Review by Wacamato1961 -- House of Eire by June Gillam
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Review by Wacamato1961 -- House of Eire by June Gillam
[Following is a volunteer review of "House of Eire" by June Gillam.]
A story of searching for connections in both the past and the present, House of Eire is filled with adventure and suspense to the end. June Gillam, in this 3rd book in the Hillary Broome series, takes us from the San Joaquin Valley of California across the Atlantic Ocean to Galway, Ireland where Hillary hopes to find information about her Irish ancestors.
Hillary's husband Ed is scheduled to attend a summit in Dublin as an extension of his job as Detective for the San Joaquin Valley Sheriff's Department, and Hillary has snagged the opportunity to arrange a two-week vacation for the entire family. Hillary and Ed, their delightful and precocious daughter Claire, and long-time friend Sarah visit ancient castles and historical theaters and learn traditional Irish folk music, some whimsical and some melancholy.
Hillary is also excited to visit her friend Bridget Murphy, who has relocated to Ireland. Bridget, a historian, has uncovered some of the more unpleasant facets of County Galway's past. She hopes to use the sad elements of Irish history along with the happy to build a memorial that will educate tourists as well as residents about their ancestors. Her discoveries clash with real estate developer Dermot Connolly's plans to open an Irish-themed amusement park called Pot O' Gold, featuring popular Irish sayings (Top O' the Mornin' to Ye!) and familiar folklore such as leprechauns, fairies, shamrocks, and ghostly legends.
Unfortunately, the family adventure takes a frightening turn, as Dermot is dead set on building his theme park and making millions, and in the process keeping his family's secrets buried. Bridget's discoveries threaten to derail his dream and he will utilize all his resources to keep them from becoming public. He contracts Seamus Hanrahan to manage his concerns, but poor Seamus confuses his priorities and is preoccupied with his unpleasant upbringing, to everyone's detriment.
Hillary is a strong woman and the undisputed leader of the family, but eventually, she must admit that all the mysterious occurrences are overwhelming, and her loved ones are in real danger. She is truly torn between grabbing them up and heading home to safety and diving in to help solve the mystery.
There are a couple of strong themes in this book, one being the "ghost" theme. Hillary is an author currently working as a "ghostwriter", unable to take credit for her work which surely undermines her self-confidence; homes that have been built during times of prosperity and abandoned in times of poverty are deemed "ghost estates"; those who perished in famine are the lost and forgotten ghosts of ancestry; and, there are ethereal spirits seen by many who declare them to be authentic ghosts.
Another theme is mothers. Hillary Broome Kiffin obsesses about her mother who left her when she was young and fears that she may somehow follow in her mother's footsteps to abandon her own daughter. Dermot Connolly strives to impress his mother with his grand plans and success. Seamus Hanrahan still yearns to appease his long-dead mother whom he feels favored his brother and deemed Seamus a failure.
This book has a nice otherworldly quality, many scenes involving rain, mist, and gloom of darkness. Readers will enjoy the suspense which will keep them turning pages. I would have liked the characters to be fleshed out a bit more to aid in forming a mental image, the better to identify with them. However, if you have read the first two books, you will already be familiar with Hillary and the others. I rate this book 3 out of 4 for a couple of typos and quite a few swear words exclaimed by poor conflicted Seamus, though to me they weren't distracting from the flow of the story. There are some monogamous foreplay/afterglow situations that feel natural and add to the book's mood, but no erotic scenes.
I enjoyed The House of Eire and plan to read the two previous books, House of Cuts and House of Dads.
******
House of Eire
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
A story of searching for connections in both the past and the present, House of Eire is filled with adventure and suspense to the end. June Gillam, in this 3rd book in the Hillary Broome series, takes us from the San Joaquin Valley of California across the Atlantic Ocean to Galway, Ireland where Hillary hopes to find information about her Irish ancestors.
Hillary's husband Ed is scheduled to attend a summit in Dublin as an extension of his job as Detective for the San Joaquin Valley Sheriff's Department, and Hillary has snagged the opportunity to arrange a two-week vacation for the entire family. Hillary and Ed, their delightful and precocious daughter Claire, and long-time friend Sarah visit ancient castles and historical theaters and learn traditional Irish folk music, some whimsical and some melancholy.
Hillary is also excited to visit her friend Bridget Murphy, who has relocated to Ireland. Bridget, a historian, has uncovered some of the more unpleasant facets of County Galway's past. She hopes to use the sad elements of Irish history along with the happy to build a memorial that will educate tourists as well as residents about their ancestors. Her discoveries clash with real estate developer Dermot Connolly's plans to open an Irish-themed amusement park called Pot O' Gold, featuring popular Irish sayings (Top O' the Mornin' to Ye!) and familiar folklore such as leprechauns, fairies, shamrocks, and ghostly legends.
Unfortunately, the family adventure takes a frightening turn, as Dermot is dead set on building his theme park and making millions, and in the process keeping his family's secrets buried. Bridget's discoveries threaten to derail his dream and he will utilize all his resources to keep them from becoming public. He contracts Seamus Hanrahan to manage his concerns, but poor Seamus confuses his priorities and is preoccupied with his unpleasant upbringing, to everyone's detriment.
Hillary is a strong woman and the undisputed leader of the family, but eventually, she must admit that all the mysterious occurrences are overwhelming, and her loved ones are in real danger. She is truly torn between grabbing them up and heading home to safety and diving in to help solve the mystery.
There are a couple of strong themes in this book, one being the "ghost" theme. Hillary is an author currently working as a "ghostwriter", unable to take credit for her work which surely undermines her self-confidence; homes that have been built during times of prosperity and abandoned in times of poverty are deemed "ghost estates"; those who perished in famine are the lost and forgotten ghosts of ancestry; and, there are ethereal spirits seen by many who declare them to be authentic ghosts.
Another theme is mothers. Hillary Broome Kiffin obsesses about her mother who left her when she was young and fears that she may somehow follow in her mother's footsteps to abandon her own daughter. Dermot Connolly strives to impress his mother with his grand plans and success. Seamus Hanrahan still yearns to appease his long-dead mother whom he feels favored his brother and deemed Seamus a failure.
This book has a nice otherworldly quality, many scenes involving rain, mist, and gloom of darkness. Readers will enjoy the suspense which will keep them turning pages. I would have liked the characters to be fleshed out a bit more to aid in forming a mental image, the better to identify with them. However, if you have read the first two books, you will already be familiar with Hillary and the others. I rate this book 3 out of 4 for a couple of typos and quite a few swear words exclaimed by poor conflicted Seamus, though to me they weren't distracting from the flow of the story. There are some monogamous foreplay/afterglow situations that feel natural and add to the book's mood, but no erotic scenes.
I enjoyed The House of Eire and plan to read the two previous books, House of Cuts and House of Dads.
******
House of Eire
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Neighbour At Number 18 (Reload) by Hawa Crickmore
