I"ll start with, what a beautiful cover.
The location, close to home for me and yet over a 100 years in the past. I was transported back within the author's clever storytelling. My elderly mother also read and enjoyed this book, hers from the library.
Compelling plot with this mystery and intrigue that kept me from putting the story down.

Fantastic story and strong characters, I was thoroughly entertained.

Book blurb...
A woman alone and a charismatic private detective are caught up in a dangerous quest to discover her true identity in this thrilling historical adventure romance set in 19th century Victoria, from a bestselling Australian author.
1898, Geelong, Victoria. Stella Truehart is all alone in the world. Her good-for-nothing husband has died violently at the hands of an unknown assailant. Her mother is dead, her father deserted them before she was born, and now her kindly Truehart grandparents are also in their graves.
Private detective Bendigo Barrett has been tasked with finding Stella. He believes his client's intentions are good, but it is evident that someone with darker motives is also seeking her. For her own part Stella is fiercely independent, but as danger mounts she agrees to work with Bendigo and before long they travel together to Sydney to meet his mysterious client where they discover more questions than answers.
What role do a stolen precious jewel and a long-ago US Civil War ship play in Stella's story? Will sudden bloodshed prevent the resolution of the mystery and stand in the way of her feelings for Bendigo? It is time, at last, for the truth to be revealed …

My Thoughts…

Darry Fraser has again given readers another great Australian historical story. Simply reading the blurb (with such carefully conceived character names) told me readers would be in for a treat.

An engaging plot keeps the pages turning and the contrast between greedy and honourable will have you chanting for good to win over the evil.

I loved Bendigo and Stella’s determination. (No one does a strong, pioneering woman better than Darry Fraser.)

As for the setting, I was transported back in time and felt connected to the place and a part of the journey.

A highly recommended read.

The Last Truehart is a historical fiction set in 1898 in Geelong, Victoria. Stella Truehart is a widow who is also the only one left in her family after her mother and grandparents have all passed away.
Bendigo Barrett is a private investigator sent to find Stella and to find out how much she know about the father she has never known.
Stella becomes the victim of a break and enter and also gets attacked and eventually the attacks also a put on her closest friends. Through it all with Bendigo's help she unravels the story of what really happened to her father and the relatives she's never known.
I really enjoyed the historical side of this book and seeing what it was like just before Australia became a federation. It sucked me in and I was excited to see where it would end up.
Thanks to Netgalley.com and Harlequin Mira Australia for my complimentary eARC copy.

This was my first book by Australian author Darry Fraser and I was drawn into Alice and Stella's story from page one. Darry Fraser's writing is descriptive and powerfully evocative.
I love reading Historical Fiction set in Australia and The Last Truehart did not disappoint.

Stella is alone after the recent death of her beloved grandparents. Her mother had died years earlier and she had never known  her father. She did have her dear close friends Constance and Isabella Leonard. These young women were great characters, women before their time, confident and full of life, declaring they didn't need a man to complete them.

PI Bendigo Barrett is hired by his Sydney client to find Stella. Bendigo finds himself enamoured by the outspoken Stella but he can see a vulnerability behind her tough exterior. However after an abusive marriage Stella is reluctant to open her heart to any man.

Their journey to uncover the mystery of her father is fraught with danger and by the time it is all uncovered more than one life will be lost.
I enjoyed the contrast between the way of life in country Bendigo and Ballarat with that of the characters living in Sydney.

Darry Fraser effortlessly weaves historical events throughout including lively debates around women's votes and talk of the coming federation of Australia.
The Last Truehart is filled with treachery, murder, family secrets, hidden riches, a dying man's confession and a touch of romance making it a must read for historical fiction fans.

Darry Fraser has proven yet again that she is a master at writing Australian historical fiction. The Last Trueheart is another wonderful tale to immerse yourself in with a strong female lead in male dominated colonial Australia. I love the fact that in each of her novels, Darry takes her female lead and explores with them at a time when women were on the cusp of acquiring some form of independence. Into this Darry can always be relied upon to weave intriguing, maybe even forgotten historical facts, that all up result in a worthy tale.

‘Leo Smith was her father. Mrs Parks had sent Bendigo Barrett to find her, and now Stella would learn why.’

It is not only the female leads that are inspiring. On this occasion both Stella and Bendigo (yes ... named after the city) are strong and believable 19th century characters. There is not just a romance but a partnership between the two to explore and consolidate a place in society. The secondary characters likewise offer insight into a lifestyle long gone, particularly Bendigo’s sisters. Darry, as always, undertakes research to produce both a time and place that gives her readers a real sense of what life would have been like at that time.

The Last Truehart is an enjoyable and well written tale - a great yarn, a dashing hero and a real sense of place in the evolution of Australian society of the time.





This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Darry Fraser has taken me back to 1898 in Geelong Victoria to uncover a mystery from years past, there were twist and turns in this story that kept me turning the pages whilst getting to know Stella Truehart-Smith and Bendigo Barrett, their journey to a HEA is fraught with danger and finding out about Stella’s father, her mother Alice had kept a few secrets that need to be revealed.

Stella has just lost her beloved grandmother and now she is alone, her mother and Grandfather had previously past, Stella is now a widow after her husband has been murdered and cruel man he was. Stella still feels that she is being watched but she has no idea why and when a strange man introduces himself to her at her Grandmother’s funeral Stella is worried but for some reason agrees to meet Bendigo Barrett who opens a can of worms for Stella to process she is determined to get to the bottom of this even after she is assaulted. The Mystery of her father and his family and the mysterious jewel needs to be sorted.

Bendigo lives on a farm with his two sisters and works as a private detective, when he is hired by a Mrs Parks from Sydney to locate Stella he does not know why but sets out and locates her but also discovers a lot more than he was sent to do, like someone is looking for something and Stella is in danger but she is so independent and does not like taking help very easily, he is drawn to her in so many ways and maybe finally he will find true love after being hurt before.

There is a lot going on in this story and a lot to uncover and both Bendigo and Stella are on it and arriving in Sydney to meet Mrs Parks and discovering truths about her father and a ship that departed Williamstown many years ago they find the key to a lot that has happened to Stella, but they also find love and happiness that they both deserve. Truly this is a fabulous story that I would highly recommend MS Fraser never disappoints me with her stories they are rich in history and fabulous characters, I never miss one.

Thank you Harper Collins AU for my copy to read and review.

I always enjoy being transported to the past by Darry Fraser, I know I've said it before but she has a way of writing that makes you feel like you are there with the characters in that period.

For me, this felt more romantic than her previous novel, which I really enjoyed as I seem to be in the mood for a lot of romance at the moment. I could feel the connection between Stella Truehart and private detective Bendigo Barrett from the moment they meet.

This time we are taken to Geelong in 1898, where Stella is now alone after losing her beloved grandmother. Her abusive husband is dead or is he, someone is stalking her, and then Bendigo Barrett turns up saying he has information from a mystery woman about her father who she has never met and knows nothing about. Life is becoming a bit too interesting for Stella, and dangerous. Luckily Stella has some wonderful friends and now she has Bendigo to help look out for her and help her discover the truth about her father.

I really loved diving into this novel, the mystery and the history of the time were very interesting, I always learn a great deal about Australian history in these novels. I knew nothing of the confederate ships, or the constitution, so I found this very interesting.  

Women were still fighting for equal rights with men, and fighting to get the vote in their state. What women had to endure in terms of little rights back then makes me very glad to be where we are today, even if we do still have a way to go, especially in terms of spousal abuse, at least these days it is not acceptable, even if it does happen far far too often, this is something that needs to change big time.

Stella's friends Faith and Joy were great characters and provided plenty of humour even when frightening things were happening, Stella couldn't have asked for better friends in the girls and their parents. I loved Bendigo, he had a great heart and a great moral compass, he was wonderful to his sister's and despite having had a bad experience and an ex-wife, he wasn't afraid to give his heart to Stella. Stella was a tough woman, having survived a great deal and being drawn into a dangerous mystery, she deals with her trauma in the only way she knows, not wanting to rely on anyone, but ultimately learning having others to lean on can make you stronger.

This was a great read and I can't wait to see where and when Darry Fraser takes me next.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for a copy of this novel in return for an honest review.

Set mostly in Geelong in the late 1890’s, The Last Truehart has been an utterly fascinating story to read. This is a fabulous Australian historical romance with plenty of mystery and intrigue thrown in to spice up the story. There’s plenty to love and plenty to keep readers turning the pages. The romance between Stella and Ben is beautifully developed and their sex scenes are sensual. I love that Ben is a divorced man in his mid forties while Stella is in her thirties and a widow. A strong feature of Darry Fraser’s books is the way she weaves contemporary historical events into the story to establish the setting. Examples in this book are the work towards federation and the struggle for women’s suffrage at the turn of the century, something Ben’s sisters discuss passionately at the family dinner table. This story has both entertained and informed me and definitely has me looking out for more from this author.

It was 1898 in Geelong, Victoria and Stella Truehart-Smith had recently lost her beloved grandmother. Her mother had passed some six years prior; her grandfather a few months before her grandmother. Her husband had been brutally murdered – Stella lived alone in the old family house, wondering if she should sell and relocate. Her two good friends kept her company when they could, but Stella was at a crossroads in her life.

The gentleman who approached her at the cemetery was a stranger to Stella – what could he want of her? He was a private detective by the name of Bendigo Barrett who’d been tasked by a Mrs Parks from Sydney to find Stella, that he needed to talk to her about her father, but that was all he knew. Stella’s father had abandoned her mother, Alice, before Stella was born, so she wasn’t sure if she wanted to find out anything more.
It appeared though that danger for Stella had followed Mr Barrett. She was attacked; then Mr Barrett was also attacked – what was going on? As answers slowly materialized, the setting of Alice and Leo Smith, Stella’s father, were paramount. Did Stella have a family she never knew about? Was her father alive? Did she have siblings? And why was there so much danger?

The Last Truehart is the latest historical fiction novel set in Australia’s colony days by Aussie author Darry Fraser and I enjoyed it very much. Before federation, when each state (as we know them now) was separate, the rail line gauges were different, hence changing trains at the border of NSW and Victoria was necessary. I enjoyed Bendigo Barrett’s character (named after the town he was born in – Bendigo in Victoria), Stella’s character as well as Danielle’s. The Last Truehart is one I have no hesitation in recommending.

With thanks to HarperCollins AU via NG for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks netgalley for the advanced copy!
Darry Fraser has done it once again! Her newest work 'the last truehart' is no exception. A hint of mystery surrounding Stella & Bendigo and a historical story, set in the late 1800's, whats not to love? Highly reccomend this one.

1898, Geelong, Victoria.
When Stella Truehart’s husband Lowry Hayward disappeared she reported him missing; his beaten body was discovered and she’s now a widow. Stella’s relieved her husband is dead; he was so nice to her when they were courting and he changed once they tied the knot. He turned into a mean, nasty and brutal bully, she’s now living on her own and she still feels very vulnerable.

Detective Bendigo Barrett has been employed to find Stella, she’s very cautious about speaking to him, after her experience with her husband and she’s extremely nervous and she feels like someone is watching her? When a series of unfortunate and disturbing events happen involving Stella and Bendigo they decide to travel to Sydney, ask Bendigo’s mysterious employer some questions and try to devise what’s going on?

I enjoyed reading The Last Truehart, the plot had so many twists and turns, it kept me interested and especially while trying to put together the complicated family connections and family dynamics and discover the hidden secrets. I received a copy of The Last Truehart in exchange for an honest review, a brilliant Australian historical fiction story full of suspense, intrigue and five stars from me.

Darry Fraser has done it again! The Last Trueheart is another amazing Australian historical to lose yourself in.

Once again, we are drawn into the world of late 19th Century Australia, a man's world, but with strong female characters who are bucking the trend.

Stella has had a rough run of it, but that does not keep her down. When a private investigator tracks her down, her world is thrown upside down.

Bendigo Barrett is the kind of man we all need. He is dashing and loyal and wonderful.

Mystery, intrigue an family dramas abound, and I couldn't wait to turn each page to see what adventure I would be taken on next.

I am looking forward to what Ms Fraser brings us next.

I absolutely love Darry Fraser books and The Last Truehart is no exception. Romance and mystery...what more can you want in a book except for a dashing hero. Bendigo Barrett certainly fills that role nicely!
Thanks to Netgalley for a preview of this book for an honest review.