Review by Fazzier -- House of Eire by June Gillam

[Fazzier]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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House of Eire is a gripping mystery and adventure novel written by June Gillam. It takes us through another Hillary Broome’s adventures. This time she is planning a two-week trip to Ireland from California, where she now lives. To her, this is not just a holiday trip but also a mission to untangle some mysteries about her childhood and Irish ancestry. Besides that, she also intends to see her close friend, Bridget, who also resides in Ireland.

Little does Hillary know that, back in Ireland, a conflict has emerged between Bridget and Dermot, an Irish-American developer who is planning to build a theme park in Ireland. This theme park, fashioned after Disneyland, is intended to attract and entertain Americans with Irish origin. However, Bridget is advocating for a memorial to also be built within the same theme park so that, instead of just entertaining the Irish Americans, it also tells the story of the sufferings the Irish went through. This idea does not resonate well with Dermot as it goes against his original plan of just entertaining the targeted tourists. Will Bridget make this developer change his mind? Will Hillary go beyond her trip's scope and intervene? This story takes turns and twists, and I liked how it wrapped up.

I also liked how well it was written. House of Eire is immersing, beautifully-paced, and satisfactorily wrapped up. The storyline is expertly organized, and this enhanced its flow as I could relate its various parts. This, in turn, enhanced my enjoyment of this poignant novel. Also, I liked the use of flashbacks in giving the characters' background information, and with that, readers can see what motivated their various actions. Moreover, the author aptly captured the character's inner emotions using their monologues, inner thoughts, and relationships with one another. All this enhanced my enjoyment of this interesting novel.

My favorite aspect of this novel was the development of the characters. They are interesting and relatable. All the main and minor characters’ roles were clearly defined, and they were also introduced at perfect moments. In particular, I liked Hillary's daughter, Claire. I couldn't help but like her inquisitive personality. She's bright and full of energy. As innocent as most children could be, she raises many potent issues that reveal more to readers about her mother. More often than not, she made kept glued in this book, waiting patiently for the scenes she featured in. Consequently, this kept me engrossed in the entire story from its beginning to the end.

All in all, I didn't find anything to dislike about this book. I believe it was professionally edited since I found no single error. I'm, therefore, glad to award House of Eire by June Gillam 4 out of 4 stars. It deserves such a perfect rating for the well-developed characters, the wonderful wrap-up, and the author's vast knowledge of Ireland's history.

For fans of cultural history, adventure, and mystery stories, I highly recommend this. There was no erotic content in this novel as sex was just described in general terms. But, due to some instances of profanity, I caution children against picking it. Besides that, I can't find any other person to advise against picking this. I greatly enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more books in this series.

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House of Eire
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[Thea Frederick]

Thanks for the review! I enjoyed this book but thought it might have been a little lacking in some areas :-/