Roisin and her husband Cian have sold their family business, rented out their home and shipped their three sons off to boarding school. With lots of time on their hands they decide to spend some of it pursuing their individual interests, separately. Cian and a buddy go off to tour the coast of Ireland in a brand new campervan. Roisin's newly pregnant sister Maeve has called, asking for Roisin's help with the remodeling of their aunt's home, The Willow House. Roisin loves a good project and she is in her element as she begins the supervision of this remodeling. Unfortunately, the builder takes some cajoling and sweet-talking to get certain things done and in the process of the cajoling, Roisin meets someone she's always admired from afar. Thus begins a brief, but enlightening journey of self-discovery for Roisin.

This was a pleasant read. The story is entertaining, somewhat predictable and the characters are only occasionally a bit ridiculous. A good beach read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author Susanne O'Leary, and the publisher Bookouture for my free ARC in return for an honest review.

Roisin is at a crossroads in her life, she and her husband Cian have sold their business, their sons are away at boarding school and she is feeling lost and without direction. Cian buys a camper van and wants her to go off with him in it but it is her worst nightmare and so they decide to spend some time apart and Roisin decides to go and help her sister Maeve in Sandy Cove renovating their aunt's beautiful old Willow House. How will the separation go though will it bring them back together or drive them apart..... and what about the gorgeous Declan will he throw a spanner in the works?

Great to be back in Sandy Cove and to catch up with Maeve, this is another good story bringing in more lovely characters and all set around the beautiful old house. Definitely a series that I recommend.

ireland books! ireland books! ireland books! yes yes yes. i love this series and i can't wait to read more! please write all hte ireland books!!!

This is book 2 in the Sandy Cove series and can be read as a stand alone. Roisin is heading to Sandy Cove to help her sister, Maeve, restore their aunt's decaying home to its former glory. Set on the Irish Coast this is a story of family ties. Roisin and her husband have decided to take some time apart. He's just retired and has bought an RV so they can travel. Roisin hates the idea so he heads out alone while she's in Sandy Cove. I love the sisters and their interaction. Roisin's husband was sort of blah and a minor character that had a big role in the outcome of the story. Susanne O'Leary always writes about strong women and unusual settings. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Sisters of Willow House by Susanne O’Leary is the second book in the contemporary Sandy Cove series. This second book of the series has changed it’s main character and features her own story so it could be read as a standalone if choosing to do so. However, for those that have read from the beginning you will notice the previous books characters are still here as secondary characters and get updates on where their story has gone since the end of the first book.

Roisin McKenna is the sister of Maeve McKenna who readers may have met in Sandy Cove’s first book. Maeve had come to visit their elderly aunt for a little vacation from her hectic job and instead found herself staying in Sandy Cove after finding love. Now in the middle of restoring Willow House Maeve is more than thankful to have her sister’s help.

Roisin is at a point in her life where she is unsure of her future and now unsure of her marriage. Roisin’s husband had come up with the grand plan of seeing the world in a camper van, not Roisin’s ideal trip, so the two decided on separate vacations when Roisin hears her sister need’s her help.

The first book of this series was way more into the romantic side than the second is but that was completely OK seeing how this was more family focused with some self discovery. The setting is just as beautiful along with some great secondary characters so this was just as enjoyable of a read as different as it was. If there is a book three I’d just request more of Aunt Philomena’s involvement.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I did not read the first book, but really enjoyed this escape to Kerry, Ireland. Raisin and Cian have been married and in business together for years. As their sons leave for boarding school, Roisin goes to help her sister while Cian takes a break on his own in a camper. Misunderstandings and small village gossip galore, the story is true escapist fiction. Enjoyable.

Set on the Irish coast,a tale of marriage and relationships. Good,interesting characters all with their own lives and problems.

This is the book to read when you need some love and a pick me up! Well a=written and entertaining with a feel good punch.

Having read book 1 it was easy to start reading this book.
The author has written another beautiful book filled with emotions. This is a beautiful story of love and marriage
A light read but filled with lots of emotion that touch your heart

The author has created a tale of love, friendship, turmoil, and finding one’s self. The atmospheric descriptions are beautiful and I wish I could visit Sandy Cove. I thoroughly enjoyed Roisin’s story.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Book Review
What a beautiful story....
My first time reading this author and even though this is book two in the Sandy Cove series, it didn't hamper my enjoyment in any way not having read book one.
We meet Roisin and her husband Cian who are at a crossroad in their marriage.
Having sold their business and their children gone off to boarding school, they are at a loss as to what to do next.
Both are unable to decide their future.
Their ideas are different, Cian having bought a camper van intending them both to travel the world together.
Roisin has other ideas though, wanting to go back to Sandy Cove to help out her sister.
Maybe that's what they need, a little time apart might do wonders for their relationship.
Roisin's sister Maeve announces she is pregnant and needs help with the renovations to Willow House.
Roisin's cue to get out of travelling with Cian. She hot foots it back to Sandy Cove waving Cian off in his camper van with his friend.
Time away does give Roisin time to assess her marriage and ask herself what does she want out of life.
There is such an array of emotion in this book. Family and friendship are at the forefront.
Susanne's descriptions are beautifully breathtaking.
You can almost feel the sand under your feet walking the beach.
The landscapes are beautiful, the beaches amazing...
Roisin soon discovers she has a dilemma. Should she stay with what she knows or is the grass really greener on the other side.
A thoroughly enjoyable read....
Well worth taking to time to check this one out..

Thank you kindly to author Susanne O'Leary I'm easy and her publishers @Bookouture for my copy of this book. Much appreciated..

Great book. I enjoyed the plot, well developed characters and the setting. I recommend this book. My thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

I don't know what it is about books that are set in Ireland, but I haven't found many that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed. What is even better is if said book is written by an Irish author. I swear, storytelling is in their DNA and I love their turn of phrase!

Roisin is married to Cian, and when he comes home one day with a motorhome and wants to go exploring the countryside in it, she decides that they need a bit of a break and she goes to help her sister, Maeve, with the renovations of Willow House. Along the way, she meets some interesting characters and has to contend with searching her heart to figure out what she really wants. After 20 years of marriage, running a business, bringing up three boys etc, what direction is her life going in?

This was a lovely book, full of great descriptions of the Irish countryside (Kerry in particular) and a bit of a thinker. I mean, when you get to a certain stage of your life, have you achieved what you set out to achieve? Are you fulfilled? What does that mean, anyway?

I loved the characters and even though I read the first book in the series as well, this book can easily be read as a standalone. Highly recommended.

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

I read, reviewed and loved the first book in the Willow House series, which is called ‘Secrets Of Willow House’. I couldn’t wait to get hold of the next book in the series. Well the wait is over because ‘Sisters Of Willow House’ was released on 26th July 2019. It is a read and a half, which I adored but more about that in a bit.
I loved the characters in this book. The main focus of the story is Roisin. She is married although she and her husband are having marital problems. They agree to take some time out from each other. He takes off with his best friend and travel in a camper van, that he helpfully named after one of his ex-girlfriends. I mean how stupid is that. Anyway back to Roisin. She receives a call from her sister and before she knows what’s what, Roisin is on her way to help her pregnant sister, Maeve, with preparing for the baby and with renovating Willow House. Complications arise and suddenly Roisin has to decide what she wants to do with herself and who does she want to be with? Well for the answer to that question and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
It didn’t take me long at all to warm to Roisin and Maeve and in fact reading this book did make me feel as though I was reuniting with old friends. It didn’t take me long to get into the story either. I soon became addicted to reading this beautiful story and I couldn’t turn those pages fast enough. The more I read, the more I wanted to read and the quicker the pages seemed to turn as my desperation to find out what happened increased. All too quickly I reached the end of the story, which I was so disappointed about. I don’t mean that I was disappointed with the way in which the story ended, but I was enjoying the author’s writing, the characters and the storylines so much that I just wanted the book to continue.
‘Sisters Of Willow House’ is beautifully and brilliantly written but then I wouldn’t expect anything else from Susanne O’Leary. She draws you into the story from the first word and she dangles enough bait in front of your nose to keep your interest all the way through the book. You could say that the book had developed a hold over me and it was a hold that I didn’t want to break. The author uses such powerful and vivid descriptions that the characters seemed to spring to life and leap off the page as it were. I was completely taken with the story and I began to ‘live’ it as if it were real.
Reading this book did take me on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster ride with all the highs, lows, ups, downs and well you get the picture. It got to the stage where I was experiencing the different emotions of the various characters, at the same time that they were experiencing them. I hope that makes sense.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Sisters Of Willow House’ and I would definitely recommend it to other readers. Susanne has done it again and written one hell of a read, which is sure to soar to the top of the bestsellers chart. I can’t wait to read what she comes up with next. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Susanne O’Leary wisked me away to the Irish shore with this heartwarming story. This is the second book in the Sandy Cove series but it can absolutely be read as a standalone. Roisin and her husband have not been getting along. SO when he purchases a camper van it is the final straw and they decide to take a break of sorts. While hubby is off traveling about the country Roisin heads to willow house to help her sister Maeve with the renovations. While in Sandy Cove Roisin becomes friendly with a man named Declan and....

This was an entertaining and engaging story that kept me invested in these sisters lives throughout. I loved both the sisters and I especially love the bond between them. The setting was gorgeous, another place I really want to visit. There were times in this book I was slightly frustrated with Roisin. I was really worried about some of the choices she might make and sometimes she was a tad bit hypocritical. A perfect summer read filled with amazing characters, a lovely setting, and an ending guaranteed to make you smile.

*** thanks to Bookouture for my copy of this book ***

I enjoyed this immensely, which was a pleasant surprise as it’s quite different to the genres I normally read. However, I really loved the characters, especially Roisin, and felt that I was easily able to connect with her and her story.

I loved the descriptions of Willow House and the surrounding coast, it was really beautiful and often fit with the mood of the plot which was a nice touch. It made visualising the story really easy as well, and so I thought this worked great.

Roisin was such a fun character. She definitely wasn’t perfect, and she had ups and downs throughout the novel, but she was full of emotion and I felt really able to connect with her. I liked the friendships and relationships she had throughout the novel, especially with her sister who was a brilliant and stable influence on her.

The plot itself was fun, uplifting at times, and slightly stressful at others, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It had it’s hilarious moments, and it also demonstrated real struggles in relationships, with I think worked really well together.

Overall, this was a great read, and one I would definitely recommend!

This is the second book of the Willow House series. It can be read as a standalone though, but I would recommend reading the previous book for the back story of the characters. Based in Sandy Cove, Ireland whilst taking a break from her husband, Roisin moves in with her sister Maeve who we know from the previous book. Maeve is restoring her aunt’s home, Willow House and could really use the help now that she is pregnant. Roisin feels this is the ideal opportunity to have a break from her husband Cian following their marriage problems, and so agrees to go and help her sister.

Having read the first book, I found it really easy to get into this one. The storyline and characters came flooding back as I started to read and I found myself being gripped by the Irish charm of beautiful Sandy Cove. The location was absolutely perfect and I could picture the ocean and the rugged Irish coast as I read.

I liked Roisin’s character and really felt for her. Obviously not having a very good relationship with her husband at that time, coming to help Maeve gave her time to think about what she wanted, if anything, from her husband and her marriage. She was a strong character and I liked how she took control of the renovations, and of course the workforce. It was obvious there was going to be the chance of romance for her, as that’s how these storylines work, but it was a wonderful journey with her to find out who, when and what happens. The characters all worked so well within the book and made the storyline completely addictive! It was also a pleasure to meet Maeve’s character again and pick up her story from the first book.

This was a lovely summer read and most definitely leaves you with that warm feeling all over. A wonderful heart-warming read showing the importance of family, friendship and love. Will there be a third book in the series….I hope so!! Would definitely recommend!!

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Roisin McKenna and husband Cian married young and have three robust teenage boys who are currently in boarding school. Cian has hopes of traveling about in an his new campervan for months to give the couple a chance to reignite their love for one another. Roisin wants nothing of the sort and has told this to Cian many times. When her sister Maeve requests her help in a restoration project, Roisin jumps at the chance.

Maeve has been restoring their aunt's mansion, Willow House, but she is now pregnant and has been told to take it easy. There is a lot of work to be done and with their aunt on a book tour, Maeve needs a lot of help. Roisin gladly agrees to help and she and Cian look at this as an opportunity to spend time apart. Maybe Cian can have his traveling dream, while Roisin can use this time to help Maeve.

Roisin hopes that their sons can make Willow House their home base during school breaks, and is certain that she and Cian will see one another soon. When Roisin arrives in Sandy Cove, she quickly learns that the house is in really bad shape and she must contend with the unreliable builder. At the same time, there is a man that she meets who is also working with the same builder, and he and Roisin become very good friends.

Sisters of Willow House is the second book in the Sandy Cove series and it has a bit of everything. For starters, Roisin develops a strong bond with Declan O'Mahoney, the man she met with whom she has the contractor in common. In Roisin's mind, she was just on a break with Cian, so, despite how close she got to Declan, she strove to remain honorable. Meanwhile, Roisin and Maeve get to spend a lot of time together, and this goes a long way to strengthen their sisterly bond. As expected, Maeve shows proper concern for Roisin when it comes to Declan and this does add some tension between them.

There are misunderstandings along the way, especially when gossip enters into matters. I loved the journey that was set before readers of this delightful book and especially enjoyed how everything was resolved. Factor in the beauty of the setting in Sandy Cove and the people of Kerry and it all came together to make this a wonderful book. This is my third read by Susanne O'Leary and I absolutely loved it just as I have the previous titles that I read by her.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Having read the first book in the series, it was easy for me to get into the spirit of book 2. This was Roisin's story.

When her husband Cian got the camper van as a romantic getaway and named it Rita, his ex-girlfriend (an absolute no-no!!), she knew that things were at a breakpoint where her husband did not know what she wanted. They decided to go on a break with each other. He went off in the camper van with his best friend, and she moved to Sandy Cove to help her pregnant sister Maeve with the renovations of Willow House. But then came a complication known as Declan and Cian came back and Roisin had to decide what she wanted from her life.

Sussane O'Leary has written another beautiful book filled with emotions and turmoil. It was fun to see the ebb and flow between the two sisters. Roisin was an interesting character, I liked the way she was a bit bossy, a bit insecure but a whole lot of fun. There was a bit of mystery too when her personal life was splashed in media, and she had to get to the bottom of it. It brought a twist to the story too.

Susanne has done a beautiful job in describing Sandy Cove, I found myself constantly drawn to it. The relationships and friendships shown were quite heartwarming. This was a beautiful story of family, friendship, and marriage. It was a light read, but it was still filled with loads of emotions which touched my heart.

Sisters of Willow House is a gentle and enjoyable story. The sisters of the title are Roisin and Maeve. Roisin and her husband Cian are at a bit of a crossroads in their relationship. At a relatively young age, they have sold their business making quite a lot of money in the process and their sons at all at boarding school. To be honest, they are both a little lost with no real idea what to do with their lives. Cian decides to fulfil an ambition of his, one which Maeve does not share. Instead, she goes to help her sister renovate Willow House, a rambling old house in Kerry which belongs to their aunt. While there she begins to question her marriage and what she wants in life.

I enjoyed the setting of the south west of Ireland and could easily imagine walking on the beautiful, windswept beaches and walking in the hills. When I was reading this was when we had quite violent overnight thunderstorms in mid-July so the description of the really wild storm that struck seemed all too real!

Roisin was a character who I warmed to. I liked her determination to persuade the builders that they really did need to get a move on with renovations! She did make some mistakes in her friendship with journalist Declan but it was really naivety and all spiralled a bit out of control. Olga the Russian plumber is worthy of a mention with her mistakes with the English language raising a smile on more than one occasion! I also really liked Maeve and the lovely relationship she had with her husband Paschal. I believe the first book in this series, Secrets of Willow House, focused on her.

Sisters of Willow House is about family and friendship and deciding what matters in life. It is a sweet and heart-warming read. I said above that it is the second in a series. I'm not sure if it is actually planned to be a series but I hope that the author will write more as I would like to know what happens next for the sisters, their aunt and Willow House.