BEYOND INNOCENCE
Available November 12, 2012 from Crimson Romance.
Available e-book from Amazon
In 1819, a woman’s word is worthless against a man’s. Unjustly accused of fraud by her uncle, Viscount Gascombe, Electra Shipley finds herself on a transport ship bound for the penal colony of New South Wales. When free settler, William Radcliffe, exercises his right to a convict wife, she accepts a marriage of convenience to escape incarceration and clear her name.
As a powerful attraction draws them together, the travails of the wild penal colony and its native inhabitants test their courage, their integrity and their ability to trust each other. And how can she stay when his ex-fiancee arrives in the colony with his bastard child?
But Electra has her own dark secret. Her uncle’s furtive fumblings when she was a child have led her to fear intimacy with a man, causing her to violently repel William’s advances. When Electra is kidnapped, the past is obliterated as they both fight for their love and their future.
REVIEWS FOR BEYOND INNOCENCE
Since publication in November, 2012, Beyond Innocence has received only 4 & 5 star reviews as follows:
"Whilst not usually being an ardent fan of historical
fiction this one got me in! I was swiftly press ganged into colonial Australia
and the passionate plight of plucky heroine Electra. I was barracking for her
as she battled the vicissitudes of the British justice system, the ignorance
and prejudices of early Australian society and the convoluted mysteries of the
human heart.
The author's careful and thorough research portrayed
Electra as clearly a woman of her time. However I was able to relate to
Electra's almost timeless 'gal' nature - a sure sign of skilled writing. I also
enjoyed Electra's social justice tinged adventures which shone a glimpse into
the writer's heart and allowed a delightful frisson of bonding. Electra's hot
blooded relationship with the tortured William almost brought on a flushing
blush. Sigh, I'd love to meet him - handsome devil that he is!
This book is a rollicking voyage from a fresh and exciting voice in this sometimes
under-appreciated genre. What a transporting way to learn more about the darker
days of Anglo-Australian history. "
"What I loved about this was - everything. Not just the
adventure, detail and convolutions of the story, but how the author addressed
social issues that are as relevant today as they were in the context of early
Australian colonialism. The place of women in society and how a woman must
instinctively battle against the mores of the day to maintain her own inherent
integrity. The development of enduring and trusting bonds with other
compassionate but practical women including Electra's interactions with her
fellow convicts, the female leaders of colonial society, her staff at the big
house and neighbours, as well as the immediate and instinctive sisterhood
shared between Electra and the Aboriginal women - as they undergo the similar
yet diverse experiences common to women in any society at any time: love and
protection of family and home, betrayal of legal and social systems and men,
and, the intuitive knowledge that female concerns are without class or race
distinction, and require female solidarity and empathy to ensure individual
survival.
If there is a concept of the early Australian pioneers as
practical, strong women who battled in their physical and emotional
environments, then it must surely include Electra Shipley.
It is a joy
to share Electra's struggle between her innate feminism and her heart's
calling. I loved the wonderful, strong and very hunky William, and can see
absolutely why Electra is so incredibly attracted to this man who has
everything going for him. While he was sweeping Electra off her feet, he took
me along too - all that amazing masculinity, with that touch of vulnerability.
Yes please! But, having said that I had a not-so-sneaking attraction for one of
the secondary characters who was gorgeous and powerful enough to grab my
interest: the taciturn but wild Scotsman, Callum who is the archetypical gentle
giant. He is a great character, and together with his wife Sheila, needs his
own space in his own book. It is a mark of the author's craft that she is able
to manage such strong secondary characters and subplots without their
diminishing, or overtaking, her primary ones.
The "can I have more please" factor is definitely there with this author who is obviously caring
about the detail of her worldbuilding, character construction, research and
wordsmithing.
Nicole Kidman for the movie role, I think!"
See Amazon Website for all reviews http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Innocence-Crimson-Romance-ebook/dp/B009VM0L8E
Book available in e-format and Print format from Amazon & The Book Depository and e-format from Barnes & Noble and iTunes.
"Whilst not usually being an ardent fan of historical
fiction this one got me in! I was swiftly press ganged into colonial Australia
and the passionate plight of plucky heroine Electra. I was barracking for her
as she battled the vicissitudes of the British justice system, the ignorance
and prejudices of early Australian society and the convoluted mysteries of the
human heart.
The author's careful and thorough research portrayed
Electra as clearly a woman of her time. However I was able to relate to
Electra's almost timeless 'gal' nature - a sure sign of skilled writing. I also
enjoyed Electra's social justice tinged adventures which shone a glimpse into
the writer's heart and allowed a delightful frisson of bonding. Electra's hot
blooded relationship with the tortured William almost brought on a flushing
blush. Sigh, I'd love to meet him - handsome devil that he is!
This book is a rollicking voyage from a fresh and exciting voice in this sometimes
under-appreciated genre. What a transporting way to learn more about the darker
days of Anglo-Australian history. "
"What I loved about this was - everything. Not just the
adventure, detail and convolutions of the story, but how the author addressed
social issues that are as relevant today as they were in the context of early
Australian colonialism. The place of women in society and how a woman must
instinctively battle against the mores of the day to maintain her own inherent
integrity. The development of enduring and trusting bonds with other
compassionate but practical women including Electra's interactions with her
fellow convicts, the female leaders of colonial society, her staff at the big
house and neighbours, as well as the immediate and instinctive sisterhood
shared between Electra and the Aboriginal women - as they undergo the similar
yet diverse experiences common to women in any society at any time: love and
protection of family and home, betrayal of legal and social systems and men,
and, the intuitive knowledge that female concerns are without class or race
distinction, and require female solidarity and empathy to ensure individual
survival.
If there is a concept of the early Australian pioneers as
practical, strong women who battled in their physical and emotional
environments, then it must surely include Electra Shipley.
It is a joy
to share Electra's struggle between her innate feminism and her heart's
calling. I loved the wonderful, strong and very hunky William, and can see
absolutely why Electra is so incredibly attracted to this man who has
everything going for him. While he was sweeping Electra off her feet, he took
me along too - all that amazing masculinity, with that touch of vulnerability.
Yes please! But, having said that I had a not-so-sneaking attraction for one of
the secondary characters who was gorgeous and powerful enough to grab my
interest: the taciturn but wild Scotsman, Callum who is the archetypical gentle
giant. He is a great character, and together with his wife Sheila, needs his
own space in his own book. It is a mark of the author's craft that she is able
to manage such strong secondary characters and subplots without their
diminishing, or overtaking, her primary ones.
The "can I have more please" factor is definitely there with this author who is obviously caring
about the detail of her worldbuilding, character construction, research and
wordsmithing.
Nicole Kidman for the movie role, I think!"
See Amazon Website for all reviews http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Innocence-Crimson-Romance-ebook/dp/B009VM0L8E
Book available in e-format and Print format from Amazon & The Book Depository and e-format from Barnes & Noble and iTunes.
