Birthright: Three families, one fortune, let the scheming begin...

"Lowe is a master at painting believable characters with heart and soul that contribute to creating such an addictive read." -- The Weekly Times on Birthright "Filled with credible characters and familiar situations, it makes for an emotional read."-- Canberra Weekly on Birthright "Entertaining and riveting reading."-- Good Reading on Birthright "A gripping tale. -- GlamAdelaide "Devoured this in a day, a real page-turner."--Nicola Goodreadsxa0"Breathtakingly good."--Tanya Goodreadsxa0"I love Fiona Lowe's books! She is a must read for me!" --Kelly Goodreadsxa0"A delicious story of family, betrayal and love." --Kerryn Goodreads Dear Readers,xa0xa0Is an inheritance a privilege or a right? Throw that question into a dinner party and listen to the opinions fly.The decision to write Birthright was born out of stories inside and outside of my family. Today, in first world countries, people are living longer and the baby boomers are holders of the wealth. People are finding they are sixty plus before they receive their inheritance and are retired themselves. This had generated two social conditons: inheritance impatience and elder abuse. Some elderly people find their families apply pressure to release money before their death to help with mortgages and school fees. Some threaten to withdraw contact with grandchildren...stories abound.xa0At the heart of Birthright there's a will, a large inheritance and an ailing matriarch who meters out her love and money, controlling her three adult children without them being fully aware she is the puppet master.xa0Not just a novelist, I've worked as a midwife, a sexual health counsellor and a family support worker; an ideal proving ground to about family and complex relationships. I write about xa0real people facing tough choices and explore how family ties impact on their decisions.xa0Sarah is 45-years-old and the first-born Jamieson by a mere ten months. When her brother, Cameron, was born, Sarah not only lost her birthright, she grew up in the shadow cast by his golden crown. Sarah has turned herself inside out to be a dutiful daughter and now her mother is aging, she is Margaret's go-to person. Sarah runs a very successful business with her husband, is the mother of three teenage children and is increasingly finding herself sandwiched between the needs of her mother and her children and juggling her responsibilities. The last thing she expects is her husband to add to the chaos.Anita is thirty-seven and married to Cameron Jamieson. Growing up poor, she's married well and is determined never to feel the weight of poverty pressing down on her again. With four daughters to educate, surely it's just good planning to find out in advance if she and Cameron are guaranteed a share of Margaret's money when she dies. After all, her elder sister-in-law is extremely financially comfortable and poor Cameron was denied the family business when his father died.Ellie is thirty-four, the baby of the family by a good decade and she left both home and the town when she was eighteen with no plans to return, but single parenthood and the perfect job forced her back to the district, however not back into the fold of the family. Considered selfish and nick-named, 'Princess Ellie' by her siblings, Ellie is grateful for the distance this gives her, especially when it comes to her mother. The most financially strapped member of the family, Ellie is leery of the strings that come with an inheritance but she needs to consider her young son's future.xa0Set in the foothills of the glorious Victorian high country on the gourmet-trail, Birthright explores the impact of a large and looming inheritance on a family with an ailing matriarch and journeys through the revelation of long-held secrets and simmering childhood rivalries until they collide in a firestorm of deceit, betrayal and revenge.xa0I hope you enjoy Birthright! Fiona x Fiona Lowe is an Australian bestselling, multi published RITA & RuBY award-winning author. She loves to explore the impact of secrets and lies on families, especially women, over the generations as well as exploring community themes such as the impact of wildfires. Daughter of Mine, Birthright, Home Fires and Just An Ordinary Famil y have all received rave reviews. A distracted wife, mother of two young adult sons, guardian of 80 rose bushes and a slave to a cat, she often found collapsed on the couch with wine. Read more