Review of House of Eire

[Kajori Sheryl Paul]

[Following is a volunteer review of "House of Eire" by June Gillam.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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No matter how far we run from our past, it always has a way to catch up with us. To embrace our future, we need to accept our past with grace, humility, and pride.

This is the recurrent theme in June Gillam's page-turner, House of Eire. The third book in the Hillary Broome series, House of Eire follows Hillary Broome as she finally gets to go on her honeymoon with Ed. Though it is almost a decade after her wedding, Hillary is super excited to go to Ireland with Ed, their lovely daughter, Claire, and their amazing friend, Sarah. For Hillary, it is her opportunity to get a break from her writing job and finally unravel the history of her forefathers. The chance to catch up with Bridget Murphy, her dear friend, is an added bonus. Little does she know that the trip of her dreams would be shadowed by murder, mystery, and mayhem.

House of Eire, penned by June Gillam, is a spectacular novel that hooks you right from the very beginning. Though it is the third book in the series, it can be easily read as a standalone. However, the well-sketched characters, the engaging writing style, and the gripping plot would definitely entice you to read the previous books in the series.

Gillam is a talented wordsmith. She uses her words to paint life-like pictures for her readers. From the scorching beauty of California to the green loveliness of Ireland, she enlivens it all. She describes dawn with the below words:-

"There it was, a lighter shade of black, not yet gray, much less pink, but a narrow band of glimmer."

Indeed, Gillam's writing style is a unique blend of lyrical and thrilling. She beautifully portrays Hillary's mommy issues. Being abandoned at a young age distinctly affected Hillary's personal and professional life. No matter how hard she tried, the shame of being abandoned always lingered in her heart. Though she was a brilliant mother to Claire, Hillary feared that she would fall short in her maternal duties. Gillam portrays Hillary's trauma in a realistic and understated manner. This made her pain relatable. Claire and Sarah were both amazing. The bond between the old woman, Sarah, and the little girl, Claire, was heart-touching. It reminded me of my own grandmother. Ed was a wonderful husband. No matter how hard things became, he was always there for his family.

Bridget is another character who won my heart. Her passion to bring the suffering of the Irish to the forefront is admirable. She never let anything daunt her. She was fearless. Seamus is a character who I found to be very complex. He is someone who you will have difficulty loving or hating. Perhaps, that is what makes him human. Now, the character that is a testament to June Gillam's writing style is Dermot. Though he is clearly a dastardly villain, you cannot help but pity him.

June Gillam's House of Eire takes you on a memorable journey to Ireland. In addition to the shamrocks, monuments, spirits, bottles of Guinness, and green vistas of the beautiful country, the book enlightens you about the dark phase of Irish history. I did not find anything to dislike about the book. The few errors that I detected were minor. They did not detract anything from my reading experience.

I am happy to rate House of Eire 5 out of 5 stars. I truly enjoyed reading it. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series. This book is highly recommended to fans of mystery and history books.

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House of Eire
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[Aan Granados]

I enjoyed reading this. Although it was a while back, I remember I liked especially the setting in Ireland. Hillary is a great character and I also look forward to the other books in this series!

[Ajay Rudrapati]

I am very much awaited to read this book, Your review motivated me to read this book ASAP. The way you inculcated the details of the book in a very clear manner is impressive. Thank you