Carmel Harrington’s A Mother's Heart is the story of Rachel who experiences a tragic loss and the difficulties she has to face moving forward. I voluntarily read and reviewed this complimentary copy of this well-written book about grief, family, and second chances.

I really enjoyed this book. I hope to read more books from this author in the future. I highly recommend to family and friends. It was definitely a quick read for me and I liked the character development.

A beautiful book, realistic though heartbreaking. So many wonderful characters in this well-written story of death, resentment, love and eventual happiness. I loved the backdrops of Ireland and New Zealand.

This book was brought to my attention by one of my favorite authors, Hazel Gaynor, so I had to check it out. I will be reading other Carmel Harrington books. I highly recommend!

Rachel met the love of her life Lorcan, when she was just 18. Lorcan was visiting New Zealand for the summer and they spent every moment together. Lorcan returned to Dublin at the end of the summer an life moved on. Years later while Rachel and her sister are in Ireland for a European tour, Lorcan and Rachel meet again. He is now a widower with two children, but those feelings are still there and after a whirlwind courtship, they marry and Rachel becomes a mom to Dylan and Olivia. Rachel loves not only Lorcan but his children who become part of her heart. They made a wonderful family unit until the day Lorcan died. Rachel has now taken on an even stronger role for her children and she will do anything for them. One of the things that she considers is moving back to New Zealand, so they can all start over, but realizes she can't take the children away from their grandparents. Their birth mother’s parents have very strong feelings about the well-being of Olivia and Dylan and Sheila, undermines Rachel at every turn. Rachel does everything she can to keep the peace, but it is so difficult. Lorcan's parents have been estranged but Rachel wants to reestablish a relationship between them and their grandchildren. When Niamh’s parents get it into their heads that Rachel is planning to move back to New Zealand with their grandchildren, they decide they must stop her in whatever way they can.

This was a heartbreaking story. Family drama can pull at your heartstrings for so many reasons and this book has more than one. Carmel Harrington has written a story full of great characters that had my emotions all over the place. I loved Rachel, Olivia and Dylan. They were a great family that loved each other so much. They had been through so much in their lives and were so good together. Dylan was a normal four year old with cute reactions, excitement, silliness, energy and very emotional. Olivia was a big sister who loved her brother one minute and yelled at him the next. All the family members were well developed, with flaws, secrets and baggage. Grief plays a huge part in this story and how it can affect lives for years. I also have to mention the setting. Both Ireland and New Zealand were wonderfully described, but if I had to choose, I think I would love to live in the area of New Zealand described. This was a story about mother's love and what it drives them to do for their children whether it is the right thing or not. It is a story of family, love, forgiveness, and grief. I recommend this book to those who enjoy women's fiction and stories of families.

A book of #womensfiction filled with painful family drama & lots of emotions. Have out the Kleenex. You may need it for this outstanding book by the wonderful #CarmelHarrington.



Thank you, Carmel Harrington, bookouture & netgalley! All opinions are my own. Thank you, #TeamBookouture for having me on the tour!

Wow what a beautifully written story with such loveable characters. A great family drama. I loved this book and how it makes you feel like you know the characters. Keep the tissues handy 5/5 stars

Rachel met the love of her life when she met Lorcan. Not only did she fall in love with him, his two children, Dylan and Olivia, were a part of the deal. They became part of her heart and she loves them like they were her own. They made a wonderful family unit until the day Lorcan died. Rachel has now taken on an even stronger role for her children and she will do anything for them. One of the things that she considers is moving back to New Zealand, which is her home country and where her parents and sister live.

However, those are not the only grandparents that Dylan and Olivia have. Rachel considers Lorcan’s parents and their maternal grandparents. She weighs her decision carefully because she does not want to pull the children away from anyone else in their young lives. Their birth mother’s Niamh’s parents have very strong feelings about the well-being of Olivia and Dylan and are standing the way of any decisions that Rachel has in mind. Tensions rise as Rachel does whatever she can to keep everybody happy and to consider everybody’s feelings. However, Niamh’s mother Sheila constantly makes decisions that could be harmful but it’s clear to see that she comes from a good place.

What a wonderful story! In fact, this is one of my favorite books this year! Whether in New Zealand or Ireland, the setting is gorgeous, the characters are relatable, and the story is quite compelling. This is a book that makes you think, especially when there are so many individuals who have every right to their feelings and expectations. Carmel Harrington has done a superb job at writing a book that makes you feel for all of the characters and to what the possible outcome could bring. As a grandmother to quite a few grandchildren, I had a wide range of emotions while reading this utterly engaging story. For a dramatic read that will definitely keep you turning page after page, this book comes highly recommended.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review- https://youtu.be/fe1GZGJKqqU

This is the second book that I’ve read by this author and yet again this was an utterly awesome read. A family drama which is set between Ireland and New Zealand. This book was one of those that I just couldn’t get enough of. A super storyline and wonderful characters,

A Mother's Heart is a beautiful bittersweet yet heartwarming read. My heart ached for the ever gracious Rachel, who was an excellent mother to 5 year old Dylan and 8 year old Olivia. The three of them have been through the wringer with Lorcan's death. And now one set of grandparents seem determined to take Rachel on and challenge her for the children's care and loyalty.

As the story unfolds about this blended family, some secrets are eventually revealed that shed light where there has been mystery. Eventually things work out for them all, but not before there is much tension and heartache.

I liked all the characters. Rachel is a fantastic mother, and so giving and patient with the grandparents especially Sheila who is so picky. It was easy to feel annoyed with Sheila (as the reader) but also I had sympathy for her as well. She feels threatened and fearful of losing her grandchildren. A grandparent wants to be close to their grandchildren, it's and important relationship.

The setting ranges between New Zealand and Ireland. Oh yes! Loved that little detail. Of course I did. Rachel is a New Zealander, I have to say I was on their side over the custard for the trifle! Rachel has family in New Zealand she is close to and her heart longs to be with them. But... her children are Irish with all their relatives in Ireland. What a dilemma.

This is a page turning, thought provoking story that encourages us to see things from all angles and to choose love and kindness and happiness, and to appreciate the wonder of family. I really loved this book.

📚 Book Review 📚 A Mothers Heart By Carmel Harrington -
🗓Publication Date - 26th May 2022

❤️📚 This is the 2nd book I have read by Carmel. Loved this one just as much as the last!

You know that feeling… when you get in bed and it’s fresh sheets, when it’s freezing outside and you get home and it’s all cosy. That’s exactly what Carmel’s books make me feel like …. ❤️

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.

#book #review #bookstagram #london #reading #foodie #books #blog #blogger #bookworm #food #read #love #bookish #happy #booklover #travel #art #instagood #bookshop #uk #feedback #instabook #reviews #author #movie #booksofinstagram #beauty #carmelharrington #amothersheart

Life is hard but throw in relationship issues and custody situations and daily living becomes so much harder. Rachel married her husband who was a widower with two children. Complications arose when her husband died in an accident, leaving the children with Rachel. Misunderstandings and mistaken facts years in the making take the reader on a journey that evokes complicated emotions and conflicts that could devastate further the families involved. A five star review for this excellent read that shows that unselfish love wins in all situations.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘A Mother’s Heart’ written by Carmel Harrington in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Two years have passed since Rachel’s husband Lorcan was taken from her in a car accident but before he died he had the foresight to go through the Courts to legally have her named her as the mother to his two children, Olivia and Dylan, from his previous marriage to the late Niamh. Rachel loves the two children as if they were her own but she has a battle ahead of her as the children’s grandparents and mother of Niamh, Sheila and Adrian, want to take over more control of them. Will they be able to give the children a better future than if they stay with Rachel?

‘A Mother’s Heart is the emotional story of love, families and relationships from a distance that pulled at my heartstrings and left me wanting more. The characters of Rachel and the children Olivia and Dylan were beautifully portrayed, not to mention the wonderful grandparents Annie and Joe, Adrian and Sheila, Belinda and Oscar. My heart went out to Rachel who was an amazing mother but had to battle against preconceived ideas and ill-formed notions. I was absorbed from page one through all the twists and turns until I reached the conclusion that had me laughing then crying, and made me want to hug my own grandchildren. Carmel Harrington is to be congratulated for producing a wonderfully moving story that made me want to get involved and be part of this amazing family, and although this is the first of her books that I’ve had the privilege to read it definitely won’t be the last.

Wow what a beautifully written story of a mother’s love in a blended family, I absolutely loved it.

I like how the author writes about the relationships between adoptive mother Rachel, her two children Olivia & Dylan and three sets of grandparents, Annie & Joe, Sheila & Adrian and Belinda & Oscar who all love and want the children in their lives.

I flew through the pages, couldn’t put it down, it pulls at your heartstrings, had me crying & laughing. It’s full of family drama, with a few emotional twists and turns along the way.

I highly recommend this, if you enjoy reading about family drama & relationships then this is the book for you.

Thank you to #NetGallery, #Bookouture and the author #CarmelHarrington for an ARC of #AMothersHeart in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book, full of family drama.

Rachel is step-mother to two children, Olivia (8 years old) and Dylan (5 years old), who have tragically lost both their biological parents, including their father Lorcan. Rachel was married to Lorcan, who remarried after his first wife, Niamh, died. Rachel and Lorcan and the children were then very happy until Lorcan died in a tragic car accident. So now Rachel is the only parent the children have left - but they do have three sets of grandparents, Niamh's parents, Lorcan's parents, and Rachel's parents, which is where the trouble starts!

Rachel became the childrens stepmother when Olivia was 4 years old and Dylan only 10 months old, so she is really the only mother they know, especially Dylan. Life is a struggle for Rachel, juggling looking after the children and her business, but she loves her children and would never let them go. But Niamh's parents, her mother in particular (Sheila), is very controlling and wants the children with her all the time. She feels that Rachel isn't their mother and her daughter is their real mother, she just can't let go and accept that Niamh is dead.

So once Rachel adopts the children officially and becomes their 'proper' mother, a process that was started before Lorcan died, Sheila really loses it and petitions to take the children away from Rachel to be with them, especially as she feels that Rachel may move back to her native homeland of New Zealand with the children to be with her family. But of course there is also Lorcan's parents, also the biological grandparents, who are on Rachel's side.

It all becomes a bit of a mess with most of the people involved wanting what's best for the children, apart from Sheila. I can't believe quite how patient Rachel was with Sheila, for most of the story. They only lived a few doors apart and she was often just letting herself into the house to do washing or tidy us, as Rachel wasn't doing it right. Sheila had this image of her daughter as being perfect, but as the story unfolds it turns out she wasn't as perfect as she thought, and there are a few twists and turns along the way.

Very enjoyable with a very satisfying ending. Thank goodness Rachel was so patient is all I can say, other people definitely wouldn't have been, but she really had the childrens best interests at heart all the way through the book, and even though she wasn't their biological mother she was definitely their mother in every other way.

This is the first time I've read a book on NetGalley Shelf. It was a positive experience, resulting in my giving it four stars.

The book is a story of the impact of mothers' love in a blended family. The protagonist, Rachel, is the widow of a man who had two biological children from his first marriage when he and Rachel wed. His wife had died unexpectedly, leaving him with two young children. The story is about the relationships between the children, adoptive mother, Rachel, and three sets of grandparents all of whom love and want the children in their lives.

The book was meaningful to me because I am an adoptive mother of two young adults adopted transracially as well as the biological mother of two older kids. We are a blended family and the dynamics are tricky and complicated. This book shone a light on some of these struggles and the characters and their responses resonated for me.

The author does a good job of character development of the main characters, primarily the women of the book, since her focus is to highlight the perspectives of the four mothers who are involved in the children's lives. The blended family situation is more complicated in this story because members of the family live on different continents. I do not want to spoil the read for anyone by hinting at how the book ends. Let me say only that I couldn't put the book down until I fiinished reading it. Who was going to end up being the primjary caregiver for these little ones, and how were the other parties going to react to whatever outcome occurred.

I found the setup of the plot and the description of the highly tense interactions between the parties very well done. I could certainly relate to that tension. I found some of the character development biased toward portraying them as evil (Sheila) or beatific (Annie). Most of the men int he book were largely subordinate to the women, not presenting forceful opinions of their own. The author did a good job of tying all the ends of the story together at the end, and it was not as far fetched as I feared it would be.

I'd recommend this novel to readers who like family and relationship drama and who enjoy reading about the well-described emotional reactions of the characters. I enjoyed the book very much. Easy read.