Carry Me Home
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 fiancé, 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 Jones 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.
Praise for Carry Me Home
“In Carry Me Home, Dorothy Adamek gives a familiar tale a fresh Australian twist. With gripping characters, a playful romance, delightful writing and heart-rending moments, this novel held me tight and wouldn’t let me go. Why, this gifted writer even makes mud romantic! A sterling debut!”
Sarah Sundin, award-winning author of Through Waters Deep
“As irresistible and winsome as a Phillip Island sunset, Dorothy Adamek’s Carry Me Home is beautifully written and a lyrical portrayal of the power of forgiveness.”
Siri Mitchell, author of Like A Flower In Bloom
“Reading Dorothy’s debut novel is like a walk with friends from the cliffs to the sea. The first steps take your breath away by the beauty, the next leave you laughing at calamity at hand, and the rest leave your heart full for the good company. Each word is profound – shells lovingly placed by the author to be gathered and kept. When you reach the shore, you do it with tears in your eyes and a realization that you are changed.”
Joanne Bischof, award winning author of This Quiet Sky