The Postmistress (Maiden's Creek #1) in Aussie Readers

Jun 13, 2019 Brenda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: aussie-authors, net-galley, 2019-release, read-on-kindle, own-read, historical-fiction, arc

Adelaide and her friend Netty had arrived in Australia from England, and after working for a short time in Melbourne, moved to Maiden’s Creek where Adelaide took up the position of postmistress. Her young son Danny was the light of her life, and the three of them settled in well. It was 1871 and the small goldmining town housed some rough and ready folks, but Adelaide was a strong woman and determined to forge a future.

Caleb Hunt was recently arrived from the United States and the war had left s ...more

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Jun 16, 2019 Helen rated it it was amazing

I love MS Stuart’s books, she has a fabulous way with words and this story is just fabulous, her first set in Australia and can I say how much I loved this one it kept me up very late last night finishing it. I love Adelaide and Caleb, they are wonderful honest characters that have been through a lot and come through with love and friendship, this one is a must read.

Adelaide Lewis had led a secluded and privileged life in England, an only child with an uncaring wealthy father, but at a ball her I love MS Stuart’s books, she has a fabulous way with words and this story is just fabulous, her first set in Australia and can I say how much I loved this one it kept me up very late last night finishing it. I love Adelaide and Caleb, they are wonderful honest characters that have been through a lot and come through with love and friendship, this one is a must read.

Adelaide Lewis had led a secluded and privileged life in England, an only child with an uncaring wealthy father, but at a ball her life changes forever, her and her maid and best friend Netty arrive in Melbourne here she gives birth to her son Daniel and creates a new life for them all. Soon she is taking up the role of postmistress in the small gold mining town of Maiden’s Creek, she is strong and caring. Life is about to change again for Adelaide when a newcomer arrives in town an American with secrets.

Caleb Hunt has arrived in Australia after serving as a confederate soldier what he has seen and been through is enough to bring a man down but her moves on and decides to take his chance at gold mining after winning a claim in a game of chance, he arrives in Maiden’s Creek to find that he has been let down badly. Then he meets the beautiful postmistress and her son and there is a pull toward this woman, he feels that he may be able to open up to her, and then the time comes when he needs to open up to a secret that will help the town and when danger arrives in town in the form of an old friend of Adelaide’s, Caleb steps up and life is about to get a whole lot better for him.

This book is such a page turner, so many emotions it is moving and so well researched and written, it pulled me in from page one, the setting, the characters the depth of friendship and struggle that was a way of life back then. I loved getting to know Caleb and Adelaide the strength they drew from each other had me cheering them on. I do highly recommend this book, it really is a wonderful story, thank you MS Stuart this one is a keeper.
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Oct 21, 2019 Bronwyn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: australian, romance-historical

I thoroughly enjoyed this read and stayed up late to finish it. The characters are well-drawn and the story engrossing. Alison Stuart's historical research is solid and fascinating, deftly woven through the story to vividly recreate the Victorian goldfields and the landscape. I'm looking forward to the next book! ...more

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Jul 30, 2019 Bree T rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, australian, historical-fiction, cultural, aww2019

A devastating incident leaves Adelaide, the daughter of a wealthy Englishman, with a bit of a consequence. Rather than face her stern father’s wrath, Adelaide flees England and books passage to Australia where she eventually ends up the postmistress of Maiden’s Creek, a small mining town east of Melbourne. There she raises her young son Danny along with her former maid, who assists her in all manner of work. Adelaide doesn’t fit the role of refined woman of the upper class – she is kind to every A devastating incident leaves Adelaide, the daughter of a wealthy Englishman, with a bit of a consequence. Rather than face her stern father’s wrath, Adelaide flees England and books passage to Australia where she eventually ends up the postmistress of Maiden’s Creek, a small mining town east of Melbourne. There she raises her young son Danny along with her former maid, who assists her in all manner of work. Adelaide doesn’t fit the role of refined woman of the upper class – she is kind to everyone and will often assist the less than fortunate in learning to read and write. She enjoys her role, she enjoys the small town, feeling at peace on the other side of the world.

Caleb Hunt is an American who ended up in Australia by chance. With scars of his own from the US Civil War, Caleb has left a lot of his former life behind, vowing never again to ply his craft. By chance he wins a claim of land in a gamble and decides it’s as good an option as any, deciding to try his luck. After he’s betrayed, he’s forced to reassess, not able to start work on his claim just yet. In Maiden’s Creek his quick thinking act to save someone’s life leaves him injured and he finds himself being cared for by Adelaide, who believes she owes him a debt.

I read quite a bit of historical fiction but surprisingly, I actually don’t read a lot of Australian historical fiction. This makes me wonder why because this book was fantastic and I enjoyed it from the first page to the last. It opens in England, with Adelaide as a young woman having breakfast with her father where he tells her he’s annoyed one of his ships has been lost. Adelaide isn’t annoyed though – what she’s experiencing is much more powerful than that. Then it skips forward to her in Australia, the postmistress of a small town close to a gold mining area. Adelaide is a very strong woman, a devoted mother to her son and the kind of person who treats everyone the same, from the wives of bank managers to the ‘dancers’ in a local establishment. She’s built herself an impeccable reputation in the small town, well aware that the one lie she’s told could bring it all crashing down.

Caleb has no one left. He’s as far away from ‘home’ as he can possibly get. When accident and design strand him in Maiden’s Creek, he and Adelaide get off to somewhat of a rocky start with Caleb reluctant to play patient. He really just wants to get out to his claim as quickly as possible and assess what he can do there. However he’s not in any condition to be able to do that, which gives them the perfect excuse to get to know each other.

This was a really well paced story with wonderful characters and a setting that really highlighted how isolated parts of Australia are and how arduous travelling around it was. The part of country that Maiden’s Creek is in has both mountains and is also heavily forested which makes it a very challenging trek by horse and cart. Caleb’s reaction to staring over the edge of a cliff is great. There’s a lot of what I feel would be 19th century Australian issues addressed here, such as working at the local mine and the dangers and troubles that can bring, especially in the face of a manager who cuts corners in safety for production, effective medical treatment and policing in isolated areas, the weather, the wildlife and dangers like bushfires. A lot of these are still relevant today but with more technology to combat them.

The tension in the novel built nicely alongside the burgeoning attraction between Caleb and Adelaide, with the author doing a great job placing the characters in peril in a really believable way. The story had some interesting twists and turns, some of which I saw coming and some that I didn’t, so that kept me guessing and turning the pages. I really enjoyed the way the minor characters were included to – the romance between Netty and her beau, the ‘dancers’, the doctor with his troubles, the man who offers Adelaide medicines. It’s a nice little community, although not without its issues.

Very enjoyable.

***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review*** ...more

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May 03, 2020 Cathleen Ross rated it it was amazing

This is a beautifully written historical romance.

Set in Victoria in the 1870s, The Postmistress tells the tale of Adelaide Greaves who falls pregnant and has to forge a new identity for herself.
Caleb Hunt is injured saving Adelaide's son, Danny so Adelaide agrees to nurse Caleb back to health and a romance develops.

Stuart paints vivid Australian scenes, which are realistic and easy to fall in to for the reader. I can't recommend this book enough. ...more

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Mar 10, 2022 Tien rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: australia, historical-fiction, australian-author

An absolute delight! I love the setting, the characters, and the story. It has all the hallmarks of an historical romance in the Australian outback so I guess there really wasn't any hugely unexpected twist but it was a very comforting, very lovely read. I really wanted to just keep reading this last night but being a responsible adult, I stopped myself at halfway at half past midnight. I couldn't help but finishing it today though. So if you're after a comfort read, I'd highly recommend this no ...more

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Oct 28, 2019 Nicola Marsh rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aussie-authors, rural-romance, romance, read-in-2019

I recently read Alison Stuart's historical mystery set in Singapore (Singapore Sapphire) and thoroughly enjoyed it, but this book held me captivated.

I loved the strong heroine, Adelaide, and the trials she went through.
And sexy American Caleb Hunt is her match in every way.
With an interesting cast of secondary characters, a vivid setting and historical data that fascinated, I found this to be a lovely page-turning read. ...more

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May 07, 2020 Marg rated it really liked it

Shelves: aww-2020

4.5/5

Thoroughly enjoyed this! Looking forward to the next one

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Aug 07, 2021 Karen Field rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The Postmistress is an Australian book, written by an Australian author, and most enjoyable. It begins in England where a daughter of a well-to-do father finds herself pregnant and decides to “run away” to Australia to bring up her child.

The story shows the difficulties of living in a young country—the hardships, poverty, lack of facilities and covers themes such as mining, bushfires, pandemics and dangerous Australian wildlife. But it also shows how people with secrets can start again and build ...more

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Oct 18, 2020 Kira rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance

This was a quick, entertaining read. It's been a while since I delved into historical romance and I wish it hadn't left it so long. Alison Stuart has written a good book in the Postmistress. Her setting in the Australian goldfields in the 1800s is excellent and the characters are sympathetic while being flawed. I'm looking forward to reading the next book. ...more

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