Category: Review (Page 143 of 297)

Synopsis:

Ian Haven and Halcyon Gilbert haven't seen each other since Hallie's 17th birthday...
...the same day Hallie pledged she would never, ever speak to Ian again as long as she lived.

Hallie Gilbert has had an especially awful year. When her husband of five years left her, Hallie’s 4-year-old daughter, Jenny, essentially stopped speaking. Add to this, she had to sell her Boston apartment to pay her husband’s exorbitant credit card bills. What Hallie needs is an uncomplicated autumn at Colby Cottage, her family’s summer home in Sandwich, NH, where she and Jenny can re-group and figure out what happens next.

But Colby Cottage, located adjacent to the Summerhaven Camp, has not been well-maintained and Hallie finds it in such disrepair, it's almost unlivable. When nearby camp owner, Rory Haven, arranges for his brother, Ian, to handle renovations for Hallie, her plans for an uncomplicated autumn suddenly get a lot more challenging.

Review:

Loving Irish was a charming second chance story.  While each book could be read as a standalone, I definitely recommend going back and grabbing the first one, Fighting Irish.  This series was a lot of fun and you don’t want to miss a minute.  From that first book, Ian Haven captivated my attention.  I just knew his story would be something special.  So here are three of my favorite things while I was reading this story:

✮ Both sides of the story:

Still looking deeply into his eyes, she reached up with a trembling hand and placed it in the crook of his arm, watching the worried lines smooth out on his handsome face and wondering if her heart could stand the risk of loving him out loud again.

Yes we got to hear the story from both Ian and Hallie’s perspective, but we also got to see their lives in the present and the past.  I was drawn to their back story.  Every few chapters we would go back ten years, when they were first together.  They were beyond adorable and it looked a lot like first love to me.  But as their past story unfolded, we got to that moment where everything went wrong.  It was heart wrenching to watch, but it added so much understanding into who they were now.  While their lives ended up spiraling into two different paths, they met again.  They were given a second chance and I couldn’t wait to see how they could get back together and heal from the past.

✮ The heart of a child:

“’Night, ladybug,” he whispered.
He straightened up to find Hallie looking at him intently, her eyes liquid and vulnerable, her lips parted.

Hallie had a daughter named Jenny.  Oh my gosh I loved that child fiercely!  She was four years old and not only did she add a lot of heart, but she helped steer where the story went and I loved that!  Jenny quickly connected with Ian and I had so much fun watching their friendship flourish.  Not only did Ian give Jenny the nickname ladybug, but their relationship was beyond adorable and oh so memorable.  Jenny helped Hallie see Ian in a different light, and it was also heartwarming how Ian tried to help mend Jenny and Hallie’s broken relationship.  There were moments that I had tears in my eyes or I was clutching my heart.  This child was absolutely everything.

✮ True second chances:

For the first time since that terrible morning, the future felt…hopeful. Like maybe, just maybe, there was another chance for them; like maybe fate wasn’t finished writing their story.

This story was not only about Ian and Hallie having a second chance at love, but it was also about them getting a second chance at life.  I loved watching them slowly find their way to happiness.  Because both of their pasts hurt my heart.  Ian’s past was filled with alcohol and Hallie’s past had a failed marriage where her husband devastated her in so many ways.  They both had a lot of work to do on themselves, individually.  And I loved that they found their paths.  To what they wanted in life.  To happiness.  But most of all I loved that Ian worked his hardest to try and redeem himself and find his way back into Hallie’s heart.  It was an emotional, hard journey and I loved every minute of it.

“Halcyon,” he said, his voice interrupting her awful thoughts. “I want you to know something.” He paused, the silence taut and heavy as she waited for him to continue. “I never stopped loving you. Never.”katy

Loving Irish was a story with a lot of heart.  If you adore second chance romance then definitely give their story a try.  I’m so very glad I did!

Synopsis:

Tierney Haven and Burr O’Leary come from completely different worlds…
…but there’s a reason they say “opposites attract.”

Bookish Tierney Haven has always preferred places to people, and she especially loves the peace and quiet of Moonstone Manor, an estate museum located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where she is head docent, chief historian and live-in caretaker. The very last thing she expects to find on her doorstep in the middle of the night is bruised and bloodied stranger, Burr O’Leary, in desperate need of her help.

Against her better judgement and at the risk of her brothers’ wrath, Tierney offers Burr sanctuary at Moonstone Manor, and nurses him back to health, surprised to discover that the dashing, enigmatic stranger loves the history and peace of Moonstone as much as she. But Burr has a dark history, and those who hurt him will stop at nothing to eliminate him...placing Tierney in grave danger until he is well enough to find them first.

Review:

I absolutely adored Smiling Irish!  The story started off with a bang in the middle of a dark and stormy night and I was glued to the pages.  There was action, heartache, friendship, secrets, true love and I couldn’t get enough of it!

He’d barged into her tidy life, turning it upside down, and yet…and yet, it was some of the most exciting fun she’d ever had. She didn’t want him to go. Not even a little bit.

Tierney Haven was the sweetest woman ever, and I came to care for her in the previous book, Fighting Irish.  She loved her happy, quiet little life….well almost all of it.  Once her brother, Rory, became involved with Brittney, she seemed to long for more.  So I loved that right from the start of this story, Burr O’Leary stormed into Tierney’s life.  Burr was bloodied, injured, showed up in the middle of the night and was frightening.  Yet Tierney and her good heart helped him.  From that one decision, Tierney’s whole life was about to change.

“You asked if I was good or bad. I can’t tell you exactly who I am or what I’ve done, because the less you know, the better. But I want you to know this: I was always on the good side, Tierney. I’ve always counted myself among the good guys.”

While Burr was a mystery, I quickly liked him.  In case you haven’t realized it yet, I’m a sucker for tortured males. And Burr was absolute perfection in that regard.  He had scars that ran deep from what he saw and did, and my heart ached for him.  He sacrificed more than any person ever should.  As time passed, we slowly got to learn little pieces of who he was, and see the bigger picture.  It was so easy for me to fall head over heels in love with him.

Her breath caught as he took a step toward her. Placing two fingers under her chin, he lifted it so that her face was upturned to his. Then, gently, so gently that tears bit at the backs of her eyes, he dropped his lips to hers, brushing against them tenderly.

With the traumatic situation Tierney and Burr were thrust in, they easily formed a quick friendship.  They had to trust each other right from the start, even if the trust wasn’t entirely there.  They were both Irish, and it was heartwarming how that helped link them together.  Plus the banter and chemistry did that too.  They had me laughing one moment and then swooning the next.  Their scenes together officially made them my favorite couple in this series.  Just don’t tell Tierney’s brothers that. 😉

“You are…the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, in all my life.”
He reached for her waist, pulling her back between his legs.

Again I loved watching the relationship the triplets had with one another.  It was heartfelt and emotional.  They loved one another deeply.  And while Tierney had her brothers, I liked watching her form a friendship with her brother’s girlfriend, Brittney.  They both needed a true friend and Tierney was beyond clueless when it came to guys.  She was highly inexperienced and I loved that she had Brittney to talk to.  Because Burr and Tierney realized that fighting their attraction was futile.  It didn’t matter that they were from two entirely different worlds.  What was happening between them was so much bigger than life.  I just knew in the bottom of my heart that they would get their happily ever after.

“Do you still have hope for us?”
“I’ll always have hope for us,” she said.

Smiling Irish was the perfect mix of suspense, romance and friendship!  I loved every single moment and I’m so thankful I picked up this series.  So if you adore sweet romance stories, then definitely give this series a try.  Spoiler alert – I’ve already read the next book and it’s absolutely adorable too.

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #) ***Each book can be read as a standalone, but best enjoyed in order.***
Fighting Irish #1 Reviews: Jen	Smiling Irish #2 Reviews: Jen	Loving Irish #3 Reviews: Jen
Catching Irish #4 Reviews: