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Custody Down Under : Bound by Loss and Saved by Love
Custody Down Under is perfect for readers who love heartwarming, multi-generational stories, resilient child heroes, and cross-cultural tales that celebrate the enduring ties of love.
Six-year-old Maddison Taylor has survived more than most children her age. Raised on a remote cattle and sheep station in Western Australia, she learned early how to dress herself, cook simple meals, and care for others—including her hardworking Kelpie dog, Tag. Under the watchful, loving guidance of Mrs. Donovan, the station manager’s wife who taught her to read, cook, and trust again, Maddison found comfort and stability in a world that otherwise demanded too much from her too soon.
But when her father uproots them and tragedy strikes along a dusty coastal road on South Australia's Yorke Peninsula, Maddison’s fragile world collapses. Suddenly alone, injured, and caught in the impersonal machinery of the Department for Child Protection, Maddison clings fiercely to the only constants she has her instincts, her independence, and her devoted dog, Tag.
As government caseworkers struggle to determine her future, a desperate search begins across oceans.
Two men—each grieving their own heavy losses—receive the unimaginable news that they may have a granddaughter who needs them. Ben Taylor, a retired South Carolina veterinarian grappling with guilt over a long-lost son, and Nigel Buckby, a retired New Zealand professor scarred by personal tragedy, must find the strength to reach across continents—and their own regrets—to rescue the granddaughter they never knew existed.
Set against the haunting beauty of the Yorke Peninsula—a semi-rural landscape of golden paddocks, rugged coastlines, and tight-knit communities—Custody Down Under is a stirring novel of love rediscovered and family reimagined. Through Maddison’s determined spirit, and the steady presence of Tag at her side, readers witness a story where resilience blooms in the most unlikely places and where love, once thought lost, proves powerful enough to heal generations.
Elizabeth Woolsey crafts an unforgettable journey filled with richly human a brave little girl wiser than her years, a devoted dog who never leaves her side, and two broken men willing to fight for a second chance. Woven with humor, heartbreak, and deep affection for the Australian land and its people, Custody Down Under captures the universal longing for family, belonging, and the possibility of starting over.
Six-year-old Maddison Taylor has survived more than most children her age. Raised on a remote cattle and sheep station in Western Australia, she learned early how to dress herself, cook simple meals, and care for others—including her hardworking Kelpie dog, Tag. Under the watchful, loving guidance of Mrs. Donovan, the station manager’s wife who taught her to read, cook, and trust again, Maddison found comfort and stability in a world that otherwise demanded too much from her too soon.
But when her father uproots them and tragedy strikes along a dusty coastal road on South Australia's Yorke Peninsula, Maddison’s fragile world collapses. Suddenly alone, injured, and caught in the impersonal machinery of the Department for Child Protection, Maddison clings fiercely to the only constants she has her instincts, her independence, and her devoted dog, Tag.
As government caseworkers struggle to determine her future, a desperate search begins across oceans.
Two men—each grieving their own heavy losses—receive the unimaginable news that they may have a granddaughter who needs them. Ben Taylor, a retired South Carolina veterinarian grappling with guilt over a long-lost son, and Nigel Buckby, a retired New Zealand professor scarred by personal tragedy, must find the strength to reach across continents—and their own regrets—to rescue the granddaughter they never knew existed.
Set against the haunting beauty of the Yorke Peninsula—a semi-rural landscape of golden paddocks, rugged coastlines, and tight-knit communities—Custody Down Under is a stirring novel of love rediscovered and family reimagined. Through Maddison’s determined spirit, and the steady presence of Tag at her side, readers witness a story where resilience blooms in the most unlikely places and where love, once thought lost, proves powerful enough to heal generations.
Elizabeth Woolsey crafts an unforgettable journey filled with richly human a brave little girl wiser than her years, a devoted dog who never leaves her side, and two broken men willing to fight for a second chance. Woven with humor, heartbreak, and deep affection for the Australian land and its people, Custody Down Under captures the universal longing for family, belonging, and the possibility of starting over.
413 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 15, 2025
About the author
Elizabeth Woolsey
18 books27 followersBorn into a family of horse doctors and raised in California, Elizabeth Woolsey always knew where she was headed. After graduating from UC Davis and completing her DVM at Auburn University in 1984, she did what most people only dream of she packed her life into boxes, moved to Australia, and spent the next 35 years doing the work she loved most: keeping horses alive.
As a practicing equine veterinarian in rural South Australia, Elizabeth delivered foals at dawn, repaired stallions by flashlight at midnight, and drove hundreds of miles through the outback attending to animals and the people who loved them. She published professional papers on equine surgery and burn treatment, raised a daughter as a single mother, and somehow found time to notice that her life was worth writing about.
Her first book, Horse Doctor: An American Vet's Life Down Under, was compared to James Herriot by Kirkus Reviews. Her fiction series The Travels of Dr. Rebecca Harper and the Horse Doctor Adventures brings that same authenticity, dry wit and deep love of animals to storytelling that readers call impossible to put down.
Recently retired and back in the United States, Elizabeth writes full time under Horse Doctor Press. Her upcoming novel Custody Down Under explores what happens when a six-year-old girl and two estranged grandfathers must find their way back to each other across oceans of grief and geography.
She still rides. She still fishes. And she is still, at heart, a horse doctor.
As a practicing equine veterinarian in rural South Australia, Elizabeth delivered foals at dawn, repaired stallions by flashlight at midnight, and drove hundreds of miles through the outback attending to animals and the people who loved them. She published professional papers on equine surgery and burn treatment, raised a daughter as a single mother, and somehow found time to notice that her life was worth writing about.
Her first book, Horse Doctor: An American Vet's Life Down Under, was compared to James Herriot by Kirkus Reviews. Her fiction series The Travels of Dr. Rebecca Harper and the Horse Doctor Adventures brings that same authenticity, dry wit and deep love of animals to storytelling that readers call impossible to put down.
Recently retired and back in the United States, Elizabeth writes full time under Horse Doctor Press. Her upcoming novel Custody Down Under explores what happens when a six-year-old girl and two estranged grandfathers must find their way back to each other across oceans of grief and geography.
She still rides. She still fishes. And she is still, at heart, a horse doctor.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 13, 2025
Drama
These are the types of stories I like, however, tragedy doesn't always have to be involved. I'm older now and have moved away from romance and action genre and looking more towards this type of story. Excellent. Hope to read more from this author.
These are the types of stories I like, however, tragedy doesn't always have to be involved. I'm older now and have moved away from romance and action genre and looking more towards this type of story. Excellent. Hope to read more from this author.
July 7, 2025
Nice read
An enjoyable story where I quickly became attached and invested in the main characters, especially Matthew and her two grandfathers. A nice and believable ending,
An enjoyable story where I quickly became attached and invested in the main characters, especially Matthew and her two grandfathers. A nice and believable ending,
July 13, 2025
I thought this was a sweet family drama. I enjoyed spending time with these characters.
September 24, 2025
4 Stars. A heartwarming story. I completely understand how the grandfathers fell in love with Maddy.
January 23, 2026
an enjoyable read
Having the story written in South Australia and me knowing the places Maddison and her family visited, I was transported there. An enjoyable story which kept me turning the pages
Having the story written in South Australia and me knowing the places Maddison and her family visited, I was transported there. An enjoyable story which kept me turning the pages
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews