Review: Under a Southern Sky by Clare Flynn

Today, I'm delighted to welcome back acclaimed author, Clare Flynn. I'm sharing my review for her compelling novel, Under A Southern Sky.

Under a Southern Sky is currently on blog tour with Rachel's Random Resources. My thanks to Rachel for a copy of the novel.

Under a Southern Sky

Clare Flynn

 

Review:

I was looking forward to reading Under A Southern Sky when I saw it announced on blog tour. It is the kind of story you can immerse yourself in right from the start.

 

Widowed Hannah makes her way from her sister's to the big city of Sydney. Having left war-torn Liverpool, and a job she loved, to head to faraway Australia with her younger sister, Judith, whose Italian-born husband is detained in a camp there as an 'alien', she realises that it's time for her – and for Judith to do their own thing. Judith is settled near Paolo's camp, with a kind landlord looking after her.

 

In bustling Sydney, a far cry from Liverpool, she finds lodgings and soon after, she gets a job as secretary at a law firm. Not quite what she had in mind, but it pays bills. When one of the junior solicitors convinces her to join his group of friends for outings to the beach, she can hardly decline. But when Eddie, one of the group, begins to fall for her, Hannah's emotions are in turmoil. She still loves her late husband, and in her heart, she knows she cannot love another. But maybe, it's worth a try!

 

Around the same time, Hannah is delighted to trace her aunt, who was also her late Australian husband's step-mother, and joins her and her family on their sheep farm. She enjoys the calm after the vibrancy of the city, yet she still wonders about where her path is leading her.

 

But if she thought her life was already complicated, it was going to get so much trickier.

 

How will Hannah cope, on her own, with the challenges thrown at her by fate? Will she find her peace – and love? Well, you should really read this novel to find out!

 

Under a Southern Sky is a captivating tale of love, loss, and new beginnings. Hannah has her work cut out, both in her personal and her work life. In a strange land, far away from home, and always with the tragic family history in the back of her head, Hannah is forced to make crucial decisions on her own.

 

Fortunately, she can rely on her nosy landlady, whose heart is in the right place, and her kind aunt. If it wasn't for them, I fear her fate would have been quite different.

 

Hannah is a survivor with a tragic family history and marriage, but at times I felt a sense of entitlement in her. I didn't always like the way she treated those who were trying to be kind and help her, and I wondered about her motivations.

 

Under a Southern Sky is a fascinating tale of one young woman's struggle against adversity, in a foreign place, surrounded by growing tension of war.

 

Hannah is courageous and daring, often defying conventions, all the while trying to find her own path in life. Her journey makes for engrossing reading, and you keep turning the pages to find out what Ms Flynn has thrown Hannah's way next. And there is plenty!

 

Readers may wish to note that this is Book #4 in a series, released across two publishers. I've not read the other three titles, but I had no problem getting into the plot and its back story, and the characters were easy to identify.

 

Highly recommended.

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Blurb:

After a German fighter sinks her husband's ship in the icy Atlantic, grief-stricken Hannah Kidd flees the rubble and ration queues of wartime Liverpool for a new life on the other side of the world. In sun-soaked Sydney, she discovers more than just refuge from nightly bombing raids—she finds unexpected family connections, meaningful work, and the handsome Eddie Greenbank.

As Hannah explores the golden beaches of Sydney's eastern shores, the misty valleys of the Blue Mountains, and the rolling scenery of the Hunter Valley, she begins to believe that happiness isn't lost forever. But even in Australia, the war's long shadow threatens everything she's begun to rebuild. Hannah must decide: will she let grief define her, or will she fight for the future she never thought she'd have?

A sweeping story of resilience and renewal set against the dramatic backdrop of wartime Australia, Under a Southern Sky explores how far we must sometimes travel—both in miles and in spirit—to find our way home.

Universal Buy Link:   https://books2read.com/u/47oMPq

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About the Author:

Clare Flynn is the award-winning author of nineteen historical novels. She is the 2020 Selfies Adult Fiction prize winner for The Pearl of Penang and the 2022 Indie Champion for the Romantic Novelists Association. 

Clare is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Historical Writers’ Association and the Romantic Novelists Association. She lives in Eastbourne on the south coast of England.

  

Follow Clare:

Website • Twitter / X •  Facebook • Instagram • BookBub 

Amazon Author Page • Goodreads

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* Giveaway! *

Giveaway to Win a a signed paperback of The Star of Ceylon (Open to UK Only)

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Gleam box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Win a a signed paperback of The Star of Ceylon (Open to UK Only