I’m delighted to welcome AnneMarie Brear, and join the blog tour for The Promise of Tomorrow, courtesy of Rachel’s Random Resources. AnneMarie tells us about the top five books of her childhood.

When I was a child in Australia my mother owned a book shop, so books featured a lot in my life. I read from early on and have always loved books.

The top five books of my childhood would be:

The Enchanted Wood & Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. Loved the characters in this book. I thought they were magical and unique and they captured my imagination so much. I wanted to be with the three children who find the magic tree and meet all those great characters that lived there and visit the special lands at the top of the tree. Magical.

Adventures of the Wishing Chair by Enid Blyton. Again another much loved story.

The Silver Brumby by Elyne Mitchell. I loved this book, and others in the series. I still have the book on my shelf. It tells the story about a group of wild brumbies living in the Snowy Mountains of Australia. Thowra is born to Bel Bel and he is a beautiful pale colt and is much hunted by man. As a child this story brought to life the Australian bush and animals for me. I loved horses as well so this book became a favourite very quickly.

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. I loved all things horses as a girl so this book was another favourite. I used to get so sad by any harsh treatment of Black Beauty. I remember when I first saw the movie of Black beauty after reading the book and was enthralled to see the book come to life on the screen.

And lastly a book whose title and author name I don’t remember. The book was set in Australia and there was a man who walked the roads of the outback looking for work. A dog joins him/or he already had the dog I can’t remember, but the dog went everywhere with him until one day they are hit by a truck (I think) and are separated, the dog is left for dead by the man is taken to hospital. Much later when he is better the man goes looking for the dog but can’t find him and the dog is searching the country for the man. 

The ending is the dog coming over a hill and below is the man sitting around a campfire and they are finally reunited. I remember I cried buckets at the ending. It still stays with me to this day. I just wish I knew the title and author!

Thanks so much AnneMarie (and if anyone knows the author and title of the fifth book, please let us know!)

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About the Book

Charlotte Brookes flees her lecherous guardian, McBride, taking her younger sister with her. After a year on the road, they stumble into a Yorkshire village. There, they are taken in by the Wheelers, owners of the village shop. This new life is strange for Charlotte, but preferable to living with McBride or surviving on the roads. 
Harry Belmont is an important man in the village, but he’s missing something in his life. His budding friendship with Charlotte gives him hope she will feel more for him one day, and he will have the woman he needs. 
However, when McBride finds out where Charlotte lives, his threats begin, and Harry takes it upon himself to keep Charlotte safe. Only, World War I erupts and Harry enlists. 
Left to face a world of new responsibilities, and Harry’s difficult sister, Charlotte must run the gauntlet of family disputes, McBride’s constant harassment and the possibility of the man she loves being killed.

Can Charlotte find the happiness that always seems under threat, and will Harry return home to her?

Book links ~ Amazon UK | Amazon US

About AnneMarie

Australian born AnneMarie Brear writes historical novels and modern romances and sometimes the odd short story, too. Her passions, apart from writing, are travelling, reading, researching historical eras and looking for inspiration for her next book.

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