This book is set in London and Australia in two different time periods. It is historical fictions and a mystery.
The moving between the two time periods is not smooth, and takes some re-reading to be on track with the stories. Otherwise, it is an interesting read.

When Fleur learns that her beloved husband has died in the First World War, she refuses to believe it, and she doesn't want her inheritance. However, she intrepidly sets off for Australia to find out more. The mystery deepens when she gets to Sydney, and there are many unanswered questions. What has Hugh got to do with an old curio shop? Who is the old man at the house in the Hunter Valley? Why did Hugh not tell her more?

This leads to another story set in the middle of the 19th century, involving a young Austrian soldier who has come to study botanical specimens. He finds himself in the middle of another mystery about the curio shop and a beautiful opal, and becomes concerned about the mistreatment of the Indigenous people. He is also attracted to lovely Della, who is in the middle of all this.

This is an absorbing historical tale with memorable characters and evocative descriptions of Sydney and the Hunter Valley, which made me yearn for our twice-yearly trips. She also captured the historical atmosphere of Sydney well. I will read more books by Tea Cooper, but I found the main story a bit convoluted and confusing.

I received this free ebook from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is a long-haul read. The dual narratives are a bit jarring for the first, oh, 40% of the book. But I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of Australia (I've never been, but I could picture the settings developed in the author's lovely prose). It was a little heavy with the grief and trauma of the Great War (which, as it rather feels like we are doomed to repeat 1918-19, was hard to read at times). And the 1850s heroine, Della, was a little too perfect--I think we'd all like to believe that our forebears were bright and liberated and not bigoted at all, and in historical fiction that can be true, but I'm not sure pretending does us any favors in the present moment. Also, content warning, there is rather a lot of taxidermy in this book, so maybe don't gift it to your vegan friend.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I loved the premise of this book but found the execution to be a little lacking. I enjoyed learning about taxidermy and the history and the physical setting in Australia, but the characters didn't seem believable to me (particularly Della, who just seemed a little too perfect). Anti-racism is a great thing, but Della's and Stefan's attitude/actions against racism felt a little anachronistic for the 1800s. The mystery was fairly predictable and the writing felt a little juvenile. I'm grateful for the chance to read this book, provided by the publisher, but would probably not have finished it except to leave this review.

Book Review { Thank you @tlcbooktours @tnzfiction @tea_cooper for my gifted copy}

Synopsis: After a whirlwind romance, London teashop waitress Fleur Richards can’t wait for her new husband, Hugh, to return from the Great War. But when word of his death arrives on Armistice Day, Fleur learns he has left her a sizable family fortune. Refusing to accept the inheritance, she heads to his beloved home country of Australia in search of the relatives who deserve it more.

In spite of her reluctance, she soon finds herself the sole owner of a remote farm and a dilapidated curio shop full of long-forgotten artifacts, remarkable preserved creatures, and a mystery that began more than sixty-five years ago. With the help of Kip, a repatriated soldier dealing with the sobering aftereffects of war, Fleur finds herself unable to resist pulling on the threads of the past. What she finds is a shocking story surrounding an opal and a woman in a green dress. . . a story that, nevertheless, offers hope and healing for the future.

Review: Yay for a historical fiction book that's not a WWII book. 😂 I'm completely burnt out on them so I jumped at the chance to review this one.

What I loved:

1. I loved that this book had both a dual timeline and dual point of views. I felt the author did a wonder job intertwining the dual timelines and loved how they collided at the end of the story.

2. The mystery in this novel made it impossible to put this one down. The plot definitely captivated my attention and the two female lead protagonists were wonderfully written.

3. I enjoyed how this novel taught me things about WWI I didn't know. This book focuses on Australia's involvement in the war and a bit on the indigenous people of Australia. I definitely spent some time on Google after I finished reading.

If you are a lover of historical fiction like myself, I definitely recommend you pick this one up!

This was not a bad book, just a terribly convoluted story. I started reading it three times before I finally made it to the end, with lots of skipped pages. The author does an amazing job depicting the beauty of Australia and outlining the historical references that made the story come to life. But I just could not connect with the characters and their ongoing travel from place to place. The idea that in 1919 this young woman would have set out on the journey to Australia alone pushes the boundaries of believability and then undertakes the arduous trip to Mogo after only a few days in Sydney just didn't work for me. And the fact that the attorney could not produce any documentation even though they knew Fleur was on her way, just seemed a ruse. Even the title and cover really do not fit the book since the woman in the green dress was such a small part of the story - albeit the protagonist that drove it. And tying up all the loose ends seemed to leave out too many events, and I cannot even comment on the relationship between Kip and his grand father and why they needed to be estranged. So I didn't love it, but I am sure there is an audience for it. I was given an ARC of this book through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book and had trouble putting it down. The characters grabbed me from the beginning and I had to know what would happen next. I loved reading about Australia. Thank you for this book.

Being a fan of historical fiction set in the world war, it's hard to give a book a low rating when you really want to love it. I love the post-World War I setting, but it seemed that I couldn't find any connection to the story. It felt dragging already from the start and I couldn't go on.

Still willing to give this a try in the future but for the meantime, this rating still stands.

The story is set over two timelines: Sydney in the mid 1800s and 1919. At the centre of the story is the Curio Shop of Wonders and a woman in a green dress (Scheele's Green, no less). In 1853, the shop is a thriving business selling, among other things, native artifacts and taxidermied animals. Sixty six years later, the shop, now derelict and boarded up, is part of Fleur Richards' inheritance, as is the property at Mogo Creek.

It is at Mogo Creek, in 1853, that Captain Stefan von Richter meets Della Atterton, the taxidermist responsible for the mounts on display in the Curio Shop of Wonders. Stefan is in the area to view the native flora and fauna, and also to carry out a secret commission to collect a precious stone, an opal, on behalf of his mentor, Baron von Hugel. The latter, however, proves more problematic than Stefan anticipates.

Alarmed by Stefan's recounting of his visit to the shop and his meeting with Cordelia Atterton, her aunt, Della reveals that she is the owner of the shop and decides to accompany Stefan back to Sydney. When Della begins to question the direction the business has taken and the method by which indigenous artifacts have been acquired, her aunt disappears.

Meanwhile, in 1919, Fleur Richards arrives in Sydney determined to find her husband's relatives and return the inheritance. Her plans are thwarted by her husband’s solicitor being away on business and his office in turmoil as the result of a recent move. As her questions cannot be answered immediately, Fleur decides to find out more about her husband and his family on her own. Her visit to the property at Mogo Creek leaves her none the wiser. It is the boarded up shop that will eventually reveal the Richards' family secrets and leave Fleur bewildered and devastated.

As a reader of historical murder mysteries, the mention of Scheele's Green early on set my mind whirling and imagining all sorts of scenarios. Not because of the colour, but the significance of what it contains: arsenic. The use of arsenic in taxidermy made for interesting reading, as did the process itself. Taxidermy was an unusual trade for a woman in Victorian times and brought a unique aspect to the story, especially as Della is conflicted by how some of the animals she works on met their fate.

While I enjoyed the romance between Della and Stefan, it was the mystery that grabbed my attention and how skilfully and seamlessly the two timelines were brought together at the end, when Fleur finally uncovers the history of her husband's family and the opal, and what happened to the woman in the green dress.

This is the best Tea Cooper novel I've read to date and have no hesitation in recommending it. I can't wait to see where her next novel takes us.

Dual timeline book that was a bit jarring until several chapters in and then the author hit her stride. Her descriptive language of her beloved Australia was a central theme and was well done.

I always love to read of anything written about Australia so the location drew me in. This book kept me guessing where the story was heading and was happy for the ending to finally add everything up. I enjoyed reading it, the ending was not what I expected.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley and my review is my own.

I found this book to have an engaging plot with interesting characters. Although it was somewhat predictable, it still had enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing and wanting to keep reading. As an Australian, I understood the colloquialisms used, but it may have been sometimes challenging for someone who didn't. I felt the descriptions of the landscapes were strongly evocative and brought back memories of the Australian bushland. If I were still teaching in Australia, I would consider putting this onto my formal curriculum reading list, but may hesitate as an international teacher. Overall, this was an enjoyable read that kept me up reading into the night.

My Thoughts:

The Woman in the Green Dress by Tea Cooper features an eye-catching cover for this dual timeline, historical fiction novel. The story was a slow start for me as I struggled to find a connection between the two storylines. Somewhere around the 40% percent mark, my interest in the novel heightened. The story’s strength lies in the questions, searches, and mysteries, but I think greater character development would have enhanced the story.

Bert ranked as my favorite character in The Woman in the Green Dress. Though he was a secondary character, he drew the two timelines together and I liked him more and more as I traveled through the story. I also liked how certain characters’ histories and motives, some of which were surprising, remained a mystery until the proper reveal.

The Woman in the Green Dress by Tea Cooper is written for the general market and published by Thomas Nelson. It’s mostly clean with only an occasional crude word in the dialogue.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this ebook by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

Set in Australia, the story follows two timelines. In 1853, Captain Stefan Von Richter is following his friend and mentors footsteps to locate what could be the first ever opal found in Australia. In 1919 Fleur, a British woman who had a whirlwind romance and marriage with an Australian soldier receives notice that he died and she is set to inherit his fortune in Australia. Watch as the the story slowly connects the two timelines.

This book felt a bit stiff to me. I was more interested in the subplot of the ladies of high society in 1853 and their obsession with the Curio Shop of Wonders, one of the connecting pieces of the timelines. I would love a whole book based around this subplot. The imagery is good, and the book itself well written but I found myself drifting occasionally.

I always love seeing my country in literature and its always weird when its sets in the past as what is now an hours drive, was a 2 day trek, however it is great to be able to picture the area in detail.

The book is part mystery, part romance, part historical fiction.

The Woman in the Green Dress was initially published in Australia and has now been republished by Thomas Nelson, an imprint of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. I can’t say there was anything overtly Christian about the novel—there was definitely no clear faith element. There was no bad language, sex, or violence, and there was a disgust of racism that was unfashionable for the time.

It’s a dual timeline story, and one that’s relatively unusual because both timelines are historic. The story starts in London on 11 November 1918—Armistice Day. Fleur Richards is looking forward to seeing her husband and emigrating with him to his homeland of Australia. Instead, she finds he died of the Spanish Flu a week before the war ended, and she must travel to Australia alone to collect his inheritance.

The past story starts in 1853, and centres on Captain Stefan von Richter, who has travelled to Australia as a favour for an old mentor, and who is searching for opals. He travels from Sydney to the Hawesbury region, where he meets Della Atherton, a taxidermist who also owns a curio shop in Sydney … the same shop Fleur inherits in 1918.

There is always a link between past and present in a good dual timeline story (well, in this case it’s a link between past and further past). That’s certainly present in the locations, although the final connections don’t become apparent until the very end. There is also a mystery element that builds up gradually and delivers a solid finish.

All in all, The Woman in the Green Dress is an excellent novel with lots of linked threads that tie up into a satisfying whole. Recommended for fans of dual timeline stories and Australian colonial fiction.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

I really enjoyed The Woman in the Green Dress. The story is told in two timelines: 1853 and 1919, as well as two points of view. Both of the timelines and points of view have an air of mystery with very interesting and endearing characters. The story keeps you interested and it isn’t until later on in the story that the reader begins to see the connection between the characters and the different time periods. Every chapter was a building block upon the other. The story definitely keeps you guessing and as it progresses it all makes perfect sense at the end. It is a story about murder, deceit, greed, secrets and intrigue. Very well written. The characters are wonderfully crafted and the scenery is so descriptive you can see yourself there.

I have had no knowledge of Australia’s history during this time frame. I haven’t read any historical fiction set in Australia, so I really enjoyed this novel by Tea Cooper. Cooper shows an Australia that I believe many are unfamiliar with, and interestingly enough, one that has quite a few similarities with the early days of America. I found this a very easy read and an enjoyable historical fiction.

Many thanks to Thomas Nelson-Fiction Tea Copper and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ugh. I tried this book for about 45 minutes. I was so confused who was who and where were they and what was happening. I didn't last long. There are so many way easier books that are really good. My brain just wasn't into it.

My first book by the author and it’s overall pretty good not quite easy to follow all of the time but a good and interesting mystery and romance.

Having received a ARC from NetGalley, I had a chance to read this book before it was published. However it wasn't until now that I finished reading it and I give you my honest review.
I like the story, but it was a bit disconnecting how the story was told. At times I had to remember which character belonged to which era and who was related to whom. And some of the details were to long in one era and not enough in the other. But once I started catching on to the plot, it made it easier to follow. The story starts in London 1918 with a woman named Fleur who married her husband in a flurry before he left for war. As she recieves news of his death, and having been married such a short time, (that she doesn't know anything about his background), she trys to find out why her husband left all his inheritance to her. The beginning of the inheritance story starts in the era sixty five years before.

I enjoyed this book, historical fiction being one of my favourite genres. At times, I felt there was a bit much loaded into the life of only one woman, with the plot feeling a little contrived. However, overall it was an entertaining read and would recommend to those who enjoy historical fiction.