Bücher von J Mary Masters

Heirs and Successors is book four in the Belleville family series, taking up the story eight years after Return to Prior Park left off.Set largely in Australia, it is now 1968 and the Belleville family - Richard, his brother William and their sister Julia - believe their lives are settled until a near tragic accident almost claims the life of a beloved family member. As the family recovers, no one has any inkling of the chain of events that will be unleashed by the near tragedy.At twenty-two, it is Richard's son Paul at the centre of this period of turmoil. His lack of judgement leads to a shocking betrayal for which he and others will pay a big price, including his own father.And there are newcomers too in the family circle. Is Richard right when he considers meeting Amanda Robinson a stroke of misfortune for the family? And will they similarly come to regret putting their trust in the charming but ambitious Alex Fraser?In the midst of the family's problems, William and his wife Alice remain steadfast, offering comfort and support in their sprawling homestead at Prior Park. Yet, they too will suffer the bitter disappointment of their daughter Marianne's choices.There is trouble ahead too for Julia's marriage to Philippe Duval. (Julia and Philippe's story continues in the new book First Born Son, published as a companion title to Heirs and Successors.)And yet, as the decade turns to the 1970s, the Belleville family appears settled again.Except there is a new secret at the heart of the family. A secret known only to three people. A secret that, if revealed, could tear marriages apart and threaten the very foundation of everything the family has built. Richard Belleville is determined this secret must never become known ...

To the world beyond, Philippe Duval, eminent surgeon, husband to Julia, father to Pippa, appears to have a settled life other men would envy. What could possibly upend it?Could it be his lingering interest in a beautiful woman who should now be out of bounds? A woman he turned his back on to marry his long lost love Julia Belleville. Or could it be what emerges unexpectedly from his early life?Brought up in poverty by his single mother among America's wealthy elite on Long Island, he has always seen himself as an outsider. Not belonging. Never welcome. Shamed for his illegitimacy. Rescued only by his own determination to succeed. Or so he thinks.As father and daughter head to New York, their plans appear straightforward. She will work a short internship at a Manhattan hospital while he attends medical conferences.But he does not know Pippa is desperate to flesh out the details of his early life of which he has told her very little.Yet even as she begins to delve into his early life, events overtake her. And they overtake her father too who is left to wonder if an unseen hand had guided his life in ways he never understood.As events unfold over which he has no control, Philippe's life takes a dramatic new direction. And with that new direction comes new possibilities and temptations that will rock the foundations of his life, including his marriage. His life will never be the same again.Author's note: You can read about the beginning of the Julia Belleville/Philippe Duval love story in the Belleville family series - Julia's Story (Book 1); To Love, Honour and Betray (Book 2); and Return to Prior Park (Book 3). Book 4 in the Belleville series, Heirs and Successors, featuring many of the same characters, is published alongside First Born Son.

In this third book in the series, the Belleville family begin to rebuild their shattered lives. Wrongly believing they are safe from the madman Alistair McGovern, he escapes from custody to attempt one final act of vengeance. In the aftermath of this final desperate act, each of them must come to terms with the events of the past.Her marriage in tatters, Julia Belleville begins to question whether she can rebuild her relationship with her first love American surgeon Dr Philippe Duval, even as they both immerse themselves in the life of their daughter Pippa, who expects they will marry. Julia's elder brother Richard, determined to gain custody of his two sons, laments the failure of his marriage to Catherine, who has returned to England and is already looking elsewhere. Yet Richard too finds himself unexpectedly falling in love against his better judgement even as he confronts Philippe over his troubling behaviour.Meanwhile, it is William and Alice who provide the stability of a settled family life. Yet they too are caught up in the unsettled lives of the people they love. In this dramatic third instalment of the Belleville story, there are many twists and turns as the family rebuild their lives. Set against the backdrop of the world of the 1950s, the story takes readers from the countryside to Australia's great harbour city of Sydney, to London and to Derbyshire, and to New York. But in the end, it is the sprawling Australian cattle station Prior Park that draws the Belleville family members back to their country origins time and again. It is where their hearts belong.

A chance encounter. A secret from the grave. A brutal act of revenge. Ten years on and heartbreak threatens to tear the Belleville family apart as their deepest secrets are tragically exposed. Hundreds of miles from Prior Park, the grand home of the wealthy Belleville family, a tragic accident robs a young girl of her parents. As yet, this means nothing to the family, and especially not to Julia, the only daughter. Yet in New York, her long lost love Dr Philippe Duval receives an unexpected letter from his past which he cannot ignore.Julia's brother Richard laments he can no longer hold on to his aristocratic wife Catherine Cavendish who longs to return to her life in England. Unexpected events in her family provide the perfect excuse for her to return home.It is Richard and his brother William who must face the unwelcome demands of Alistair McGovern as he presses his claim for inclusion in the family. They are determined his very existence must be kept secret from matriarch Elizabeth Belleville, now a widow. For each of them, long buried secrets from the past will begin to surface to reveal the shocking depths of the betrayals within their midst and the bitter legacy for those who remain. In a dramatic final act of revenge, Prior Park itself must pay a price as the secrets and betrayals are brutally exposed.

Set against the backdrop of the Second World War, this is the heartbreaking story of a young girl in love, the secret she must never reveal and the family who betrayed her trust.Set against the backdrop of the Second World War, this is the heartbreaking story of a young girl in love, the secret she must never reveal and the family who betrayed her trust. It's 1942 and the world is at war. Yet the wealthy Belleville family appear untouched and secure in their grand Australian home Prior Park. That is until daughter Julia, on the cusp of womanhood, falls desperately in love with an American Army officer against her family's wishes. For Julia, it is life-changing. Half a world away, her brother Richard is fighting for Britain, flying dangerous missions across the Channel knowing the next mission could be his last. He meets the beautiful Catherine Cavendish whose aristocratic parents disapprove strongly of the brash young Australian officer. Is he destined to find happiness with Catherine or will he be haunted forever by the memory of Jane, the woman he left behind?Brought up in Richard's shadow, William Belleville resents the popularity of his older brother. In Richard's absence, William attempts to usurp his older brother's authority and take charge of the family fortune.Into this mix comes James Fitzroy, handsome and charming, who sets his sights on Julia. But can she ever really love him?And what of the matriarch Elizabeth Belleville, whose preference for her elder son is well known, but who must endure the fecklessness of her husband, Francis, and the disappointment of a failing marriage. This tale is a well-developed family saga initiation with an interesting cast of characters and some deep secret plot lines ……… the characters are believable, full of depth and colour ……..The story is good and definitely worth an afternoon's devotion.Reader Review, Goodreads.com