#BlogTour: A Mother’s Heart by Carmel Harrington @HappyMrsH @HarperCollinsUK @fictionpubteam @RandomTTours #AMothersHeart #CarmelHarrington #RandomThingsTours

Book Synopsis:

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 . . .

My Review:

A Mother’s Heart is a beautifully written book about love, loss and family that I didn’t want to end.

Firstly I quickly fell in love with the beautiful characters in this book and the wonderful family. I liked that despite their current differences there is obviously a lot of love in this family, especially for the children which was lovely to see. I especially liked Rachel and how much she obviously cared for her step children. It was nice to see a step mother portrayed in a positive way in a book for once.

There was lots of important topics covered in this book which were surprisingly gritty at times. I thought the author described these beautifully and they were covered in a sensitive way. I especially liked the way the author focuses on the rights or grandparents and step parents as it was something I hadn’t thought about before.

Overall I loved this book and can’t wait to read more from this author in the future. I was quickly drawn into the story and into the lives of the family. It was a real joy to be able to follow the characters and witness every moment alongside them. This is definitely a roller coaster read where I was laughing one moment and then crying the next. I felt sad to finish the book and leave all the characters behind.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Harper Collins for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

USA Today bestseller Carmel Harrington lives in Wexford with her family & rescue dog, George Bailey. Her ninth novel, The Moon Over Kilmore Quay became an instant bestseller in Ireland and USA. Carmel’s trademark is to write warm, uplifting stories with humour, heart and hope within complex, twisting plots. Carmel’s novels have been shortlisted twice for an Irish Book Award and her debut Beyond Grace’s Rainbow won Kindle Book of the Year and Romantic eBook of the Year in 2013.