The Woman in the Green Dress by Tea Cooper

Good Day!  I hope you are having a good week. Here are some books that will be out this month!  The English Wife by Adrienne Chinn releases on June 25 and The Mountains Wild by Sarah Stewart Taylor is out on June 23.  Return to Sender by Tonya Kappes publishes on June 27.  It is the 4th A Mail Carrier Cozy Mystery.  Game of Dog Bones by Laurien Berenson releases on June 30.  It is the 25th A Melanie Travis Mystery.  Witch Hunt by Cate Conte is also out on June 30.  It is the debut of a new enchanting cozy mystery series.  His Pretend Amish Bride by Rachel J. Good and Never an Amish Bride by Ophelia London will publish on June 30.  It is a shame that there is not a job where we could be paid to read!

Sydney--New South Wales capital city

The Woman in the Green Dress by Tea Cooper has Fleur Richards looking forward to the return of her husband, Hugh Richards when armistice is declared on November 1, 1918.  Hugh had talked of their sailing to Australia where he wanted to farm when the war was over.  Instead of Hugh, Fleur receives a letter from Archer Waterstone.  When Fleur ignores the correspondence, Mr. Waterstone arrives at Fleur’s workplace.  Unfortunately, Hugh died in battle and left his sizable fortune to Fleur.  Fleur refuses to believe that her beloved Hugh is dead and wants nothing to do with the inheritance.  Despite her objections, Fleur soon finds herself arriving in Sydney.  She holds out hope that Hugh will be waiting for her when she lands.  Fleur sets out to learn more about Hugh and his family with the aid of Kip, a returned soldier.  Fleur uncovers some surprising secrets along with a story involving an opal and a woman in a green dress.

Sydney farm scene from 1885

The Woman in the Green Dress by Tea Cooper is a historical novel told with alternating points-of-view.  The main POVs are Fleur Richards from 1918, Della who lives on a farm in Mogo Creek in 1853, and Stefan von Richter in 1853.  I had trouble with the alternating point-of-view.  When it jumps around, I cannot get into the story (and it is confusing in the beginning).  The second half of the story was better and easier to read.  The Woman in the Green Dress is what I call a slow starter.  I would have liked a better introduction to our main characters instead of just thrown into the story.  The Woman in the Green Dress has Fleur Richards wanting to learn more about her husband, Hugh.  They married quickly and then he was off to fight.  She had no idea that he had property in Australia.  When Fleur arrives in Australia, she sets out to learn about Hugh Richards and his family.  I like how everything tied together in the end.  The Woman in the Green Dress has a good premise, but I wanted more depth, feeling, and details.  The Woman in the Green Dress is a story about greed, deceit, murder, jealousy, taxidermy, secrets, a curio shop, a cursed opal, and one determined woman. 

A Sydney backyard 1900

The Woman in the Green Dress is available from Amazon*.  You can find other novels by Tea Cooper here.  While The Woman in the Green Dress may not have been the right fit for me, but it may appeal to you.  Read a sample of the book to see if it The Woman in the Green Dress (or any book for that matter) suits you. Thank you for dropping by today and reading my review.  I am featuring What Momma Left Behind by Cindy K. Sproles tomorrow.  I hope you have an energetic day.  Take care, stay safe, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

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