Brilliant book from Carmel Harrington. Exploring complex family relationships, motherhood - in all its guises - love and grief. Excellent read

Carmel Harrington's A Mother's Heart is a touching and uplifting novel narrated by Aoife McMahon. In it, readers are taken on a journey to two vastly different but interconnected locales. Rachel Butler, a single mother to two stepchildren, lives a simple but happy life in the coastal village of Malahide in Ireland. Despite being content with her new home, her heart still yearns for her beloved childhood home in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. When Rachel and the kids make the trip down, their familiarity and bond with the bay and its outdoor lifestyle surprise even themselves.

Although the vacation quickly comes to an end, Rachel's longing to belong in Hawke's Bay and return with her family remains. Back in Malahide, she is determined to bring everyone closer and mend the strained relationship between the kids' grandmother and her stepmother. Unfortunately, her attempts are thwarted as her late husband's parents finally intervene with a shocking family secret that changes everyone's lives.

Throughout this tumultuous and emotionally charged tale, readers feel every ounce of heartbreak, despair, and joy. A Mother's Heart explores the various challenges that single parenthood brings and conveys the idea that family, however fractured, is worth fighting for. Harrington has woven a tale of redemption and unconditional love, beautifully narrated by McMahon. Those who pick up this captivating story won't regret it.

This is a beautiful, heartfelt story of family, loss and love. The settings of Ireland and New Zealand were dreamy. The characters were (mostly) loveable, and the children were adorable. I really enjoyed how the story unravelled and there was just enough tension to keep you guessing and hoping.

I laughed, gasped, and cried.

The audiobook narration was wonderful.

This was an enjoyable listen, not too taxing, but sad at times. I actually hated Sheila, she made me dislike the book at times, and I thought there was no way that Rachel would have put up with it, I thought she was a bit OTT. But on the whole I enjoyed the story. Carmel Harrington always writes from the heart, human interest stories that really hit home. This.was another good one!!

Carmel Harrington has produced a real gem with A Mother's Heart.
We have Rachel at the centre of the family, Mum to Olivia and Dylan, recently widowed and doing her best to keep everyone happy.
Originally from New Zealand, living in Dublin, close to her deceased husbands, deceased wifes parents! Yep, you read that right.
We have 4 mothers in this story, Rachel, her 'Outlaw' Sheila, her Mother in law Belinda and her own Mum, Annie.
While I warmed to Rachel, Annie & Belinda from the outset, Sheila's behaviour, while driven by grief, made her so unlikeable. Despite trying to empathise with her, it was very late into the book before I could.
This is such an emotive story, full of ups & downs, and you will find yourself really rooting for Rachel and her children throughout.

I'm a fan of Carmel Harrington's previous novels so I was delighted to be approved for this one on Netgalley.
It's a beautiful but poignant family saga and the narration is perfect. Another thoroughly enjoyable and engrossing read from the author. Heartwarming and thought provoking, one which I'll definitely recommend!

A lovely audiobook read by Aoife. This tale was a rollercoaster of a ride, at times I could have shed a tear and at times I found myself laughing. A real heartwarming story. A must read! Thank you for the advanced audiobook! I will post this on amazon and goodreads.

OMG, I loved A Mother’s Heart by Carmel Harrington, from the moment I put my AirPods in, until the moment I took them out. It helps that I also love Aoife McMahon. She is such a brilliant narrator who makes a book come alive and invites you into whatever world she reads about.

Full of love and happiness, anger and sadness, I defy anyone who enjoys a family-related story, with its fair share of pain-in-the-ass grandparents but also loveable ones, to not fall in love with Rachel, Olivia, Dylan and their family. You’ll cry, laugh, and shout out loud, in sheer frustration at some of the things that happen between them all.

I haven’t read or listened to anything by Carmel Harrington before, but I’ve just put everything I can find straight onto my TBR list.

Read or listen to this as soon as you can. I promise you won’t regret it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review an ARC of A Mother's Heart by Carmel Harrington.

This book highlights an area that coul be everyone's family nightmare. When Rachael meets Lorcan he is a widower, overcoming his grief on the loss of his wife, whilst raising his two children. Rachael is a breath of fresh air for him. She settles in well and adapts to family life, then suddenly she too, has to overcome tragedy. The wider family are divided on how to handle this change of circumstances.
An entertaining yet poignant novel about extended families that I am sure you will enjoy.

This is the second audiobook I've listened to by Carmel Harrington and I found it to be a compelling and emotional listen. Aoife McMahon is a fantastic narrator and one of my favourites. She brings authenticity, warmth and empathy to everything I've heard her read.
This is a novel about complex family relationships, belonging and the impact of grief and loss on a family. The author writes with real sensitivity and understanding, and I found it to be a moving listen.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to and review this digital audiobook.

I really cannot recommend this book enough. This is my first time reading Carmel Harrington and I was not disappointed. It's just so beautifully written and the story flows seamlessly, both heartwarming and bittersweet at the same time. The main character, Rachel was such a genuinely lovely, selfless person. In contrast, Sheila was a dreadful woman, and yet we understand she's suffering too, which in turn, explores the subject of grief and how it affects each of us in different ways. This was such a modern 21st century story, exploring the issues of blended families and multiple grandparents and in laws. It covered a subject most of us don't have to think about and I certainly haven't come across any other novel that so beautifully explores these issues. The descriptions were so vivid and colourful and the narrative was so emotive. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance copy. I will definitely be looking for more from Carmel Harrington. I used the audiobook and Aoife McMahon was the perfect choice of narrator.

I have just finished listening to this book and I loved it. It was a heartbreaking story with a family set up that was extremely complicated and dysfunctional. All family members were dealing with their own struggle and heartache. Although the main protagonist was Rachel, the story telling was helped by it being told from different peoples viewpoints and having moments in their 'shoes', and this helped me relate to each individual and their personal struggles. I loved the ending, which for me, brought the story to a satisfying conclusion. This was the first book I have read/listened to by this author and I will be looking out for more books by her.
The narrator really kept me listening and I would listen to other books that they have narrated.

Many thanks to Harper Collins UK for the audiobook which I was given to help me form an honest and (hopefully!) helpful review.

Perfect for fans of Diane Chamberlain, Faith Hogan, Maeve Binchy, and Jodi Picoult.

I love Carmel’s books. Always have. I used to pre-order all her upcoming books in paperback, before switching to eReader due to a disability…..but the past year has seen me having to rely more and more on audio so I was delighted to rediscover her books via narration. Talking of narration, Aoife McMahon is probably the best Irish narrator around right now so, when I saw Carmel plus Aoife (reminiscent of one of my favourite audiobooks, The Woman at 72 Derry Lane), well of course this was being bumped straight to the top of my to-be-listened to!

And now onto the book - Rachel Hawkes met and married her late husband (a widower with 2 small children) and settled down with her new blended family. She adores her new stepchildren and the feeling is mutual. After tragedy suddenly blows their little family apart, however, Rachel can’t help being pulled towards her childhood home in New Zealand, where she would have the support and love of her family and friends to help raise her step kids. She hasn’t counted on their biological grandparents, though. Sheila, their late mother’s mother, has already lost her daughter and son in law - she refuses to lose her grandchildren, too, especially to someone she feels has already ‘replaced’ her daughter, A custody battle ensues and we see the heartbreak and frustration that this causes. I could see both arguments, and completely understood where Sheila was coming from but she was the one which made me roll my eyes the most with some of the things she said and did.

In summation, this is a wonderfully complex story about families; what makes a mother, nature or nurture or a mix of those things? What can families do when what you think is the right thing….is actually harming those that you what to keep safe and content?

The book is wonderfully written, as is always the case with Carmel Harrington, and the narration is spot on. Again, something I’ve come to expect when Aoife is narrating. I will definitely be recommending to my book club!

Reviewed this book for Netgalley as an audiobook – and oh my goodness, it was wonderful to hear it read in a lovely Irish accent! It added so much to the atmosphere of the book.

Another beautiful read from the lovely Carmel Harrington, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and the beauty of it being an audiobook as well was that I couldn’t rush through it! She writes with such passion and understanding of the family scenario. The characters really came to life for me, and I honestly think this was her best book so far.

Highly recommended – and if you can obtain the audiobook then please do!

I enjoyed the story but not so much the narrator. It’s another amazing story from Carmel Harrington and would definitely recommend to others

A beautiful book of family drama.

Spilt between New Zealand and Dublin. Added complications and learning more about the family.

Will the truth be discovered or will it be hidden away forever?

Unconditional love with no end for Olivia and Dylan.

A good narrator who wanted you to keep listening to find out more about Rachel.

The novel begins with two children who have had their lives torn apart not once, but twice by parental deaths. They are lucky to have found a step mother who adores them and they love in turn. As with any family, extended relationships are complex and this book delves into the heartbreak of loss and fear with understanding and sympathy, i was pleased that certain characters avoided stereotyping (there was a danger of a ‘good guy’ and a ‘bad guy’ part way in) but the thing is, you could understand how this could happen. Thought provoking and also challenges you to remember how delicate life really is,

I normally love to listen to audio books but this one just wasn't for me. I couldn't get past the squeaky narrators voice to properly judge the story. Such a shame and it may not be the same for all listeners

A Mother's Heart Carmel Harrington
I love Carmels books, and love that she is a local author to me.
I loved Rachel, as a stepmum myself who raised a stepson, I felt for Rachel so much in this book. I loved her, and her two children. I loved the story and the irish/new Zealand settings. I was rooting fir her throughout the book, and loved reading the family dynamics.
I listened to this book on audio, and found myself doing jobs around the house just so I could listen to more.

I listened to this book on audio and I enjoyed the freedom of pottering around the garden while enjoying the beautifully written family saga.

The story centres around Rachel a young widow who has lost her husband Lorcan in a tragic accident. She is step mum to his two young children ,Olivia and Dylan. Rachel and lorcan moved to Ireland after they met and she is now struggling in a new country without him being there. She forms a tight bond around her children as she has no family or friends close by and the children become her main focus.

When Rachel returns to New Zealand her birth country for a holiday she feels the benefits of having family to help out. She wonders if moving back there would benefit her and the children.

When the children’s biological grandmother Sheila finds out about her thoughts she is furious. She begins a battle to secure her place in their lives much to the dismay of Rachel.

Rachel has to navigate her way around two sets of biological grandparents and try to include them in the children’s lives. A difficult task and one which threatens to put her own happiness at risk.

I I loved the Irish setting, the places mentioned I know personally which really brought the book to life.
Every mother wants what is best for her children and this was beautifully portrayed in the book. I felt so sorry for Rachel trying to please everyone, and having brought my own children up away from my extended family I knew exactly how difficult it was for her having to be a single parent without much support.

The love of a mother is definitely unique and I appreciate that even more as I lost my mum recently. I related to Rachel’s grief always hearing her husbands voice and looking for a sign from him.

This book covers so many different and difficult subjects in a very sensitive and realistic way. It’s a book which made me think, everyone has their own struggles but the most important thing is love and the realisation that you must enjoy every minute.

Thank you to netgalley for my chance to listen to this beautiful audiobook.