A Grand Passion

Book excerpt: A joyful, page-turning tale of a love affair between a woman, a man . . . and the stately ruin they transformed into a home. She rescued a house, then the house rescued her . . . When Anne, a divorced author suffering from writer's block, and her new partner, Ian, a widower and fellow Scottish romantic, decide to take their deepening relationship to the next level and move in together, it isn't as simple as it sounds. There are their respective adult children's feelings to consider, plus Anne and Ian want to make a new start away from the scrutiny of the tiny township where they've both lived for many years. Their search takes them to the historic Queensland town of Maryborough, where the brief glimpse of a derelict house not even for sale is the start of a whole new life together. This is Anne's story of how she lovingly brought Baddow House - known locally as 'the Ghost House' - back to life, and in doing so both rediscovered her passion for writing and cemented her relationship with Ian. But it's not all choosing paint colours and uncovering troves of priceless cedar. The restoration is a difficult, costly and painstaking process. And family tensions arise when the couple want to take the next step, marriage, placing a great strain on what had been an easy, comfortable partnership. How Anne overcomes the obstacles in her path, including a fear of being alone in the isolated, spooky house at night, will have you cheering her on.