Book Review & Giveaway: Under a Southern Sky By Clare Flynn

It’s a joy to be welcoming Clare Flynn to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, Under a Southern Sky.

After a German fighter sinks her husband’s ship in the icy Atlantic, grief-stricken Hannah Kidd flees the rubble and ration queues of wartime Liverpool for a new life on the other side of the world. In sun-soaked Sydney, she discovers more than just refuge from nightly bombing raids—she finds unexpected family connections, meaningful work, and the handsome Eddie Greenbank.

As Hannah explores the golden beaches of Sydney’s eastern shores, the misty valleys of the Blue Mountains, and the rolling scenery of the Hunter Valley, she begins to believe that happiness isn’t lost forever. But even in Australia, the war’s long shadow threatens everything she’s begun to rebuild. Hannah must decide: will she let grief define her, or will she fight for the future she never thought she’d have?

A sweeping story of resilience and renewal set against the dramatic backdrop of wartime Australia, Under a Southern Sky explores how far we must sometimes travel—both in miles and in spirit—to find our way home.

*****

Hannah has just moved to Australia at the beginning of World War II. Living in Sydney, she is doing what she can to take her mind off the recent death of her husband. She finds a job and a place to live but there is still something she needs to do – find her long lost Aunt. When she meets Eddie, her life will take a turn she couldn’t have predicted.

I do love myself a great historical novel and Under A Southern Sky was a book I looked forward to starting. This was the first book from Clare Flynn I’ve had the opportunity to read.

I am going to try and review without giving too much away.

From page one, this author did everything she could to break my heart. You can’t help but want to jump in and give Hannah one big massive cuddle. When we meet her, she’s grieving after the loss of her husband. Whatever happened to Hannah after that, I wanted her to be OK, I wanted her to find her long lost family. She does what she needs to do to survive new surroundings in a terrifying time.

The other characters are a splendid mixture of people. Some I liked more than others. Eddie, oh, you were someone else I wanted to comfort. Dot was also a wonderful addition. I adored Elizabeth too.

The plot is well developed and has emotion by the bucketful. The themes running through this book include grief/loss, the importance of family and having a strong sense of self. It’s an interesting look at how diffiuclt it was for the people left behind at the Homefront during the war, as well as covering what it was like for people who were away.

The setting and landscape was so vividly described, I felt like I was there, with Hannah. The author has done a great job at pulling the reader totally into this novel with an ending I didn’t see coming.

Under A Southern Sky is a beautiful novel with a message of hope and love at its core. If you are a fan of historical fiction, like strong characters and a compelling tale, this book is for you. I devoured Hannah’s story. I hope you do too.

(Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review). 

About Clare Flynn –

Clare Flynn is the award-winning author of nineteen historical novels.

She is the 2020 Selfies Adult Fiction prize winner for The Pearl of Penang and the 2022 Indie Champion for the Romantic Novelists Association. Clare is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Historical Writers’ Association and the Romantic Novelists Association.

She lives in Eastbourne on the south coast of England.

Say hello to Clare on Facebook, X and Instagram. 

Under a Southern Sky is book two in the Across The Seas series and was released in 2025. Click to buy on Amazon, Apple Books, Nook, Kobo, Google Play, Everand, Thalia, Smashwords, Angus & Robertson, Vivlow, Hoopla, Fable and Waterstones. 

*****

Win A Signed Paperback Of The Star Of Ceylon

We have a signed paperback of Clare Flynn’s novel, The Star Of Ceylon to give away. 

Open to people in the UK only.

For details on how to enter, click on this link to be taken to the gleam page.

*Terms and Conditions –

UK entries welcome. 

Please enter using the Gleam link above.

The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. 

Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  

I (Novel Kicks) am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

by

Laura

I'm Laura. I started Novel Kicks back in 2009 as I wanted a place to discuss books and writing - two loves of my life. As someone who has anxiety, these two things give me, and I am sure countless others, a much needed escape.
There is a monthly book club, writing exercises, prompts, reviews, author interviews, competitions and guest posts. I cover many genres and I hope there is something for everyone.
I grew up by the sea in Dorset and currently live in Poole with my husband, Chris and three cats. I love writing and have a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from Falmouth University. I am writing my first book. If only I could stop pressing delete. Chris has threatened to stop it from working. Haha.
I have always loved creative writing since I was in first school and would very much like to meet my teacher, Miss Sayers, to say thank you for all the encouragement she gave me then.
When not writing, I love reading, cats, Disney, singing (I can't sing but this doesn't stop me,) and falling into a good TV show or film. If I could step into any fictional world, it would be amongst the characters in ABC's Once Upon a Time.
I love reading many genres and discovering new authors.