A captivating historical novel of pioneering Australian women finding their way in a man's world, from the author of the bestselling Mr Chen's Emporium. It is 1885, and Amy Chen is still in black, more than a decade after the death of her beloved husband Charles. But her widow's weeds belie a determined young woman with a big ambition: Amy is going to build the grandest rural hotel in the colony of New South Wales, complete with its very own 'ascending cabinet'. Meanwhile, her best friend, Eliza Miller, has dreams of her own - to become one of Australia's first female doctors. However when she returns to Millbrooke from her medical studies at the Sorbonne, she finds the job she thought was hers has been taken ... by a man.Over the course of two turbulent years both women will face difficult choices -- love or duty? Career or marriage? Is it possible to have it all ...?

A compelling novel of starting over from the author of Mr Chen's Emporium. Eighteen months ago Angie Wallace thought her world had ended. Now she's fighting off suitors - and facing a crisis she never saw coming . . .'Unrequited love hurt like hell - whether you were fifteen or fifty-something.'Following the death of her beloved husband Phil, Angie has made a new life for herself in the enchanting gold rush town of Millbrooke. The proud proprietor of the Old Manse B&B and a fierce protector of local history, her transition from 'blow-in' to bona fide Millbrooker is complete. She's even fallen for the erudite but scruffy Richard Scott, owner of Millerbrooke House.But just as the relationship between Angie and Richard seems to be blossoming, a woman from his past arrives back in town - and turns their world upside down.Because Diana Goodmann isn't all she seems, and when Angie vows to unearth the truth about her rival she finds herself a long way from home - and in very grave danger.

From the author of Mr Chen's Emporium comes a quirky and heartwarming tale about finding your true place in the world, set against the backdrop of a weekly trivia competition.'Trivia is a serious business, not a social occasion' Kevin Dwyer, the 'trivia man'Dubbed 'brainbox' by his peers and 'weirdo' by his sister, Kevin Dwyer is a middle-aged forensic accountant who has never had a real friend, other than his eight-year-old nephew Patrick. When Kevin joins the Clifton Park Sports Club trivia competition as a one-man team, and convincingly wins the first round, he is headhunted by the other contestants. But Kevin would prefer to be on his own. That is, until he meets Maggie Taylor . . .Maggie is a Latin teacher and movie buff, who's good at her job but unlucky in love. In fact, she's still besotted with the man who dumped her years ago. Nagged by her friend Carole about getting out and meeting people, Maggie reluctantly joins the trivia team founded by...

Perfect for book clubs, Mr Chen's Emporium is an enchanting historical love story, as East meets West in a sleepy NSW gold rush town.In 1872, seventeen-year-old Amy Duncan arrives in the Gold Rush town of Millbrooke, having spent the coach journey day-dreaming about glittering pavilions and gilded steeples. What she finds is a dusty main street lined with ramshackle buildings.That is until she walks through the doors of Mr Chen's Emporium, a veritable Aladdin's cave, and her life changes forever. Though banned from the store by her dour clergyman father, Amy is entranced by its handsome owner, Charles Chen ...In present-day Millbrooke, recently widowed artist, Angie Wallace, has rented the Old Manse where Amy once lived. When her landlord produces an antique trunk containing Amy's intriguingly diverse keepsakes - both Oriental and European - Angie resolves to learn more about this mysterious girl from the past.And it's not long before the lives of two very different women, born...