Reading, Willing & Able: NEW RELEASE & REVIEW: Loving Irish by Katy Regnery

Monday, 11 June 2018

NEW RELEASE & REVIEW: Loving Irish by Katy Regnery

Ian Haven and Halcyon Gilbert haven't seen each other since Hallie's 17th birthday...

...the same day Hallie pledged she would never, ever speak to Ian again as long as she lived.

Hallie Gilbert has had an especially awful year. When her husband of five years left her, Hallie’s 4-year-old daughter, Jenny, essentially stopped speaking. Add to this, Hallie had to sell her Boston apartment to pay her husband’s exorbitant credit card bills. What Hallie needs is an uncomplicated autumn at Colby Cottage, her family’s summer home in Sandwich, NH, where she and Jenny can re-group and figure out what happens next.

But Colby Cottage, located adjacent to the Summerhaven Camp, has not been well-maintained and Hallie finds it in such disrepair, it's almost unlivable. When nearby camp owner, Rory Haven, arranges for his brother, Ian, to handle renovations for Hallie, her plans for an uncomplicated autumn suddenly get a lot more challenging.

Caroline's Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book just me made feel completely mushy inside!

"She'd sworn off men forever, but it was still possible that after all these years, Ian Haven could be her kryptonite."

At twenty-six, all Halcyon Gilbert has to show for her life is a broken marriage, a cheating ex and a heap of debt. The one shining bright star in her life is her daughter, Jenny. Instead of admitting defeat and going to live with her parents, Hallie decides to go to Summerhaven and live in the family cottage - however, she never expected to find it almost uninhabitable. And, she never expected to have Ian Haven help her make it liveable.

"Hallie Gilbert was the only true love of Ian's pitiful life."

Ian Haven is a recovering alcoholic. He's been dry for about six months. When Hallie turns up at Summerhaven, he sees a chance to make amends. She was the love of his 17-year-old self and he's never stopped loving her. He doesn't expect for her to give him another chance, but he'd be happy if she could forgive him and at least be his friend.

"His heart beat out a primal and fierce rhythm. Mine. Mine. Mine."

This was such a sweet, angsty novel. Hallie has been burnt twice in love but it's Ian's original betrayal that she holds close to her chest. She's determined to have nothing to do with him, but the man he has become is irresistible, and his kindness to her daughter slowly chips away at her resolve and softens her heart. She's a pretty stubborn woman who can't get past the mistake made by a teenage boy, and she resists him for as long as she can in the face of his selflessness, the struggles he's battled, and his heart-melting rapport with her daughter. It's not until a startling revelation makes her see everything in a different light.

Ian is so troubled. His alcoholism stole the last ten years of his life. I loved that he had such strong support from his siblings and family. He is stoic and dogged in his determination to help Hallie in order to make up for the past. His POV made me feel so mushy inside. In spite of everything he's been through, there's an innocence about him that really touched me, and the rawness of his feelings for his Halcyon just squeezed my heart.

I loved this story so much!