Strong women, family secrets and life against the odds
If you love stories like this, then these stories are for you. They are about the women history overlooked, about enduring love, and immigrant families set in colonial New Zealand, and those left behind in Victorian Britain — and the descendants who uncover the truth generations later.
Books by Vicky Adin
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Brigid The Girl from County Clare
A heart-rending tale of Irish immigration in the 1880s (The New Zealand Immigrant Collection).
Eighteen-year-old Brigid faces an unimaginable choice. If she stays in her beloved Ireland, she is another mouth to feed in a land plagued by starvation and poverty. If she leaves, she will never see her family again. But leave she must. There is not enough food.
Gwenna The Welsh Confectioner
A powerful tale of family life at the turn of the 20th century (The New Zealand Immigrant Collection).
Her father is dead and the family business on the brink of collapse.
Against overwhelming odds, can she save her legacy? Thwarted by society, the plucky Welsh sweet maker refuses to accept defeat.
The Costumier’s Gift
An absorbing dual-timeline multigenerational family saga (The New Zealand Immigrant Collection).
Jane kept her secrets for a lifetime. Generations later Katie must uncover them all. Jane thrives in the one place where she can hide her pain and keep her skeletons to herself– until the past comes back to haunt her.
The Disenchanted Soldier
A heartbreaking dual-timeline family saga (The New Zealand Immigrant Collection).
Inspired by a true story of a colonial pioneer. In 1863, young Daniel Adin arrives in New Zealand as a trained British soldier, ready to fight the fearless Māori. But the man who emerges from those wars is not the man who sailed in.
The Cornish Knot
A Women’s Family Saga of old mysteries and modern conflicts (The New Zealand Immigrant Collection).
Can one woman’s secrets change the life of another a century later? A grieving widow, a century old journal, a missing portrait, and an engaging art historian. Megan is drawn into a web of secrets.
Portrait of a Man
A gripping multi-generational tale of lies, lost chances, and misplaced love (The New Zealand Immigrant Collection).
Will the secrets of the past destroy an artist’s legacy? An Italian artist and the beautiful woman who tormented his life. Ashamed of his past, can he keep his secrets safe?
The Art of Secrets
An uplifting tale of friendship, grief and lies (The Art of Secrets: Book 1).
Emma wants to forget; Charlotte never can. Together they remember. A young journalist and an ageing author have little in common — until their secrets tear them apart.
Elinor
The Matriarch – a gripping tale of love, loss, and loyalty (The Art of Secrets: Book 2).
A distraught friend, a mysterious stalker, and generations of secrets. Emma’s job is to find the link, but tracing a family tree suddenly becomes a dangerous occupation.
Lucy
The Suffragist – A compelling tale of the courageous women who fought for justice and equality (The Art of Secrets: Book 3).
One trinket box. Two women. A century apart. One unbroken fight for justice.
1892 New Zealand, twenty-one-year-old Lucy is consumed by one cause above all others — winning women the right to vote.
Sarah’s Destiny
A heart-rending tale of enduring love (The Ancestors).
Will her wishes come true, or is she destined to be another unfortunate in the sea of many?
On the quayside of Bristol’s floating harbour, one young woman dares to dream beyond the life Victorian society has mapped out for her.
Where Stories Lie Buried
A Memoir of a Genealogist Turned Author.
More than a memoir, a personal journey, a lifetime of wisdom, and a practical toolkit.
Behind every family tree is a story.
Behind every story is a voice that brought it to light.
Videos
Lucy
The suffragist fought for justice and the right to vote in 19th century New Zealand.