an excellent read, set in an area of South Australia and Victoria that I know well. Well-paced, with plenty of tension and full on action, I enjoyed the characters, especially Elsa, and Zeke’s children were delightful. A great historical fiction novel which I have no hesitation in recommending.

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

Darry Fraser’s novels are always enjoyable to read, so I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to read and review this one prior to publication with thanks to NetGalley & Harlequin Australia.

Elsa Goody is a woman on a quest for buried treasure - and her own freedom. A thrilling historical romance adventure from a bestselling Australian author.

1896 Robe, South Australia

When Elsa Goody's father and brother George die in quick succession she and her sister Rosie are in trouble. Pursued by an unpleasant suitor with dubious motivation, Elsa leaves for Victoria on the hunt for a fortune in gold coins that her brother has hidden. If Elsa can find it she will be able to save Rosie and herself from married slavery.

Their quest leads them on a cross-country journey to find the last man who saw her brother alive, Ezekiel Jones. But Elsa is not the only one looking for buried treasure. She and Rosie are beset by bushrangers and in the confusion Elsa is accused of being an accomplice. Luckily not everyone believes that Elsa is a criminal. When she finally catches up with Ezekiel, it's clear that for him she can do no wrong.

But with everyone chasing her and bloody violence on the horizon, life is becoming increasingly complicated. Will she and Rosie ever manage to solve the mystery, find the gold and free themselves from a dark future?

This book is beautifully written, the characters were so real and the research into the history of the time superb. As I read, I was able to sit back and escape allowing my imagination flow with every word.

I highly recommend this one, it is perfect for lovers of Australian Historical Romance/Fiction.

In her latest offering, Elsa Goody, Bushranger, Darry Fraser has done it again. Another fabulous book. I have read and loved every one of Fraser’s books so when I had the opportunity to read and review this one ahead of the publication date I of course jumped at the chance.

With Elsa Goody, Bushranger, Fraser continues her writing of Australian Historical Romance/Fiction with strong female protagonists who embrace the legislative changes allowing women, including married women, to own property in their own right, and as in this book, exercise their right to vote for the first time in the South Australian Election of 1896.

The story begins in Robe, a small coastal town in South Australia. Once vibrant the town has fallen on hard times and the farm held by Curtis Goody is barely making ends meet. Curtis is at the end of his days, an affliction of the pancreas is slowly ebbing his life even as Elsa, the only child still at home endeavours to nurse him. Curtis’ wife and mother of the children, Kitty, died when Elsa was still quite young, leaving Elsa with her most treasured possession, a locket containing a photo of Kitty, and a lock of her hair.

Elsa is the youngest of the Goody children. Unmarried at 24, she risks being in danger of being left on the shelf. The oldest, Rosie, married the baker, Frank Putney, at 16, the year Elsa was born, but yet remains childless. In between were three brothers, the two eldest dead before they had a chance to marry, the youngest, George, now also dead and buried according to the letter in Elsa’s hand.

Elsa is a girl who knows her own mind, although unmarried she does have interest from two local men. Pete Southie is a boor of a man, friends with Frank Putney, Rosie’s husband, he is despised by Elsa who has no doubts that his intentions are not in the least honourable. Then there is the smithy’s son, Henry Benson, who sets her heart aflutter, but at nineteen she considers he is but a child and too young for her. The thing that keeps her going is knowing that this year, 1896, will be the first year that any woman in Australia, will be entitled to vote after South Australia passed legislation enabling women whose registered address was in South Australia to vote in the upcoming state election. Elsa is determined that she will be exercising her legislated right to vote.

George’s death, purportedly by bushrangers, followed shortly after by their father Curtis’ death, results in Elsa and Rosie heading towards Casterton where according to the letter received from Ezekiel Jones George is buried. There they hope to discover what has happened to a tin containing thirty sovereigns, enough money to free Rosie from a loveless marriage and ensure that Elsa is not forced into one, and still be back in Robe in time to vote.

As Elsa and Rosie flee cross country from Robe to Casterton Victoria they are unknowingly pursued by Southie, who strangely remains convinced that Elsa would be more than happy to marry him.

On the way they are caught up in an incident with bushrangers, leading to accusations of being accomplices in a crime. Rescued after the incident by what appear to be a bunch of outlaws Elsa discovers that there is more to George’s death than she could have ever imagined.

Will Elsa’s eventual meeting with Ezekiel Jones bring her the closure she is looking for, will she be able to find the money to save herself and Rosie or will the increasing violence erupting around her stymie everything she wishes for and holds dear?

Many thanks to Harlequin Mira and Net Galley for the opportunity to read Elsa Goody, Bushranger, ahead of it’s publication date in return for an honest review.

Highly recommended for lovers of Australian Historical Romance/Fiction.