Category: Ireland
Mistral by Robert Cole
Adam’s wife, Maryanne, vanished without trace whilst on holiday in southern France, more than two years ago. Unexpectedly, he receives an enigmatic message. It prompts him to return to the scene of her disappearance. His efforts to piece together what happened force him to reexamine their relationship, coupled with his feelings of guilt. #Mistral X(Twitter) #robertcole @BlossomSpring3 @ZooloosBT #ZooloosBookTours #booktwitterInstagram #robertcole @blossom.spring.publishing @zooloosbooktours #bookstagram #blogtour #mistral Retracing events that led to … Read More Mistral by Robert Cole
+ female friendship, fiction, Ireland, jealousy, marriage, motherhood, music, obsession, piano, review
The Marriage Vendetta by Caroline Madden
If a therapist promised they could fix your selfish husband, but only if you followed their dangerously unorthodox methods, would you do it? Eliza’s playwright husband Richard Sheridan has accepted the career opportunity of a lifetime: running a prestigious theatre in Dublin. Eliza plays the role of the supportive wife – uprooting their daughter Mara, relocating from England to Dublin, running the household and … Read More The Marriage Vendetta by Caroline Madden
+ 1970s, audio book, fiction, gothic, gothic horror, Gothic mystery, Historical fiction, Ireland, List, review
My 3 Favourite Audiobooks of 2025 – Part One
So far I have only listened to three audiobooks this year and they are all by Jess Kidd. I have just finished her latest so expect to see that in Part Two. The Hoarder by Jess Kidd So this was my second audiobook book by Jess Kidd, with the same Irish narrator. This time I listened on Borrowbox. There is something about the strangeness of … Read More My 3 Favourite Audiobooks of 2025 – Part One
+ audio book, childhood, dark humour, family, fiction, ghosts, grief, Ireland, loss, Magical realism, mystery, psychic, review, supernatural, superstition
Himself by Jess Kidd
Blending strange kindnesses, casual violence and buried secrets: an unforgettable debut from a dark new voice in Irish fiction. When Mahony returns to Mulderrig, a speck of a place on Ireland’s west coast, he brings only a photograph of his long-lost mother and a determination to do battle with the village’s lies. His arrival causes cheeks to flush and arms to fold in disapproval. … Read More Himself by Jess Kidd
+ audio book, childhood, dark humour, family, fiction, grief, Ireland, loss, Magical realism, mystery, psychic, review, supernatural
The Hoarder by Jess Kidd
Maud Drennan – underpaid carer and unintentional psychic – is the latest in a long line of dogsbodies for the ancient, belligerent Cathal Flood. Yet despite her best efforts, Maud is drawn into the mysteries concealed in his filthy, once-grand home. She realises that something is changing: Cathal, and the junk-filled rooms, are opening up to her. With only her agoraphobic landlady and a … Read More The Hoarder by Jess Kidd
+ 1940s, childhood, fairies, fiction, Historical fiction, Ireland, Italy, List, Magical realism, nazi germany, review, USA, whimsical, WW2
My Top 6 Books of 2024
As we slip quietly into 2025 it’s time to reflect on my absolute favourite books of 2024. It’s six this time, four of which are audio books. It’s always hard. There were instant standouts again. I have tried to include a mix of genres but failed yet again. I read a lot of crime fiction, which occasionally make my quarterly selections, but my Top books of … Read More My Top 6 Books of 2024
+ audio book, diary, fairies, fiction, folklore, Historical fiction, Ireland, love, magic, Magical realism, mythology, review, secrets, stories
The Story Collector by Evie Gaughan
In a quiet village in Ireland, a mysterious local myth is about to change everything… One hundred years ago, Anna, a young farm girl, volunteers to help an intriguing American visitor translate fairy stories from Irish to English. But all is not as it seems and Anna soon finds herself at the heart of a mystery that threatens her very way of life. In … Read More The Story Collector by Evie Gaughan
+ family, fiction, friendship, Ireland, literature, loss, love, review
Heart Be At Peace by Donal Ryan
A stunning lyrical novel from the Number one bestselling author Donal Ryan about love, loss, hope and connection. 2019. Small town rural Island. 21 voices. A standalone novel that can also be read as a companion to Donal Ryan’s multi-award-winning bestseller, The Spinning Heart, voted ‘The Irish Book of the Decade’ ‘I said it before. Madness comes circling around. Ten-year cycles, as true as … Read More Heart Be At Peace by Donal Ryan
+ 1970s, adoption, Catholic Church, family, female friendship, fiction, friendship, grief, Historical fiction, Ireland, loss, motherhood, rape, religion, review, secrets, seventies
The Walk by Emma Marns
‘The two girls sat in the back of the car, their destination unknown and their crimes worse than murder.’ In November 1979, Ailbe and Maire disappear from their rural village in Ireland, never to return. Pregnant out of wedlock, they are now outcasts from society. Genre: Historical fiction / Literary fiction / ContemporaryPublisher: Cranthorpe Millner Publishers Believing they will at least have each other, the girls … Read More The Walk by Emma Marns
Dark Road Home by Sheila Bugler
In a small town, it’s impossible to hide… Two decades after she left Ireland, Leah Ryan is back. She knows she won’t get a welcome reception in her hometown of Dungarry, but she’s finally ready to face up to the events that forced her to leave as a teenager. As she arrives home, another tragedy is waiting for Leah – her first love, Eamon … Read More Dark Road Home by Sheila Bugler
Sparks of Bright Matter by Leeanne O’Donnell
In 18th century London, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. A lot of knowledge is deadly. When ambitious apprentice chemist and secret alchemist Peter Woulfe is tasked with caring for a mysterious illustrated book, the Mutus Liber, he quickly realises that the grimy underworld of Georgian London is even more dangerous than he first believed. #SparksOfBrightMatter #LeeanneODonnell @Tr4cyF3nt0n #CompulsiveReaders #blogtour Soon the book is stolen … Read More Sparks of Bright Matter by Leeanne O’Donnell
Eyes of Glass by Gemma Metcalfe & Joe Cawley
Who will read my words?Who will know my truth? When Lyra Thomas finds a bottle on a Galway beach containing a poem from America, she’s elated. As an author living by the sea, she always dreamt of finding a message from a distant prince or a swashbuckling saviour. But this is NO fairy tale. #EyesOfGlass @gemmakmetcalfe @theWorldofJoe @SpellBoundBks @Tr4cyF3nt0n #CompulsiveReaders #blogtour Lyra learns in a phone … Read More Eyes of Glass by Gemma Metcalfe & Joe Cawley
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