An overall engaging story, although I found the writing style to be a bit tedious at times. Filled with emotion and atmosphere.

2017: Lily married her Irish love Connor Fitzgerald three years ago and she didn’t know a lot about his family or his past? They live in Maine, Lily comes from a seafaring family and her dad is a lobster fisherman, he owns a boat called the Lily May and she and her cousin Ryan are both members of his crew. Her beloved Connor is lost at sea during a violent storm, somewhere floating in the Atlantic Ocean is his unclaimed body and Lily's absolutely devastated. While planning his memorial she finds a message on his laptop that said “Does your wife know who you really are Connor Fitzgerald and don’t think you can come home. Because if you do, I swear I’ll kill you.”

Lily can’t stand being alone in her little house she shared with Connor, she’s angry at her father for not turning his boat around, not returning to shore when the weather was so bad and she was the one who should have been on the boat instead of her husband. She decides to fly to Ireland and makes her way to Mullaghmore, a beautiful place on the Irish coast and she’s determined to find Connor’s Grandmother Rosemary. Somewhere nearby she lives alone in her cottage and she doesn’t know her Grandson Connor has passed away. None of the locals will talk about Connor; Lily senses they knew him and yet they won’t tell her anything about his family?

I received a copy of The Boatman’s Wife from NetGalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review.

The narrative has a complicated plot; it’s interesting and full of twists and turns. The dual timeline story is based around Connor’s mother's involvement during the 1990’s conflict with Northern Ireland, Rosemary’s Fitzgerald’s terrible struggle with depression and Connor’s troubled teenage years, Connor being lost at sea and Lily becoming a young widow. Three stars from me and a quick read.

I absolutely loved this book! It was well-written with very endearing characters. I loved how descriptive the author was about the Ireland and Maine settings - it felt like I was there and could hear the ocean waves. I look forward to reading many more from Noelle Harrison!

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for a digital ARC!

An emotional and compelling story of two women told in two timelines that eventually met. I especially loved Niamh and her story of the troubles in Ireland but understood Lily and the need to find out the truth about her husband who was lost at sea so tragically after such a short marriage. Good characters, history and plenty of emotion make this a very interesting read

I've always been a fan of historical fiction and when the new book by Noelle Harrison called The Boatmans Wife came out I had to read it It was a beautifully written book and i loved it. It's a true journey into World War II fiction and a must read if you love these kinds of books. One thing I will say You will need tissues and lots of them.

I highly recommend this new book by Noelle.

Big Thank you to Noelle Harrison, Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of The Boatman’s Wife, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily

I really enjoyed this story. The detailed description of Ireland made you feel as if you were actually there. The storyline and the characters were well developed.

This is the love story of Connor and Lilly. Connor comes to Maine and it's love at first sight for Lilly. They marry and just 3 short years later he is lost at sea on her father's lobster boat. Lilly discovers some paperwork threatening Connor and decides to travel to his family home in Ireland to see what his life was like before he came to the U.S. She meets resistance at every turn and is threatened when she tries to find Connor's grandmother. This book has a duel timeline and is a sad love story. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Right off the bat, I have to say that this is one of my favorites I have read this year (still). The first part of the book was especially interesting as two seemingly disparate storylines were introduced. One is set in Rockland, Maine in October 2017 and the other is set in Mullaghmore, Ireland in July 1992. It’s obvious that they tie together somehow, but the author does a great job of slowly building the connections. To me, the gradual coming together of the two storylines reminded me of the way the tide comes in and out – fitting, I suppose, considering the focus on the ocean in this book. I very much enjoyed this book from beginning to end and I look forward to reading more from this author. For a detailed review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.

Sadly this one just wasn't for me. I couldn't engage with the characters and at times found the writing style tedious. The plot was interesting but it didn't hold my attention, I'm sure a lot of people will find this a very enjoyable read.

Always been a fan of historical fiction. Loved reading this book. A true journey into World War II fiction indeed. If you are up for a heartbreak, go for it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

Two women- one in Ireland in the 1990s and one in Maine in the 2000s, appearing unconnected to one another, but each on a collision course to one another. It is an intriguing premise with a good historical back story for the Irish storyline, but I changed my 3 stars to a 2 star after some reflection.

I felt that both protagonists were as dramatic as the book cover's tagline. It was really difficult to connect with them because my eyes were too busy rolling out of my head. That being said, Niamh had a much more interesting back story than Lily. I think she could have carried this novel all on her own. But Lily was another matter entirely as I had a hard time believing this was a woman in her 20's. As my fave literary protagonist, Claire Fraser would say " Jesus H Roosevelt Christ," because I just wanted to give this girl a good shake. Unless you are six years old or under, no one should call their father "daddy."

All in all, it was an okay read.

Publication Date 14/03/21
Goodreads review published 17/03/21

Lily grew up as part of a lobster fishing family. As much at home as on the land she was happy on the coast of Maine. When Irish Connor stole her heart she seemed settled until a dreadful storm took him from her. After his deaths she found some emails that made her realise she didn't know him as well as she thought. Why did the people of his home town threaten him if he ever returned? She decides to go & find out. The story is told from two points of view, Lily in the present & Niamh in 1990's Ireland during the Troubles.

I find this book a tricky one to review. It was an interesting premise but it somehow missed as far as I was concerned. I think I found both the narrators annoying in their own ways & the ending was just a bit too convenient for me. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

"The Boatman's Wife" came out just last month and I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy through @netgalley and @bookouture.
This incredibly moving and atmospheric story is told by a dual narrative and is set in different decades and locations but eventually the stories come together. Both settings, the East Coast of the US and Western Ireland , really spoke to me. The author describes each place in such detail, adding so much feel and drama to the story. There are many layers to the story as well and it was both interesting and shocking to learn more about the history of the Troubles and the effect it had on the people living on the borders of Northern Ireland.
I sympathised with all characters, despite not understanding some of the choices they made.
Think this book would be a great one to discuss in a book club and it's certainly a story that will stay with me for a long time.

Synopsis:
Lily loves the coastal town of Rockland, Maine, where she grew up. She's even more passionate about her job as a lobster fisher working alongside her father on his boat.
Having earned the respect of all the fishermen Lily is regarded one of the guys. And although that's how she likes it, she's also secretly longing for true love.
When she meets the Irish Conner behind the bar of her local den it's love at first sight. Soon their romance begins, but after only one year of marriage, tragedy strikes, leaving Lily widowed at just 23.
Devastated an angry about the circumstances at which Connor lost his life she doesn't know what to with herself or who to turn to. When searching for the contact details of Conner's Irish grandmother and only known relative, Lily finds a very disturbing e-mail in his inbox. The sender warns Connor not to set foot in his hometown of Mullaghmore ever again or he will be killed.
Shocked an confused Lilly is determined to travel to Ireland in an attempt to find out more about het husband's past and the secrets he kept from her. Soon after she set foot on Irish soil Lily finds that the people of Mullaghmore shut down whenever she mentions her husband's name which only fuels her determination to get to the bottom of who her husband really was...

Highly recommend this book for everyone who longs to be swept away to the rugged and enchanted coasts of Maine and Ireland for an emotional journey of love, hardship and resilience.

I love Ireland and whenever I see a book based there, I have to read it. This one did not disappoint. This is the story of Lily and Conner, soulmates. Conner made his living ion the sea and one day a storm raged in the Atlantic and he didn’t make it home. Lily is heartbroken and three years later plans a memorial for him. She finds a message to Conner that shocks her and now p she wonders if her marriage to Conner was all a lie.

I loved this story from the minute I began reading it. It is a story if love, loss and hope. It was fantastic and gripped me from the very first page! I highly recommend this book and suggest that you read it on a day when you have nothing else to do because you won’t be able to put it down until you finish it!

The story is told via a dual timeline told from the POV of newly widowed American Lily, who finds a threatening email on his computer and realises her husband may have a history she knows nothing about, and Irish Niamh, who comes of age during an active period of the Troubles and becomes involved in the cause.

Niamh felt real and more fleshed out as a person, and the conflict over the border was very well told. The choices made and actions taken felt authentic and I could feel the ever-present undercurrent of danger that her situation put her in. In contrast, where I should have been feeling Lily's anguish over becoming a very young widow and the tensions it caused within her family, I never quite warmed to her or felt any of that anguish.

This was a good story and I did enjoy it, but I definitely found myself enjoying Niamh's parts more than Lily's. I liked the ending.

Oh my goodness what a brilliant book it had everything love, tragedy and even a bit of what happened in Ireland during the troubles.

We are in the present where Lily falls in love with Connor who is from Ireland. We also deal with the problems in Ireland and go back to the 1990’s when it was bad.

Things happen and Lily goes to Ireland to seek out Connor’s Grandmother and Lily wants to find out more about Connor as he never really talked about his life in Ireland.

It was an happy and sad book in places. We also deal with what happened a wee bit in Ireland about independence and how it effects Connor’s family.

I could not put this book down and would have read it continuously if life hadn’t got in the way. I would recommend it.

This was a dual timeline story that had my emotions all over the place. The story of Lily and Connor is set in Maine in 2017. Lily works on her dad’s lobster boat and is beginning to want more. She meets Connor who is working at the local bar where the men and Lily go to have a beer before heading home. There is an immediate attraction between them and within a few months they get married. Three years later, Connor is dead, drowned in a storm that should have sent her father and his crew home, but he made the decision to stay out too long. Lily, dealing with her loss and her anger at her father, heads to Ireland to try and find Connor’s grandmother and why he didn’t want her to know anything about his past.

The second timeline is the story of Niamh. She has gotten herself involved in the IRA in the 1990s. She is recruited by her second cousin, Brendan, and when she tries to get out, finds out that it isn’t possible. As well there is a romance between Niamh and an American who is working as an apprentice boatbuilder in her town. Lily finds out a lot more than she had planned when she ends up in Connor’s home village in Ireland.

I visited Ireland a few years ago and signed my name on one of the “Peace” walls in Belfast. I also went on a walking tour and learned a bit about the Irish Conflict, but not a lot. This story gave me a look through the eyes of the people who lived through it and how it effected their lives. Then there were the beautiful settings that were described in Noelle Harrison’s wonderful prose. I could picture the beaches and feel the terror of the storms. The story of Lily’s journey to find out more about Connor and to meet his family was interesting and emotional. There were a lot of secrets and lies that she had to make her way through.

This is the first Noelle Harrison novel I’ve read, and it will not be the last. I enjoy dual timeline stories and this one had me trying to work out the connection between them. I thought I knew, but there was just enough doubt that I wasn’t positive until the end. There was some intrigue, what happened to Niamh that when this was revealed I was surprised. Overall, a very enjoyable story that I recommend to those who enjoy historical fiction with some romance and intrigue, as well as those who enjoy dual timeline stories

This captivating story takes us from one fishing community in Maine, USA to another on the west coast of Ireland, Mullaghomore. What binds these two places besides the sea?

Told in two different times, it is the present day story of Lily, a passionate, sea-faring woman who has been in the lobster fishing business with her father. It’s also the story of Niamh, a young girl living in Ireland in the 1990s.

Though it was Lily who was an intrepid sailor, but it was Connor, ever a reluctant sea-farer who died in a tragic accident. Lily struggles with the loss, her guilt that her husband went in her place and above all anger with her father on whose watch Connor died. She realizes that she knows hardly anything about her husband’s background and family. When she discovers a threatening email to Connor, she decides that she’s going to uncover more about him and his life in Ireland before he met her. More importantly, she wants to meet his grandmother who brought him up.

Niamh, who lives with her mother, is a reluctant participant in the covert operations that formed a part of the Irish civil war. With her mother copping out after the death of her father, the only attention she received was from her cousin Brendan, who drew her into these activities. How she meets and falls in love with a ‘boatman’ and what follows is another tragic and all too real tale of those times.

I loved the two strong female characters – Lily and Niamh (a name I learned is pronounced as nee + iv” or “neev”). What I loved about the book is that there were really no ‘villians’ in it – just people responding to difficult circumstances in different ways.

An absolutely beautiful story of loss, pain, passion, secrets and above all the redemptive power of love and family.

I will certainly be on the look out for more books from Noelle.

The Boatman’s wife is a dual timeline story, following Lily in present day USA, and Niamh in early 90s Ireland.

Lily is in her early 20s when the love of her life, Connor, is lost at sea during a storm. While she tries to come to terms with what happened, she discovers a dark secret about Connor that takes her to his home village in Ireland.

Niamh is also in her early 20s, and lives in a small village in Ireland, close to the border with Northern Ireland. She finds herself caught up in the wrong thing, and is left with some difficult decisions to make.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Ireland and the troubles that have occurred over there. It took me back to my holiday over there, and reminded me about how recently the conflicts occurred. I loved seeing the character development, especially that of Niamh. The book has a very ‘neat’ ending, but was such a great book to read.

The Boatman’s Wife is another fantastic novel from Noelle Harrison. Set in the present day in Maine, USA and the 1990’s in Ireland it tells the story of Lily and Connor who are trying to start a family. When tragedy strikes, Lily travels to Ireland to pass on the news to Connor’s grandmother Rosemary.

The storyline regularly travels back in time to expand on Connor’s family and his mother’s links to the IRA. This book is brilliantly researched regarding the life of the lobster fishing community in the east coast of the USA and the troubles in Ireland. It’s both a heartbreaking and heartwarming read.