Book Review - A Mother's Heart by Carmel Harrington - #BlogTour

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Title: A Mother's Heart

Author: Carmel Harrington

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication Date: 26th May 2022

Rating: 5 Stars

Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand

While Rachel Butler likes her life in a pretty Dublin coastal village, her heart lies in Hawke’s Bay, where she grew up. Visiting for the first time since tragedy tore her family apart, she and her stepchildren fall for its beauty and outdoor lifestyle.

Malahide, Ireland

As Rachel picks up the threads of her life as a single parent, she can’t shake off the memories of her loving family in New Zealand – and her dream house, the villa on the bay. But it’s time to move forwards with their life in Ireland, close to the children’s grandparents, amid the familiar surroundings they all know well.

Until the children’s grandmother, still grieving, starts to interfere, questioning Rachel's position as stepmother.

Until Rachel’s attempts to strengthen the family she loves so dearly backfires, pitting everyone against each other.

And until her late husband’s parents mend the rift that has existed as long as she’s been married – bringing with them an explosive secret . . .

Such a beautiful story, that I was soon engrossed in to the point of forgetting there was a real world out there. Carmel Harrington has once again written a brilliant book, of incredibly real characters, and with some big topics being discussed within its pages. 

This time it involves a custody battle for two of the most loved children everywhere.  Unfortunately in Olivia and Dylan's short lives they have lost their birth mum Niamh and their father Lorcan. But Lorcan in those intervening years since Niamh passed away, did meet the love of his life Rachel and they were married and she is the children's mum. 

Well except that Niamh's parent's can't accept that and are determined to bring it all to a head. 

It's a beautifully written, sensitive look at just what rights grandparents and step parents have, if the children's birth parents have both passed away, made more tricky by the fact that Rachel is clearly a wonderful mother to these children. 

The characters are all portrayed in such a way that I could easily see myself hopping on a plane to Dublin to see them for myself.  I could picture everything very clearly and really grew to love believe it or not all of the characters.  Some are flawed but the all felt incredibly realistic and although emotional at times, I was left with a really heartwarming feeling from the story. 

Another triumph from an always incredibly talented author. 

Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.