What an interesting and delightful story! I was drawn in by the cover and the subject, having long had an interest in maps. This book carries two timelines, one of a girl who mysteriously disappeared and another young woman who solved the mystery. This takes place in Australia in 1880, and the newer time of 1910. There is a decades long family feud, bad blood between families, featuring three strong women, and it takes two strong minded women to clear up the mystery of the third. The characters were well formed and believable, the writing clear and concise. While long, it wasn’t boring, and I couldn’t wait to go back to the book and continue reading. If you like mysteries, maps, and travel, you will enjoy this book. Five stars and highly recommend!
Thank you to the author, Harper Muse and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Cartographer’s secret is the tale of two families, the Ludgroves and the Maynards, a thirty-year-old family feud, an obsession with explorer Ludwig Leichhardt, a missing girl, a map and a family inheritance. There you have it...interesting, well written and quite enjoyable. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Copper's writing is wonderful and I love learning about the interesting history of Australia. While the story does some time traveling and has a slow build, it is fascinating and the story keeps your interest.
Taking place in 1880s, NSW and jumping to the Edawdian area of 1910, Evie and Lettie are both strong and daring young women, in a land full of danger and mystery. Can Lettie find out what happened to Evie those years ago? Can she solve a dark secret that has confused so many Australians for so long? Great historical fiction, with good mystery and adventure.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse publishing for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
An intriguing story of a long lost young woman and a historical puzzle.
The Cartographer’s Secret is set in The Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia in 1880. The story centers around three women: Evie Ludgrove, Letitia Rawlings, and their relative Olivia. There are two stories here that intertwine the fates of the three women. One story follows Evie in the late 19th century; the other is about Letitia in the early 20th century. Olivia is Evie’s aunt and Letitia’s great-aunt.
This books was a well-written and interesting historical fiction about a time and place I have not seen a lot of books about, I will be buying this book when it gets published.

In 1880, Evie Ludgrove has developed the passion for exploring that her father has. She has listened to his stories of the great Australian explorer, Dr. Ludwig Leichhardt, and hopes to help her father unravel the mystery of Leichhardt’s disappearance. When her father leaves their horse ranch to take Evie’s sister, Miriam, to be married he asks her to start mapping and cataloging his notes on Leichhardt so they can write a book about him. As Evie yearns to have her father home again, she becomes obsessed with the mystery of Leichhardt. When Evie goes off in search of answers she never returns.
In 1911, Letitia Rawlings goes to the family estate in her Ford Model T to tell great-aunt Olivia of some family news. When Lettie finds Evie’s beautifully illustrated map she learns the truth of an aunt she had been told died as a child. Lettie sets out the determine the truth of what happened to Evie and bring some peace to Olivia, who she is growing fond of, along with Yellow Rock, her family home.
This is a story of family ties, secrets and grief. We see various characters and how they deal with the loss of loved ones throughout the story. It is also a story about finding out who you are and where you belong as Lettie goes back to her family’s roots and finds a place for herself there. Old pains and loss are brought to light. I feel that there were parts of the mystery that I wish were more fully explained, a few things were left a little more unsettled than I would have liked.

Something about the cover of this book intrigued me, and so I requested it from Netgalley. I wasn’t familiar with Cooper before this, but now I am so so happy that I found out about her and have plenty more books to look into.

The book starts with two time lines that alternate between chapters until about a third into the book where Evie disappears. From there on we spend almost all our time with Letitia as she tries to find out what happened to her aunt.

This book was a lot slower than the historical mystery I usually read, mainly because there isn’t some gruesome horror but a thirty year old family mystery. Because of this though there is a lot of space for character exploration and development, and even a decent romance. And both Evie and Letitia were great characters to follow. Evie is desperate for her father’s attention and completely throws herself into a project to find answers to his questions. Letitia goes much the same way, wanting to know what happened to her lost family. Also, she drives the only green car in Australia and damn well knows how it works and how to fix it herself. The both of them (as well as great-aunt Olivia) were just great women. And of course there was Oxley, the wonderful dog.

Add to this a good dose of atmosphere. Although I have never been in Australia, I really found myself being in the Hunter Valley. There were just so many tiny details thrown in about the natural landmarks, the villages and their people. And the writing in general was great as well. I felt myself getting sucked in from the first page, and although with its 400 pages this isn’t a short book, I absolutely flew through it.

I absolutely adored this book, and cannot wait to pick more of Tea Cooper’s work. She seems to have found the perfect balance between an intriguing mystery can compelling fiction. Would highly recommend.

Maps. Secrets. Australia. Ok, I have taken the bait will the story reel me in?

At the beginning of the novel there are two time frames. In 1911 we meet Lettie in Sydney, a young woman reeling from the accidental death of her brother Thorne. And in 1880 we have Lettie’s aunt, Evie at Yellow Rock in the Hunter Valley, north west of Newcastle in New South Wales. Evie has been left by her father to collate his notes and create a map to unravel the mystery of what happened to German explorer, Leichhardt. Evie’s father, Lettie’s grandfather, William is obsessed with the explorer Leichhardt whom he had met in 1842. A fateful meeting, which results in a series of misfortunes for his family.

Desperate to get away from Sydney, Lettie takes her new-fangled Model T Ford to Yellow Rock to find her great aunt Olivia, who has been estranged from her mother, Miriam for 30 years. Olivia doesn’t turn out to be the dreadful woman her mother had led her to believe and it turns out there are a lot of secrets in the family. Lettie is drawn into the mysterious disappearance of her aunt 30 years previously. Her aunt, Evie, had seen a reward offered by a newspaper for evidence of where the explorer met his fate. The reward could help restore the family’s finances depleted from funding Leichhardt’s expedition and then an unsuccessful second expedition to find the vanished explorer.

The setting of Yellow Rock and the Hunter Valley is well drawn by the author. I wonder if the call of the koel, an Australian cuckoo, has some symbolic meaning. The mysteries are slowly revealed as the book progresses. There is a romantic element in the shape of Nathaniel, a drover with a lopsided grin whose look made Lettie’s heart “skip a beat”, but it is the mysteries that keep you turning the pages. Lettie is a very independent young woman but she does somewhat reluctantly appreciate being rescued when her car hits a culvert out the back of Bourke.

The book combines mystery, adventure and family drama with strong female characters against a stunning background of the Hunter Valley of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The story had me hooked.

With thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse publishing for allowing me to read this ARC!
An intriguing story of a long lost young woman and a historical puzzle.
The Cartographer’s Secret is set in The Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia in 1880. The story centers around three women: Evie Ludgrove, Letitia Rawlings, and their relative Olivia. There are two stories here that intertwine the fates of the three women. One story follows Evie in the late 19th century; the other is about Letitia in the early 20th century. Olivia is Evie’s aunt and Letitia’s great-aunt.
This books was a well-written and interesting historical fiction about a time and place I have not seen a lot of books about, I will be buying this book when it gets published.

I wish to thank NetGalley and Harper Muse Publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This historical fiction is a pleasure to read. It is set in two different time periods. One is the 1800’s and 1he other is 1911. It is a multi generational tale of loss, mystery, love, family, history of Australia and a beautifully written story. Tea’s descriptions of the land and its rich history are beautifully presented. It transports you to Australia and you will not want to leave. The story weaves through two different time lines filling in the gaps as appropriate to the story. People keep disappearing with no trace and it falls to young Lettie to try to solve all the mysteries. She has an early hand drawn map from the 1800’s and must follow the path it leads. She is a modern girl who drives a Model T car which she frequently repairs herself. I do find that a hard thing to believe. The reader will love her style and self reliance as she escapes her overbearing mother and goes to find her Great Aunt. The character of Olivia is my favorite one but you may find you choose another. I urge you to read this book.

This is a great novel, full of well-developed characters, a rich setting, and a compelling plot. Letitia is mourning the death of her brother. Undertaking what she thinks will be a simple errand, Letitia sets off in her new Tin Lizzie across rough roads and bush trails to find her great-aunt. What she finds is a woman devastated by the disappearance of her sister many years before. Intrigued and feeling--for the first time in a long while--at home with her newfound relatives and her friends, Letitia dives into the mystery herself, revealing family secrets and stories. I loved the determined and smart women of this book, their independence and competence. I can't wait to read more by Cooper.

This was a dual timeline book, but we only see Evie's part in the beginning, then the rest of the book is Lettie's journey, traveling to Yellow Rock, meeting Olivia, and solving the mystery of what happened to Evie. This books was a well-written and interesting historical fiction about a time and place I have not seen a lot of books about,

The story centers around three women: Evie Ludgrove, Letitia Rawlings, and their relative Olivia. There are two stories here that intertwine the fates of the three women. One story follows Evie in the late 19th century; the other is about Letitia in the early 20th century. Olivia is Evie’s aunt and Letitia’s great-aunt.

Evie Ludgrove wishes to follow in her father’s footsteps and be an explorer and mapmaker. She sets off to finish his mission to discover what happened to real-life Ludwig Leichhardt, who disappeared mysteriously with his entire crew while he explored and mapped Australia. A generation later, Letitia travels to the family estate where Evie grew up and learns that Evie also vanished as a young woman. She sets off to solve the mystery.

Author Tea Cooper does a brilliant job of bringing historical Australia alive. Her rich descriptions of the terrain and historical detail are wonderful. This story fell a little short for me only because the personalities of Evie and Letitia were so close that I kept getting their stories mixed up. Neither girl truly came alive in my mind. Olivia, however, an independent spirit who becomes close to both girls was the strongest character even though she was secondary.

The story is interesting and worth reading simply to immerse yourself in Australia. I enjoy this part of Cooper’s writing most of all. I’m a fan of her novels.

I’ve read The Girl in the Painting and The Woman in the Green Dress and enjoyed both of those books very much. If you haven’t read anything by Tea Cooper yet, I’d recommend starting with one of those. While I enjoyed The Cartographer’s Secret, it wasn’t my favorite. Still, 4 stars for a solid historical fiction story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse publishing for allowing me to read this one as an ARC!

Historical fiction is my favourite genre and I loved that this one was based in Australia at the turn of the twentieth century. With dual timelines between 1880 and 1911, the story moves between Evie, a tenacious and talented 18 year old who mysteriously disappears, and Lettie, who shows up at the family estate 31 years later bearing her own news of loss. Lettie quickly becomes entangled in the mystery of what happened to Evie, finding a purpose after feeling so lost.

While it did take me a little bit to get into, I found myself being drawn into the mystery of Evie’s disappearance. As it unfolded however, I felt that it wasn’t that much of a mystery after all and there was only really one small twist. In saying this, I liked the writing and the setting of the family estate in the shadow of Yellow Rock was an atmospheric environment.

Overall an enjoyable read, around the 3.5 start mark for me ✨

Set in the 1880's and early 1900's in Australia, the story revolves around Letitia (Lettie), who lives in Sydney with her over-bearing mother and her doting father. in keeping with the times, Lettie's mother's main objective is to marry her daughter off to a well-respected and wealthy suitor. Lettie is unsettled, and it isn't until she travels to visit her mother's estranged aunt Oliva who runs a farm and raise horses in the country, that she begins to feel at home. Unknown to Lettie, she closely resembles the missing great-aunt she never knew, Evie. As Lettie tries to piece together the story of Evie's disappearance in the 1880's, she uncovers family secrets. With the dual time-line of Evie and Lettie/Olivia and the descriptions of the countryside as Evie draws her maps, this book takes the reader along for the journey. Quite an enjoyable read!

Thank you netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a review.

I struggled to really enter the story, but it turned out to be an interesting story. Mystery vibes, Australia at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, good female characters and a lot of family secrets.

I just didn't really love this story. Felt like it was too gloomy overall. I do really like Lettie, but the story didn't draw me in. The ending was somewhat happy, though.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. The opinions in this review are entirely my own!

Tea Cooper's polished work shines through in the sheer depth of her characterizations in her latest work. At the end I found myself wondering what became of the main cast and with the Great War looming (there is some clairvoyant reference to it) will their dreams and aspirations dissolve?
The plot is credible without being electrifying and combines the elements of fact skilfully with the fictitious underpinning to create a read that is engaging and satisfying.

This is Historical fiction explore the world Australia and family secrets and mysteries that must be solved throughout one woman’s journey. I received this novel as an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Set in the Hunter region of Australia, this story has a number of layers. We have the family history, the wonderful descriptions of the location, the story of the early explorers and pioneers of the region, mapmaking (which the author discovered had, many times been done by women but signed by their husbands!), and the differences in town and country life in Australia. The story begins with a tragedy which leads to a mystery - which cannot ever be truly resolved, but the journey is in finding an acceptable closure. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and warmed to the characters - even the unlikeable ones! This is the first book I've read by this author, but I will certainly be reading some more. This is my voluntary review of a free copy of this book. Many thanks to the author and Netgalley.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Cartographer's Secret by Tea Cooper. I was excited to start this historical fiction book set in Australia around the turn of the 20th century. This was a dual timeline between 1880 and 1911 about the main character, Lettie, trying to find out what happened to her aunt, Evie, years ago. The beginning of the book switched between 1880 and 1911 often with many characters mentioned that were connected to Lettie. It took me a while to figure out the familial connections and get the characters straight (2 stars). The second half of the book focused on Lettie's journey to learn more about Evie and what happened to her and her disappearance and was much easier to follow the plot (4 stars). The first half of the book was difficult to get through as the setting kept switching, but the second half of the book was a page turner as I had to find out how things turned out. The other strand throughout the book is Lettie's grandfather, William's, obsession about the explorer Ludwig Leichhardt. Leichhardt was a German exploring Australia and disappeared in the outback. William lost a lot of money and time searching for Leichhardt and wanted Evie to create maps of his journey. Evie's need to draw these maps for her father lead to her disappearance. Lettie journeyed to the home of her aunt, Olivia, to search for the answers to mystery of Evie's disappearance. Overall, if you want a family saga mystery set in Australia that has nothing to do with world wars or penal colonies at the turn of the 20th century, this is a good choice.