Heart of Coal — Jenny Pattrick

Continuing to follow the fortunes of the remote coal mining settlement in The Denniston Rose, this sequel revisits the close-knit community on New Zealand's West Coast. Eighteen years have passed since the child Rose arrived in Denniston, and she has now grown into a young woman, intelligent and talented, with an outrageous zest for life. The trauma of her early years seems forgotten, though some recognize its shadow in her often unconventional behavior. Rose is expected to marry her childhood friend -- the golden Michael Hanratty -- but when dark and stubborn Brennan Scobie arrives back on the Hill after a seven-year absence, a challenge is inevitable, with the opposition of Brennan's ambitious mother only adding to the tension.