The Secret Years

by Barbara Hannay

When Lucy Hunter stumbles upon her grandfather Harry's World War II memorabilia, she finds a faded photograph of a stunning young woman known simply as 'George' and a series of heartfelt letters. They are clues about the secret years, a period of Lucy's family history that has been kept a mystery . . . until now.

How did a cattleman from north Queensland find forbidden love with the Honourable Georgina Lenton of London and persuade her to move to his isolated outback property? And why are the effects of this encounter still reverberating in the lives of Lucy and her mother, Rose, now?

As the passions of the past trickle down the years, three generations of one family pull together. Each must learn in their own way how true love can conquer the greatest challenges of all.

From the wild beauty of the Australian bush to England's rugged south coast, this is a deeply moving story of heartbreak, heroism and homecoming by a beloved, multi-award-winning author.

Genres: Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical, Australia, Contemporary

384 pages, Paperback

First published August 26, 2015

About the author

Multi award winning author, Barbara Hannay, is a city bred girl with a yen for country life. Most of her 50 plus books are set in rural and outback Australia and they've been enjoyed by readers around the world.

Barbara has been nominated five times for Romance Writers of America's RITA Award which she won in 2007 and she has twice won Australia's Romantic Book of the Year award.

In her own version of life imitating art, Barbara and her husband currently live on a misty hillside in beautiful Far North Queensland where they keep heritage pigs, hens, ducks, turkeys and an untidy but productive garden.

Visit Barbara's website at www.barbarahannay.com
Follow her on Facebook and Twitter

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arriving back from deployment overseas Lucy Hunter was surprised to see her mother waiting for her at the airport instead of fiancé Sam. But her concern was mostly for her grandfather, her beloved Harry-pa who was very ill in hospital. Her mother Ro assured her that he was in no danger but Lucy knew her mother and grandfather didn’t often see eye-to-eye. Having been fobbed off at every turn by both her mother and grandfather to any question about her family’s history, Lucy was keen to find out more; her discovery of an old tin which contained memorabilia of a past that deeply involved Harry, she was astounded to be drawn into the life of a beautiful young woman who signed the back of an old black and white photograph simply as “George”.

Lucy’s determination to find answers found her heading to England, to Cornwall and the old property that was part of her family’s history. The life of the Honourable Georgina Lenton; the war years and a young Captain Harry Kemp from the vast north Queensland property called Kalkadoon enthralled her – the knowledge which was slowly filtering through her senses about the secret years of her beloved Harry’s past was fascinating. But she knew there was more, and the meeting of another descendant; the handsome Nick plus George’s best friend Primrose added more layers to an already complicated issue.

What was it that Lucy’s mother was so desperate to keep secret? With her emotions in overdrive, Lucy gradually came to the realisation that there had been heartbreak and love in a past that was now a torment. Would working together to unravel the truth bring peace to them all?

I absolutely loved The Secret Years by Aussie author Barbara Hannay which is her best yet in my opinion. Filled with heroism, love, loss and heartache, plus deeply moving memories of a past in the war years of New Guinea and Kakoda, this novel includes wonderful characters and magnificent word pictures of an untamed Australian outback. I have no hesitation in highly recommending this historical fiction novel by an author who is fast becoming one of my favourite “go to” writers!

With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy to read and review.

[Melissa (Mel’s Bookshelf) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars
I have never been a fan of Australian rural settings in novels. I'm not sure why really, when I was younger they never seemed to interest me. I must be mellowing a bit as I grow older, or perhaps I would have always liked them and was just stubborn.. Either way I am glad I read this book, it was wonderful.

Lucy comes back to Townsville from an army posting in Afghanistan and is excited to be reunited with her fiancée. Unfortunately things do not go quite so well with their reunion, and Lucy finds herself at her mothers house. There, she stumbles across an old biscuit tin full of old papers, letters and photographs. She stumbles across a photograph of her grandmother, who she knows little to nothing about, and begins to investigate her grandmother and her family. Her search leads her to England where she goes to find answers, and stumbles across a bit of romance herself. Simultaneously the story jumps back in time and tells the story of "George", Lucy's grandmother, and how she met the love of her life, Harry (An Aussie farmer and soldier) during the second world war, and how she came to transform from an upper class member of English society, to a cattle farmer in the Aussie outback.

Absolutely delightful! I must admit that I had my reservations if I would like this book or not. I saw so many friends rate it highly and have such praise for it, that I had to give it a go. So glad I did because its one of my favourite romances of the year!

All of the characters are fantastic, in both time frames. I especially love Harry, Lucy's grandfather, and I adored the love story with him and Lucy's grandmother. Lucy's mother Rose obviously has some issues in relation to her relationship with her father, and it was interesting to discover why she had these issues and I was anxious to see if she could mend ties. Lucy is a great character too. Independent and strong, and although I didn't particularly agree with some of her choices, she was a great character. I loved Nick, her love interest.

The only thing I didn't really like about the book was it got a bit corny towards the end. But it was sweet, and it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the novel.

I'm not generally a fan of historical fiction, but the way this book went back and forth in time was seamless, and fascinating. I was absolutely enthralled by the scenes from the 40's and the war, especially the scenes set when the Japanese invaded Papua New Guinea . It was all written extremely well and I loved the brief mix of action, suspense and romance. This book is not entirely classed as historical fiction, because the majority of the book was set in the present.

Would I recommend it?

Absolutely! A must read for any romance and Australian history fan! And anyone who loves the Aussie outback, The Secret Years is for you!

Thanks to the author via NetGalley for a review copy.

For more reviews visit my blog
www.booksbabiesbeing.com
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[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Secret Years is about how young lady found out about her family history and her mothers time in England. Lucy Hunter had come home from six months employment in Afghanistan when her life was not the same as before her deployment to Afghanistan. Lucy's grandfather was dying, her childhood home sold, and her relationship with her fiancee Nick ended. The readers of The Secret Years will follow the twists and turns to find out what happens to Lucy Hunter.

The Secret Years is the first book I have read of Barbara Hannay, and it will not be my last. I love the way Barbara Hannay portrayed her characters. I also like Barbara Hannay writing style and her way of entwining the past with the present. I like the way Barbara Hannay describes the debutantes week in England of young society girls and the problems you have if you lose your invitation to be present to the Queen. However, the way Barbara Hannay wrote the ending of The Secret Year made me cry.

The readers of The Secret Years will learn about living in London during the war years. Also, the readers will enjoy the way Barbara Hannay describes the time her characters were in New Guinea during the second world war.

I recommend this book.

[Jülie ☼♄  · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will hold you captive with an easy flowing pace that is still crammed with activity and intrigue.


When Lucy Hunter returns home on leave from her posting as a soldier in Afghanistan, she is concerned at the news of her beloved grandfather's failing health, but also excited at the prospect of seeing her fiancé Sam waiting for her at the airport.
She has taken leave to come home and plan their wedding instead of taking the planned overseas trip with her best friend.
However when she sees her mother waiting for her at the airport instead of her lovely Sam, she gets a little nervous.
Even though her mother greets her warmly and assures her that everything is fine, Lucy senses that something is not quite right and can't shake the feeling of creeping anxiety.
She is disappointed that Sam wasn't there to meet her but decides not to show it and to put her niggling fears down to tiredness and jetlag.
Perhaps it worked out for the better after all, she thought, as it would be a much more romantic reunion once she had showered, rested and dressed herself in something a bit more becoming than her army uniform.
Having reached that conclusion she now felt a bit better and looked forward to going home to shower and rest in the comfort her own bed in the lovely old home she grew up in.

When her mother took a different direction on the drive home though, Lucy was in for yet another shock as her mother confessed that during Lucy's absence she herself had found a new partner and had sold the family home in order to purchase an apartment with him. Naturally Lucy was welcome to stay with them in their new apartment and her mother had even packed up her things from the family house and put them in the new spare bedroom for her.
Too tired now to think about all of these things as well as her mounting anxiety about not seeing Sam, Lucy decides to get some rest and visit him later for some champagne and a celebratory dinner. After all, this leave was all about coming home to plan her wedding! She would soon be moving out anyway.

Much later and much refreshed, Lucy drove herself over to Sam's place, where she was met with a cheery but somewhat lukewarm reception from her fiancé. Sam reassured her that everything was fine and after a steamy reunion they got talking about their plans for the future. It was during this conversation that Sam voices some misgivings about Lucy's army service job being a part of their future plans.
This comes as a huge surprise to Lucy, giving her more cause for concern about the direction her life is suddenly taking.

Unable to think straight, and looking for a distraction, Lucy starts sorting through the boxes of her belongings that her mother has packed and placed in the wardrobe when she comes across an old biscuit tin belonging to her grandfather. She opens the tin and finds an assortment of old letters and war medals and photographs. She knew her grandfather was in the war but didn't know any more as he always refused to talk about his past. A trait which her mother also shared and one which was much to Lucy's chagrin as she knew very little about her family history because of it.

Beyond her mother and grandfather and their life a on large cattle holding called Kalkadoon in far North Queensland, Lucy knew very little of her family's history. She knows that her mother went to a boarding school in the UK when she was young, but her mother wouldn't discuss those times either.
Lucy now found herself intrigued at the discovery of the potentially enlightening information before her.
So it is with much surprise and awe that, on seeing her grandfather's medals here, she discovers his war time service and his role were much more important than anyone ever knew.
Lucy scrutinizes the old photo's and wonders who the gorgeous lady is in the photo with a sentiment on the back signed George. She then starts to read the letters...

The contents of this old biscuit tin could be about to change everything!

I thoroughly enjoyed The secret Years and found myself fully absorbed in the intricacies of the well formed characters and their relationships to each other.
The story flowed smoothly between eras with detailed and evocative descriptions (past and present) of the beautiful, sultry Australian bush to the cold and rainswept charm of England's rugged Cornish coast.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy to read and review.

I can recommend this great read 5★s

[Dale Harcombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four and a half stars
Back from a tour in Afghanistan, army logistics officer, Lucy Hunter finds several surprises waiting for her. One is her mother at the airport to meet her instead of her fiancé Sam. Another is tied up with a tin of memorabilia belonging to her grandfather, Harry. It includes letters from a woman and a photo of a young woman known as George. Again this is a story of two times. There is Lucy trying to find out more about her family and understand more of the difficult relationship that exists between her grandfather and her mother. The past sends Lucy to England and later to Cornwall. The descriptions of Australia and Cornwall are both so well done, as is the chronicling of English society with its debutants and so on.
The other story tells of how a woman from the English upper class ends up on an Australian cattle station in the outback. All the characters in this story really came to life and had me feeling for them even when I didn’t always agree with their decisions. While I enjoyed Lucy and Nick’s story, I especially liked Harry and George’s story.
I have enjoyed several of Barbara Hannay’s books but this is the one that captivated me most. It hooked me right from the beginning and held me throughout, even when trekking through the jungles of Papua New Guinea. This is an excellent read. The fact that it took me almost a week to read it was not the book’s fault but just life intruding. As soon as I could I was back to spending time with these characters. I highly recommend this book for lovers of historical fiction, Australiana and romance

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Secret Years is Barbara Hannay's 49th book, in which she blends a contemporary and historical narrative to present an engaging novel about family, heroism, heartbreak and love.

Army logistics officer Lucy Hunter is relieved to be home in Townsville after her six month deployment in Afghanistan but she isn't prepared for the changes in store for her. Her mother has exchanged her childhood home for a sterile condo apartment she is sharing with a new man, her grandfather's health is failing, and her fiance, Sam, has cold feet. With several weeks of leave ahead of her, Lucy is at a loose end until she discovers a box of wartime memorabilia that contains clues to her family's history that neither her mother or grandfather are willing to talk about. Hoping to understand the secrets of the past, Lucy travels to Cornwall, a place where she just might find her future.

Moving between the past and present, the narrative shifts between Lucy's journey to unravel her family's secrets, and the story of the relationship between Lucy's cattleman grandfather, Harry, and his aristocratic bride, Georgina. Emotions run high in both timelines through scenes of wartime drama, desperate passion and captivating romance.

I liked Lucy and I sympathised with her desire to understand the past. The mystery stems from the discord between Lucy's mother, Ro and Lucy's grandfather, Harry, which Lucy learns is related to her mother's brief time in England. I also enjoyed Lucy's romance with the dashing Nick.

But it was the story of Harry and George's courtship and marriage that I found particularly entrancing. Their love is touching, and their wartime experiences are exciting, if also sobering.

The story takes us from Australia's coastline and outback, to London during the Blitz, from the wild bluffs of Cornwall to the jungles of Papua New Guinea as the Japanese invade. Both the contemporary and wartime settings are vividly described, as are the characters experiences of them.

The Secret Years is well written with appealing characters and a moving story. Another winning romance.

[Lynxie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Secret Years is the first of Barbara Hannay's books that I've read, and I can guarantee you, it won't be the last.

The story takes the reader on a multi-time lined journey through ravaged war zones, both past and present, and explores relationships between lovers, family and extended family and friends.

Lucy (our present day protagonist) is the granddaughter to Harry, the male protagonist from the historical time line - but he still plays a part in the present day timeline too. The story weaves its way through the timelines of several love stories, and stories of self growth and discovery. These beautifully depicted scenes, even the ones in war-torn London and New Guinea, really transport the reader into the story and allow for a greater sense of taking part in the story.

I think the most beautiful thing about this story was not the sizzling romances, nor the freshly transformed relationship between mother and daughter, but the tender and sweet relationship between Lucy and her grandfather Harry. This was of particularly special interest to me because I lost my grandfather a couple of years ago and felt a solid connection between Lucy and Harry's relationship and that of my grandfather and I.

I did thoroughly enjoy the story, the emotions ran high in every facet of the story and the level of drama and secrecy only added to the deliciously tantalising tale that Barbara weaves. If her other books are as good as this one, I am certainly in for a treat.

My copy of this book was from Netgalley, and possessed a number of weird formatting issues and typos, but as an ARC I expect that these issues would have been rectified before publication.

**Note: I was provided an electronic copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

[Sonya Heaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Also posted HERE .

This is a hard book to classify, and I think the blurb barely gives you an idea of what to expect. I think the mark of a good book is if you know you’ll remember it down the track (especially so if you read hundreds of books a year!), and I know there are some aspects of this one that will stay with me. It is an emotional read. I never understand readers who claim to cry buckets of tears for every single silly little book they read, but this actually IS a book I can say has that sort of emotion in it.

The Secret Years might be Barbara Hannay’s most ambitious book, and for me, it really, really worked. It is not romance, though there are some relationships in it. Calling it women’s fiction seems disingenuous, because it doesn’t really give you an idea of the scale and scope of the story. I’m not really sure what it is, but it covers the lives of three generations of women, taking you all over Australia, through war-torn London, to Cornwall, and even to New Guinea.

This sort of work is ambitious because it is in danger of being choppy, but I think the changes between past and present were handled well, and the choice to only use the three women’s perspectives meant we weren’t lost in a sea of characters.

The research is excellent, and I think there are plenty of authors around who could learn a thing or two about researching a book from this author! There is so much to cover and yet I felt like each era and location was as real as the one before it.

Another thing that is done really well is the revealing of plot points gradually. It’s hard to know how long to draw out a mystery, and only better authors figure out how to not dump everything on the reader at the start.

I also appreciate that Hannay is one of the few authors who actually knows something about her nation’s capital. Living here, I get VERY tired of the ignorance of the average Australian! Two things: I don’t know why Lucy had to go to England to see bluebells: they’re the ACT’s state flower! And George didn’t need to wait until Queensland to see a kookaburra: we have every native bird you could think of right here!

But really, these are not complaints. I don’t really think I have any negatives with this one.

This is definitely one of my more memorable reads of the year.


Review copy provided by NetGalley.

[Carol Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this multifaceted book covering three generations, with lots of interesting history around war years, two lovely romances, family conflict and reconciliation. The mysteries unfold at a great pace and the move back and forward from one generation to another is very artfully achieved. I'll be looking for other books by Barbara Hannay.

[Phillipa · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely brilliant epic timeslip romance with stand out characters that left me in tears (in a good way) at the end. Set in tropical North Queensland and Cornwall, I read this while on holiday in TNQ so it had special resonance for me. I've read some of Barbara Hannay's Mills & Boon short romances and they are very good indeed but I loved reading a longer story - the descriptions of Australia and Cornwall were very evocative and the research into the plight of Aussie and British soldiers and civilians in WWII was heart-rending. The ending is wonderful - get the tissues ready!

[Carol - Reading Writing and Riesling · Rating 5 out of 5]

My View:
Barbara Hannay writes beautiful visuals of rural and remote Australia, in particular the thriving military town that is Townsville with its beautiful Strand and bustling city scapes to far north Queensland with its picturesque cattle properties, where “Big mobs of silvery Braham cattle grazed, and telegraph poles tracked the straight line of the Flinders Highway into the shimmering distance till they looked like mere wisps of smoke.”(p.348); such beautiful visuals forever remind me of Queensland.

The dual storylines – of George and Harrys’ early life during and after WW11 and Lucy’s current life, add many more destinations to the mix – we have London in the time of air raids and blackouts and the rugged Cornwall coast when Lucy visits England researching her family’s history, we have war zones past and present – Harry fought in many places including Tobruk, Kokoda and New Britain (an island of Papua New Guinea) and we have Lucy and Simon’s service in Afghanistan; so much information, travel and history is packed into this book.

Lots of travel, a fast moving and engaging narrative that reflects on times past and present , on families and choices, cultures and wars and the relationships that shape us and bind us to the land and characters you will warm to, this is a remarkable book. And did I mention the romance? Nick Myatt sets new standards for the male love interest in rural romances.

[Maya Linnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barbara Hannay's novels are seamless and always a delight. This one has been in my TBR pile for longer than it should have, and what a pleasure to dive into such a well written novel with beautiful characters, rich triumphs, tear-jerking challenges and two darling romance threads. Loved it, especially being able to recognise landmarks from Townsville and smile at the mention of the little-known outback towns of Julia Creek, Cluncurry and Hughenden, places we have visited on holiday. And although I haven't been to Cornwall, the line about Cornish pasties had me whipping up a batch for dinner, and everyone in the family said a big 'thank you' to Barbara for inspiring such a delicious meal.

[Daramegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://daramegan.cz/recenze/utajena-l...

[Helen - Great Reads & Tea Leaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Secret Years had me chained to my Kindle and will stay with me for some time to come. The outpouring of emotions throughout this story is real and heartfelt. So much so, the ending had me unsure of whether to smile or cry. It was perfection. A classic ending to what truly is a classic read. Do yourself a favour and go join Harry and George in 'The Secret Years'.

"And I know with absolute certainty that every important thing that I want begins and ends with you."

Full review at:
http://greatreadsandtealeaves.blogspo...

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read.

[Tien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find that I’m fascinated by love story in war time… The preciousness of life, of happiness, are just so keenly felt that finding love is such a bittersweet experience. This is what drew me to The Secret Years… asides from my penchant for rural romance, of course ;)

The novel tells of a love story which spans three generations though the middle one is somewhat neglected. It tells of the glorious once-in-a-lifetime love of Harry and Georgina who found each other in the midst of great uncertainty but the fates were quite generous to them as proven by the existence of the next generations.

In the present times, we follow Lucy, Harry and Georgina’s granddaughter, as she returned home from being deployed in Afghanistan. Home, however, didn’t quite turn out the way she dreamed of. Being at loose ends and burdened by a great curiosity of her family’s mysterious past, she goes to England in order to unveil some of her family’s secrets.

Lucy and Georgina are two loveable characters. They are both courageous women; strong, intelligent, grounded, and just so easy to be with. Rosie, on the other hand, was a bit of a mess. Unfortunately, her perspectives is very limited in this novel. I found it a little strange that the “secret” weren’t more fleshed out the novel. The secret was revealed in an almost-dry voice and it was over very quickly. I am comparing it to Kate Morton’s works where the dirty secret hung over you right from the very first word and when it was all revealed, you’d have this stab-in-the-heart sort of pain. There’s no such pain in The Secret Years.

If you adjust your expectation to a good rural romantic novel, I think you will really enjoyed this book. It was so easy to get into and proved to be a delightful relaxation companion. This was my first Barbara Hannay though I just found out that she’s really a prolific writer so can’t you just see my tbr becoming ever more insurmountable?

Thanks to Penguin Australia for paperback copy in exchange of honest review

Pssst, there’s an excerpt that you can check out.

[Sheree · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This was my first Barbara Hannay read. What rock have I been living under?? ... I have no idea why Hannay hasn't come to my attention before now but I've been missing out.

The Secret Years is a multi-generational story blending contemporary and historical narratives into an utterly captivating read.

It's a story where the past bleeds into the present, the effect of long held secrets rippling through generations.

Lucy returns home to Australia from a 6 month deployment in Afghanistan. Her mother and beloved grandfather Harry's reticence in talking about the past, then her discovery of a tin of her grandfather's wartime memorabilia, impetus for heading to Cornwall, England to unravel the secrets of her family's history.

Harry and George's (Georgina) story (the historical narrative) was my favourite, it's tender and brave and the war added tension and urgency to their romance. But, I was surprised to enjoy Lucy and 'cousin' Nick's story almost as much. Lucy's search for answers is integral in pulling all the pieces of the story together.

The Secret Years has a wonderful sense of place, whether it was the harsh beauty and isolation of the Australian bush, London during the Blitz, the dramatic beauty of the Cornish coastline or the lush beauty, humidity and danger of Rabaul, New Guinea during the Japanese invasion, I was transported effortlessly and completely immersed.

The Secret Years is an evocative story of great love, loss and secrets. Family history gives us a strong sense of identity so the story is also a journey of self discovery. Hannay breathes life and love into the pages.

One of the benefits of discovering an author late is an extensive backlist to devour :)

[Kira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up The Secret Years at my local mall recently. I'm behind on my challenges so needed to get reading if I want to make my reading targets by the end of the year. I didn't know what to expect, other than it met the criteria for my challenges (I haven't read any other books by Barbara Hannay before).

I felt like the book was a little slow to begin with, but once it got going I was well and truly hooked. The novel is told through multiple viewpoints: Lucy, her mother Rose, and her grandmother Georgina. The contrast in time (world war two and present day) and various settings served the story well. The characterisation was brilliant. I wanted Lucy to find what she was looking for, I was curious about Rose's past, and I felt anxious for George and Harry. The Secret Years delivers a rollercoaster of emotions. George and Harry's story was by far the best part and I loved every second of it. Of course I cried (I'm becoming such a sensitive little petal as I get older).

The mark of a great author is someone who can prompt a reader to look more carefully at their own lives. This book has really struck a chord with me and I am determined to find out more about my own family history, as Lucy did, through my grandparents and parents. I can sum this novel up in one word: excellent. If you pick this up, you won't be disappointed.

[Talking Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Secret Years by Barbara Hannay absolutely consumed me. Harry was just a sweetheart from the get go and George was a cut above her peers. Initially, their part in the story was perhaps my favourite to read. However, once the story opened up the whole dynamic of the read just leapt from the pages for this reader. The outpouring of emotions throughout this story left this reader teary throughout the read. The way the author tied three stories and generations together from Harry & George to Rosie and then Lucy was spellbinding. The transformation of each of the characters was huge. At first glance a character or two can come across as cold, heartless even. But the further through the story you read, your opinion shifts dramatically. Reader beware a box of tissues is required as the story is sure to pull on your heart strings a time or to. And the finish of the story was perfect, bliss :) Just a remarkably breathtaking read. Once again, Barbara Hannay manages to knock this reader over with a feather :)
5 stars
*Review copy received from Penguin Australia

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book of Barbara's that I have listened to and I really loved it. She tells the story of 3 generations going from World War 2 to the present day and set in Australia and England. Lucy is on leave from her army job and looking forward to planning her wedding. She comes home and finds that her fiancee is intimidated by her position in the army and the engagement falls through. She is curious about her ancestry and decides to travel to England to discover more about her Grandfather and Grandmother. There she meets the dashing Nick who she falls madly in love with. But he is struggling with the death of his brother who suffered from PTSD after being in the army. Will they ever get together? You will have to read this to find out. I am a huge fan of Barbara's stories and looking forward to the next book.

[A Reader's Heaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

When Lucy Hunter stumbles upon her grandfather Harry's World War II memorabilia, she finds a faded photograph of a stunning young woman known simply as 'George' and a series of heartfelt letters. They are clues about the secret years, a period of Lucy's family history that has been kept a mystery . . . until now.
How did a cattleman from north Queensland find forbidden love with the Honourable Georgina Lenton of London and persuade her to move to his isolated outback property? And why are the effects of this encounter still reverberating in the lives of Lucy and her mother, Rose, now?
As the passions of the past trickle down the years, three generations of one family pull together. Each must learn in their own way how true love can conquer the greatest challenges of all.

Historical fiction, mystery, romance, heroism and secrets are all blended together in this brilliant book. Barbara Hannay is no stranger to me, having read a number of her books previously, but this one is by far the best one I have read.

The story is told in two time periods - first we have the story of Lucy, travelling to Cornwell to try and unravel the mystery of the woman in the photograph, and how that is affecting her family in the present. Secondly, we get the historical story of Lucy's grandfather, Harry, and his time - war, passion and romance all mix together for an intriguing tale.

The other thing that bears mentioning is the stunning writing style - and knowledge - of the author. At no point was I left wanting "something to happen." The story plugged along beautifully and the more I read, the more captivated I was by the story of Harry and Georgina. Also, the author's knowledge and understanding of wartime throughout England, Australia, Papua New Guinea is a pleasure to read. The authenticity rang true for me.

The only thing that let it down for me was the ending. Without saying anything about it, I was hoping for more but ended up getting what I would consider "the safe option." And that was a pity because the previous 350+ pages had been excellent!

I would still happily recommend this book to fans of historical romance novels. And to fans of story-telling in general. This is a fine story!


Paul
ARH

[Robyn Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucy arrives in Townsville from her stint in Afghanistan and is excited to meet up with her fiancé. Instead of Sam her mother is there to meet her and without saying where they are going end up in her mother's brand new apartment with a brand new man in her life......one of many over the years. While Lucy is worrying about why Sam never turned up at the airport she is also worried about her grandfather Harry who is very old and sick, living on his own in a little house in Townsville. He is her mother's father but the mother just does not get along with him. Lucy has never been told why there is this friction, caused only by her mother. While Lucy gets over jetlag she finds an old Arnott's biscuit tin with her grandfather's memorabilia that her mother has put away in the bedroom wardrobe. There are quite a few medals her grandfather had never mentioned, letters and a photograph of a lovely woman, who just happens to be Lucy's grandmother, Harry's wife who he calls George whom he met in England. It is intriguing to think that this beautiful lady from a well-to-do family in England ends up on a cattle station in North Queensland.
We read about the three generations, Harry and George (Georgina) and her amazing story then Lucy's mother and Lucy herself and her life.
A wonderful story, so well written. I was deflated when I got to the end. How am I going to ever find another book that is as awesome as this one?!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is done very well, beautiful descriptive images and great characters, with the reader taken on a journey though different time periods, both past and present so a good mixture of historical fiction and contemporary. Spanning over three generations, it was so well written I would nearly give it a 5, but am leaning back towards a 4 and I think that was purely because it didn’t consume my thoughts when I wasn’t reading it. I enjoyed it and the characters, but for some reason I didn’t walk past the book in my room and have to stop and read a few sneaky pages while I should have been doing something else! A great read……..

[Malvina · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first slightly confusing, all the different strands of this story began to come together beautifully. Three generations of one family have their own poignant moments, both in England and Australia. It just makes me think how much families need to talk together, so 'secret years' don't stay secret, and people don't have to struggle to piece together the family history. Got a bit weepy on the last couple of pages because I figured out where the story was going to end. And rightly so. Thanks Barbara Hannay, you've never written anything less than wonderful.

[Stacey Houllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Loved !!! It was a beautiful written story by Barbra Hannay it tells the story of Lucy Hunter' s journey to search of her grandfather past in the war and woman he fell in love with during World War two. Her mum won't talk much about her childhood growing up and the family.
Lucy is in the Army on logistics side of it and has returned home to Australia after serving in Afghanistan. She breaks up with her boyfriend Sam he couldn't deal with her job.
Lucy sets of to England to find the ancestors of her family mainly information about her grandmother George and finds love in the arms of Nick Maytt. I wouldn't give more away you have to read it.📖📒📚

[Lesley Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

As my daughter has had experience as a returned Afghanistan veteran to Townsville where we have visited her,this book has similarilies to real life for me. In saying that the story was very interesting,although perhaps more of Rose's life in Cornwall could have been included to help the understanding of her character. The new guinea scenes were extremely well handled . Very good read with suitable endings for all the characters.

[Barbara Strickland · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful read

Delightfully Australian this was a a wonderfully warm and flowing story encompassing the span of three generations.The author creates some lovely images bringing the landscape alive, no easy feat when she is covering two different countries and two very different wars, and a whole lot of falling in love just to keep us turning those pages.
A most satisfying read.

[Tracey Charlton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every family/generation has at least one secret left untold for the next one to poke at, chase, and if lucky, figure it out. This is a fabulous tale of love, loss, hard times, heartache, lucky escapes, and well timed reunions after transversing many miles of land and ocean through generations and secrets!
Another could not put this book down until the last page was read.
I loved it!

[Steve Castley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable, many-layered romance set in North Queensland and England. I enjoyed the twists, but it was a bit predictable and happy ever afterish. Still a fun and fast read. Good for rainy days during our current wet season.

[Lucie Aran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Myslím, že knihy od Barbary Hannay mě snad nikdy nezačnou nudit. Mám moc ráda prolínání časových rovin a v kombinaci s odkrýváním rodinných tajemství, sympatickými a odhodlanými ženami a něžnou romantickou linkou, je o příjemné čtení postaráno.