"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."
"As someone raised in an orphanage, Carmel knows she should be grateful for a roof over her head and a respectable family, but she would love nothing more than to escape Birr, Co Offaly and get away from her husband, the monosyllabic Bill and his horrible sister forever.
Life as Mrs. Sheehan should be bearable, all she had to do was look after the house and cook Bill’s meals. She didn’t even need to speak to him, in fact, he preferred that she didn't.
But, as her fortieth birthday approaches, Carmel knows the change must be now or never. Her birth mother has offered her a lifeline from beyond the grave in the form of handsome, charming and kind Dr. Sharif Khan.
He's offering her a new life in London, one he assures her that her birth mother Dolly would want her to take, but the decision must be hers. A life filled with joy, friendship and the legacy of her mother’s enduring love for her awaits.
But can Carmel do it and scandalize the parish? Can she finally realize her own worth and live her life on her own terms?
The Future’s Not Ours to See is the next book in the Carmel Sheehan Story."
"As storm clouds of war gather over Europe, Grace Fitzgerald in Ireland and Richard Lewis in the United States find their lives irrevocably altered by the looming conflict.
Ireland's neutrality offers little shelter from the war's far-reaching impact, and across the Atlantic, Richard witnesses a nation divided on intervention. Meanwhile, in sleepy Knocknashee, a twelve-year-old mystery surrounding a stolen child resurfaces, shattering long-held beliefs.
Fate seems determined to keep Grace and Richard apart, thwarting their plans to meet, and the vast Atlantic is not the only thing separating them. From the gentle green hills of Ireland, to the busy newspaper rooms of New York, from a London bracing for war to a Paris on the brink of invasion, Yesterday's Paper continues the sweeping saga of Grace and Richard as they navigate love, loss, and the turbulent tides of history.
In this gripping tale of resilience and romance, the personal and the political collide, weaving an unforgettable tapestry of lives caught in the crosswinds of a world at war."
"When Conor’s dream for Castle Dysert is facing ruin by circumstances outside his control he refuses to be beaten. Surely there must be a way to save everything they’ve worked so hard for? Then, as all hope seems lost, a solution in the form of a reality TV show called ‘Grandma says we’re Irish’ presents itself. The producers are convinced Conor is just the man they need to host the show, and what better setting than the gorgeous castle, but is will this new venture save Castle Dysert or destroy it?A bunch of so-called celebrities are installed, all looking for their Irish roots, and the cameras are rolling, but not everyone is as they seem, and soon, Conor finds himself stuck in the middle of something that even he can’t manage."
"As the world teeters on the brink of war in 1937, two young souls separated by an ocean are about to discover a connection that defies logic and time.
Grace Fitzgerald, a fiery-haired dreamer, longs to escape the confines of her windswept Dingle fishing village. Across the Atlantic, Richard Lewis, heir to a Savannah banking fortune, suffocates under the weight of societal expectations he can't quite understand.
When their worlds collide through a twist of fate, Grace and Richard uncover a bond so profound it shakes the very foundations of their existence. As Europe inches towards chaos, they find themselves caught in a whirlwind of discovery, challenging everything they thought they knew about themselves and each other.
From the rugged Irish coastline to the genteel streets of Georgia, 'Lilac Ink' weaves a tapestry of love, destiny, and self-realization against the ominous backdrop of impending global conflict. Grace and Richard must navigate not only their impossible connection but also the turbulent waters of family expectations, social norms, and their own conflicting desires.
This mesmerizing journey through time and place will leave you questioning the very nature of fate and the extraordinary power of human connection. In a world being torn apart, can two hearts, inexplicably linked, find a way to beat as one?"
"A tranquil Irish vacation, music, scenery, food… but someone on this tour has a secret he's desperate to keep concealed.
When a shadowy couple turn up on Conor O’Shea’s grand tour of Ireland, the tranquility of Ireland’s landscape acts as a shelter against the stormy reality of the life they left behind.
On the run from a notorious mob boss, this mysterious couple flees the U.S. in search of sanctuary on the shores of the Emerald Isle, hoping to blend in with the tourists. In their wake lies a mafia family’s secrets and a scarred priest torn between his duty to the cloth and to the truth.
Intriguing and uniquely consuming, Father Declan Sullivan’s tale of destiny and duty lies at the feet of those he has betrayed. Can distance and deliverance save the innocent in their desperate pursuit for peace, or will evil catch up to them all?
In Safe at the Edge of the World, author Jean Grainger captures the soothing beauty of Ireland in the lives of those fleeing a criminal bent on revenge."
"Dublin, Ireland 1915
Eighteen-year-old May Gallagher is beautiful but restless, and longs for the freedom to live her own life, to decide her own destiny. Mollycoddled as the only remaining child of middle-class parents in the suburbs, she sneaks out to the theatre when she can. She is mesmerised by the captivating actor Peter Cullen, and wishes she could enjoy a more bohemian life.
The Great War is taking all the boys away, and the promise that it will all be over by Christmas is ringing more hollow with each passing month.
Her parents would be appalled if they knew she’d befriended the enigmatic Peter, who was from the wrong side of the city, but there is something about him that intrigues May.
When catastrophe strikes Peter, it’s to May that he turns, and in that moment she knows her life will never be the same again."
