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Maddy's Christmas Wedding by Rosie Green #LittleDuckPondCafeBook37#review

  Here we are at Book 37 in the Little Duck Pond Cafe series! Maddie's Christmas Wedding is the latest novella by Rosie Green.   With the wedding of the year approaching, excitement is running high at the café! But there's just one problem. Maddy is grappling with a secret. Could it derail all of hers and Jack's glorious plans for their big day? Will there actually be a wedding?   My Thoughts In this latest festive story, we are taken out of Sunnybrook, in fact, out of the country and taken for a wintry stay in Lapland. It is Maddy's hen party gathering so some of the Little Duck Pond characters are along too. The story continues on from the earlier Cosy Nights and Snowball Fights . The setting is idyllic and so different to life at home. Everything shimmers and shines in the snow and the temperatures are extreme. Maddy should be having the time of her life but she finds that she has a lot on her mind and a heartbreaking decision to make.     With the men le...
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The Woman on the Bridge by Sheila Flaherty #Review

Ireland's  independence struggle is the setting for Sheila Flaherty's first historical novel. Set in Dublin in the 1920's, The Woman on the Bridge has been inspired by the story of  her grandmother. 

 
 Dublin. The 1920s. As war tears Ireland apart, two young people are caught up in events that will bring love, tragedy - and the hardest of choices.

In a country fighting for freedom, it's hard to live a normal life. Winnie O'Leary supports the cause, but she doesn't go looking for trouble. Then rebel Joseph Burke steps into her workplace. Winnie is furious with him about a broken window. She's not interested in romance. But love comes when you least expect it.

Joseph's family shelter fugitives and smuggle weapons. Joseph would never ask Winnie to join the fight; but his mother and sisters demand commitment. Will Winnie choose Joseph, and put her own loved ones in deadly danger? Or wait for a time of peace that may never come?


My Thoughts

Full of period detail, you are transported to the Dublin of the 1920's. I found it to be a fascinating read and one which showed you different viewpoints within the community. The role of women in the society of the time is described through their actions and reactions to the changing times. Winnie and Joseph's story shows you the hardships they went through and the differences in their opinions at times. Of course, they never disagree about the desired endpoint of their quest for independence. It is all about the way they can achieve it which divides.

    As Sheila Flaherty explains at the end, the story was inspired by her own grandmother's story. This is why there is an authenticity about it. Not all the characters are sympathetic or likeable. This is a reflection of life. I was also interested in the different fates of Winnie's sisters. They chose different paths and did not all stay in Ireland, as many at the time did not. Nevertheless, their family ties remained intact even though they had different desires and ambitions. I can highly recommend this read.

In short: the fight for freedom 

 

About the Author

Sheila O'Flanagan is the author of 30 bestselling novels including What Eden Did Next, Three Weddings and a Proposal, The Women Who Ran Away, Her Husband's Mistake, The Hideaway and The Missing Wife. She lives in Dublin with her husband.

You can follow Sheila here: Website  |  Twitter  |   Facebook

Book link: Amazon UK
 
Thanks to Sheila O'Flanagan, Headline Review and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

Check out the rest of the tour!
 

 

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