Pages: 470
Genre: Adult Historical Fiction
Pub. Date: August 14, 2018
Publisher: William Morrow
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads says, "1939: Peace has flourished since the Great War ended, but much has changed for the Deverill family as now a new generation is waiting in the wings to make their mark. When Martha Wallace leaves her home in America to search for her birth mother in Dublin, she never imagines that she will completely lose her heart to the impossibly charming JP Deverill. But more surprises are in store for her after she discovers that her mother comes from the same place as JP, sealing her fate. Bridie Doyle, now Countess di Marcantonio and mistress of Castle Deverill, is determined to make the castle she used to work in her home. But just as she begins to feel things are finally going her way, her flamboyant husband Cesare has other ideas. As his eye strays away from his wife, those close to the couple wonder if he really is who he says he is. Kitty Deverill has come to accept her life with her husband Robert, and their two children. But then Jack O’Leary, the love of her life, returns to Ballinakelly. And this time his heart belongs elsewhere. As long-held secrets come to light, the Deverills will have to heal old wounds and come to terms with the past if they hope to ensure their legacy for the future."
Martha Wallace lives with her family in Connecticut, but she is traveling to Ireland to find out who her birth mother is as she has recently found out she is adopted. While in Ireland, she finds herself instantly attracted to JP Deverill, who she starts to have strong feelings for. But their relationship is complicated for a variety of reasons. Then there's Bridie Doyle, who has come back to Ireland after spending many years in America. She returns extremely rich and with a Count for a husband; in fact, she has enough money to buy the Castle Deverill. The very same castle that she worked in! However, things aren't perfect for Bridie. Even though she has the castle, her husband, and a son, she feels something is missing and this becomes especially apparent when her husband starts to stray and the whole town knows it. Then there's Kitty Deverill who lives a quiet and happy life with Robert and her children. She has long said goodbye to her first love, Jack, and has succumb to her life here in Ireland even though her family no longer owns the castle. But in walks Jack O'Leary, back into her life, causing her to question everything and stir up emotions that have been dormant for quite awhile. However, he returns with his wife and kids in tow, so it appears he has moved on. The Secret of the Irish Castle by Santa Montefiore is a sweeping saga about family, fortunes lost and won, secrets, and love. It's a fantastic ending to a great historical trilogy.
Montefiore jumps right into the storyline without much of a recap, so I was finding myself going back to the summaries of book one and two for a refresher. There are so many characters and families that we have been following throughout the series that I found it difficult to keep straight the first 50 pages or so. However, it all started coming back to me and once I dusted the cobwebs from my mind, I was completely absorbed. Oftentimes I struggle when an author jumps different points of view, but Montefiore did it very well in The Secret of the Irish Castle and I found myself equally invested in everyone's tales, because at this point after two previous novels, I really cared about each character.
Speaking of characters, my favorite is still Kitty and my heart broke for her in The Secret of the Irish Castle. With Jack returning home, this really opened up old wounds and brought back some feelings that she hid away. Their relationship is so complicated; nonetheless, I found myself wanting them to reconnect in some way. In anyway. Also, I really despised Bridie in book three. I will admit that I felt badly for her as she is married to a philanderer, but she needed to stand up for herself. I wanted so much more for her! Lastly, the new character of Martha really stood out for me. Her story was really interesting as well as JP's. I would love a spin-off involving these two characters.
I love how Montefiore brings the setting to life and creates such a memorable atmosphere with the ghosts of long-gone ancestors having a storyline as well. As in the other books in this series, I really enjoyed the "ghostly" part of the novel and thought it really brought the history and the full story of the Deverills to life.
My only issue with The Secret of the Irish Castle is the fact that this book was a bit slower than the other two in the Deverill Chronicles. Montefiore took her time tying up loose ends in this final book, so I found myself taking quite awhile to get through it all. Nonetheless, I was pleased with the ending.
I absolutely love historical family sagas, especially when they are set in such gorgeous places like Ireland. Montefiore writes some of the best historical dramas that I've read in quite awhile and I can't wait to read what she writes next. I will miss the Deverill Chronicles and all the characters that have become important to me. I'd say that's the sign of a great series.
Thanks to TLC Book Tours and William Morrow, I hosting a giveaway for a copy of The Secret of the Irish Castle. It's one of my favorite historical novels of the summer, so you won't want to miss this. Please refer to my giveaway rules and this giveaway is open to US readers only. Good luck!
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ReplyDelete- Heather J @ TLC Book Tours