Sunday, August 14, 2022

REVIEW: Love and Blarney by Zara Keane

Title: Love and Blarney (Ballybeg #2)
Author: Zara Keane
Publisher: Beaverstone Press LLC
Publication Date: August 2014
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN

Description: Married in Manhattan…
Ruairí MacCarthy abandoned his life in New York to deal with a family crisis in Ireland. Twelve months later, he’s traded his three-piece suits and Wall Street career for jeans and a job managing his family’s pub in Ballybeg. When his estranged wife bursts back into his life looking for reconciliation, Ruairí must decide if home is where the heart is.

…True Love in Ballybeg.
Jayme King wants Ruairí back. She’s prepared to battle sheep, floods, and crazy Irish in-laws to get him. Discovering he lied about his past was a shock, but Jayme’s had months come to terms with the betrayal. Letting Ruairí go was the biggest mistake of her life. Can she persuade him to return to America and give their marriage a second chance?

My Thoughts: A short, sweet and quite predictable story of a married couple on the verge of divorce being given an opportunity to resolve their differences against the backdrop of a quaint Irish village.

The story moved smoothly, and I enjoyed meeting Ruairi and Jayme but didn’t feel as deep a connection to them as I did the couple in the first book of this series. I honestly spent most of my time reading this book repeating Ruairi’s name and hoping I was pronouncing it correctly. Roo Ree, not Roar Ree. His name didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the story, but it certainly distracted me several times.

The conflict between these two characters was resolved so quickly, I had to stop and think about what the problem between them actually was and why they were living on separate continents to begin with. With the exception of Ruairi’s father, I enjoyed meeting his family and touring the area, especially Blarney Castle. I will have to side with Ruairi, however, and decline getting on my hands and knees to kiss the Blarney Stone.

I enjoy this author’s writing style and voice and if romance isn’t your preferred genre, she has a seven (so far) book mystery series that looks to be a lot of fun that I also have on my to be read pile. Start with Dial P For Poison .

My Final Verdict: Overall, an enjoyable addition to this series and though they can be read as stand-alone stories, I recommend reading them in order to enjoy the development of the secondary characters. I’m looking forward to continuing this series with Love and Leprechauns .

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Love and Blarney from the author in exchange for an honest review.


No comments:

Followers

Blog Archive

About Me

My photo
I am not a professional reviewer, but I love to read and share my opinions on my reading with others who are interested. I work full time but my ideal perfect day would be to curl up with a good book. The majority of the books I review here are from my private collection and my reviews are provided purely for entertainment purposes. I receive no compensation whatsoever for sharing my thoughts and review on any book. If you would like me to review your book, please email me at sharalsbooks@yahoo.com Happy Reading! :o)