I loved the characters and the storyline development of this book. It was absolutely one of my favorites so far and I can't wait to delve in to the next one that this author writes. The storyline was simple, enjoyable, and entertaining.

Historical fiction is one of my all time favourite reads and do believe i've read another book by Lena Dowling in the past. Anyway, 'Convict Heart' was a very enjoyable read and i look forward to reading more by this author. Recommended.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, which i have voluntarily given.

I love to read about Australia in its early Colonial period and this fits into the time frame. I would highly recommend reading this. The setting and the romance was great!

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

All of Sydney knows she was a convict and a prostitute, but Nellie Malone is now the manager of the ‘Tullamore' Inn, a respectable businesswoman who makes her living on her brains and hard work – no longer on her back. But when gentleman Harry Chester, fresh to the colonies, shows up at the Tullamore with papers of ownership and plans to collect rent, Nellie's carefully controlled world is sent into a tailspin. She has barely enough money to keep her doors open, let alone pay an owner the rent he is demanding. The Tullamore is Nellie's home, her hope, and her freedom all tied up into one, and she will do anything to save it. Now, she has to decide what she is willing to sacrifice to hold on to the dreams for a future she's only just beginning to realise.

*3.5 stars*

This is the third book in the Convict Wives series and I somehow feel like I have missed out on something by not reading the first two books. I get the feeling that it is a standalone novel, in its own right, but having read the first two books would have been somehow beneficial to get the feel of the story.

As for the story, it was quite good. The simple story is that a former prostitute, now a respectable businesswoman, is having trouble finding the money to keep her place of business open. Then a new landlord comes along and makes things significantly harder for her...and she will do anything to keep her business alive.

Nellie was a great character - I was deeply invested in her story and was cheering for her the whole way. She deserved more than she had, and I truly hoped that Harry's arrival would eventually turn things around for her.

The setting was lovingly drawn as well - Australia was a tough place and the author certainly made no bones about that. In fact, it is commendable that the toughness of early life in Australia wasn't just brushed over (as is often the case in historical romance novels). I did really appreciate that.

Overall, this was a good book that I enjoyed for what it was. Will definitely go back and find the previous books and see how this compares overall.


Paul
ARH

I quite liked this book was a bit of a heartbreaker at times you cannot help but feel for Nellie,i really liked Harry he really tried.Well written great read

A fast paced historical romance set in Australia. Recently arrived Irishman Harry Chester arrives on businesswoman Nellie Malone's doorstep and informs her that he now is the tenant in charge of her property. Despite several neighbors and friends telling him not to, Harry soon develops feelings for the former prostitute. Sparks fly and a few misunderstandings too, how will Nellie react when she discovers that her intended is keeping secrets from her?

Despite Nellie's former trade as the town madam and a few sexual innuendos, the romance was squeaky clean and there wasn't much insta-love.

My heart went out to Nellie, our heroine, and very often I was so furious when I read what had happened to her that I had to stop reading. Harry tries very hard to do the right thing but alas, he is a man at a time when few men considered a woman their equal in any way and he is also limited by the expectations of a society he shuns but to which he has to bow to nontheless. Not the best combination when it comes to doing bussiness with a woman, especially a former prostitute. He tries but ...well.

I really enjoyed this story, even though some parts of it were rather hard to read due to the circumstances in which our heroine and our hero find themselves. Apart from the well developed characters and the well plotted story, I was really impressed by the picture drawn of the country. Knowing that Australia was used as a place where criminals were brought to is one thing, another thing is, when you realize what that meant for the society and the people living there.

Of course I also knew that not everybody who was deported, really was guilty of the crime he or she was accused of but to read about it? To read about people who suffered due to such machinations, such injustice - that is something else. Their life was torn apart, they were shipped of to some foreign country and had no chance to ever see their families and loved ones again. Sometimes mistakes were made, sometimes somebody accused them falsely and they seldom had a chance to prove their innocence.

Nellie and Harry are a wonderful team, working hard to make their dreams come true but will that be enough? And is there a chance for Nellie to become really happy at last? Or will their enemies win?