Review: "The Woman in the Green Dress" by Tea Cooper

This cover 😍😍😍 Doesn't it just scream, "Read me!" Fortunately, the story inside is just as wonderful as the cover!

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A cursed opal, a gnarled family tree, and a sinister woman in a green dress emerge in the aftermath of World War I.

After a whirlwind romance, London teashop waitress Fleur Richards can’t wait for her new husband, Hugh, to return from the Great War. But when word of his death arrives on Armistice Day, Fleur learns he has left her a sizable family fortune. Refusing to accept the inheritance, she heads to his beloved home country of Australia in search of the relatives who deserve it more.

In spite of her reluctance, she soon finds herself the sole owner of a remote farm and a dilapidated curio shop full of long-forgotten artifacts, remarkable preserved creatures, and a mystery that began more than sixty-five years ago. With the help of Kip, a repatriated soldier dealing with the sobering aftereffects of war, Fleur finds herself unable to resist pulling on the threads of the past. What she finds is a shocking story surrounding an opal and a woman in a green dress. . . a story that, nevertheless, offers hope and healing for the future.

This romantic mystery from award-winning Australian novelist Tea Cooper will keep readers guessing until the astonishing conclusion.

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I wasn't exactly sure what I'd find in The Woman in the Green Dress, but I certainly didn't expect a split-time novel that had me equally invested in each story! (Why the promotional material for this edition doesn't mention both timelines is beyond me—the original Australian edition does.) I thought the book began a little slowly, and at first I didn't understand the connection between the two time periods. Soon, though, I realized where the story was going, and I couldn't fly through the pages quickly enough!

Mysteries abound in the novel, and their uncovering is such fun. I literally gasped multiple times when reading, and I loved how author Tea Cooper would use the later story line to reveal mysteries from the earlier timeline. There's not much romance involved, only hints in both timelines, but I thought that was fine; because of the later timeline, the reader finds out what happened to Della (protagonist of the first timeline), and I was happy to fill in the blanks about what may happen to Fleur in the future.

Prior to reading this novel, I had never heard of Tea Cooper, but I will certainly be looking for more of her novels now! 5 stars.

Note: A couple mild curse words appear in the novel. I mention this because this edition is being released by a traditionally Christian publisher (Thomas Nelson), and readers of Christian fiction might want to be aware.

Buy the book: Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble
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Tea Cooper is an Australian author of historical and contemporary fiction. In a past life she was a teacher, a journalist and a farmer. These days she haunts museums and indulges her passion for storytelling.

Connect with Tea: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through TLC Book Tours. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."