Jess Báre moved to the Emerald Isle to chase fairy tales.
But when one takes her to an isolated farm in the clover-covered countryside,
will she find the happy ending she's been searching for? Or are some tales best
left untold?
Pursuing her dream life in Ireland, twenty-something
Dublin newspaper columnist Jess is now half a world away from her family and
feeling pretty lonely. At least she has her childhood collection of antique
fairy tales. But she longs to be out exploring all the old stories Ireland is
famed for.
So when she finds a heart-breaking dedication to a little
girl in a new addition to her collection, Jess knows that the story behind it
would be perfect for her next column. And, when her research takes her to a
tumbledown farmhouse in a tiny Irish village, she can barely contain her joy.
The endless rolling hills surrounding the small cottage are just like the
scenes in Jess's favourite novels.
She even warms to the dark and brooding farmer hosting
her, Owen. He may come off a little grumpy, but it doesn't take long for Jess
to be swept up by his dark eyes and quiet charms as they walk together across
the fresh green fields of the farm. And Jess's heart melts when she discovers
he is hiding a tragic secret…
One wrapped up in the history of the farm, and very same
little girl Jess is here to research. But, with the demands of her job calling
her back to the home she hates, she must decide: does their story end here at
the farm? Or could following her heart heal the wounds of a devastating past,
and set her and Owen on the path to happily ever after?
Good book with an interesting storyline. Jess is a New
Zealander who moved to Dublin to work as a journalist. She has a weekly column
in the newspaper and is always looking for interesting things to write about.
She also collects children's fairy tale books. Jess's latest find has a little
girl's name in it and she gets the idea to track down the previous owner and
see what she's doing now. She connects with the little girl's brother, Owen, a
gruff, moody pig farmer, and learns about Amy's tragic fate.
Jess has two good friends, Brianna and Nora. Brianna is
married with a small son, and Nora is single and constantly looking to set Jess
up with blind dates. I loved the fun they had together and how they had each
other's backs, whether they needed support or a kick in the pants. In this
book, Nora is dating a film star, and sets Jess up with his friend, Nick. Nick
is a handsome, wealthy property developer who wines and dines her. Jess wonders
if Nick might be The One. At the same time, she feels a connection with Owen as
she spends time with him, learning about Amy.
I enjoyed watching Jess with the two men in her life.
Nick is smooth and flashy and rather full of himself. She's pretty taken with him,
but I had reservations about him, mainly when he talked about his work. Being
around Owen was like being on a roller coaster. He could go from grumpy and
curt to charming and talkative at the drop of a hat. He has issues from his
past that make it difficult for him to trust, and Jess frequently bumps up
against those issues. Owen and Jess have some work to do before fully trusting
each other.
Another part of the story deals with the tension between
Jess and her mother, Marian. Marian can be quite pushy when
"encouraging" Jess to get out and find a man. I laughed at many things
she said, but I was also glad I wasn't the one on the receiving end. Jess
panics when Marian visits Ireland because she knows what her mom can be like.
Matters come to a head when Jess and Marian visit Owen. This time, Jess's
insecurities are creating problems. I loved the emotional scene in the car when
Jess and Marian finally clear the air between them. The ending was sweet, and I
loved the epilogue.
Jess's treatment of Amy's story was terrific. I loved the
mix of innocent young girls caught up in events beyond her control and its
effect on her family's lives. That touch of sadness was a good foil for the
amusing parts of the story and gave a good balance.
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