Dream of Courage: Facing Fear Head On
RRP: $46.95
Author Bio
Paul Rushworth-Brown was born in Maidstone, Kent, England, in 1962. He spent time in a foster home in Manchester before emigrating to Canada with his mother in 1972. He spent his teenage years living and attending school in Toronto, Ontario, where he also played professional soccer in the Canadian National Soccer League. In 1982, he emigrated to Australia to spend time with his father, Jimmy Brown, who moved there from Yorkshire in the mid-fifties.
Paul was educated at Charles Sturt University in New South Wales, Australia and became a writer in 2015 after his self-published novel Skulduggery was picked up by Shawline Publishing. Paul's novels are authentic and gritty, with twists and turns the reader won't see coming. He paints a realistic image of how peasants would have lived in the 16th and 17th centuries. However, that is only the backdrop to his suspenseful and mysterious stories with romantic tones. His novel Red Winter Journey has been nominated for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards (Christina Stead Prize for fiction). His new novel Dream of Courage will be released in November 2023.
Paul has been a guest on the ABC, BBC, America Tonight with Kate Delaney and regularly features on the Witty Writers Show in the US. The US Times said, 'Modern writers usually don't know what it was like to live in the past, but Rushworth-Brown does this with great skill in his accomplished, atmospheric and thoughtful novels.'
Dream of Courage: Facing Fear Head On
RRP: $46.95
In the heart of 18th-century England, on the moors and amidst the grimy alleys of Leeds, the lives of John and Robert Rushworth unfold in a gripping saga of ambition, danger and redemption.
Leaving the desolate moors behind, the brothers venture to Leeds with dreams of escaping poverty's clutches and carving their names into the annals of history.
In a world teeming with beggars, cutpurses and outlaws, the Rushworth brothers navigate treacherous paths, facing fear and uncertainty head on. Amidst the backdrop of a ruthless era, where murder and theft weave a web of ominous intrigue, the enigmatic tavern keeper, Smythe, holds their fates in his hands.
A pirate captain, Captain Girlington, steps into their lives, harbouring secrets and a choice between love and the call of the sea. The brutish Jacob Wilding enters the fray, driven by relentless determination to capture Robert Rushworth and claim a perilous reward.
Bound by a curse that threatens to consume them, the Rushworth brothers must confront their inner demons and forge a path back to success.
In a tale where historical fact merges seamlessly with heart-pounding fiction, Dream of Courage unravels a tapestry of suspense, intrigue and human resilience to be experienced…
Click here for The Historical Fiction Company review article.
"A great read! It was a real pleasure to meet the family Rushworth again whom I deeply got attached to! I enjoyed the plot very much not only compelling because it was filled with action, but also because it accurately reflected the historical background of the novel. That's why I love reading this writer's novels: his research is meticulous and you get a vivid insight into the society, politics of the times. Paul's fluid writing style makes it easy to read as well as very interesting indeed." Christine, ARC reviewer
“Another great work by a very talented author who loves his period works and characters from his great plots. He writes with verve and intent to deliver the imagination something unexpected and greatly appreciated… Brilliant…” Gavin, Readalot Magazine reviewer
"Obviously, as can be seen by the vast number of footnotes, this novel has been thoroughly researched. The amount of detail brings the story to life, as being relevant to the times, and as well as enjoying, we learn as we read.
On a purely personal note, my distant ancestors were shepherds, before enclosure, albeit in a different part of England, so the first few chapters were significant for me.
This is a novel, backed up by historical research, rather than history turned into a novel. I enjoyed the story of the novel and was wrapped into the time period. This would have been an easy 5* review for me apart from one detail. I would suggest reading this in paperback, that way you can keep a finger in the last page of the chapter to read the explanation for the footnotes as they occur. I read it on my Kindle and found that it was impossible to remember footnote numbers once the chapter had ended. That said, most of the footnotes were given to, say, items of clothing, where you have an idea of the meaning before going to the explanation.
Four stars for Kindle readers, five stars for paperback readers." Stephenson Holt, Goodreads reviewer
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