By Karen Power
Book Blurb
Three women, two continents, one dream
Grace Fitzgerald is about to sign a contract with an American cruise corporation to bring cruise liners into the idyllic coastal town of Bayrush, in Ireland. But her fiancé, Dirk, doesn’t seem to grasp just how important the business is to her. On her way through Dublin Airport, Grace catches a glimpse of Jack Leslie, her first love. He’s married now but he still has the power to turn her knees to jelly. Grace is about to make the biggest decision of her life. Will it be the right one?
Jessie McGrath is happily married to Geoff, and together they run a small equestrian centre on the outskirts of Bayrush. Jessie is finally pregnant with her second child, and life couldn’t be better. Will their dreams come true or will they fall to pieces?
Sophia Wynthrope can’t escape the emptiness of widowhood. After thirty-five years of marriage, New York holds too many memories of her treasured husband. Is she chasing foolish dreams by travelling to Ireland, or can she possibly find the peace she craves in a place called Bayrush.
An unexpected encounter will spark a chain of events that will entwine their lives forever…
- Contemporary Women’s Fiction
- Self-published – Comeragh Publishing
- Book One of the series
My Review
Karen Power’s debut novel is a heartwarming story about friendships, family ties, love, loss, and forgiveness. Most of the story takes place in a small coastal town of Bayrush in County Waterford, Ireland.
Grace Fitzgerald has been dating Dirk for three years and he desperately wants to set a date for their wedding. Grace is holding back, and finally gives in. She can’t seem to be excited about her forthcoming wedding, and wonders if Dirk is truly the one. She still feels a connection with Jack Leslie, the guy she met twenty years ago.
Jessie is Grace’s best friend and is happily married to Geoff McGrath. Together they run a small equestrian center near Bayrush. They have a young son Sam, but want more children. Jessie is pregnant and after a scan Jessie and Geoff learn there is not one baby, but twin boys. A reason for joy, which is soon dashed as the doctor explains Jessie’s pregnancy is a hydropic pregnancy, and there is a chance she won’t be able to carry the boys to term.
Sophia Wynthrope, a wealthy magazine publisher has recently lost her husband of thirty-five years. She is struggling with the emptiness she feels since his death, and on a chance meeting with Grace on a plane to New York, decides to return to Ireland to the town of Bayrush, and her newfound friend.
The three characters Grace, Jessie, and Sophia have different problems to work through, but they find their support and friendship with each other provides the impetus to endure. There is a huge supporting cast of characters, including Dirk, Jack, Geoff, Grace’s sister Kate, and many others, all very likeable and true to life.
The weaving of this many characters into a coherent story is a challenge for any author, but especially so for a debut author. The author carried it off without faltering and developed a storyline that entwines fact with fiction to create a book you won’t want to end. Butterfly Barn touched me deeply, especially Jessie’s story.
I won’t go into any more detail about the plot and characters for fear of giving too much of the story away. It is a beautiful and heartwarming story that is bound to keep your interest throughout. I hope you will choose to read it. I heartily recommend Butterfly Barn to all readers of contemporary women’s fiction.
I give Butterfly Barn 5 stars.
Butterfly Barn was given to me by the author in exchange for my honest review.
About the Author
Just to tell you a little about me. I live on a farm in County Waterford, with my husband, two children and our nutty Springer Spaniel called Sam.
I spent many years working in the travel industry where I had many fantastic experiences. For example, little did I know that I would use my boss’s idea to bring cruise liners into Ireland to be the career choice of my lead character, Grace Fitzgerald. That’s the beauty of fiction. People can do and be whoever they want.
Currently, I tutor in adult education delivering a range of modules such as communications, tourism, and personal effectiveness. My big passion is my work as a voluntary literacy tutor. I truly believe that every person should have the opportunity to read. As a teenager, I travelled the world from the sofa in my living room, immersed in the world of books.
Now I’m embarking on a new adventure into the world of writing by releasing the first novel from the Butterfly Barn Series.
Karen Power can be found at the following links.
Webpage – http://www.karenpowerauthor.com/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/kpowerauthor
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/irishbutterflybarn?fref=ts
Google+ – https://plus.google.com/106353349118481109015/posts
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