• Title: Evergreen Falls
  Author: Kimberley Freeman
  Genre: Historical/Contemporary Novel for Adults
  Publisher: Hachette Australia 26th August 2014
  Pages: 448

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For the readers of adult fiction following my blog (yes you Maree!) I have decided to do a monthly spotlight highlighting adult books written by Australian authors (male and female). Read my spotlight on Australian Crime Writers.

But, today I’d like to introduce Evergreen Falls by Kimberley Freeman. This novel came to my attention on author Kate Forsyth’s blog and I was so intrigued by the premise of the story, especially Kimberley’s inspirations for the novel. Set in the Blue Mountains, amidst a 1920’s luxury hotel it sounds like a fantastic read.

You can read Kate Forsyth’s full interview with Kimberley HERE and her review of Evergreen Falls HERE. Stay tuned for an author spotlight on Kate Forsyth next week in the lead up to her new children’s series launch The Impossible Quest.

Kate Forsyth asked Kimberley Freeman what Evergreen Falls was about, and her inspiration for the novel:  

‘Evergreen Falls is set in the 1920s in a luxury hotel in the Blue Mountains. A forbidden love affair precipitates a great tragedy as the snow moves in. When the snow melts none of those involved ever speak of it again. In the present, a young woman fleeing her own family tragedy finds a bundle of old love letters and tries to find out what happened in 1926.’

‘I read my grandmother’s memoir, which she wrote before she died. In the 1920s she had worked in posh hotels in Sydney including the Wentworth, and she wrote all about it. She wrote about colourful characters, famous people of the time including opera singers and beauty queens, and of course many beautiful frocks she wore in rich detail. There is a story in her memoir about two young people, a brother and sister from a rich farming family, who are at dinner one night. The sister’s pearl necklace breaks and my grandma found herself scrabbling on the floor helping her find pearls, when the brother climbed down onto the floor to do the same. In grandma’s memoir, that’s the end of the story. In my novel, it’s just the beginning.’

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Summary: A long-forgotten secret, a scandalous attraction and a place where two women’s lives are changed forever – Evergreen Falls is the captivating new novel from Kimberley Freeman.

1926: Violet Armstrong is one of the few remaining members of staff working at the grand Evergreen Spa Hotel as it closes down over winter. Only a handful of guests are left, including the heir to a rich grazing family, his sister and her suave suitor. When a snowstorm moves in, the hotel is cut off and they are all trapped. No one could have predicted what would unfold. When the storm clears they must all keep the devastating secrets hidden.

2014: After years of putting her sick brother’s needs before her own, Lauren Beck leaves her home and takes a job at a Blue Mountains cafe, the first stage of the Evergreen Spa Hotel’s renovations. There she meets Tomas, the Danish architect who is overseeing the project, and an attraction begins to grow. In a wing of the old hotel, Lauren finds a series of passionate love letters dated back to 1926, alluding to an affair – and a shocking secret.

If she can unravel this long-ago mystery, will it make Lauren brave enough to take a risk and change everything in her own life?

Inspired by elements of her grandmother’s life, a rich and satisfying tale of intrigue, heartbreak and love from the author of the bestselling GOLD DUST, LIGHTHOUSE BAY, WILDFLOWER HILL, and EMBER ISLAND.

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Evergreen Falls is released on 26th August 2014. Pre-Order this book here: Booktopia, Bookworld, Boomerang Books or download from iBooks or Amazon.

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Click on the book images below to read about Kimberley Freeman’s other novels on Goodreads. 

 

 

 

 

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Author Bio: Kimberley was born in London and her family moved back to Australia when she was three years old. She grew up in Queensland where she currently lives. Kimberley has written for as long as she can remember and she is proud to write in many genres. She is an award-winning writer in children’s, historical and speculative fiction under her birth name Kim Wilkins. She adopted the pen name Kimberley Freeman for her commercial women’s fiction novels to honour her maternal grandmother and to try and capture the spirit of the page-turning novels she has always loved to read. Kim has an Honours degree, a Masters degree and a PhD from The University of Queensland where she is also a senior lecturer. She lives in Brisbane with her kids and pets and lovely partner.

For more information about Kimberley Freeman see her website or Hachette Australia

 

Thanks to Kate Forsyth for allowing me to quote from her Interview with Kimberley Freeman. :-)