I really loved this novel. The story of Marianne Coltrane, a campaigning journalist, is gripping from the start. The author really puts her heroine through the mill and the story is action-packed, full of twists and turns, tugging at the emotions from the beginning to the end.
The plot is rich and eventful but the characters are what makes this novel stand out. Marianne, whose life is filled with drama from the day she is born, is a very worthy heroine. Courageous, strong and compassionate, she is a lovely character who makes the reader root for her from the start.
Such a great heroine deserves a very special hero, and Ryan O’Gorman is such a man. At first, I was wary of him, wondering if he was really worthy of our girl, but gradually he won me over when it became very obvious that his overwhelming love for Marianne was indeed genuine.
The couple are surrounded by an amazing assortment of secondary characters, endearing, annoying, amusing and eccentric. In turn they made me laugh, they made me cross, and they made me cry. Monty, the adorable Westie, is a major character and I fell in love with him from the moment he appeared.
The island itself is a major character, and the author is brilliant at describing this magical setting and igniting a desire to visit Ireland and take in the beautiful scenery.
This novel will tug at every heartstring, evoke every emotion and fill your thoughts when you have to put it aside to do other things (trust me, I know!) so that you can’t wait to get home and escape back to Innishmahon to find out what’s happening next – and believe me, there is always something happening. I won’t go into any more detail because I don’t want to spoil the story for others, but there is a moment of genuine shock and heartbreak quickly followed by a twist and a truly satisfying conclusion.
I am so pleased I bought this novel and am very much looking forward to reading the sequel. I can’t wait to find out what happens next! 5/5