A Mother’s Heart By Carmel Harrington

‘A Mother’s Heart’ is the latest book by Carmel Harrington.

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’s – 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.

Wow the latest book by Carmel is a real emotional journey about the strength of a mother’s love, whether it’s biological or not.

The story is seen through the narrative of four women, Rachel, Shelia, Belinda and Annie. New Zealand born Rachel found love with Irish Lorcan and was looking forward to a life of happiness with Lorcan and his two children, Olivia and Dylan. But tragically Lorcan is killed leaving Rachel alone. Now stepmother to the children, like they were her own, Rachel is dealing with Sheila, who’s the grandmother of the children’s biological mother Niamh who also sadly died. She’s convinced that Rachel will take the children away from her and applies for joint custody which drives a bigger wedge between the pair. Annie is Rachel’s mother and is heartbroken at what her daughter is going through alone whilst Belinda is Lorcan’s mother and she’s trying to deal with her loss but also be there for Rachel and develop a better relationship with her grandchildren.

I really loved this book, it’s wonderfully written with characters that are heartwarming, relatable and frustrating. I loved Rachel, she has a heart of gold taking on two children thousands of miles from her home, but she also has such resilience and patience dealing with Sheila. Sheila is such a dislikable character, she’s threatened by Rachel relationship with the children and is scared that she’ll lose her only connection to her daughter. She’s using her grief to hurt others including the children. Both Annie and Belinda are lovely warm characters, much more clued in and observational than Sheila.

This story is poignant and heartbreaking, a story of love and loss, ‘A Mother’s Heart’ is an observational and sensitively written story about a mother’s unconditional love whether it’s biological or not. Beautifully written and filled with warmth and Irish charm, Carmel has delivered an emotional family drama that was impossible to put down

You can buy ‘A Mother’s Heart’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.