Loving Irish by Katy Regnery

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Title: Loving Irish
Author: Katy Regnery
Series: The Summerhaven Trio #3
Published by: Indie
Release Date: June 11, 2018
Format: eARC
Pages: 306
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Source: the author
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2018 #LetsReadIndie Challenge, Lenoreo's 2018 New Release Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ B&N ✩ Kobo ✩ iBooks
My rating:

Blurb:

Ian Haven and Halcyon Gilbert haven't seen each other since Hallie's 17th birthday...

...the same day Hallie pledged she would never, ever speak to Ian again as long as she lived.

Hallie Gilbert has had an especially awful year. When her husband of five years left her, Hallie’s 4-year-old daughter, Jenny, essentially stopped speaking. Add to this, Hallie had to sell her Boston apartment to pay her husband’s exorbitant credit card bills. What Hallie needs is an uncomplicated autumn at Colby Cottage, her family’s summer home in Sandwich, NH, where she and Jenny can re-group and figure out what happens next.

But Colby Cottage, located adjacent to the Summerhaven Camp, has not been well-maintained and Hallie finds it in such disrepair, it's almost unlivable. When nearby camp owner, Rory Haven, arranges for his brother, Ian, to handle renovations for Hallie, her plans for an uncomplicated autumn suddenly get a lot more challenging.

My Review:

I received a free copy through the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

4.5 stars — Oh Ian….Ian was totally the star of this book for me.  Not saying I didn’t love Hallie too, but my heart was totally taken in by Ian.  Taken in and broken by him…seriously my heart just ached for what he struggled with.  And it’s not as though my heart wasn’t aching for him already right from Fighting Irish, but I just didn’t understand what was in his head, and hiding behind his cheeky sense of humour.  He was so sensitive, and loving, and seeing him broken by a mistake, and then knowing how that mistake affected the next 10 years of his life was just…gah!  All the feels.  I have no experience with alcoholism, but I thought his addiction was treated respectfully and that we got to see a glimpse into what the meetings would be like.  I will admit, I was surprised that we never really saw him struggle with cravings, or anything on that deeper level.  We’re told it’s a struggle, but I felt like it was glossed over a bit.  But what do I know, maybe it is that way for some addicts?

Like I said, I loved Hallie too, but it was harder.  As a reader who has access to both points of view, I understood her feelings of betrayal, and her need to hold on to the hate, but because I was in love with Ian, it made me sad for him.  I’m not sure if that makes sense, but sometimes I just wanted to shake her up and point out that holding on to hate is hurting *her* just as much as him.  I loved the glimpses we got to see of Hallie from the past, when she was so innocent and sweet…I felt like we got to see more of her there, when she wasn’t enshrouded in pain.

The push and pull in Ian and Hallie’s relationship was bittersweet.  I LOVED the sweetness and purity of their young love, and my heart ached for the aftermath.  I could definitely feel the way they were drawn to one another, and the feelings that they possessed.  They pulled quite a few tears from my eyes in their journey back to one another, but I was eminently relieved to see them get their HEA.

The surprise for me was how much I loved the relationship between Ian and Jenny (aka Ladybug).  It was so sweet, and so believable, and my heart melted.  And I’m not a kid person.

It was wonderful to see glimpses of the other 2 couples, and I’m curious to read about Tate and Fin now.  It was so nice to have another little family to follow, I simply love these stories from Ms. Regnery.  They are solid, fulfilling romances for me.