Finella Mayfield hates two things: liars and thieves. And she’s determined to marry a man who’s neither. Chasing her dead father’s dreams, the twenty-year-old English bride arrives in Australia in 1875 for an arranged marriage. Anticipating her future as village preacher’s wife, she records her thoughts in her Everlasting journal. But instead of her fiance, Finella is met by Shadrach Jones, a poor farmer sent to collect her from the busy Melbourne pier. This is not what her father planned. And it’s only the beginning of the unraveling of Finella Mayfield the bride with no groom. All Shadrach longs for is rows of mustard and chicory. He’s busy growing a farm near the Phillip Island fishing village of Cowes, and caring for Molly, his simple sister. Far from the brutal life they remember with their ex-convict father, Shadrach’s building something new. But he’s also made a promise to a dying friend. To collect and marry the English girl destined to never be a preacher’s wife. Can Shadrach convince Finella she has a future with a farmer? Can he convince himself, knowing his family secrets will haunt their future? Carry Me Home Book 1 in the Blue Wren Shallows series. An Australian historical romance set in the pioneering era of the 1870s, on Victoria’s majestic Phillip Island.”
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Sexual Content - 1/5
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Violence - 1/5
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Language - 0/5
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Drugs and Alcohol - 1/5
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Summary
Wearing a heavy shroud of grief after burying her father at sea, Finella Mayfield survives the interminable voyage from England to Australia, arriving with sincere expectations; marry the man whom her father chose and assume the humble role of a pastor's wife. To her complete horror, an area farmer meets her upon arrival and adamantly insists that she accompany him to the bedside of her dying fiance. Unbeknown to Finella, this fiance has orchestrated a promise out of Shadrach Jones, to care for her upon his death, as if she were his own. Shadrach Jones, upon the advice of his deceased friend's housekeeper, offers Miss Mayfield temporary employment, consisting of room and board, in exchange for keeping his younger sister out of danger on his property and teaching her basic homemaking skills. Molly Jones has a simple mind and often wanders, interrupting Shadrach's grueling farm work to ensure her safekeeping. Finella agrees, stuffing her grief into a distant corner and trying not to show her repulsion upon viewing the small hovel that the Jones siblings call home. As she and Shadrach become better acquainted, it's obvious that both of them have injured memories and furiously battle unseen demons, intent upon disrupting a future that could only be theirs. \"Carry Me Home\" is exquisite, bulging with raw emotion, embedded within characters who practically beg for their story to be told. Inspiration, disappointment, courage and fear all vie for attention, while bits and pieces of a brilliant story line ultimately fall into place. Dorothy Adamek has penned an astonishing debut.
Violence: Violent acts are described from the past
Drug & Alcohol: A person in one character's past drank heavily.