The Daughters of Ireland

Who wouldn't be interested in reading about the lives of three very different women living in Ireland with the Deverill Castle as the common setting? I was until I began reading The Daughter's of Ireland, at least that is what made me want to read the novel in the first place. To understand a few things, the novel takes place during 1925 to 1931 and involves the lives of three unusual women who have different motives for wanting essentially the same thing, true love and control. In the Edwardian period of history since marriages were built upon social status and wealth instead of love, most of the marriages involved affairs for either partner as long as they were keep discrete. So this happens with virtual every couple mentioned in the book. Even one such affair involved a homosexual relationship as well.

Keeping that in mind, I really wanted to see where this would go and if it could keep my interest enough to even finish the novel. Sadly it did not. The Deverill family was placed under the curse of Maggie O'Leary back in the mid 1600's that none of the Deverill family members would ever rest in peace until the land which the O'Leary's believed was taken from them was returned. Kitty Trench is married to a wonderful man Robert who has vowed to take on the illegitimate son he believes resulted from an affair with Kitty's father and another women. The child however belongs to Jack O'Leary a man Kitty has had a long standing affair with and had promised at one point to take the child and move to America and begin a new life for them. The child however is a product of another relationship with Bridie who gave the child up to be raised by Kitty whom she felt would offer a much better life because she was dirt poor at the time and raising a child was simply out of the question.

Now that her circumstances have changed and she finds herself with a large inheritance that will change things not only for her, but now she wants Jack back. She promised Kitty that she left him behind once and she will not leave Ireland without him. But she does when her plans to kidnap the child result in her almost being caught when Jack doesn't remember who she is. She then decides to head back to America to New York where she can simply start over again. The Deverill castle is now bought by Celia, a former Deverill before being married who wants to restore it to its former glory along with all her new husbands money to do it with. She tries to get Kitty's buy in to join her but Kitty is making her own plans to leave Robert, despite her conflicting feelings and running away her Jack and her lover Jack to start a new life in America. Oh what a tangled web they weave.

I received The Daughters of Ireland by Santa Montefiore compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. While I wanted so much more from this novel, it simply did not deliver. Kitty sees and can communicate with the former Deverill ghosts even though others can not, the promiscuity between all the characters is hard enough to keep track of despite them wanting the very thing that stand right in front of them. It is a book format of the those desiring for the greener grass on the other side of the fence but missing what is right in front of them. I would have to give this novel a 3 out of 5 stars based on my own rating scale and hope others might find this book to be more enjoyable than I did.

For more information about The Daughters of Ireland, Santa Montefiore, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Daughters of Ireland by Santa Montefiore

You can find Santa Montefiore on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Daughters of Ireland, please visit Harper Collins Publisher's website. 

A Name Unknown Review and Giveaway

"Rosemary Gresham may have been a thief, but she was a thief who preferred to work in broad daylight."

I love reading the first sentence in any novel. Most of the time it gives the reader some insight into how this novel will evolve and A Name Unknown by Roseanna M. White is no exception. This is the first novel in the Shadows Over England series and one that I am sure most Edwardian Romance fans will absolutely LOVE! Rosemary Gresham is definitely a professional in her trade, that being one of many thieves that prey upon those in the upper class, in order to not only make a living, but so they can put food on the table of a group of similar young thieves that work London's streets. Most of the time, they are hired out by those looking to gain some advantage or to resolve some slight that they feel needs to be recompensed and her group of wayward thieves is more than happy to assist.

Her latest assignment is to prove Peter Holstein is not what he appears as he has the King's ear and many believe his ties with German began when his mother married his father and secured a place and a notoriety among the upper class in London. Now with the threat of war on the horizon with Germany playing a pivotal role, there are some that want to prove Peter's alliances, however innocent, do not lie with London. So Rosemary has been tasked to uncover proof that Peter is loyal to Germany and the price to be paid is so great, she would be a complete fool to pass it up.

She blends into Peter's household under the guise of being a librarian hired out by one of Peter's contacts to help restore his former library to its glory again. As of yet, it simply remains a hoarder's paradise with more books on the floor and every available space than is on the overly full shelves. Peter needs her assistance to locate documentation about his family, but doesn't share the real reason why he needs that documentation. Is Peter truly a German spy living in the midst of London or is he simply an innocent man looking to prove his loyalty to London before war sets in?

I received A Name Unknown by Roseanna M. White compliments of Bethany House Publishers and TLC Book Tours.In accordance with the new FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, you should assume that every book reviewed here at Reviews From The Heart was provided to the reviewer by the publisher, media group or the author for free and were received, unless specified otherwise. I absolutely love Rosemary's character because she can justify her shady dealings to help the local street urchins who are orphans and in need of help. She can read people perfectly and knows more about them than they initially share with her. She finds herself at odds the more she grows to know Peter and understands why his stuttering makes him a bit of a recluse in his small town. It gives way to suspicions by the local townspeople that Peter is truly hiding something and thus the need to prove where his loyalties stand in the face of a war on the horizon. I easily give this a 4 out of 5 stars and shows that sometimes our name is not all what people might be willing to believe.

For more information about A Name Unknown, Roseanna M. White or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

A Name Unknown by Roseanna M. White

You can find Roseanna M. White on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on A Name Unknown, please visit TLC Book Tour's page.

Now for the best part, the giveaway. Thanks to the generosity of Bethany House Publishers and TLC Book Tours, they are offering a giveaway copy to one lucky winner. Here are the guidelines to enter:

1. Be a resident of the US or Canada, or have a US or Canada mailing address. No P.O. Boxes please.

2. Share this giveaway on any social media outlet of your choice, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, you name it. In fact the more you share, the more chances you have to win!

3. Leave me a comment below with a link to your social media share along with your email address. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols. I need to have a way to contact you if you're the lucky winner. No email address, I have no way to reach you.

That's all there is to enter. Enter as many times as you want. Remember each social media contact link generates an entry. The giveaway ends on July 31, 2017 and I will be emailing the winner at that time. If you have any questions, please email me at Stevenkat27@gmail.com.





 

A Name Unknown

"Rosemary Gresham may have been a thief, but she was a thief who preferred to work in broad daylight."

I love reading the first sentence in any novel. Most of the time it gives the reader some insight into how this novel will evolve and A Name Unknown by Roseanna M. White is no exception. This is the first novel in the Shadows Over England series and one that I am sure most Edwardian Romance fans will absolutely LOVE! Rosemary Gresham is definitely a professional in her trade, that being one of many thieves that prey upon those in the upper class, in order to not only make a living, but so they can put food on the table of a group of similar young thieves that work London's streets. Most of the time, they are hired out by those looking to gain some advantage or to resolve some slight that they feel needs to be recompensed and her group of wayward thieves is more than happy to assist.

Her latest assignment is to prove Peter Holstein is not what he appears as he has the King's ear and many believe his ties with German began when his mother married his father and secured a place and a notoriety among the upper class in London. Now with the threat of war on the horizon with Germany playing a pivotal role, there are some that want to prove Peter's alliances, however innocent, do not lie with London. So Rosemary has been tasked to uncover proof that Peter is loyal to Germany and the price to be paid is so great, she would be a complete fool to pass it up.

She blends into Peter's household under the guise of being a librarian hired out by one of Peter's contacts to help restore his former library to its glory again. As of yet, it simply remains a hoarder's paradise with more books on the floor and every available space than is on the overly full shelves. Peter needs her assistance to locate documentation about his family, but doesn't share the real reason why he needs that documentation. Is Peter truly a German spy living in the midst of London or is he simply an innocent man looking to prove his loyalty to London before war sets in?

I received A Name Unknown by Roseanna M. White compliments of Bethany House Publishers and Net Galley. In accordance with the new FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, you should assume that every book reviewed here at Reviews From The Heart was provided to the reviewer by the publisher, media group or the author for free and were received, unless specified otherwise. I absolutely love Rosemary's character because she can justify her shady dealings to help the local street urchins who are orphans and in need of help. She can read people perfectly and knows more about them than they initially share with her. She finds herself at odds the more she grows to know Peter and understands why his stuttering makes him a bit of a recluse in his small town. It gives way to suspicions by the local townspeople that Peter is truly hiding something and thus the need to prove where his loyalties stand in the face of a war on the horizon. I easily give this a 4 out of 5 stars and shows that sometimes our name is not all what people might be willing to believe.

For more information about A Name Unknown, Roseanna M. White or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

A Name Unknown by Roseanna M. White

You can find Roseanna M. White on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on A Name Unknown, please visit Bethany House Publisher's website.