The Traders Series Books 1–3

Book excerpt: The first three books in Anna Jacobs' beloved Traders Series The Trader's Wife Singapore in the 1860s is exotic and yet terrifying for Isabella Saunders, a penniless Englishwoman, alone and vulnerable after her mother's death. Too pretty to obtain a governess's job, she accepts an offer from Mr Lee, a Singapore merchant, to teach him English and live with his family. Two years later Bram Deagan arrives in the country, determined to make his fortune as a trader. Mr Lee sees a way to expand his business connections and persuades Isabella to marry Bram, and she bravely sets sail for a new land and life. But the past casts a long shadow and together they face unexpected dangers. Will they ever be able to achieve their dreams - and find happiness together along the way? The Trader's Sister Ismay Deagan has one wish in the world - to leave Ireland and join her brother, Bram, in Australia. But her father has other ideas and orders her to marry their vicious neighbour Rory Flynn - a man she loathes. One day, Rory brutally attacks her and Ismay realises she has no choice but to run away. Disguising herself as an impoverished young widow, she sets sail for Australia, hoping to be reunited with her brother. When she meets Adam Treagar on the ship, she finally starts to believe her dreams of future happiness may come true. But before they even reach their destination they are flung into adventures in Suez, Ceylon and Singapore . . . Can Ismay tell Adam the truth about who she really is? What secrets is Adam himself hiding? And will Ismay's past catch up with her and threaten her new life in Australia, before it has even begun? The Trader's Dream Bram Deagan dreams of bringing his family from Ireland to join him in Australia, where he now runs a successful trading business. But when a typhus epidemic strikes Ireland, it leaves the Deagan family decimated. And, with other family members scattered round the world, it is left to Maura Deagan to look after her orphaned nieces and nephew. Forced to abandon her own ambitions, and unsure whether she is ready to become a mother to three young children, Maura makes a drastic decision: to join Bram in far-away Australia. They set sail on the SS Delta, anxious for their futures. It is only when a storm throws Maura and fellow passenger Hugh Beaufort together that she realises this journey may also give her a chance to pursue a dream she set aside long ago: to have a family of her own. That is, until someone from Hugh's past threatens to jeopardise everything . . . ******** What readers are saying about the Traders Series: 'Anna Jacobs is the best storyteller bar none!' - 5 stars 'A wonderful book . . . Very engaging and engrossing' - 5 stars 'Another must-read' - 5 stars 'Yet again couldn't put this book down' - 5 stars 'Excellent read from start to finish, couldn't put it down' - 5 stars