Available 27 May 2026
She’ll break the law to save her family — even if it costs her the man she loves.
Irish immigrant Ellen Maguire is struggling to hold her family together as their roadside inn, The Harp and Hound, slides toward ruin. With the railway bypassing their village and her father lost in grief, Ellen turns to an illicit solution — distilling poteen from her grandmother’s old remedy book — never imagining where the venture will take her.
When injured Englishman Jack Bell stumbles into her life searching for his missing niece, Ellen offers him shelter, unaware that his mission is entwined with her own growing danger. As Jack recovers at the inn, an attraction sparks — even as Ellen’s secret trade draws the attention of sly-grog operators, ruffians, and the local constabulary. Ellen’s fragile balance shatters when Jack’s niece blackmails her into silence.
Trapped between protecting her family and revealing the truth to the man she loves, Ellen must decide how much she is willing to risk — her livelihood, her heart, and her future — for honesty. Set against the rugged Australian bush of the 1860s, Rebel Spirits is a story of resilience, loyalty, and the cost of choosing love when survival is on the line.
When injured Englishman Jack Bell stumbles into her life searching for his missing niece, Ellen offers him shelter, unaware that his mission is entwined with her own growing danger. As Jack recovers at the inn, an attraction sparks — even as Ellen’s secret trade draws the attention of sly-grog operators, ruffians, and the local constabulary. Ellen’s fragile balance shatters when Jack’s niece blackmails her into silence.
Trapped between protecting her family and revealing the truth to the man she loves, Ellen must decide how much she is willing to risk — her livelihood, her heart, and her future — for honesty. Set against the rugged Australian bush of the 1860s, Rebel Spirits is a story of resilience, loyalty, and the cost of choosing love when survival is on the line.
Preorder coming soon.
Australian Historical Fiction Writer
Paula J. Beavan grew up on the banks of the Hunter River where her love of a reading and a good yarn inspired a desire to write.
On discovering a family connection to one of the Hunter Valley first settlers she turned her hand to historical fiction.
Paula J. Beavan grew up on the banks of the Hunter River where her love of a reading and a good yarn inspired a desire to write.
On discovering a family connection to one of the Hunter Valley first settlers she turned her hand to historical fiction.
