Under the Golden Sun

352 pages Pub Date Mar 15 2022 Publisher St. Martin’s Press

ABOUT THE BOOK

England, 1941. The world is at war. London is under siege as the German blitz pounds the city without warning, without mercy. Rose Hamilton did her part as a member of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force until she was unfairly discharged following a tragic loss. Working as a secretary on a Devon farmland, Rose is out of harm’s way, but she needs to contribute to something greater than herself to truly recover.

Answering a newspaper advertisement for a companion to accompany an orphaned child to Australia, Rose becomes enchanted with four-year-old Walter Lucknow. Shy, imaginative, and kind, the boy lost his parents and has been living in near seclusion with his elder great aunt. As heir to a wealthy Australian cattle station, Walter must return to his homeland and his mother’s family.

Leaving her own family―and fiancé―Rose braves the long, dangerous voyage across Pacific waters where war is imminent to see Walter safely home. But upon arrival, Rose learns the truth about Walter’s relationship to the Lucknows and the land he’s supposed to inherit, a truth that haunts the boy’s Uncle Max, a wounded pilot scarred inside and out. And as Max opens his heart up to Walter, Rose is drawn to the man’s strength and compassion, finding herself torn between returning to England and staying with the child and man she’s grown to love.

MY THOUGHTS

Under the Golden Sun is a gripping story of love and loss. Of fighting battles on the fields but also within ourselves.
Taking place in England and Australia the time period has been extensively researched by the author, and it shows in her writing style.
I really loved the book, not having read many books taking place in Australia it was easy to visualize all that was going on while reading this.
The characters are well thought out and developed.
Set in the Australian Outback during WWII. I’ve not read any books set here during this time period and I enjoyed the author’s take on it.
Very informative historical fiction that will pull on your heartstrings as the journey to Australia with the child, Walter begins.
Recommended!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Thanks so much for dropping by my Amazon author page. My first novel came out in 2014, and since then I’ve written nine more, with another in the works. I write mostly as Jenny Ashcroft, although I’ve also published Every Lifetime After as Jennifer Ross, and have a contemporary novel coming out in summer 2027 as Rosie Morton. For me, there’s no better escape than curling up with a story that whisks you off to another place, in another time, and I love that I get to spend my days writing them. I studied history at Oxford and have always had such a passion for the past – it really does offer the most incredible inspiration for transportive, page-turning tales.

My novels have been set in locations across the world, all of which I’ve been lucky enough to either travel to, or live in. Island in the East is a dual timeframe novel set in Singapore, which my family very happily called home for many years; Meet Me in Bombay is set between England and India during the First World War; Beneath a Burning Sky is a historical mystery set in Egypt; Under the Golden Sun is the story of a soul-searching nanny who, during World War Two, escorts her charge back to his family in Australia; The Echoes of Love is set largely on the beautiful island of Crete during the Second World War, and was inspired by my Greek grandmother who survived the Nazi occupation and met my grandfather at the liberation of Greece; Secrets of the Watch House is another mystery, this time set on a remote Cornish island during the 1930s; Every Lifetime After, my novel as Jennifer Ross, is set in England, and sees the boundaries of time blurring between a modern-day movie set and a WW2 bomber base; The Bureau of Second Chances, which is coming in January 2027 – under Jenny Ashcroft again – is all about a top secret organisation that grants the world’s sliding doors and groundhog days, and the unexpected love story that develops between a bureau agent, and the man she’s been sent to help; finally, The Lost Gardens of Solstice House, coming in June 2027, follows three generations of women as they move into their inherited house in Cornwall, and discover all manner of secrets.

It’s been a joy to write every one of these novels, the characters have become like family to me, and it’s always so amazing to think of you, the reader, spending your time with them. I love nothing more than hearing from you, so please do get in touch. You can find me on Instagram: @jennyashcroftauthor.

Thank you for stopping in.