The Lost Promise of Ireland by Susanne O'Leary is another in a wonderful series of feel-good novels taking place in this mall area of Ireland. Not deep and literary, but always fun. Maggie was just scrolling through Facebook when she saw an ad for vacation rentals. There it was: the house her family had owned for eight years, right on the beach. It didn't take her long to decide to spend the summer there, no matter what the price. As it turned out, she could afford it. It would be perfect after the misery of the last year when her partner of 22 years and the father of the children left her for a younger woman. She couldn't wait until school (PE teacher) was out and she could leave. Upon arriving she found her best friend had taken over her parents' small grocery and turned it into a modern boutique grocery. It was like they'd never been apart. They talked about that summer and the young Irish -American man she had met on the train and fallen in love with. He had stopped writing and she never knew why. How she's life to find out.

This was an enjoyable story with plot twists that kept the reader reading. Maggie had been right. Coming back her was the right thing to do. She loved it here, as different as it was from when she had lived here before. The people were the same, just older, and some better. The ocean views were just as beautiful and there were plenty of things to do to keep herself busy. It was a lovely story. Full of good karma. I loved it. Keep it up, O'Leary!

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of the Lost Promise of Ireland by Bookoutre, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #bookoutre #susanneoleary #thelostpromiseofireland

Her family's old holiday home
Seems like a great place to return to roam
Reconnecting with friends from years gone by
How the summer time will fly!

The Starlight Cottages in Sandy Cove are where
Memories of childhood and first romance are there.
With Maggie's life upset, fate steps in to share
A chance to return and stay just there.

Will this be the second chance
For her first, teenage romance?
Or a chance to take a look anew
At someone she knew back then, too?

This is a delightful read set in a lively community, you'll see
Reconnecting with friends helps Maggie rethink what should be
With friends, romance, secrets and mystery
Along with a sense of deja vu and history.

An Irish story that's a gorgeous tale,
In a coastal setting where love will prevail.
It is a heartwarming, fun, inspirational book
At which I highly recommend you take a look.

For my complementary copy of this book, I say thank you,
I throughly enjoyed reading it and this is my honest review.

The lost promise of Ireland by Susanne O'Leary.
Starlight Cottages Book 3.
Maggie remembers her summers in the village of Sandy Cove in Ireland like they were yesterday. She and her family would swim in the crystal-clear waters, collect beautiful seashells and relax on the sand. So when she sees that her family’s old coastguard cottage is available, she wonders if renting it for the summer will finally help her move on from the man who just broke her heart.
A lovely feel good read. I loved Maggies character. I also liked Brian and Sorcha. I loved the ending. Beautiful. 5*.

The Lost Promise of Ireland by Susanne O'Leary is the third book in the Starlight Cottages Series. A wonderful story about going back to a place that has memories for a lifetime but also given an opportunity to make new memories or better yet a needed life change. Maggie is in need of being reminded of a happier time in her life but also that change too after a surprise and hurtful end to a relationship.

Easy to read story that has a slower flow as Maggie goes back to stay at a childhood summer rental. Remembering an old sweetheart may lead her to find another. There are some twists and surprises in this story as Maggie returns to Sandy Cove for the summer break. For certain it helps her to move on in her life. This is a realistic story of mature adults.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh my goodness, how I enjoyed going on Maggie's journey with her in The Lost Promise! Susanne had once again delivered an authentic novel in the Starlight Cottages series. I do hope is not the last!

The Last Promise of Ireland, although part of a series can be read and enjoyed as a standalone book.

It is a cosy and enjoyable read.

I enjoyed getting to know Maggie Ryan as she tries to heal following the end of her 22 year relationship by escaping to her childhood holiday village and reconnecting with old friends.

Maggie immerses herself into village life and reconnecting with friends from 30 years ago.

She even manages to track down an old flame - will Paul be the man of her dreams?

Sandy Cove sounds like such an idyllic place to live and visit and is described so well in the book.

Maggie ends up with more on her plate than she first thought as she discovers everything is not as it seems and some people are definitely not who they appear to be.

I found Maggie to be a very likeable character although quite naïve and I was rooting for her.

So lovely, insightful and charming! This gem is another delightful satisfying read by Susanne O’Leary. I love curling up with her books and being transported to Ireland. Her stories make me feel happy, hopeful and uplifted. Her settings are always magical and well described and we get to visit them through the lives of her characters. She has a natural gift in giving us people we can relate to, those seeking fresh starts and ones that we would like to be friends with: to share a cup of tea and cake and to offer a helping hand—even point them in the right direction. But they don't need our help as through a great feel-good story design, they always find their way and resolve their issues, fulfil their dreams and experience the happy beginnings they desire under blue Irish skies.

Once again, in The Lost Promise of Ireland, we are quickly drawn into the story through Susanne’s smooth flowing writing style where we feel part of this quaint seaside community that is about to be threatened by a new company trying to move in and destroy the natural balance of things. Susanne taps into our secret thoughts and wishes of escaping to a place where life is simpler, purer and happier and we feel the urge to protect those winning attributes of Sandy Cove. For there are many with a tired spirit who long to explore the Irish seascape under the stars, on the beach, in the sun and to feel reborn. This gives our hearts a good airing through a whiff of salt air, reminding us of our own past experiences and the ‘what if scenarios’ if we also had the courage to launch out and follow our dreams. Where would they take us and what would we find? What fascinating and unusual people would we meet?

This novel is a little quieter than the previous ones in the series but no less moving. For it is a story of realisations and maturity. It explores, for the older person, the wish to go back to a favourite place of his/her youth where they felt happy and free. When they could conquer the world with their optimism and enthusiasm. When they were with an admirer that made them feel attractive and loved. This novel surveys all those things by allowing Maggie to do just that while raising the usual questions. Is the place the same? Will she find her old friends she has not seen in many years? Will they look different, act different or even recognise her? Will she recapture an old love that left her wounded and undone? Why did her American boyfriend promise to stay in touch and then drop off the face of the earth? Will she have a second chance to set things right and solve the mystery? Of course, everyone changes over time and nothing stays the same. For the experiences of life and the people we meet will influence us.

Maggie has been dealt a curve ball and the balance in her life has been challenged. The shock from her marriage break-up, leads her to seek out a soothing setting—one that is familiar and safe. She packs her car for a summer break and returns to the village of her teenage summers when her parents owned a cottage by the sea in Sandy Cove. What meets her there are some unexpected plots and developments. Romance is definitely part of the story’s fabric but there are surprises along the way. An old flame that disappeared reappears and a secret crush surfaces from the past. Maggie has much to sort out as she discovers everything is not as it seems and some people are definitely not who they appear to be, leaving her bewildered and at times at a loss and confused.

This novel is not so much about romantic fireworks but more like a full moon rising slowly and softly spilling across the sea—quiet, gentle but certain and secure. There are many familiar thoughts that an older individual (middle aged) can relate to and for those in long term relationships, plus mothers who fear losing their sons to ‘another woman’ and being forgotten. This story contains a box of letters that the new house owner finds and gives to its previous occupant. It opens a pandora’s box of memories for Maggie. Where will all this lead her?

I highly recommend this heart-felt story as I thoroughly enjoyed it. Book 3 of the Starlight Cottages series does not disappoint. Maggie is a very likeable character for she is sincere. And although she is a bit out of touch with what’s going on around her sometimes and occasionally naïve, this makes her very human for who hasn’t at one time or another been deceived by someone? It may seem that her greatest folly is her trusting nature but, at the end of the day, it becomes her greatest attribute when placed in the right hands and loved by the right heart. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for an ARC to review.

The story
Maggie is in her late 40’s. She has recently split from her partner Dermot and her two children are grown up and living their own lives. When she spots that the rural seaside cottage that her parents owned when she was young is to rent, she decides to rent it for the three month school summer holidays when she is on leave from her Phys Ed teaching job. Will being back at the Starlight Cottage bring her peace and happiness again?

My thoughts
This is the third book in the series but is quite separate to the first two stories. I had to look them up on Goodreads now to be sure I had read the second one 😉. This is a poignant story of re-visiting your teens and old loves, and how people can change, or maybe your perception of them is different through the lens of time. I am usually a sucker for stories set in rural Ireland.

I have to confess this is not the kind of book I usually read. In the beginning I really liked Maggie and thought she deserved a happy ending. However, throughout the book, Maggie just seemed oblivious to the things around her. She never seemed to catch what was going on unless someone else spelled it out to her, she also was a pushover.


I understand Maggie wanted to catch up with old friends and acquaintances, but after some times of her repeating the things she had been doing for the 30 past years it got tiring. Besides talking to her old (and new) friends, nothing much happened in the book for the first 60% of the book.


Highlights: the setting, it seems to be a place I’d like to go. Also, Susanne is a talented writer, but this story didn’t work for me. I’m sure it’ll work for people who like clean slow-paced romances.


My ARC copy of this book was provided from NetGalley and this is my hones review..

Nothing like the magic of Ireland. A return to the cottage where her family spent their summers brings back old friends. A reunion with an old flame and a realization that that the past is best left in the past and real love is in the present. A lovely story!

I love the storytelling by this author!

Time and again she takes us back to Sandy Cove where life is great. Of course a small village means everybody knows when you have or have not done something, but on the other hand they are always happy to help out when needed.

Do you ever forget about your first love? I don’t think it’s possible. It’s the first time you have been touched so deeply and often hurt deeply as well, but somehow their name is written in your mind and heart forever. You would love to see them again and you keep asking yourself why and where it went wrong.

Does our main character Maggie will get a second chance to connect again and find what she always has dreamed of? Will she finally get closure or does Cupid has something else in mind?

A lovely story about what you knew and what you find out now can be as far apart as possible or is this the moment your eyes will open and you see what you should have seen?

I loved being back in this lovely seaside village. I cannot wait to go back again and meet all this great people again. 5 stars

Thank you

A fairly decent escapist novel. Not much romance at all. Maggie isn’t the brightest bulb, pretty obvious things seem to confuse her. Overall the book didn’t flow well to me.

Maggie hopes to recapture some of the joy and innocence she felt as a child by renting the same Irish seaside cottage her parents used to rent when she was young. She catches up with old friends, one whom she discovered had a secret crush on her all those years ago. But it’s the rediscovery of a cache of letters she exchanged with an American boy one long ago summer that makes Maggie question her budding romance with her old friend, Brian. Years ago, she and her American promised that they would find each other and reunite as adults. Torn between her teenage love and the dreams that went with it and Brian, Maggie must decide what real love is.

Book 3 in the series. A completely gorgeous story about lost loves and small-town secrets that will sweep you away to the Irish coast.
I adored this book and time passed quickly as I absorbed myself in the storytelling and imagination.

The Lost Promise of Ireland is a fine addition to Susanne O’Leary’s series about Sandy Cove. Maggie returns to the place where she spent happy childhood years, reconnects with friends, an old love, and perhaps a new purpose and place. This is a lovely story full of growth and self-realization. Reading Susanne O’Leary is the next best thing to actually going to Ireland. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.