The first words "Out of the way woman" had my attention for sure!

I had it in my mind somehow that his was a Tea Cooper book.....but Alison Stuart is now well and truly on my list of preferred authors, as she paints a vivid picture of historical fiction set in rural Australia. Characters are varied....from the poor downtrodden and naive to the most evil....and the story line is fast paced and never dull enough to skip even one line.

Eliza Penrose has travelled from England to meet up with her brother William. He part owns and runs the Shenandoah gold mine close to Maiden’s Creek. Their uncle Charles Cowper also lives in the town and runs the Maiden's Creek mine. We are shocked to hear that William had actually died since Eliza last corresponded with her, but relieved when her uncle comes to the rescue providing lodgings and helping her financially, so she can move onto Melbourne and secure a teaching role, as she has no family to return to England for.

Eliza is no fool though and quickly realises that he brother's death was not what it seems. And so she plunges into a dangerous process of gettting to the bottom of the goings on in the small town.
After a rocky start, she finds an allie in Alec McLeod who is overseeing the Maiden’s Creek mine for Charles Cowper. Alec is a good man who cares about the safety of the workers and was a friend of Williams. Both Alec and Eliza are determined to get answers but Charles Cowper and his paid thugs are a violent bunch who are not afraid of killing to cover the truth and get their way.

A great read and history lesson on the 1800s Gold rush era small town Australia touching on the religious faith, class system and characters encountered in this snapshot of time.

Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Australia and Alison Stuart for this fabulous read. I will be eagerly awaiting your next book!

Gold is a fever. Will it lead her to love ... or death? A suspenseful romance set on the turbulent goldfields of 1870s Australia, for readers of The Postmistress and The Woman in the Green Dress.
______
MY THOUGHTS:
Apart from being very partial to the name McLeod (!!!) I also enjoy books with strong female characters and I loved Eliza.

In 1873, Eliza Penrose arrives in the gold mining town of Maiden's Creek in search of her brother, planning to make a new life for herself. Instead she finds a tragic mystery - and hints of betrayals by those closest to her.
I may also have fallen just a little bit in love with mining engineer, Alec McLeod, who left Scotland to escape the memory of his dead wife and child. Despite the best efforts of the eligible ladies of Maiden's Creek, Alec is determined never to give his heart again.
As lies and deceit threaten Eliza's life, Alec steps in - although he has problems of his own, as he risks his livelihood and those he holds dear to oppose the dangerous work practices at the Maiden's Creek Mine.

When disaster draws the pieces of the puzzle together, Eliza and Alec must save each other - but is it too late?

Find out! Read this Alison Stuart novel. You won't be disappointed.

Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Australia and Alison Stuart for my copy of: The Goldminer’s Sister.

1873, after a very long journey from England Eliza Penrose arrives in the gold mining town of Maiden's Creek in Australia it’s been five years since she last saw her brother William and she’s excited to see him. When she arrives at her uncle’s Charles Cowper house she’s receives some very bad news about Will and she’s in total shock.

Alec McLeod left Scotland to escape the memories of losing his wife and baby in childbirth. The eligible ladies of Maiden's Creek have been fluttering their eyelashes at him for years; he finds some solace in the bottom of a whiskey bottle, he lives with his single brother Ian and he never wants to get married again.
He and Eliza meet on the day she arrives in town, not the best of starts, but the Scotsman finds Eliza rather bonny and tries his best to ignore how attractive she is. Alec works at the Maiden’s Creek mine as an engineer, he’s concerned at the way it’s being run by Eliza’s uncle and he thinks Charles is up to no good. Eliza and Alec can’t ignore obvious errors in the gold mines account books, they have concerns over the mines safety and they put themselves in danger to find out what really happened to Eliza’s brother.

Eliza has a kind heart and a strong spirit and she and Alec make the perfect couple. I enjoyed reading about her being the teacher at the local school and her kindness to one of her students called Charlotte. The story has aspects of mystery, suspense, danger we have all heard of gold fever, it makes people greedy and break the law. I enjoyed reading The Goldminer’s Sister and I gave it four stars.

The Goldminer's Sister is the first of Alison Stuart's books that I've read.
The book is set in a fictional Victorian gold town called Maiden's Creek in 1873. Eliza Penrose arrives in town after a long trip from England expecting to join her brother, the superintendent of one of the mines. On arriving, her Uncle informs her that her brother tied in a tragic accident only weeks before. Alec McLeod is the superintendent of her Uncles mine and was a friend of her brothers. He holds the blueprints to the plans for a new boiler that could be worth a lot of money. Together Eliza and Alec start to uncover a web of lies and deceit.
This is a well written story that is very absorbing and gives great insight to what 1870s Victoria could've been like.
4 1/2 stars
Thanks to Netgalley.com and Harlequin Australia/Mira for my complimentary eARC copy.

Alison Stuart is such a fabulous story teller, this time she has taken us back to 1873 to a town called Maiden’s Creek Victoria were gold is the be all and end all and there are some people who will do anything to make sure they have as much as they can. This is a follow on from The Postmistress and a fabulous one, one I could barely put down, a must read.

Eliza Penrose arrives from England to meet up with her brother William, they have planned to make a new life here running the Shenandoah gold mine close to Maiden’s Creek where William used to run a mine for his uncle Charles Cowper, but sadly the news she arrives to has her changing all of her plans, she is forced to go and stay with her uncle but things don’t appear to be how they should and when she digs deeper there is a mystery that she needs to uncover and there seems to be a lot of betrayal going on and she is determined to get to the bottom of it all.

Alec McLeod is overseeing the Maiden’s Creek mine for Charles Cowper he is a good man who cares about the safety of the workers but when it appears that corners are being ant and his orders overturned he becomes suspicious, he was friends with William Penrose and has now met his sister Eliza a woman determined to get answers, they become friends and allies in the search for the truth and even though after losing one love in the past and is sure he will not love again he can feel his heart opening up to Eliza.

This is a fast paced story that has everything a reader would want, when danger threatens lives Alec and Eliza get closer to protect each other and getting to the truth is not easy, this story is filled with wonderful characters that add so much to the story and of course Alec a hero to die for and Eliza beautiful inside and outside, strong and determined. I loved this one from start to finish it is so well written I felt like I was in Maiden’s Creek. Thank you MS Stuart for another awesome story this is one that I highly recommend, don’t miss this one.
3 likes

This was the first book i have read from this author and i really enjoyed it! I was hooked from page one, the first meeting between our main characters Eliza and Alec made me laugh! i knew i was going to love these two! The Goldminer's Sister is full of mystery & romance I give it 4.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

A rural Australian story set in the 1870's goldrush era. With a romance and a mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Eliza, a young woman in Cornwall makes the arduous journey to Australia following a letter from her brother with an exciting prospect of fortune at a mine in Victoria. However, when Eliza arrives to Maiden's Creek the prospects are looking far different than she ever imagined. The small town has a variety of residents with different faiths, living arrangements and personalities. The story follows Eliza on her journey of finding friends and people she can trust in a new country with dangerous animals and even more dangerous people.

Maiden's Creek is loosely based on the Long Tunnel Mine in Gippsland, Victoria. I learnt a lot about the gold rush era in the 1800's. Everything from the schooling, community, faith and treatment of the lower class made for a very interesting read that kept me entertained. The characters were a massive highlight to the story, all very individually unique that added a lot of value to the story. I particularly loved the addition of characters that had moved from Tasmania.

"Born and Bred in this country," he said. "Or Tasmania at least. Not sure whether we Tasmanians consider ourselves Australian or not. We're something of a law unto ourselves"

Many thanks to Harlequin Australia for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

The Goldminer’s Sister by Alison Stuart is a wonderful novel set in the fictional Victorian gold mining town of Maiden’s Creek. The story has it all, love and loss, tragedy, greed and suspense.

As I read I was taken back to the late 1800’s and could imagine the town, the people and the landscape as described throughout the pages of the book.

The story’s main focus is around the arrival of Eliza to the town and her learning of the death of her brother Will. Determine to understand her brothers final days, things don’t add up so the more she digs, lies, deceit and sabotage is uncovered, lives are put at risk and the truth of Wills death will finally be revealed.

The characters have great depth, and you will either love them or despise them, one I particularly despised was Miss Donald who’s treatment of a young school girl had me as angry as Eliza was in the story! The relationships and interactions between the characters are believable and like all small towns, there are the trouble makers, the bullies and the kindhearted.

I loved that there were some Tasmanian’s who’d come to Maiden’s Creek, and lines like these “Not sure whether we Tasmanian’s consider ourselves Australian or not” and “We breed them tough in Tasmania”.

This was a wonderful read, it got 5 stars from me!

This is the second book by this author that I have read and have found them both to be excellent reads. After reading a couple of other murder mysteries that took a while to set the scene, this book has you turning the page from page 1. Although it is the second in the series I had no trouble following the characters and setting. The characters are well written and very easy to identify with. There has been a lot of research into the mining industry from 1873 that I found very interesting but not overwhelming. It helped set the scene perfectly. This is a sweet romance with action, struggles of all kinds, mystery, and deception. It is an all-round excellent read from an author who knows how to put words on paper that makes it easy to transport the reader to another time and place. It is lovely to read a historical book not set in England or America. Australia had a special harsh environment for people to start a new life and these books give a brilliant insight into how hard it was. I received this as an ARC and was very happy to do my review.

In the 1850's gold was discovered in various places in Victoria. People left their homes to try their chances to find gold, to set themselves up for life on the basis of that one big find. And if that big find doesn't come today, then it will come tomorrow, or the day after, or when you move to a new mine. Even today, there are people who spend their lives either fossicking in the hope of finding a nugget, or doing large scale mechanical mining in the wilds of places like Alaska. Gold fever! And when you find that big nugget of gold, or hit that seam of gold inside a mountain, then what else is there but to shout Eureka!!



This book takes place a couple of decades later in the 1870's in a fictional town called Maiden's Creek in the north of Victoria. There is no alluvial gold left, but there is underground mining and if you can hit the right seam, there is money to be made, for the owners and the shareholders, and livings made by the hardworking miners.



Eliza Penrose comes to Australia after receiving a letter from her brother to say that he believed that he was on the verge of discovering something big, and when he does, he will no longer be beholden to his uncle who runs the mine at Maidens Creek. Her brother has struck out on his own, and is starting his own mine which looks very promising.



Her heart is soon to be broken as she realises that far from the chance of a new life, she is once again to suffer a bereavement and she is even more alone than before. Her brother has died, leaving most of his estate to his uncle. There are however things that just don't add up about Will's death and it isn't long before she becomes suspicious. While Eliza does have some possibilities of working as a teacher, it isn't that easy to break into the tight knit community, especially when there are inbuilt prejudices against women in such roles.



It seems that one of the few people that Eliza can trust is her brother's friend Alec McLeod. Alec is a Scottish mining engineer who is responsible for the day to day running of the mine, ensuring the mine's safety. He and his brother, Ian, had moved to the town after the death of Alec's wife. Like so many others, the gold fields offered them a chance to start anew, leaving the past behind, or at least trying to. But is Alec as trustworthy as he seems, and can they, between them, figure out what is going on at the two mines and in the town?





This book features some of the same secondary characters from The Postmistress which I read and enjoyed a couple of months ago. As always, I do think it is best to read in order, but it is definitely possible to read this as a standalone novel! I do, however, think this is a better book!



The author gives us a really good glimpse into life in a colonial town and the dangers that face miners. Even now, various types of mining disasters still happen in mines around the world, so it is still a dangerous business.



I really enjoyed the secondary storylines including those about Annie and her daughter Charlie who live in a booze shanty on the edge or town. Eliza sees Charlie's academic potential but she is shunned by the other kids, and her mother doesn't see how sending the young girl to school can help change their lives. The thing that the author did so well in relation to Annie, and to a couple of the other secondary characters, is to not rely on obvious characterisations but rather to give these characters nuances. The bad guys weren't all bad. Annie wasn't just a fallen woman, and even the rude teacher who made Eliza's life difficult wasn't without some merit.



So, as a reader who has just a devoured a book that is gold, there is little left to do but shout Eureka! and give this book a grade of 5/5, only my second for the year!

This is the second in the series of historical fiction novels by Alison Stuart, set in the fictional Victorian mining village of Maiden’s Creek. In 1873, Eliza Penrose arrives in Maiden’s Creek ready to begin a new life and to reunite with her brother. But her family’s circumstances have greatly changed, and Eliza’s uncle seems politely, but firmly, keen to be rid of her.

Fortunately Eliza is the feisty type — she doesn’t need anyone to take care of her. But dour Scot, mining engineer Alec McLeod, leaves a mark on her with his first impression. Naturally, it will not be the last she sees of him — he is embroiled somehow in a struggle of his own regarding her brother’s plans. As Eliza begins to suspect there is more to what happened to her brother, she struggles to understand why people in the town are so inhospitable when she is only trying to help. Soon Alec explains his involvement — and Eliza realises that there are missing details regarding Will’s death that have gone awry.


As with the previous book, The Postmistress, this is a pacy read, full of colourful descriptions and terrific dialogue. Mystery and subterfuge is always a great place to start and to get the whip cracking. The cast of characters in The Goldminer's Sister are various degrees of dark and endearing, setting the tone for the community and the various types of people thrown together during the “gold fever” years of Victoria’s settler days. The isolated village community keep a great number of secrets. But Eliza is determined to get to the bottom of them. One particular character is the schoolmistress, Flora McDonald — she’s terrific —I hope we see her in the next book too.
As we are introduced to these delightful people, several of the previous book’s characters make cameo appearances. You can’t help but be swept away in this world of Maiden’s Creek — and yes, there’s a mine collapse, romance and children —just to build the tension and keep us on our toes!

Release date 8th July, 2020.

#TheGoldminersSister #AlisonStuart #NetGalley #HarperCollins #MIRA #HistoricalFiction #AWW20

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Set in 1873 in Maiden’s Creek, a fictitious gold mining town based on Walhalla in south-eastern Victoria, The Goldminer’s Sister, tells the story of Eliza Penrose, newly arrived from England to start a new life with her brother Will.
Things go from bad to worse for Eliza. On arrival in Maiden’s Creek she learns that Will died some weeks earlier after falling down a tailings heap. As if that’s not bad enough she then learns the wealth Will promised her is nonexistent. For many women at that time this would be the bitter end but Eliza is made of sterner stuff. Forced to stay with her uncle, she soon discovers that he is the managing sort. I cheered mightily when Eliza, who is petite, retorted “Please don’t patronise me,” when he informed her that as a gently reared girl she shouldn’t have to bear with the challenges of winding up a mine.
Alec McLeod, a Scottish widower and engineer at the Maiden’s Creek mine, enters Eliza’s life in a less than auspicious way after causing her to fall over just after she’s alighted from the coach. Despite this beginning these two are drawn to each other and romance blossoms as the story progresses, but the more they learn about Will’s death the more dangerous their situation becomes.
This story is exceptionally well researched with frequent examples of the author’s knowledge of mining peppered throughout. It is beautifully written, realistic and compelling. The descriptions of conditions in those times are excellent and it is easy to picture the mud, the denuded landscape around the mining town and the beauty of the Bush a little further away. The people in the story are well drawn and realistic with plenty of flaws to balance their finer points. I felt as though I was watching history unfold. This book is definitely a keeper.

When Eliza Penrose finally arrived in the Victorian town of Maiden’s Creek after long, arduous travel from England, she was looking forward to seeing the brother she hadn’t seen in the five years since he’d left home. Now, with her mother passed, she’d come to join William so they could forge a future together as part owners of the Shenandoah gold mine near Maiden’s Creek. But when she learned how circumstances had changed, Eliza was shattered; a strong young woman, she was determined to find her own way forward.

Alec McLeod oversaw the Maiden’s Creek mine under the owner, Eliza’s uncle, Charles Cowper and as a mining engineer plus from a family of miners in Scotland, he knew safety and caution in mining was paramount. Alec knew his boss was cutting corners, but he wouldn’t see reason. As Alec fought for what was right, Eliza was discovering a spider-web of secrets and lies, which would no doubt put her in danger as she searched for answers. What would be the outcome for Eliza and Alec in the small community of Maiden’s Creek?

The Goldminer’s Sister is the follow on from The Postmistress which was set in 1871. The Goldminer’s Sister is set in 1873 and continues on in the fictional town of Maiden’s Creek, which is based on a small town in Gippsland, Victoria, where gold fever made all who searched, wish for its riches. Aussie author Alison Stuart’s research is meticulous and her historical novels an absolute delight to read. This one was exceptional, with heart rushing suspense, light, well written romance, and strong women characters. Highly recommended.

With thanks to HarperCollins AU for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book by Alison Stuart that I have read and like her previous story, The Postmistress, it is set in the fictional town of Maiden’s Creek in Victoria Australia.

Eliza Penrose has returned to Australia from England, where she has been working as a governess, and has come to Maiden’s Creek to meet her brother Will. Up till 12 months ago Will was the Mine Superintendent at Maiden’s Creek but then had the opportunity to invest in and manage The Shenandoah, a mine located at Pretty Sally.

When Will is not there to meet her she asks to be directed to Charles Cowper’s house. Cowper is the owner of the Maiden’s Creek Mine and her and Will’s uncle. It is at Cowper’s house that she learns that Will was killed in a tragic accident just 6 weeks ago while she was travelling to Australia by ship.

Alec McLeod is the current Mine Superintendent at Maiden’s Creek. Four years earlier his wife Catriona and baby died in childbirth and Alec, still grieving now lives with his brother Ian, who is deaf from a childhood illness, and a ginger cat Windlass who has adopted the brothers. Bridget O’Grady keeps house for the brothers, a kind-hearted lady who to quote McLeod “can burn porridge just by looking at it.”

The first meeting between Alec and Eliza does not go well! Shortly after arriving in Maiden’s Creek Eliza is stood in the main street waiting in vain for Will to meet her. McLeod comes thundering down the street on his horse as he races to rescue the new boiler for the mine which has partially slipped off the dray carrying it, As he yells at Eliza to get out of the way, she attempts to do so, instead tripping and collapsing in a heap on the floor, muddying her clothes in the process.

As Eliza tries to come to terms with Will’s death she is distressed and confused to discover that the Shenandoah Mine, which Will had described in his letters to her as “an investment in their future – both their futures” is, according to Cowper, worthless. Worse still Cowper advises that rather than burden her with a worthless investment Will has changed the terms of his will, leaving the shares Will owned in the mine to Cowper instead of her.

The longer Eliza stays in Maiden’s creek the less things around Will’s death, and the leaving of his supposed worthless mine to Cowper add up. Why if the mine is worthless is Cowper keeping it running? .What has Tehan, known as Black Jack, and Shenandoah’s mine manager got to do with the vandalism at Alec and Ian’s place? What did Will and Cowper argue about on the night of Will’s death? Who can she trust?

They say that gold is a fever, it can change a man, but how far would a changed man go?

Stuart writes a magnificent tale of the early gold mining days in Australia, her characters engage you and the privations of the time come across clearly. I loved the character Eliza, her strength and compassion.

Highly recommended, many thanks to Net Galley Australia and Harlequin Australia for the opportunity to read and review.

‘Out of the way, woman!’

June, 1873. After travelling from England, Eliza Penrose has arrived in the goldmining town of Maiden’s Creek, Victoria. She’s looking to start a new life with her brother, William, whom she’s not seen for five years. But Will does not turn up to meet her, and when she arrives at her uncle Charles Cowper’s home, she discovers why.

Alec McLeod is a mining engineer who came from Scotland to try to escape the memory of his dead wife and child. He’s determined to never fall in love again, despite the best efforts of the single women of Maiden’s Creek.

After their inauspicious first meeting, Alec and Eliza are thrown together. There are dangerous work practices at the Maiden’s Creek Mine, and lives are endangered. There are secrets to be uncovered, and the closer Alec and Eliza get to the truth, the more care they need to take.

I really enjoyed this novel. It is set two years later (and in the same town) as ‘The Postmistress’. Ms Stuart brings her characters to life and doesn’t shy away from demonstrating the hardships of life on the goldfields, especially for women and children. There’s action and romance, and a cast of well-developed minor characters as well.

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

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I have recently discovered historical fiction, and found that I really enjoy it. Especially stories set in Australia. The Gold Miner's Sister was a wonderful story that had me transported back to 1873 rural Victoria. Alison Stuart brought the gold mining town of Maiden's Creek to life with her vibrant characters and descriptions of the beautiful landscapes. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the past.

Eliza Penrose has travelled from England to see her brother Will after 5 long years. Only when she arrives things are not as she expected them to be. What she finds is a town full of secrets, betrayal and lies. Alec McLeod is also new to town, travelling from Scotland after losing his wife and daughter. His heart is broken and he vows to never give it away again.

There is romance, there is action and there is struggle. Being a woman in 1873 was not easy, thankfully we have come along way in changing things. Stories and characters in this book are based on reality. Fans of this genre will love it.

Thanks to Harlequin Australia and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.

Alison Stewart writes really good historical fiction and this book is no exception.

The Goldminer's Sister is based on a young English miner who leaves the failing Cornish tin mines to go to the Australian goldfields. Five years later he sends for his sister to join him as he feels he is successful and established enough to provide them both with a future. Sadly during the course of her long sea crossing the situation changes radically and the story tells of how she survives and overcomes many disasters.

The author has certainly done her research. There are facts aplenty about mining, the construction of the mines as well as the retrieval of the gold. The fictional mining town of Maiden's Creek is based on an real town and the mine disaster on an actual historic event. There is also a lot of detail about how it was to live and work in those times. Thank goodness we have come a long, long way in the areas of education and child birth.

I enjoyed all of the characters both main and minor and thought the romance was believable and nicely written. Altogether everything I expect from a book written by this author and I look forward to what she produces next!