Better Together - Sheila O'Flanagan (2012)

Sports reporter Sheridan loses her job during a restructure of her Dublin newspaper. Never feeling like she's lived up to the successes of her two sporty brothers, she blames her job loss on new owner Paudie O'Malley. Sheridan eventually picks up a temporary job on a small-town newspaper in Ardbawn, where Paudie is from. She thinks she might make it back into the big leagues by doing an expose on the business tycoon, whose wife Elva died in mysterious circumstances. Sheridan moves into the bed-and-breakfast run by Nina, whose actor husband has just left after having a fling with a co-star. But will she pursue the story when she realises how much it might cost her? This is another pleasurable read from O'Flanagan, with a likeable heroine and a solid mix of romance and intrigue.

Sheila O'Flanagan's latest novel, Better Together, is about a woman who loses her job, her flat and her boyfriend all in the one week. The summary says: "Sheridan Gray has the perfect life: dream job as a hot-shot journalist, ideal boyfriend and demanding parents' approval. That is, until her world crashes around her. Left with few options, she takes a job in what just so happens to be the hometown of the man she blames for everything - is this ever going to be the new start Sheridan needs? When her husband, an aspiring actor, was offered a part in Dublin, Nina Fallon never dreamt her own life would become a soap opera. Faced with running her guesthouse alone and denying the idle gossipers, the last thing she needs is her new tenant's eagle-eyed investigations. As Sheridan gets closer to the truth, both women struggle to let go of the past. Will they stick to what they know? Or will they find that practice makes perfect and sometimes it's best to move on?"

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