Another lovely book from Carmel, this is the 2nd of her books I have read and I cannot wait for more.
In this title we meet Rachel, recently widowed, with 2 stepchildren left when their father dies in a tragic accident. She is desperately trying to rebuild her life and look after the 2 children she has grown to love as her own but I finds herself fighting with their grandparents who say she cannot take them back to her homeland as she isn’t their mother.
This story has all the feelings, love, loss and heartbreak and poses the question what makes a mother a mother? Just because Rachel didn’t give birth to Olivia and Dylan doesn’t mean she doesn’t love them as much as if she had. As she says “you didn’t grow in my tummy but you grew in my heart”
A modern story of blended family and how to survive and support each other in the best way possible
I grew to love some of the characters in this book and found myself rooting for them and hoping things would work out well.
Carmel writes with such emotions it’s hard not to feel them as the story unfolds

Carmel Harrington is a seriously talented writer, who writes heartbreaking and highly emotional books. This one is no different. It explores in great detail the topics of motherhood and grief. This book did make me cry at times as it so brilliantly and accurately describes the agony of grief, I think Shelia was one of the best characters in the book and was brilliantly written. This book will break your heart but is so beautifully written you can;t miss it

Absolutely loved this book. The characters were so well written and really came to life. I loved the story and the descriptions of New Zealand really made me feel like I was there.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Rachel falls in love and marrys Lorcan taking on his two children Dylan and Olivia. She treats them as her own and when Lorcan dies she takes on the role of their mother. Their maternal grandparents have strong feelings about how Rachel brings up the children causing tensions to grow. Rachel’s parents and sister live in their home country New Zealand, Rachel has dreams of living in New Zealand to be closer to her parents but needs to put the children’s needs before her own. Can the children’s grandparents help to make the right decision or will they make things more difficult for Rachel?

A brilliant read.

I could not put this book down. Nor could I predict what would happen next.
Rachel is mum to two small children, with 3 sets of grandparents. When one set start to worry that Rachel may move them to the other side of the world a custody battle ensues with bitter accusations, and uncalled for heartache.
However time and time again I was surprised by the twists and turns of the boom which kept me hooked! Highly recommend this read!

This story has it all, love, loss and heartbreak. This is the story of a family that has endured more than its share of loss. It’s the story of mothers everywhere all wanting to do the best they can for their family. It centres around Rachel, born in New Zealand, she moves to Dublin where she meets up with Lorcan, an old boyfriend. In the intervening years Lorcan has remarried but is now a widower with two young children Olivia and Dylan. While never having thought about children suddenly Rachel has a family which she loves unquestionably. However tragedy strikes and Rachel finds herself a single mum to her two precious children.
Moving forward for her is a nightmare as she tries to navigate life without Lorcan, but with the help/interference of the childrens maternal grandparents.
This is a modern story of how blended families try to manoeuvre through life and keep the equilibrium.
Many thanks to #NetGalley for an advanced copy of this this book. For me it’s a three ⭐️

Love these beautiful past present storylines

Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
While Rachel Butler likes her life in a pretty Dublin coastal village, her heart lies in Hawke’s Bay, where she grew up. Visiting for the first time since tragedy tore her family apart, she and her stepchildren fall for its beauty and outdoor lifestyle.

Malahide, Ireland
As Rachel picks up the threads of her life as a single parent, she can’t shake off the memories of her loving family in New Zealand – and her dream house, the villa on the bay. But it’s time to move forwards with their life in Ireland, close to the children’s grandparents, amid the familiar surroundings they all know well.

Until the children’s grandmother, still grieving, starts to interfere, questioning Rachel's position as stepmother.

Until Rachel’s attempts to strengthen the family she loves so dearly backfires, pitting everyone against each other.

And until her late husband’s parents mend the rift that has existed as long as she’s been married – bringing with them an explosive secret . . .

A very interesting book which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. It deals with so many different and difficult family issues including forgiveness, step-parenting, adoption, bereavement and many more situations. Very rare you read a book which deals with so many difficult situations,it normally might only cover 1 or 2. The characters were lovable and especially Rachel,she was so understanding and level headed,I really admired her for being such a beautiful person. I would highly recommend this book as it was a heartwarming book to read as it follows Rachel’s journey with her children and extended family dealing with so many obstacles being thrown in their way.

There is no doubt in my mind that Carmel Harrington is a fantastic writer. Her stories are so interesting, enjoyable to read and full of realistic and complex characters.

The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is purely based on my own personal response to the story and how some of the "messages" in the book didn't sit right with me.
A Mother's Heart follows Rachel who was born and raised in New Zealand but moved to Dublin when she met and married her husband Lorcan and became a step-mother to his two children, Dylan and Olivia. The children's mother Niamh died a short time before and tragically Lorcan then dies just 3 years into their marriage leaving Rachel to raise the children.

The book does a fantastic job of depicting Rachel's loneliness and being torn between Dublin, where the children's grandparents and extended family live and her own family back in New Zealand. The detail and nuance of the grandparent/grandchild and parent/child dynamics were very cleverly written and made the characters really come alive.

My biggest issue with the book is that I could not warm to Rachel. I thought a lot of her actions were rather self-centered and she seemed oblivious to the feelings of others, particularly the parents of Niamh. Niamh's mother Sheila is depicted as a "villain" of the story who the other characters tease behind her back. She certainly behaves badly at times and says hurtful things but I couldn't help but sympathise with her. What mother and grandmother wouldn't struggle and be resistant to accepting another woman as the mother of her grandchildren while her own daughter is labelled as "mammy in heaven" after a period of just a few short years? Especially when she fears Rachel is going to move back to New Zealand with the children. Therefore, the message that Shelia was a terrible person for feeling this way didn't sit right with me and I didn't like how over the top her behaviour became to justify why we should side with Rachel.

My emotional response to this story is a testament to how well Carmel Harrington crafts her stories though and gives us themes and issues which really make us think. I am still gathering my thoughts on this one and will likely be thinking about it for a while to come.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC.

A roller coaster of emotions as we follow Rachel and her step children Dylan and Olivia.
A recent widow, she decided to take them back to the place she was born and bred but others close to them have other ideas!

Rachel has two children. They are not hers biologically- they are the children of her dead husband, which makes her a single stepmother. Not being their biological mother doesn’t mean that she loves them any less. Just before her husband died they began the process for Rachel to adopt them.

The children’s biological grandparents have other ideas though. Seeing Rachel as the wicked stepmother, they step in to try to gain custody. The complicated family situation is made more complex by all the different family dynamics going on.

Rachel is portrayed in the story as a saint. No matter what the grandparents throw at her, she always manages to take the moral high ground and do the right thing. I found this a bit irritating as no-one could endure what she does and not feel the urge to fight back or be spiteful in return. This gave the story a slight feeling of unreality.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel loves her stepchildren, and is overjoyed when, after her husband's death, she can legally adopt them. However., she still has to deal with their birthmother's family. A wonderful novel, showing the strength of every mother's love for her child and the measures they would go to to protect that love.

I had heard lots of praise for Carmel Harrington's books but had not read any of them. I was offered a preview copy and I jumped at the chance to read it.
This book has several hard hitting themes, such as grief, adoption and family problems. I soon found myself gripped by the story and when life got in the way and I had to put the book down, I found myself thinking about the characters. I couldn't wait to get back to my reading. The characters were in such an awful situation that I could not imagine how everyone could be happy. I was compelled by the story. After I had finished reading I was still thinking about the characters and I wasn't ready to start another book just yet. I definitely stayed with me for a while.
This story is so well written and the characters were well developed. Although this was a very emotional book, it was also heartwarming. I really enjoyed reading this book and I am definitely going to read this Author's previous books.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

Be prepared for a rollercoaster of emotions! I'm not a mother and never wanted children so I was wondering if that story would really speak to me. The topic is very emotional and complex, but I really enjoyed the way Carmel developed her characters with all their good, best, bad and worse moments. I loved the descriptions of Ireland and New Zealand and Carmel's writing. The ending was a little bit too perfect but that's actually what I expected after all the emotional highs and lows I've been through while reading.
This is the second book by Carmel Harrington that I've read and I'll definitely look up her previous books while looking forward to the next one. I can't believe she managed to give me all the feels about a story I couldn't really identify with.
Thank you to the author and publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely heart warming book, well written with lovely characters. Beautifully descriptive and enjoyable to the end. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

I absolutely loved this book. I escaped into the world of Rachel and her children Olivia and Dylan. A book about coping with grief and loss, but also moving on with the love and support of family.

I really loved this book. Poor Rachel had do many balls to juggle as well as dealing with her own private grief at losing her husband. She adored her children desperately missed her homeland New Zealand and her family but promised her husband's families that she would not take them away.

Poor Rachel tried to please everyone but Sheila, her husband's mother in law was something else .I would have probably had a big falling out with her!

Anyway Carmel brought us a lovely ending just wish there was another to follow on.

Thank you.

A gripping story with very relatable characters and situations, twists and turns, that will have you guessing what's really going on and much needed relief in the end. I love this author and her stories!

I received an invite to view the book from Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction, via Netgalley, with many thanks to the publisher, the author and Netgalley.

What a truly stunning read this book is and Carmel never fails to disappoint. Heart warming and beautifully written.

Rachel loses the man she loves but still has his children, who she loves dearly. Thankful that he had the foresight to make her an adoptive parent, she faces life without him. Born in New Zealand, she has a close relationship with her family, who adore the children. The children's biological mother's parents are not happy with things, and this story explores the conflict, emotion and love of Rachel's determination to achieve the best family for her children.

Each believably flawed vibrant character enriches the story that shows how grief manifests itself differently and how this affects family relationships. Lyrical writing evokes the settings and adds depth to this character-driven story.

It is a heartwarming, poignant story with strong female characters. Rachel is a lovely woman who places the children's welfare at the heart of everything she does, making this incredibly engaging to read.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.