📚1950s #Ireland. Noelle Reviews Secrets In The Babby House by @GloriaMcB For Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT #BookTwitter

Today’s team review is from Noelle.

Noelle blogs here https://saylingaway.wordpress.com

Rosie’s Book Review Team

Noelle has been reading Secrets In The Babby House by Gloria McBreen.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I chose this book, but I was quickly caught up in its saga of two generations in a small Irish farming community in the 1950s and succeeding decades. The story revolves around Flossie Lynch and Frank Connolly, who have grown up together, their families and that of a local haberdasher intertwined. The setting is traditional and serene on the surface, but even at the start, it is clear there are secrets, gossip, and motherly interference on a grand scale.

Flossie has been in love with Frank for a long time, but Frank marries another girl, Alice, who supposedly is pregnant by him. Flossie is heartbroken but pushed by their respective mothers, Flossie and John O’Malley, son of the haberdasher and thought to be the catch of the parish, begin to spend time with each other. Flossie dislikes him at first but over time, comes to feel comfortable with him and even have some affection for him. But is it enough?

For John, having a respectable wife is a perfect way to hide his secrets. And when Flossie gets pregnant and has a son, his life is complete. Their marriage is convenient and comfortable but without passion.

Frank Connolly discovers he was tricked into a loveless marriage. He and Alice have two girls together and Alice becomes abusive, both to Frank and especially to their daughters. Frank converts an old fort his father made for him into a babby house for the daughters so they can escape their mother’s rages, and he stays in the marriage so he can protect the girls.

Alice Connolly is not averse to stepping out on her husband, and she becomes embroiled in a scheme to blackmail John so she can have her own money. Flossie comes back into Frank’s life as a refuge from Alice, but tragedy strikes, leaving Flossie to manage not only her own barren marriage but also the Connolly family.

When Flossie finally accepts her suspicions about John, her life eddies into betrayals, trauma, and even murder.

The author does a wonderful job of creating life in the 1950s, with its repressed sexuality, stifling social norms, and hierarchical family structure. Her village of Bailieborough, where she actually grew up, is sparsely drawn but an engrossing characterization of the 1950s – with its gossipy nature, the pervasive influence of the Catholic Church and the teenagers’ lack of hope for a future outside the village.

Her descriptions of spousal and child abuse are heart-rending, and her strong characters – some loving, some evil – are all well-developed and compelling. Flossie comes across as a strong young woman who uses her intelligence to leave the village for school in Dublin and adapt to the marriage she has thrust on her. Frank never wavers in his warmth, kindness, and love for Flossie and his daughters. Alice Connolly begins as a devious young woman, ambitious to snare Frank, to a harpy of a wife, a destructive mother, and a criminal. The author creates similarly well–constructed characters in the second generation with Frank’s two daughters – Rose, the good daughter, and Mary, whose behavior grows as evil as her mother’s – and Flossie’s son, Bennie.

The only drawback to the story is the ending. I found it rather abrupt and I wondered what had happened to John O’Malley, how Flossie came to be independent, and what happened to the children.

Having lived through the 50s in a small town – although on the other side of the Atlantic – so much of this novel range true and I very much enjoyed reading it. A wonderful first outing by the author.

Book description

Flossie Lynch is heartbroken when her only love, Frank Connolly, marries another. So when John O’Malley—the well-off catch of the parish—proposes to her, she resigns herself to a marriage of convenience, hoping to learn to love him.
For John, Flossie is mostly a respectable wife and caring mother to their son—and the perfect façade for his dark secret. But bloody Frank Connolly and his blackmailing wife are making things difficult for him.
Another victim of his jealous wife’s abusive behaviour, Frank stays in his loveless marriage for the sake of his two wee girls. He turns his childhood fort into a babby house to give them a refuge from their cruel mother. But for Frank, there is no refuge.
When Flossie rekindles her friendship with Frank, she tries desperately to save him from a life of misery and promises to always look out for his daughters. As the two star-crossed lovers near a second chance, tragedy strikes, forcing Flossie to make good on her promise—while attempting to protect her husband and son.
But as long as there’s a Connolly with a score to settle, there is no escape from the past and no promises for the future.

Set in a gossipy small town in Ireland at a time when marriage is for keeps and sexuality is repressed, Secrets in the Babby House is a family saga over three decades that starts in 1956. It is a story of love, deception, and stolen diaries filled with sins and secrets.

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📚An Irish #Historical #FamilyDrama. @OlgaNM7 Reviews Secrets In The Babby House by @GloriaMcB For Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT #BookTwitter

Today’s team review is from Olga.

Olga blogs here https://olganm.wordpress.com/

Rosie’s Book Review Team

Olga has been reading Secrets In The Babby House by Gloria McBreen.

This is Gloria McBreen’s writing debut; it is a historical novel set over three decades in small-town Ireland (from the 1950s onward), and it has a fairly timeless feel, which will remind readers of classical family sagas they have read or watched in the past.

As would be expected in this genre, there are plenty of secrets, gossip, prejudice, impossible romances, rumours, and interference, and also some tragedies, violence, betrayals, suspicions, good intentions, bad blood, revenge, trauma, blackmail, and even murder. Although on the surface everything seems to be calm and ordered, there is a dark undercurrent running deep, and even though most characters are neither all good nor terribly evil, there are a couple whose behaviour can be quite chilling, especially considering the age of one of them. (I can’t give more details because I want to avoid spoilers, but if you read the novel, you’ll know who I am referring to).

One of the strengths of this novel is the way it captures the atmosphere of the time and place, a society stepped on traditional roles and values, where one’s reputation takes precedence over one’s true wishes and happiness, and where people’s behaviours are conditioned by social status and by the expectations of family, friends, and neighbours. Being true to oneself is almost impossible, and those who try, have to pay a big price for it. The author manages to recreate the era and the feel of the period without resorting to lengthy descriptions of places, clothes, and people. The story is written in the third person, mostly from the point of view of Flossie Lynch (who becomes a teacher and one of the most important characters in the novel), but we also get to share in the thoughts and feelings of some of the other characters, and that makes it easy to visualise the action and to gain a better understanding of who these people are, and how they are seen by others. Many of them have hidden depths they don’t share with anybody (or, in Flossie’s case, only with her diaries), and witnessing their stories from their perspectives helps us understand them better, and feel more involved in the events. We might never have spent any time in a place like Bailieborough but we gain a good understanding of what it might have been like for those who lived there and in similar places at that time.

The writing style is easy to follow, with the events told in chronological order, and the odd Irish word and expression peppered here and there, giving the dialogue and the story a feel of authenticity. Although I wasn’t familiar with all the words, expressions, and local references, that didn’t prevent me from following and fully understanding the story, although perhaps a glossary of terms might enhance the enjoyment for readers who appreciate a local and vernacular touch.

The description of the book gives a good summary of the events and also some of the characters we meet. We get to follow some of them for many years, and although we might not agree with what they do, it is not difficult to understand some of their behaviours, given the circumstances. Flossie is well-intentioned and tries to do the right thing for herself and others, although she never gets over her love for Frank. Frank is an extremely likeable character, and he shines in particular in his interaction with his daughters, who don’t get much love from their mother, Alice. Alice is not easy to empathise with, although there are hints of a difficult childhood that might explain some of the things she does. John, on the other hand, finds himself trapped by a combination of convention and interest and ends up living a lie, but he never gives up trying to make his family happy (whilst keeping up appearances as well). Some of the older generations play a less important part in the story, but their influences and their ideas maintain their hold over the proceedings, at least for a time. Of course, it is not difficult to imagine that they have experienced and lived through similar events to those narrated in the novel themselves, and they are also constrained by their circumstances. The younger protagonists, Bennie, and especially the girls, Rose and Nancy (and later, their cousin Maureen also) live under the weight of past secrets and lies they know nothing about, although there are clear signs by the end of the novel that the younger generations are taking things in their own hands and taking control over their own destinies. I admit my fascination with Nancy’s character, and I think she is one of the most complex creations of the novel and one that will remain in my mind for a long time.

I enjoyed the pace of the novel, in particular, the opportunity to follow the characters for a long period of time and to see how their stories and personalities developed, without having to rush from one action scene to the next. There are plenty of experiences the characters live through; it is impossible not to care for them and their futures, and this makes this book gripping and attention-grabbing, even if the events and the incidents that take place are not in the grand scale of some of the blockbusters we are used to. We might have heard similar stories told by relatives and friends, and that gives the book a human scale that I found particularly welcoming in a world where everything has to be bigger, noisier, and more thrilling all the time. A story about people very much like us that doesn’t require much in the way of suspension of disbelief, well told, with credible and interesting characters, and with an ending that is satisfying whilst leaving some things open to the imagination of the readers. It is a welcomed break from the louder, brighter, and busier fiction which tends to dominate much of the commercial fiction published these days.

Recommended to those who enjoy recent historical fiction, and family sagas with a small-town (Irish) setting, and love the opportunity to experience the workings of the society of the time, and a cast of complex characters and stories full of secrets and complications. I hope the author will keep writing and publishing books, and I will be eagerly waiting for her next story.

4 stars.

Book description

Flossie Lynch is heartbroken when her only love, Frank Connolly, marries another. So when John O’Malley—the well-off catch of the parish—proposes to her, she resigns herself to a marriage of convenience, hoping to learn to love him.
For John, Flossie is mostly a respectable wife and caring mother to their son—and the perfect façade for his dark secret. But bloody Frank Connolly and his blackmailing wife are making things difficult for him.
Another victim of his jealous wife’s abusive behaviour, Frank stays in his loveless marriage for the sake of his two wee girls. He turns his childhood fort into a babby house to give them a refuge from their cruel mother. But for Frank, there is no refuge.
When Flossie rekindles her friendship with Frank, she tries desperately to save him from a life of misery and promises to always look out for his daughters. As the two star-crossed lovers near a second chance, tragedy strikes, forcing Flossie to make good on her promise—while attempting to protect her husband and son.
But as long as there’s a Connolly with a score to settle, there is no escape from the past and no promises for the future.

Set in a gossipy small town in Ireland at a time when marriage is for keeps and sexuality is repressed, Secrets in the Babby House is a family saga over three decades that starts in 1956. It is a story of love, deception, and stolen diaries filled with sins and secrets.

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A Novella that features the Irish potato famine. Noelle reviews The Winds Of Morning by @AuthorGMacShane

Today’s team review is from Noelle. She blogs here https://saylingaway.wordpress.com

Noelle has been reading The Winds Of Morning by Gifford MacShane

This is a novella, written as a prequel Donovan Family Saga by this author. I purchased this book for review.

The author is a gifted writer, with an excellent talent for creating the historical scene of 1848, when the potato crop failed in Ireland. What happened after that is made clear: The Protestant landlords abscond back to Britain, leaving the Catholic peasants to fend for themselves. Rather than providing food to their citizens, the government allows the export of tens of thousands of tons of Irish food daily. There follows a period of mass starvation and disease, leading to the deaths of over a million people.

When her father and mother die of starvation, Molly O’Brien has no choice but to take her father’s place on a road gang, swinging a mallet to break rocks for a road running from her tiny village to the nearby river, in order to feed her family. There is no other work available, and even sixteen hours of labor does not pay enough to feed her younger brothers, who are dying of starvation as well.

One day, quietly facing the river, she decides that despite her deep-sown Catholic tenets, she will sell her body to the first man she encounters who will give her the price of a loaf of bread. The first man to see her, John Patrick Donovan, at first thinks she is going to throw herself in the river, but when she asks him for a loaf a bread up front, he realizes she’s decided to prostitute herself.  In Donovan, the author has created a gentle, caring, and thoughtful older man who does his best to save Molly and her brothers. His efforts extend to her small village, where the grain he was sent to buy was locked away by the landlord, who had fled: he opens the granary to the villagers, despite what that will cost his family.

When John Patrick takes her to the local church, where the priest informs her she will be married, she nearly faints at the miracle. She and her brothers are saved. John Patrick has fallen in love with her at first sight and knows this is the only way he can protect her honor until she grows stronger and accepts him.

Will his family accept Molly? What will they think of the money their son spent on saving her and her brothers and also in the village? How are his parents, who are well-off because the father runs a chandlery, dealing with the famine? Will Molly come to accept Donovan as her husband?

While this book was a lovely read, part historical and part romance, as are the author’s other books, two things jarred me somewhat. The first was the age difference between John Patrick and Molly. I had to remind myself that this was a different time, when girls married young and older husbands were often the norm. The other was, with few exceptions, the overwhelming ‘niceness’ of all the various characters. I would have preferred a little more grit. 

I recommend this lyrically and beautifully rendered novella to readers – despite the grim subject – to discover what happens to Molly and to understand the basis for the Donovan Saga.

1848: the third year the potato crop failed in Ireland. The Protestant landlords have absconded back to Britain, leaving the Catholic peasants to fend for themselves, while the English government allowed the export of tens of thousands of tons of Irish food daily.

With two younger brothers to feed, Molly O’Brien took her father’s place on the road gang, building a road that runs from her tiny village to the river and no farther. Yet sixteen hours of labor a day would not garner enough wages to buy food for her family.

She was beyond despair. Beyond prayer. And so far beyond the tenets of her childhood, she’d decided to offer her body to the first man with the price of a loaf of bread. At that moment, a voice behind her spoke…

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‘Set during the tragedy that was the Great Potato Famine in early nineteenth century Ireland’. @SueBavey reviews #HistoricalFiction The Winds of Morning by @AuthorGMacShane

Today’s team review is from Sue. She blogs here https://suelbavey.wordpress.com/

Sue has been reading The Winds of Morning by Gifford MacShane

Set during the tragedy that was the Great Potato Famine in early nineteenth century Ireland, this short novella is gripping and difficult to put down and I read it over the course of one day. It follows the fortunes of Molly, a young woman who has lost her Da and her Ma to starvation and a broken heart respectively. Her two brothers are both very sick when we meet her and she has come to the conclusion that in order to feed them she will have to turn to prostitution since her job breaking rocks for a road to be built is not earning enough money for the three of them.

Luckily for her and her youngest brother, Johnny, she is spotted by the hero of the tale, John Patrick Donovan. A well-off businessman with a kindly heart, he decides there and then to marry her and save both her and Johnny’s lives in the process. Unfortunately it is too late for her other brother, William.
Johnny was my favourite character in the story with his wit and charming smile. John Patrick is certain his nieces will have their heads turned by Johnny when they all return to Wexford together.

The plight of Ireland during this time is well described by the author and easily imagined, as is the fate of Molly and her brother, had John Patrick not chanced upon her:

“The old men had died first, and only a half-dozen of the fathers were still alive. The boys who could were working on the road gang. The women were weak—so weak they were unable to bear more children. The younger among them were confined to the workhouse. The old women were gone, too, except for Mother O’Fagan, a white witch said to live on the air she breathed. The chickens and pigs had been eaten these past two years or more. Even the benches were gone, except for the one that ringed the tree in the square. Father Boylan had arranged for them to be sold this past spring, and had spent the proceeds on corn meal and salt cod to feed the most needy of his flock. The food had not gone far, and most of those who had partaken were gone now, too.”

The Winds of Morning was a most enjoyable read full of historical detail and engaging storytelling. I highly recommend it.

1848: the third year the potato crop failed in Ireland. The Protestant landlords have absconded back to Britain, leaving the Catholic peasants to fend for themselves, while the English government allowed the export of tens of thousands of tons of Irish food daily.

With two younger brothers to feed, Molly O’Brien took her father’s place on the road gang, building a road that runs from her tiny village to the river and no farther. Yet sixteen hours of labor a day would not garner enough wages to buy food for her family.

She was beyond despair. Beyond prayer. And so far beyond the tenets of her childhood, she’d decided to offer her body to the first man with the price of a loaf of bread. At that moment, a voice behind her spoke…

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‘This series is Nora Roberts at her best’. Rosie’s #Bookreview of #ContemporaryRomance Tears Of The Moon #TuesdayBookBlog

Tears of the Moon by Nora Roberts

5 stars

Tears Of The Moon is book two in the Irish Trilogy of contemporary romances, once more set in the village of Ardmore on the south coast of Ireland. This is the story of Brenna O’Toole, builder by trade, and Shawn Gallagher, musician and chef.

Each story in this trilogy is wrapped around a legend of lost love between the prince of the Faeries and a ghost. A three hundred year curse has kept them apart, until love can find its way three times to break the spell .

Brenna and Shawn have known each other all of their lives, but Brenna intends moving their friendship forward.  Always a forceful woman, she propositions Shawn. The shock has him turning her down, but it sets into motion a merry dance between the pair, one with fierce heated arguments and equally fiery moments of passion.

Faerie cottage weaves its magic again; once, twice and now a third meeting of hearts is required to set the mythical lovers free. With her brothers Aiden and Shawn now happily married, will their sister Darcy, the woman who has men falling at her feet, be the final piece of the puzzle? I am looking forward to reading Darcy’s story in the final book of the series.

This series is Nora Roberts at her best, I loved the setting and the elements of Irish myth and contemporary beliefs which took me on a journey of wonderful escapism.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

A talented songwriter, Shawn Gallagher spends his days lost in reverie and wonder, oblivious to the wiles of women and the ways of the world. He claims that he’s content with his life, but his music tells a different story—one of loneliness and desperate longing…

No one understands why Shawn doesn’t put his musical gift to profitable use—least of all Brenna O’Toole, a fiercely independent tomboy who has been secretly in love with him for years. But it is only when Shawn gives in to the mysteries of magic that he gets the chance to fulfill his destiny as a man and a musician—as the song in his head keeps time with the beating of a woman’s heart…

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‘Magic, Romance And Irish Life.’ Rosie’s #Bookreview of Jewels Of The Sun by Nora Roberts

Jewels of the Sun by Nora Roberts

5 stars

Jewels Of The Sun is book one of  the Gallaghers of Ardmore trilogy which is set in Ireland. This is a romance with a paranormal sub-theme.

Jude has left her job and her home in Chicago and has made her way to a small coastal village in Southern Ireland to a pretty cottage that sits on a faerie hill. Leaving her academic job behind, she plans to research Irish myths and legends.

She’s welcomed into the community by the local families, but she also encounters a ghost and a faerie prince. Jude blossoms in her surroundings as spring turns to summer, and falls in love with Aiden Gallagher, who owns the local pub. The handsome Irishman can tell a tale with real feeling, but has trouble when it comes to expressing his own emotions.

Stories set in Ireland are some of my favourites and Nora Roberts writes them so well that you feel as if you can reach out and touch the characters. I already have the next book in this series and I am looking forward to reading it. The mix of magic, romance and Irish life whisked me away for some very enjoyable escapism reading.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Jude Murray isn’t given to dramatic decisions. So she’s as surprised as anyone when she quits her job in Chicago and takes refuge in the picturesque village of Ardmore. Surrounded by the beautiful Irish scenery and refreshed by a more relaxed lifestyle, Jude becomes fascinated by the local folklore.

Aidan Gallagher happens to be an expert in Ireland’s haunting myths. After years of travelling, he’s returned home to devote himself to the family business. But as he shares his country’s legends with Jude, Aidan can’t help wondering if they could create a passionate history of their own…

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Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT #Ya #Fantasy The Mother We Share by Jennifer Soucy @bansheetales

Today’s team review is from Karen. She blogs here https://mytrainofthoughtson.wordpress.com

Karen has been reading The Mother We Share by Jennifer Soucy

This book introduces you to Evie Bonaventura who meets her dead(?!) twin sister; her friends believe her, her father wants her to see a therapist.

With “The Mother We Share”, Jennifer Soucy has created an intriguing story about a young woman stalked by her dead twin sister. She begins a journey to find out the truth and save the ones she loves. Most characters are complex, all are realistic with all virtues and flaws. The story comprises a variety of craftily elaborated characters with sufficient depth and interesting interactions until the last page. Jennifer Soucy introduces each character in a way that the reader automatically wants to read on – to get to know them better. I had a great time reading “The Mother We Share” – it is an intriguing read that led me right back to the country and places I truly miss. I was immediately drawn into the story, soon keeping my fingers crossed for two very special characters. For me, “The Mother We Share” is contemporary fiction told through the eyes and mind of a young American woman who is suddenly confronted with stuff that fairytales are made of; this viewpoint – not yet twenty, American with Irish ancestry – makes for a charming read. It is a story to read again.

This is for you if you like contemporary fiction with Irish mythology, a young determined heroine, food for thought, and if you are interested in seeing more myth than modern-day visitors normally see on a trip to Ireland.

She yearned for the mother she never knew, wishing for a whole family. Something heard and replied…

Evie Bonaventura is terrified when a strange girl breaks into her room, a creature with her dead mother’s eyes. Dad confesses Evie had a twin, but she died along with their mother who was unable to survive the devastating childbirth. Mom swore on her deathbed that her baby was kidnapped by fairies—a changeling, but that was impossible. Myths aren’t real.

Yet the otherworldly girl continues to stalk Evie before attacking their father and others. Beltane approaches, their 18th birthday and the night when fairy powers peak. Evie’s determined to protect her family, confident because heroes always win—don’t they?

Tragedy strikes, forcing Evie to act. She embarks on an adventurous rescue mission from Boston to Ireland, aided by an unlikely band of brave friends, legendary creatures, and a colorful coven of witches. Evie has a choice: destroy her twin sister or save her, in honor of the mother they once shared.

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Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT Historical Espionage BURKE IN IRELAND by @TomCW99

Today’s team review is from Noelle. She blogs here https://saylingaway.wordpress.com

Noelle has been reading Burke In Ireland by Tom Williams.

I was given a copy of this book for a fair and honest review for Rosie’s Book Review Team.

This is the fifth book in the James Burke series by this author. I haven’t read the previous four but I had no problems – the book is fine as a standalone.

In the late eighteenth century, with England seemingly beset on all sides, the War Office needs agents to spy for them and James Burke isn’t given a choice. It’s no business for a gentleman, but Burke is half-gentleman, half soldier and well suited to the job of spying. The four prior books haven’t been written in chronological order but when Burke is posted to Argentina, he is introduced to the world of espionage.  He has also been to the Iberian Peninsula, to Egypt and to Paris, after Napoleon is exiled to Elba. Burke in Ireland is Burke’s first real introduction to the practice of espionage, and the author admits that this is a dark book compared to the previous four, which have Burke on the side of the angels and the villain getting his just desserts in the end.

England needs spies everywhere, and Burke is a chameleon. So he is sent in 1793 to Ireland, which is a hotbed of Irish Nationalists. Burke must discover which of these men are plotting with the French to bring down English rule and/or planning for an uprising. Burke fits right into Dublin society operating smoothly between different strata and discovers it’s easy to identify the Nationalists. Getting to those who do more than just talk about Irish independence is another matter, and Burke manages to ingratiate himself with a member of the Irish elite who provides him with an ‘in’ to those he is seeking. Along the way, he turns in the names of a number of minor spies, who are sent to jail, tried, and hung, if their offences are serious enough. Burke struggles with his moral ambiguity, since the English were treating the Irish badly at that time – trials are rigged, Catholics tortured. Nevertheless, he finally decides that the safety of England trumps all, despite the ongoing tension that he will be discovered and possibly killed.

His “in’ is Patrick Geraghty, a well-to-do Dubliner who, after some time accepts Burke as a true Nationalist with Jacobin leanings. Geraghty is a huge man with an air of menace who drinks prodigiously and lets things slip while in an inebriated state. His beautiful daughter, named Siobhan, captures Burke’s attention and the couple become affectionate. Geraghty approves their relationship but his wife does not, despite the fact her husband beats her regularly. Thus Geraghty becomes the real villain, and the plot he arranges to spirit a true Nationalist out of the country, with the encouragement of Burke, becomes a dangerous and tortuous journey for everyone involved, not the least of which is Burke himself.

James Burke was a real person, but his story is entirely fictitious. But many of the characters in incidents cited in this book are historically accurate. The Alien Office which sent Burke to Ireland was real and became Britain’s first semi-official intelligence operation, a forerunner to MI5 and MI6. Wolfe Tone, Willam Drennan, Whitley Stokes, and Joseph Pollock were all true Irish Nationalists. Two men (Jackson and Cockayne) were spies for France and England, respectively. Archibold Rowan, a main character, was imprisoned in Newgate for sedition and libel but made an escape to France, his account of which is wrapped into Burke’s story.

In short, I found this book full of tension and historically fascinating, especially given my knowledge of Ireland’s “troubles” many years later and my experiences in that country (which I love). The descriptions of life in Dublin, especially the pub scenes, Newgate prison, and general society were vivid. The characters were very finely described and can be visualized by the reader. The web of spies in Dublin at the time is both brilliantly presented and nearly overwhelming in its detail. Clearly, the author did a lot of research for this book, and I loved being educated.

Burke in Ireland is not a light book to read, and to a reader looking for high tension and colorful conflicts on every page, it might seem dry. But it does what the author intended. I recommend it strongly to aficionados of historical novels and of Ireland’s history in particular.

1793 and James Burke is under cover in Ireland, spying on Irish Nationalists. His objective: to discover any plots to conspire with the French to bring down English rule in Dublin.
Dublin is full of plotters. Finding them is easy. Staying alive is not as straightforward.
A tale of spying, love and death against the background of the early struggle for Irish independence.

It’s real history but not how you learned it at school.

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Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT #HistoricalFiction BURKE IN IRELAND by @TomCW99

Today’s team review is from Frank. He blogs here https://franklparker.com/

Frank has been reading Burke In Ireland by Tom Williams.

4 stars.

It is 1793. In Ireland Wolf Tone and the United Irishmen are producing pamphlets and speeches advocating for the extension of the franchise. They are also in close touch with groups prepared to do more than advocate: to organise armed insurrection and encourage a French invasion.

A young James Burke is sent by the British government to infiltrate the organisation and report back on the details of their plans.

Another book by Tom Williams dealing with real events from British history, something which he does so well, this is the fifth in the series featuring James Burke. In the chronology of James’s career it is his second adventure.

The atmosphere of late eighteenth century Dublin is superbly evoked; both the physical and the social. The squalor of the slum districts is set against the plush interiors of the homes of the wealthy.

This differentiation between the masses and the privileged extends to the prison where a lawyer friend of the campaigners is allocated relatively comfortable accommodation.

The story progresses at a good pace as James inveigles his way into the organisation and is welcomed into the home of a wealthy man at the centre of a network of safe houses and secret arms caches.

He quickly learns that all is not as it seems in this household. He accompanies the man’s daughter as she brings food to starving citizens but danger lurks in her apparent affection for him.

The working out of the central conspiracy, to assist the escape of a prisoner, is gripping. It does not go precisely as intended and the possibility of James’s true identity being revealed is ever present.

The style makes it an easy read. It is not over-long. The history and the political background are infiltrated almost unnoticed into the story.

I have read many books dealing with Irish history since I made my home in Ireland. Most present an Irish perspective, often overtly anti-British. It should come as no surprise that a British writer does not follow that trend. Nor, however, does he present a viewpoint biased towards the British. As when dealing with British-Indian history in “Cawnpore”, he shows us both sides.

James, consorting with the Irish conspirators, learns some of the injustices they are seeking to correct. But he is, first and foremost, a soldier loyal to the crown and sees, too, the way in which different branches of government pursue their own often conflicting, agendas.

Read this book for the pleasure of watching a conspiracy unravel and discover how the campaign for Irish home rule drew on, and was a part of, the fight for human rights across Europe and America.

James Burke’s first mission!
1793 and James Burke is under cover in Ireland, spying on Irish Nationalists. His objective: to discover any plots to conspire with the French to bring down English rule in Dublin.
Dublin is full of plotters. Finding them is easy. Staying alive is not as straightforward.
A tale of spying, love and death against the background of the early struggle for Irish independence.

It’s real history but not how you learned it at school.

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Rosie’s #Bookreview of Irish Family Tale SEASON OF SECOND CHANCES by @aimeealexbooks #TuesdayBookBlog

Season of Second Chances by Aimee Alexander

5 stars

Season Of Second Chances is contemporary Irish fiction which deals with the sensitive issue of domestic abuse.

Grace has left her husband and has returned to her home town on the west coast of Ireland with her two children. Here she hopes that they will embrace this quiet life compared to their city one in Dublin.  However, Grace finds this to be something of a ‘big ask’ as far as her teenagers are concerned, especially as it involves moving them mid-way through the school year.

She will also start afresh as a community doctor, replacing her father after his retirement due to the onset of Parkinson’s Disease. In this small-town environment, Grace tries hard to avoid the gossips and to keep her past life a secret, but, having been away for many years, she discovers that she is treated with caution; an outsider. Each day that she and her family stay is another positive step towards healing from the abuse they suffered.

An easy five star read for me, this had all the makings of a one of my top books for the year. There’s something about a well-written tale set in rural Ireland that gets me every time. From the setting to the characters, it was so easy to lose myself in this story. The themes of domestic abuse and Parkinson’s disease were written with a realistic but sensitive hand and brought me to tears a couple of times. Des, Grace’s father, was one of my favourite characters, with his determination to protect his family and his wily ways of connecting with people. I definitely recommend this the those who enjoy endearing characters in a charming location.

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When leaving is just the beginning… A novel of family, love, and learning to be kind to yourself by award-winning, bestselling Irish author, Aimee Alexander.

Grace Sullivan flees Dublin with her two teenage children, Jack and Holly, returning to the sleepy West Cork village where she grew up. No one in Killrowan knows what Grace is running from – or that she’s even running. She’d like to keep it that way.

Taking over from her father, Des, as the village doctor offers a real chance for Grace to begin again. But will she and the family adapt to life in a small rural community? Will the villagers accept an outsider as their GP? Will Grace live up to the doctor that her father was? And will she find the inner strength to face the past when it comes calling?

Season of Second Chances is a heart-warming story of friendship, love and finding the inner strength to face a future that may bring back the past.

Perfect for fans of Call The Midwives, The Durrells, Doc Martin and All Creatures Great and Small. The villagers of Killrowan will steal into your heart and make you want to stay with them forever.

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