Opal Dragonfly

A daughter sacrifices her reputation, two men bid for the love of a woman, freedom is found in the heart of a dust storm, a father's legacy reveals past crimes.

Inspired by the glamour and beauty of Elizabeth Bay House and the other grand villas of Woolloomooloo Hill in the 1850s, The Opal Dragonfly tells the story of Isobel Macleod, a young woman born into wealth and privilege and yet destined to be cast out of both.

'As you read Leatherdale's second novel, you will feel as though you're walking the streets of colonial Sydney . . . masterful storytelling, precise research, and drama that doesn't let up over the 500-plus pages.' Daily Telegraph

September, 1851. Sydney, city of secrets and gossip. When seventeen-year-old Isobel Macleod dares to trespass into a forbidden male world, she is plunged into social disgrace, and a wave of ill fortune engulfs her family.

Is Isobel to blame for her family's fate or could the cause lie further in the past with the gift of a 'cursed' opal heirloom?

Isobel's hopes for her future depend on a charming bohemian who encourages her hidden passion to become an artist. Will she be able to bear permanent exile from her beloved family home? Or will she be transformed into a new self, like a magnificent dragonfly emerging into the sunlight?

The Opal Dragonfly tells the bittersweet story of an ambitious family's fall from grace and a brave young woman's struggle to find her true self.

'This musical lyricist is carving himself a niche with sumptuous historical fiction.' Australian Women's Weekly