The Lady of Galway Manor provides a sweet slow-burn romance against a backdrop of political tension.
Book Blurb
In 1920, Annabeth De Lacy’s father is appointed landlord of Galway Parish in Ireland. Bored without all the trappings of the British Court, Annabeth convinces her father to arrange an apprenticeship for her with the Jennings family–descendants of the creator of the famed Claddagh Ring.
Stephen Jennings longs to do anything other than run his family’s jewelry shop. Having had his heart broken, he no longer believes in love and is weary of peddling the ÒliesÓ the Claddagh Ring promises.
Meanwhile, as the war for Irish independence gains strength, many locals resent the De Lacys and decide to take things into their own hands to display their displeasure. As events take a dangerous turn for Annabeth and her family, she and Stephen begin to see that perhaps the “other side” isn’t quite as barbaric and uncultured as they’d been led to believe–and that the bonds of friendship, love, and loyalty are only made stronger when put through the refiner’s fire.
My Thoughts
Jennifer Deibel is a new-to-me author, but I enjoyed this first foray into her work. She provides great descriptions of Ireland, bringing me into the setting. This era is one I’m not as familiar with, especially in a setting outside of the U.S. Deibel did a fantastic job grounding me in the era and teaching me something new as I read.
Anna and Stephen’s romance is a nice twist on the rich/poor trope, though I wouldn’t call Stephen poor. But given the political tensions at the time and Ireland’s quest for independence, a romance between the daughter of a British lord and the Irish jewelry-maker provided plenty of romantic tension. At first, Stephen was a difficult hero for me to root for. But Deibel managed to make me like him, and I was never tempted to close the book. His arc was perhaps my favorite, especially as he learned to put the past behind him. Anna made a great heroine. I loved seeing her learn to be more open-minded, and I chuckled each time she became annoyed that no one called her Anna.
Anna’s sister and Stephen’s father, however, almost stole the show. I would love to see a story centered around Emmaline one day, especially considering what she was doing in the epilogue.
As for the spiritual arc, I loved the emphasis on Christ’s love and how He can teach us to love better.
Overall, The Lady of Galway Manor is a fantastic historical romance with a spell-binding setting and interesting characters.
(Note: I received a complimentary via NetGalley for review. All opinions expressed are my own.)
Further Information
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