"Yorkshire, England / County Clare, Ireland, 1918
Billy DeVere has spent his boyhood in the shadow of expectation — the heir his aristocratic father needs him to be. Then the Great War claims his father and both his brothers, and the life mapped out for him simply vanishes. In its place comes something unexpected: freedom. As Billy comes of age, he dares to imagine his own future — and the path he chooses will leave its mark on Dunmara for generations to come.
Dunmara, County Clare, Ireland
Orla Daly is still finding her footing. Her marriage is over, her children's lives are unsettled, and the career she's building feels as precarious as it is exciting. But Dunmara — the house that was the backdrop to her whole life — has revealed a connection she never expected, and she can't turn away from it now. When she discovers an extraordinary painting hidden within its walls, Orla is pulled into a mystery a century old, and begins to understand that saving this house may be bound up with finding herself.
Two lives, a century apart, held together by one enduring house. As Orla follows the trail the painting has left her, Dunmara slowly gives up another of its secrets.
The Rector's Daughter is the second novel in the Dunmara Story."
"Dunmara, County Clare, Ireland
Orla can't believe the bombshell her husband of thirty years has just dropped. The future she imagined is gone, and she's forced to redefine her entire life while grappling with something from her past that doesn't quite add up. An opportunity to attend a wellness retreat with her best friend at Dunmara House seems like exactly what she needs to find her way forward.
Connecticut, USA, 1969
Jeannie is part of the first ever intake of women to Yale University. Her father thinks it's a waste of money, but Jeannie knows she has what it takes to be a novelist—she just needs a chance. While America is at war in Vietnam, and all over the country people are clashing, her life unexpectedly takes her to Ireland, where a course is set that will ripple through generations.
Standing since 1689, the stately Dunmara House in Ireland has seen life in all its guts and glory. Now, as two women's lives become entwined across time, the old house slowly reveals its secrets.
Perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Lucinda Riley, and Diana Gabaldon, this evocative time-slip novel weaves past and present into an unforgettable story of love, secrets, and resilience that will stay with you long after the final page."
"A broken woman, New York, 2016.
A fearless rebel, Dublin 1916.
And a gripping story that spans a century.
During a time of great upheaval and unrest in Ireland, as men and women run to take up arms against the tyranny and occupation of the British Empire, the lives of three women are forever altered, and thereby inextricably linked over the span of a century.
Mary Doyle arrives in Dublin in 1913, doomed she fears, to a life of domestic service. Instead, however, she finds herself deeply affected by the social and political turmoil of a fledgling nation struggling for independence. Suddenly, all that was once inevitable is no longer a certainty as she is embroiled in the very heart of the Easter Rising.
Scarlett O’Hara has had many hurdles to cross in her life, not least her name. A successful political correspondent, she finds herself at a crossroads when one error of judgment jeopardises everything she has worked so hard to overcome and achieve. In the process of rebuilding her life, Scarlett faces the difficult and ultimate choice of starting all over again.
At ninety-three years old, Eileen Chiarello thought her time for adventure and wonder was over, before a chance meeting with Scarlett draws her back to Ireland, the land her parents fought for and loved so passionately. Now, at the end of her life, Eileen has the opportunity to fulfil a promise she never thought she could."
"The Last Post - the final book in the Knocknashee Series
As the dark clouds of war finally begin to break, Grace Fitzgerald and Richard Lewis glimpse the possibility of a future together after years of turmoil. Their hard-won love has withstood so much already.
Now, as the Allies launch their final assault on the European continent—determined to rid the world of Nazi terror at whatever cost—Grace must say goodbye once again. Richard has a dual mission: to witness and report on the invasion that will decide the world’s fate, and to fulfil a promise to find someone who vanished without a trace.
But in Richard's absence, Grace faces her own reckoning. Drawn back to an old adversary, she must fight one final battle. Will their love survive not just the war, but the ghosts of their past?"
"After years of letters and missed chances, Grace Fitzgerald and American journalist Richard Lewis have at last declared their love and though the world is in the grip of war, their future is bright. But when Richard is shot down over occupied France in 1943, Grace's world shatters.
Invited to Savannah for Richard's memorial, Grace finds herself thrust into the rarefied world of his wealthy family—a million miles from her own humble experience. Yet in the midst of her own despair, she discovers an unexpected purpose: helping the Lewis family navigate their grief and find healing.
As she works to mend the broken bonds around her, Grace must confront a devastating question: how do you rebuild when the foundation of your future has been torn away?
Yet, even in wartime, hope can survive—and miracles do happen.
Allied Flames is the sixth book in the bestselling Knocknashee Series"
"The winter of 1942 casts a long shadow over pen-friends Richard and Grace. The world is teetering on the brink of destruction as war consumes continent after continent.
When a letter arrives for Grace from a distant land she can scarcely place on a map, it brings news so shocking it reverberates through the entire village, with everyone offering conflicting advice.
Meanwhile in bomb-scarred London, Richard is presented with the journalistic opportunity of a lifetime. The potential for career-defining reporting is immense, but so too are the dangers that shadow every step.
Yet his professional dilemma pales beside the turmoil in his heart. Logic and longing wage their own private war within him, and the battlefield offers no refuge.
Folded Corners is the captivating fifth instalment in the beloved Knocknashee Story series, weaving together threads of loyalty, courage, and impossible love against the darkest chapter of the twentieth century."
"Knocknashee, County Kerry, Ireland
1941
For twenty-one-year-old Grace Fitzgerald, life is finally looking bright. Orphaned as a child and later struck down by polio, she then endured years of cold indifference at the hands of her sister Agnes. Now, with Agnes finally gone, Grace has found love with her handsome young husband and peace surrounded by friends in her home village of Knocknashee and in her ongoing friendship with the American journalist Richard Lewis.
But just as Grace begins to enjoy her hard-won freedom, a dark shadow falls, and most devastating of all, her dearest friend Tilly may be entangled in the sinister events unfolding around her.
Sincerely Grace is the fourth book in the Knocknashee Series."
"As long as Carmel stays in London, nothing can happen to shatter her perfect life.
She has a wonderful marriage, a rewarding career and a great bunch of friends. As far as she's concerned, the sadness of her past can stay back in Ireland, where it belongs.
For Carmel, Ireland only means misery, loneliness and fear and she never wants to return. The new, confident and happy Carmel only exists on the cosmopolitan streets of Britain's capital. If she ever was forced to return, she fears she would revert to the mousey downtrodden woman she once was.
But when her father suggests a family road trip along Ireland's famous Wild Atlantic Way, she hasn't the heart to turn him down. She tells herself that Sharif will be by her side, and that maybe her father is right and Ireland isn't the terrible place she's made it out to be. But trouble is brewing once more for Carmel and everything she struggled to build looks like it is disintegrating.
As Carmel returns to the land of her birth, she discovers that she cannot fully embrace her future, until she makes peace with her past, and with her country."
"In 1940, an unlikely friendship bridges the Atlantic. Twenty-year-old Grace Fitzgerald lives in the seemingly peaceful Irish village of Knocknashee, exchanging letters with Richard Lewis, an American war correspondent stationed in London, as World War II engulfs Europe.
From their distinct vantage points, Grace and Richard bear witness to a world in turmoil. In Knocknashee, where the conflict is carefully termed 'the Emergency,' the tight-knit community's unease grows as Ireland's proclaimed neutrality reveals dangerous cracks. Grace soon discovers that threats lurk not just beyond the nation's borders, but within them, forcing her to confront a devastating choice.
Meanwhile in bomb-scarred London, Richard's dispatches to American readers capture both the brutal reality of war and the indomitable spirit of Londoners. His journalistic instincts lead him deep into a network of resistance and courage, where he finds himself challenging humanity's darkest regime.
History's Pages, the compelling third book of the Knocknashee Story, weaves a tale of friendship tested by personal choices and the relentless tide of war. Perfect for readers who loved 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society' and 'The Nightingale,' this novel explores how ordinary people rise to extraordinary circumstances, and how the deepest bonds transcend all boundaries."
"The opportunity of a lifetime lands in Peter Cullen’s lap and nothing is going to stop him taking full advantage, not even the misgivings of his wife. Cullen’s Celtic Cabaret has been flying high, but the real goal, the secret desire of Peter’s heart, America, is finally, incredibly, looking like a reality.
The troupe are not at all prepared for what awaits them in prohibition era Atlantic City and they are dazzled by the bright lights. Keeping discipline and ensuring everyone remains focused drives Peter to the edge of his patience, but he soon realises that this is the least of his problems, as the gloss and sheen of the New Jersey shore reveals a dark side, and somehow his cabaret has fallen foul of it.
What begins as a summer of fun, looks to be taking a sinister turn, and Peter is in way over his head. He can possibly survive, all he needs now is the luck of the Irish.
If you enjoyed The Great Gatsby or Boardwalk Empire, you'll love The Gem of Ireland's Crown, the final instalment of the Aisling Series."
"When Cullen’s Celtic Cabaret rolls into a sleepy Irish seaside town, their eccentric and theatrical presence stirs up a flurry of excitement—the public clamouring to buy tickets for the greatest show in Ireland.
Set against the backdrop of a relentless war for Ireland’s freedom, the stakes are higher than ever for Peter Cullen and his troupe as they try to stay out of the conflict. But as they soon discover, that’s a luxury nobody can afford. As well as fighting the forces of occupation, some people are using this time of chaos to settle old scores, and it seems the cabaret has gathered some sinister enemies. With danger lurking around every corner, Peter must fight to protect all he’s worked so hard to build.
Rivers of Wrath is the third book in the Aisling Series."
"The Great War is over, and the Roaring Twenties are promising a bright new future. Young people have broken free of the bonds that tied them to propriety and for the members of Cullen’s Celtic Cabaret it’s an exhilarating time to be alive.
England offers a world of possibilities, but with audiences desperate to hear them perform, everyone only too happy to put the awful war years behind them, the Irish troupe finds themselves facing their biggest challenge yet.
Ireland makes yet another bid for freedom, and British soldiers are dying there. Despite their successes in England, they are now met with resentment and hostility. Their once adoring fans have turned against them, fuelled by a vengeful theatre owner seeking revenge.
With their reputation in ruins and their future uncertain, they have no choice but return to Ireland, but can they make the show work in a country torn apart by political and military upheaval? Will Ireland embrace their theatrical antics, or will they reject it as improper?
Follow the members of Cullen's Celtic Cabaret as they navigate the treacherous landscape of 1920s Ireland, where their talents may be their only hope of survival."
Join our community for the latest bookish news, reading recommendations, exclusive opening extracts, author events and competitions. It\'s all free. And enter a monthly draw to win a £50 Gift Card. See past winners here
