Published: Bookoutre
Date: 25th January 2024
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Lily Fleury used to love visiting her eccentric grandmother Sylvia in Ireland, taking long sunset walks on the beach and exploring the nooks and crannies of the family’s old home Magnolia Manor. But when she arrives from Dublin broken-hearted, hoping to heal in Sylvia’s warm embrace, she finds the once ornate Georgian house in disrepair and the gardens wildly overgrown. Sylvia has always been fiercely independent, but Lily can’t believe she hasn’t told anyone she’s been struggling.
Lily knows she can’t leave until she gets Sylvia back on her feet. Although mysterious local builder Dominic agrees to help, from the moment Lily looks into his fierce green eyes they clash over how to fix the sprawling estate. It’s only when she hears the soft Irish lilt of his voice as he sings in the local pub that their arguments ignite a spark of passion neither can ignore…
But when Lily finds a trunk of tattered letters in the gatehouse, she discovers a devastating secret Sylvia has been hiding about Magnolia Manor. And she soon learns the real reason Dominic agreed to help out. Lily wanted to save her family home, and could see a life here with Dominic, but will the truth force her to leave the man who has captured her heart and never return?
The Keeper of the Irish Secret has a beautiful setting in Dingle in Kerry. It feels very realistic and as well has a beautiful old house in it. Unfortunately we don’t really get to explore that, however a lovely gate house is included and we get to see that a little more.
The story centres around a Grandmother and three grand daughters, mainly Lily. As this is going to be a series, no doubt the two other girls may feature more in later books.
Lily finds a new beginning for herself when she comes to Dingle after a divorce and soon finds herself immersed in the countryside and the secrets her grandmother seems to be hiding.
It was a reasonably enjoyable book, although I did find it a little long, with details that sort of slowed the story down. This is a book for you if you like an Irish setting and a gentle meandering story where everything falls into place easily.
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The Book Date 