Full of courage and resolve, this is a story about reinventing yourself, and the intrigues of Fate. A story of love, friendship, disillusion and retribution as a woman strives to change her life.
It seemed as if it would be a fairy tale existence...
When young and lonely Erin McDonald leaves Newcastle for a job in Sydney shortly after her mother's death she meets high powered business mogul Giles Brightman. He sweeps her off her feet, and she is thrilled when he proposes. Madly in love she marries him, but she soon realises he wants nothing more from her than to look beautiful and be compliant - ready to accompany him whenever he wishes, charming to his business associates, a good hostess, and ready to accommodate him in bed whenever he feels so inclined.
Slowly Giles' violent side emerges, and after an attack that makes her fear for her life, Erin knows she must get away. With little money of her own, and a platinum credit card, she develops an audacious plan to give her a second chance in life - at Giles' expense. But Giles won't let her go easily.
When she consults lawyer Aden Marlowe, the last thing on her mind is a new relationship. She tries to ignore her attraction to Aden, and throws herself into her efforts to create a specialised high fashion boutique. Aden is captivated from the start, but he has a secret, and must hide his feelings.
Giles tries to sweet talk Erin into returning to him, but when his pleading fails he threatens her and demands the return of documents that he accuses her of stealing. Undaunted by his threats, Erin ignores him and continues with her plans, but her home is ransacked and her store vandalised. Aden suspects a sinister reason behind Giles' actions, and he and Erin work together to find the secret of the seemingly innocuous Phoebus shares.
Can Erin overcome all the setbacks to find a new life...and a new love?
Loveday, Kate: - Kate Loveday grew up in a seaside suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. Her two passions as a child were to spend as much time as possible at the beach, and to curl up with a book. Her love of books never left her. She always wanted to write, and dabbled a bit, but it was not until an extended caravan holiday around Australia with husband Peter that she began writing in earnest. She started with travel articles about places they visited. When these were accepted for publication by travel magazines she began to write fiction. Her first novels, Inheritance and 'Black Mountain, were inspired by the beautiful, rugged far north of Queensland, and the interesting characters she met there. A love of history prompted her to research the past of the rural area of the mid north coast of NSW while spending time there. Along the way she looked into the conditions for women in the nineteenth century, when women had few rights and were dominated by the men of the time. This provoked her to write An Independent Woman, the first book in the Redwoods series, which chronicles the life and passions of Kitty Morland, a woman of that era, followed by 'A Liberated Woman' and 'An Ambitious Woman'. This series is set in and around Bulahdelah, an old, historic town situated on the beautiful Myall River. Her writing career has included publication of travel articles and short stories, as well as novels. She previously worked in real estate and building, as an office manager, and finally as a natural/ beauty therapist, running her own business for many years. She now writes Australian contemporary and historical women's fiction/romance. When she is not writing she enjoys reading, listening to music, and spending time with husband Peter and her family and friends. She loves chocolate, good food and wine, dogs, music, and seeing new places.
