The Rose Garden (2013)

Molly Hennessy is heartbroken after the sudden death of her beloved husband, David. Her two grown-up daughters are busy leading their own lives in other parts of Ireland, while she is still living at Mossbawn House, the large country manor that has functioned as their family home for years. Molly can't possibly imagine leaving Mossbawn, but there's simply too much room for just her and her dog Daisy, and financially things aren't looking great. One day, Molly discovers a part of the grounds she hadn't really paid too much attention to - a rose garden, and she decides to restore it to its former glory. With this project to keep her occupied and the help of two other women living in the town of Kilfinn, Gina and Kim, Molly finds herself slowly starting to pick up the pieces of her life and thinking about her own and Mossbawn's future. This novel has several great elements in it: some great and diverse female characters (Molly, Kim and Gina are each different and lovely women), several plotlines coming together, a wonderful setting (in the Irish countryside) and a large, enchanting, country estate (the descriptions of it are breathtaking and make it incredibly easy for the reader to picture it all). There are a lot of names and characters in the book and it was occasionally a bit difficult to find out which names needed to be remembered in order to understand the story and which were just there as background information. Overall, The Rose Garden is a fabulous, heart-warming story about dealing with loss and taking the time to find love and happiness, in whatever kind or form... A definite must-read for lovers of anything romantic. (JoH)

Three Women (2012)

One life-changing decision made more than 20 years ago connects three women. Erin has always known she was adopted and now on her 26th birthday, she yearns to find out all about her biological parents and why she was adopted out. She has grown up with a wonderful family - parents Nina and Tom and a brother Jack. However, she feels that her life is at a standstill and in order to move forward, she must discover her past. But, finding out who you really are can lead to dire consequences rather than happiness for all parties involved. This is an amazing family saga that you will not want to put down. (PP)

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