Gemma has returned to her hometown as a primary school teacher but old memories will continue to haunt her. I loved the characters and the mystery and romance plot. The settings are beautiful.

Told across a range of time periods, this story mainly focuses on Gemma, who has returned to where she grew up in the hope of finding her twin Ethan, who went missing six years earlier. With the help of Saul, she becomes embroiled in drama that may risk her own life. Alongside this, we read about her ancestors and their arrival in Australia, reading how the present issues are linked to the past. A great read.

Having read Annie’s previous books I came in with high expectations as she is renowned for writing a great mystery. East of Alice makes it ‘three for three’ for me and I am now a fully fledged Annie Seaton fan. Having a dual timeline - turn of the century (1900s) and contemporary - the story unfolds from two main perspectives of the same family. I enjoyed this book so much as both stories are well told with a list of engaging aspects - mystery, action, adventure, danger, romance - all set in one of the most isolated locations in Australia.

‘It’s not all for nothing,’ he murmured quietly as she clung to him, his khaki shirt bunched in her fists. ‘We’ve come this far, Gem. And we won’t give up until we search every bit of this ground. If that tin’s here, we’ll find it.’

Annie has once again completed faultless research in her endeavor to transport her readers. Ruby Gap and its history had me running off to Google and tied in with a sensational thriller/mystery made this a highly compelling read. There was so much to learn from not only the history of settlement in the area but also, as in Annie’s previous books, the contemporary storyline. The story itself is a good one! It is a slow build up but once it gets going the escalating tension will easily see you flying through the pages to a satisfying end. The two main characters, Gemma and Saul, are on their own journeys and I was really glad of the way Annie laid out their romantic relationship. Romance is not the sole focus here and the way the storylines plays out is most realistic. I also appreciated the minor step back in time with another mystery from last century which unfolded alongside the present day one. It added a nice touch with a fitting conclusion for closure.

‘Gemma closed her eyes and tipped her head back. Total and absolute quiet. The encompassing silence of the outback cocooned her; she was home in the place she loved.’

East of Alice is certainly a book worth looking into on a number of levels. Annie takes the reader in directions they certainly would not be expecting. This is a another great read with its gripping tale, detailed descriptions of the Australian outback and relatable characters. If you haven’t read a book by Annie I highly recommend you do so - you won’t be disappointed.






This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

I was immediately immersed in this story, the vivid descriptions of the Alice Springs landscape made me feel like I was there!
Annie Seaton has written a story that takes the reader on an intriguing journey through two timelines, the emotions are raw and relatable!
The backstory takes the reader to the 1800s, Rose was a strong courageous woman who followed her husband to Australia and had to make a life in harsh conditions.
We meet Gemma in the present day, she’s returned to a teaching job at Alice Springs after leaving 6 years ago, when her twin brother Ethan disappeared. We meet Gemma’s ex-Saul, he too wants the mystery of his mate’s disappearance solved.
The storyline cleverly reveals romance, suspense and mystery as Gemma and Saul work to solve Ethan's disappearance.
A real page turner seeking the truth about the rubies and what happened in the bush, I couldn’t wait to read more and have the long hidden mysteries revealed!
An absolutely brilliant story, uniting past and present in a fantastic Australian setting.

Thanks to Harlequin Australia, NetGalley and the amazing Annie Seaton for the opportunity to read this wonderful book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Read this book if you like books with :

1) Geneaology
2) Twins
3) Missing people/cold case
4) Rural Australian setting
5) Romance

This is the first book I have read by this author and I was captivated from the first page. I connected with all the characters in particular Gemma and Saul. You can picture the landscape as you read the book. This has a past and present timeline which worked perfectly and connected both stories. I loved the suspense factor . For me it was a very much a character driven story. Unpredictable ending which a huge winner for me and a big reason why I gave it 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

A beautifully descriptive look at the Australian outback... with a second chance romance for added enjoyment. Gemma returns to her childhood home of Alice Springs and reconnects with her former boyfriend Saul when he finds Gemma's twin brother, Ethan's, car at Ruby Gap following his disappearance 6 years earlier. The rest of the story splits into 2 other time lines; Gemma's Great Great Grandmother from the late 1800's and Ethan around the time of his disappearance. It all comes together in the end!! Highly recommend if you like a little romance thrown into your mystery story!

Well researched and with two strong plot threads, East of Alice delivers page-turning reading, strong characters and stunning scenery that is beautifully described by author Annie Seaton. The two threads are linked by missing rubies purportedly discovered by William Woodford in the late nineteenth century and which present-day heroine Gemma’s missing twin brother Ethan spent much of his life searching for. I thought the challenges faced by nineteenth-century heroine Rosie Woodford were very realistically depicted. It was very easy to imagine her daily life. As Rosie’s story unfolds, the danger increases for Gemma. At the same time a romantic thread involving Gemma and her former teenage lover delivers a lighter note. This story is well balanced and made for gripping reading. I loved it.b

I’ve had so much going on in life recently that this light romantic suspense novel fitted in perfectly.
I found it was very easy to pick up where I left off and I didn’t loose threads, in fact I was surprised when I found I was near the end as it seemed to flow so easily.
It also had a great sense of place, especially as I have camped at Ruby Gap about 15 years ago, it sounds as beautiful now as it was then.
I enjoyed the rekindled romance between Saul and Gemma, with no big angst moments which seems to be a pet dislike as I get older.
Very enjoyable and thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read

Gemma Hayden returns to her hometown of Alice Springs, she’s been employed at Trephina Primary School and she’s busy setting up her new classroom. Gemma grew up in Alice Springs, her twin brother Ethan disappeared six years ago, her parent’s marriage ended and she moved away with her mum. No one has seen or heard from Ethan since, Gemma was very close to her brother and she holds onto hope that he's still alive. Everything in Emma’s life fell apart when Ethan went missing, her mother thinks he's dead and she hasn’t spoken to her dad in ages.

Saul Pearce is posted back to Alice Springs, he works as an officer for the Parks and Wildlife service. Like Emma he grew up in "the Alice", he was friends with Ethan and he and Emma were dating. Saul comes from the wrong side of town, some people weren’t happy about his relationship with Emma and it ended rather abruptly. Now both are back in town, Saul discovers an old car in a creek bed, near Ruby Gap and where they used to go camping together as teenagers. Saul and Gemma join forces, trying to solve the mystery of what happened to Ethan, the only clue they have is a coded note left for her in the glove box of her brother’s wrecked car.

The story has a dual timeline, it’s set in present time and in the late 1800’s. The easy to follow and well written narrative, is told from two perspectives, Gemma’s and her great-great-grandmother Rose Woodford’s.

Rose Woodford leaves England, she hasn’t seen her husband in over a year, and she has no idea he's living in such a remote place. Artlunga is the closest town to their isolated homestead at Ruby Gap, it’s the first town to be settled in the area and it’s part of the East MacDonnell Ranges, in the Northern Territory of Australia. Rose find herself residing in a four room hut, William is sure he’s found a seam of rubies and he has to prove their not garnets?

I received a copy of East of Alice by Annie Seaton from NetGalley and Harlequin Australia in exchange for an honest review. A story about Alice Springs and living in the Australian outback, Ethan’s fascination with the past, gemstones and fossicking, Ruby Gap, the old homestead, and how he stumbled across a dangerous crime gang, long buried secrets, a coverup, and the consequences. I highly recommend East of Alice, it had me hooked from the first page and five big stars from me.

This is another awesome story from a fabulous story teller, Annie Seaton takes me to the best places and describes them beautifully it is like I am there and then she adds characters who are strong and easy to get to know and make friends with, add in mystery and suspense and you have a page turner, this one has a family mystery to uncover that goes back to the 1890’s and involves rubies, a fabulous read.

When Rose marries William in England back in 1880 and the plan is to move to Australia to make their fortune mining rubies, Rose never realizes how her life will change in this new world, two sons and a hard life but she is strong and no matter what happens she keeps going and leaves a legacy that will encourage her descendants in the future.

Gemma Hayden has returned to Alice Springs, it is six years since she left after the disappearance of her twin brother Ethan that pulled her family apart she has a new job at the local primary school, there are lots of memories here but Gemma has learnt to rely on herself these days and is happy to be home.

Saul Pearce moved away from Alice Springs six years ago leaving a lot behind but he was determined to make something of himself and is now a ranger for Parks and Wildlife he has a new posting and is settling in when he is asked to go out and look for a car that has been reported in the park, what he finds will shock him, this car belongs to his missing best friend Ethan Hayden who is the twin of the girl he never forgot.

Meeting up with Gemma again to hand her a note he found in the car addressed to her puts them on a path of searching for answers from the past at Ruby Gap where Gemma and Ethan’s Great, Great Grandparents lived all those years ago will they uncover the secrets to the rubies and what happened back then and will they find out what happened to Ethan?

I loved this story it is compelling reading, it is filled with drama, suspense, fabulous characters and was hard to put down, searching for answers together brings Gemma and Saul back together but it is not easy with everything that is happening and there is danger all around them, it is so well written I would highly recommend it, this is one not to be missed, this is one that will stay with me for a long time.

My thanks to Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

East of Alice by Annie Seaton is the first book I've read by the Australian author, not realising she wrote thrillers and crime fiction (thinking she wrote rural romance). And I enjoyed this a lot. Particularly the quintessentially Australian setting. Though it's a long time since I've been to Alice Springs, the organisation I work for has an office there and several projects outside of the town and - having been to the West Kimberley in West Australia this year a couple of times - I could imagine some of the landscape Seaton very vividly describes here.

I thought Seaton does a good job of transitioning the past - six years earlier when Gemma's brother Ethan sets off travelling - to the present. Particularly in terms of the background she shares about the siblings and their respective relationships with their parents. It gives us some insight into Ethan as, from the moment we meet Gemma in the present, he's been missing for six years.

We learn a bit about Ethan and his friends 'Screw' and Saul from Gemma's memories and of Gemma's brief but memorable relationship with Saul before he moved away. For reasons unknown my mind was jolted back to the movie Grease when we viewers learn that both Sandy and Danny (who met on holidays) are - in fact - at the same school and likely to meet... despite having said their goodbyes... and we (who know) await their reunion with baited breath.

Because we know Saul has also returned to Alice Springs and it's fortuitous that he's the one who stumbles across Ethan's car, seemingly driven over a cliff and left to the elements since he went missing.

It's probably pretty predictable that the miscommunication and judgements that separated the newly minted lovebirds years earlier will be resolved. I liked that Seaton doesn't belabour the 'will they won't they?' and takes a pragmatic approach with the pair having a conversation about their still-present feelings rather than indulge in game-playing.

Interspersed with the unfolding mystery of Ethan's disappearance is the story - starting in 1886 - of Ethan and Gemma's great-great grandfather, William, an Englishman who brought his new wife Rose to outback Australia (Ruby Gap very specifically) to settle and mine rubies. We learn of their story through very middle class Rose, who travels to Australia to follow the man she's married, but doesn't know particularly well. Seaton dips in and out of Rose and William's story for much of the novel, though it felt like it ended quite abruptly (with a tragedy!). We then skip forward significant amounts of time, only receiving recaps and updates. Until then they were a significant part of the novel for me, but the change in focus meant I disengaged from their story and the ruby-mining legacy.

In the present Gemma and Saul quickly gather that Ethan, and perhaps Screw, were in the wrong place at the wrong time and stumbled across well-connected drug dealers. I didn't get a clear picture of the illegal doings and it's only now I realise that this is more about Saul and Gemma; Ethan's disappearance being the predicating factor. (So not a traditional whodunnit - or even why - if you like.)

That being said, I was reminded how much I used to love romantic suspense and how little of it I read now.

I also enjoyed the couple of big twists Seaton threw in as well as her descriptive prose and her ability to firmly place we readers in the desolate and dangerous setting. This will certainly prove popular with lovers of outback or rural noir and romantic suspense.

3.5

This was a really great romantic suspense read by Annie Seaton, I loved journeying to Alice Springs and the East MacDonnell Ranges to Ruby Gap. When I travelled across Australia I made it to Alice and the West MacDonnell Ranges, I didn't have the right car to go to the East, but I recognised the landscape and the feel of the land, luckily I didn't come across any criminal goings-on while I was there like the characters in this novel.

The first part of the book is told in two timelines and while I really enjoyed the backstory from the 1800s, I felt it kept pulling me out of the present-day story which annoyed me a bit. I thought Rose was extremely courageous following her husband out to a wild Australia and learning to make a life in such harsh conditions as she encountered in outback Australia at the time. Her story though was a sad one but one she made the most of.

In the present day, we meet Gemma who has returned to The Alice to teach after leaving when her twin brother Ethan disappeared 6 years before. We get a few chapters from Ethan's story 6 years before that help to uncover the mystery leading up to his disappearance. Also newly returned to The Alice is Saul, Gemma's ex and Ethan's best mate.

I enjoyed both the romance aspect and the suspense/mystery aspect of this novel, I liked seeing Gemma and Saul reconnect and Gemma lose her prickliness and let down the walls she'd kept up since her brother's disappearance and I liked seeing Saul self-assured about his feelings for Gemma and being willing to put himself out there now he had a second chance.

The mystery surrounding Ethan's disappearance, the rubies which may or may not have been real and the operation which was going on hidden in the remote bush kept me reading, dying to find out what had happened and how it would all play out. I had my suspicions about one of the mysteries and was pleased to know I was right in my thinking, but still unsure how it would play out in the end. Annie Seaton did a good job of melding all the storylines, past and present together and with the aid of a wonderful setting created an engaging story.

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

When Rose and William were married in England in the 1880s, with first William, then Rose, travelling to Australia to mine in the newly discovered ruby rich country, Rose expected to one day return to see her father and sister again. But her life was to be in the red dirt country, giving birth to two boys, Rufus and Bennett, living in the small cottage William built for his family.

Gemma Hayden returned to Alice Springs six years after her twin brother Ethan went missing, and her family in their grief, went their different ways. Working as a teacher at the tiny local school, Gemma knew peace with her kindy kids. But that all changed the day Saul Pearce, good friend of Ethan's and her young love, sought her out at the school, with news of a shattering kind. Saul worked with the Parks and Wildlife, transferring back to Alice from Darwin and when an old wreck was sighted out in the wilderness, he checked it out and was shocked to discover it belonged to Ethan. Gemma had never believed her twin was dead - surely she would know? As she and Saul began investigating into what had happened six years ago, they both wondered what they'd find - who they'd find...

East of Alice is another gripping, intense read by Aussie author Annie Seaton and I couldn't put it down. Fast paced and filled with tension, the descriptions of the vast Australian outback came to life as I raced through the pages. I have no hesitation in recommending East of Alice highly.

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

East of Alice is a story told in past and present. We learn about the families ancestors and the trials they went through in moving from England to Australia in the 1890's. All of that is spread through the mystery of Gemma's twin brother Ethan's disappearance. Add in the rekindling of her relationship with her first love Saul and you have a book full of mystery, love and suspense.
Annie Seaton has great skill as a writer- she always manages to enthrall me in the first chapters of a book. I highly recommend this book and all others by Annie Seaton.

East of Alice by Annie Seaton was fast moving exciting story set in the National Park of Ruby Gap which is east of Alice Springs and was the site of the first mining rush but of rubies not gold in Central Australia in the late 1880s. The location is typically the outback red centre of Australia with hot days and cool to cold nights which was all wonderfully described by Annie Seaton.

The story moves between the 1880s and 2013.

In 2013 we find Gemma Hayden returning to Alice Springs after 6 years following the disappearance of her twin brother Ethan, as the new primary school teacher. Her endeavours to find her brother, who she believes, despite what everyone else thinks, is still alive. Her search leads to some dangerous complications and turn of events.

In 1880s we follow the story of Gemma’s great-great grandmother Rose Woodford who came to Australia to join her husband who was mining for rubies at Ruby Gap. As Gemma searches for her brother she also finds out about her family’s past.

This is an excellent story that is both intriguing and exciting.

Highly recommended read.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from Harlequin Australia via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#EastofAlice #NetGalley

Set mostly in Alice Springs and Ruby Gap in the Northern Territory of Australia.
A duel time-line mystery set between the present time and the late 1800’s. Gemma Hayden returns to Alice Springs to work as a teacher at Trephina Primary school east of Alice Springs. Gemma grew up in the town but moved away with her mother six years earlier. Gemma is drawn to the area. Her father’s grandfather was born at Ruby Gap and her twin brother Ethan went missing somewhere near Ruby Gap six years earlier.
The pace is fast and full of action. Gemma’s old boyfriend Saul Pearce works for the National Parks and is sent to Alice Springs to work. Saul is sent out to an isolated gorge to check on an abandoned land rover and discovers the land rover had belonged to Gemma’s brother Ethan. Inside the glove box Saul discovers a note addressed to Gemma Hayden. The note is written in code and Gemma and Saul try to break the code and find out what happened to Ethan.
I loved the twists and turns and the secrets uncovered. Beautiful descriptions of the outback and the difficulties of being earlier settlers to outback Australia.

Thanks to NetGalley for this book. Such a beautifully written book with characters that grow as the story progresses. The descriptions of the outback locations are beautiful. The story took some unexpected twists and turns, but was a great story overall.

When it comes to descriptions of the Australian outback Annie Seaton certainly knows her stuff. In East of Alice she takes the reader to the town of Alice Springs and then to Ruby Gap where there was once a ruby "rush" prior to the gold rushes which historically are better known.

Principally the book is about Gemma Hayden and her search for her twin brother, Ethan, who she refuses to believe is dead. When his vehicle is found washed down river at Ruby Gap, Gemma and her ex boyfriend, Saul, an employee of Parks and Wildlife, set out into the bush to discover what they can. It is not easy and becomes increasingly more dangerous. There is a parallel story of some early settlers of the region and the discovery of the first rubies which is also very interesting and a little sad.

I enjoyed the book very much. Both stories are well told, there is a lot of action and danger, but there is also a sweet romance and a fitting conclusion. Well worth reading.

The main setting is the remote National Park of Ruby Gap, which is east of Alice Springs. It is the site of the first mine rush in central Australia when a man discovered rubies in a dry river bed in the 1880s. Hundreds of men from around the world flocked in to find their fortunes, but it was all over two years later when it was announced that the gems being dug up were only garnets, at this time gold was discovered 50 kilometres away and the miners all relocated there and the ruby rush was over. The nearby township of Arltunga, mentioned in the story, supported hundreds of miners who firstly hunted rubies then gold, is now ruins. The ruby rush story is an important secondary thread in this thrilling mystery set in modern days from Australian author Annie Seaton.

Gemma is a descendant of one of the many families who left England to find their fortune fossicking for rubies. The husband of her ancestor left his wife and two children behind while he sailed back to England to prove what he had found were in fact rubies and not garnets. He never returned and his widow left her wooden cabin at Ruby Gap and eventually died in Alice Springs.

Gemma’s twin brother, Ethan, disappeared six years prior to the start of the story, her parents split up and Gemma and her mother moved to the east coast. Now she is back in Alice Springs teaching at a local primary school. Newly returned is her first love, Saul; he was also her brother’s best friend. He now works as a ranger for Parks and Wildlife and during a routine call out finds the wreck of a car - Ethan’s - in a dry river bed not far from the old family cabin. The glove box is locked and there is a coded letter inside addressed to Gemma. He pockets the letter and reports the discovery of the wreck.

Saul takes the letter to Gemma and the two of them immediately get swept up in an edge of the seat adventure as they trek through the rugged outback to the ruins of her ancestor’s home, find a recent grave and start to piece together clues that bring them to the attention of a secret criminal organisation. Now they have to find the answers before they get killed, as the organisation has killed before and won’t hesitate to kill again to keep their operations secret.

Coming from the Northern Territory I know this area very well - and have visited the ruggedly remote Ruby Gap. Annie Seaton has captured the area perfectly. I loved the relationships between the various characters - even the baddies were portrayed as truly nasty people. Above all the story was believable Central Australia can still hide secrets in the day and age.

I was drawn to this book as I once lived in Alice Springs so found that a book based there would be quite interesting. I was disappointed and really enjoyed this one. I haven't read a book by this author but do have a book of hers on my shelf that I will now pull out and read next.

This is the story of a girl returning home, the mystery of her brother who disappeared 6 years earlier. Things hot up when a car is found, it is her brothers and there is a note in the glovebox. From there things unfold. The secrets from the past, mystery and intrigue and and edge of your seat suspense.

This is a very well written book that keeps you guessing. But there is also the beauty of the outback, the strength of the characters and so much more. I loved it and highly recommend this great Australian mystery/thriller!