3.5 stars
What I liked about the book: I loved the Irish setting in Clifden, County Galway. I’ve previously read Irish Inheritance, book #1 of the series, which I enjoyed; I often seek out books set in Ireland. The novel was easy to read and had a sweet and satisfying denouement.
What I didn’t like so much: The book was in danger of being overwhelmed by the quantity of day to day trivia within the pages. I felt just a sprinkling would have worked better. At times, chunks of dialogue were slowed when filled with Irish historical details, and I felt this reduced opportunities for deeper character building and missed making the characters sound and act in interesting modern ways. I also wasn’t a fan of repeated Irish colloquialisms in the dialogue. In fiction there is a danger that overuse can become like a parody of itself.
I thought there was lots of potential to make the book feel colourful and passionate, both with the Emerald Isle and the romance. But, for me, the book was watered down by the mundane, and lost the chance to make a voice for itself. It certainly covers the highs and lows of the everyday life, but I wasn’t convinced that it brought anything new to this highly competitive genre.
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After a heart-breaking experience, Rose Finlay has vowed never to give another man a chance to hurt her – until Liam McKenna arrives at Mist Na Mara Arts Centre to organise an anniversary celebration event. Liam has his own reasons for not wanting to embark on a new relationship. But both fight the mutual magnetic attraction.
Shocks await them when Liam meets the boy his sister gave up for adoption twenty years earlier, and Rose’s ‘ex’ makes contact with her thirteen-year-old son.
Rose then discovers a betrayal which has divided her family since the Irish Civil War in the 1920s.
Will Liam and Rose be able to resolve all the shadows from the past in order to find a future together?
Rosie Amber 