Rich and epic Historical Fiction set against the backdrop of the Great Famine. Perfect for fans of Winston Graham and Ken Follett. Boston in the 1850s is the hub of the universe: gateway to America's temples of commerce and learning; liberal, sophisticated – the very best place in all of the New World for a woman to be. After being ripped from her homeland of Ireland, thrust into the harsh and unforgiving landscape of Australia, it is here that Ellen O'Malley hopes to find the stability of a new life and a new love; Lavelle, the man who adores her. But Ellen, desperate to shake off the Old World, is driven by her own demons to put everything at risk. And Boston, on the brink of Civil War, seems only to mirror her own conflict, to sound the knell of her own battle for survival. A powerful and compelling tale of lives and loves dislocated, The Element of Fire captures emotions as timeless as life itself.