Showing results by author "Michelle Vernal" in All Categories

1944 - The Isle of Wight: 16 year-old Constance’s life on the island is sheltered until the death of her brother, brings the reality of war crashing down around her. He leaves behind his pregnant widow, Ginny. When Constance meets a handsome Canadian airforce man, she’s eager to escape her grief and be swept up by first love. It’s a love which has ramifications she could never envisage. Present day: When young British backpacker, Isabel Stark happens across a car accident on a lonely stretch of road in the South Island of New Zealand her life changes forever.

Arriving at St Patrick’s Mother and Baby Home, it’s not the first time Mary-Kate has faced hardship. She grew up in a poor orphanage in Dublin after her father died and her mother gave her up, and never stopped working for a better future. But, as her baby is taken from her arms moments after coming into this world, Mary-Kate almost loses all hope. She can’t do this by herself. The baby’s father has made it clear he wants nothing to do with the child. And she hasn’t heard from her only friend since she was trapped here.

1962. Even as she gazes at the silk bridal dresses in the window, the little girl's eyes fill with tears. She has dreamed about gowns just like that. But now, lost and alone, she only wants to be held. Just a moment ago, she was in the arms of her mother. Now her only hope lies in Brides of Bold Street, where past and present blur… Brides of Bold Street—a beautiful, historic bridal shop–is all Sabrina Flooks has ever known after being separated from her mother as a little girl.

Thirty-four-year-old Shannon is heartbroken following an unexpected breakup. Seasonal joy is the last thing on her mind, as she wonders if she’ll ever find the kind of long-lasting love she’s always dreamed of. Even the comforting distractions of her big Irish family can’t cheer her up. Then things get even worse when Shannon slips over on the ice and finds herself red-faced in the arms of a gorgeous American man....

Ireland, 1920. ‘Please. Don’t take her from me. Have some mercy, Sister. Just a moment longer.’ She clutched the bundle to her chest even tighter. But she couldn’t stop them. Hearing her baby’s cries echo in the hallway, she swore that one day they would be together again… When the man she thought she’d marry suddenly disappears Maudie O’Connor is heartbroken. Then she finds out she’s pregnant. Refusing her pleas to keep the baby, her family send her to St Patrick’s Mother and Baby Home in disgrace.

Veronica and Gabe met when they were children at ballet class, and by the time they’d reached their teens, they knew they’d be dancing together forever. Only Gabe’s mother had other ideas.... Twenty-something years later, Veronica no longer dances and life hasn’t turned out how she thought it would. She’s divorced with a needy ex-husband, monosyllabic teenage sons, a sister who fancies herself as a long in the tooth ‘it girl’ and a mother who’s recently moved into a care home.

Thirty-four-year-old Jess is perfectly happy living the single life as a journalist in bustling Dublin – if only her mother would stop trying to set her up. She has the perfect escape when, working on her next column, she finds a vintage children’s book with a mysterious dedication to a little girl. Her research leads to a tumbledown farmhouse in a tiny Irish village. But grumpy, infuriatingly handsome owner Owen is a spanner in her story…

To the other girls at St Patrick’s Mother and Baby Home, Cecelia is just another fallen woman. But they don’t know her father is a penniless lord with an English title. And Cecelia is determined that they never will. She came here alone, in secret: if her family knew she was pregnant, the life of her baby could be on the line.

When Aisling O’Mara traded her high-flying career for the chaos of running her family’s Dublin guesthouse, she knew it wouldn’t be easy. With a menopausal receptionist who speaks her mind, a cleaner who believes in resting more than scrubbing, a hot-tempered cook, and a cunning fox who treats the rubbish bin like an all-you-can-eat buffet, every day is an adventure. Add in a revolving door of quirky guests, and O’Mara’s is never dull.

Thirty-two-year-old Imogen Kelly is meant to be living her best life in Dublin but the bright lights of the city aren’t making her truly happy. So she leaps at the chance to take on an interior design job at the big country manor at the edge of Emerald Bay. It also gives Imogen an excuse to return to the place where she spent an unforgettable summer with her first love, Lachlan Leslie, the heir to Benmore House.

Brides of Bold Street is filled with beautiful, brand-new ivory gowns. But dressmaker Sabrina loves it when brides-to-be wear vintage, family heirloom dresses. Seeing wedding day photographs of future mothers and grandmothers beaming—as if knowing the happiness they feel will be passed down to their daughters—is a bittersweet reminder of the mother she's never known.

Moira and Maureen O’Mara have left their home at O'Mara's Irish Guesthouse overlooking St Stephen's Green. They're off to spend quality time away together, but they aren’t on your usual mother-daughter trip. Oh no, Moira and her mammy have just arrived in Vietnam! It’s Maureen’s dream to sail on a Junk (who knew?), and as for Moira, she’s come along for the ride under duress. Maureen feels her youngest daughter's floundering, and this trip might just be the making of her.

When she found a lost little girl in front of her shop, dressmaker Evelyn Flooks decided to raise Sabrina as her own daughter. So, when Sabrina announces her engagement, Evelyn gifts her the ring she herself was given, to truly show Sabrina that she is Evelyn's family. Though the precious ring has many happy memories, it also reminds Evelyn of the heartbreak she once suffered. And the secret she's kept buried for decades. But Evelyn reels in shock when she meets Sabrina's future father-in-law. It's the man she once loved more than anything.

Grace really needs someone to help cover the rent for her London flat, but Christopher Dorrance? Everyone in the little Irish village of Emerald Bay knows about the feud between their families, though no one knows how it started. But, both being in a tight spot, they try and make it work, swearing to tell no one back home. Until a mutual friend and her son in the bay are left homeless after a storm. Grace and Christopher must head back to Ireland to help together.

Roisin O’Mara. Rosi regrets a lot of things. She regrets having just scoffed the out-of-date chocolate bar she found down the bottom of her bag and the cheese she ate before bed the night before—it gave her the strangest dreams. Her mammy always told her not to eat cheese before bed. She should have listened, just like when Mammy asked if marrying Colin was the right choice because that’s her biggest regret.

When 24-year-old Ava Kelly and her adventurous twin Grace return home to The Shamrock Inn, their Ma’s favourite baubles bring back so many memories of Christmases past. They have always done everything together, even leaving their little Irish village for the excitement of London. But with the locket her handsome ex Shane gave her hanging just above her heart, Ava has just one wish this festive season....

Roisin O’Mara has already endured a pre-Christmas, Christmas in London with her insufferable soon to be ex-mother-in-law and husband. With her son, Noah, and an unexpected extra guest in tow, she’s arrived in Dublin for her second Christmas. It’s not just her family Roisin’s looking forward to seeing, though. She hasn’t been able to stop thinking about Shay, the man she met on her last visit home. But the timing was wrong. It still is, and she’s not sure he’s someone she should let get close.

When twenty-three-year-old Hannah Kelly finds out that the beautiful rolling hills around her hometown could be destroyed by a new building development, she rushes back to Emerald Bay to rally the community. But arriving home at The Shamrock Inn, there’s another shock in store… the handsome and sparkling-eyed lead developer, Tom Flynn, has checked in as a guest. Is this Hannah’s chance to save the village?

Years ago, Sabrina was found alone, staring at the white satin gowns. Unable to find her mother, the beautiful dresses were all that slowed the tears streaming down her cheeks. Now, the enchanting shop holds the key to discovering what happened that fateful day. But is she ready to give up her future for a chance to find out the truth?

The date's set for the wedding of the year—Valentine's Day, no less—but with less than eight weeks to pull off her dream day, will this anxious bridezilla make it down the aisle? Her stress levels are rising like a high tide thanks to the seating arrangements, which are proving tricky due to an old family feud.