Love and Shamrocks by Zara Keane
Series: Ballybeg, #4
Contemporary Romance
April 17, 2015
Self Published

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “It adds a certain je-ne-say-whatsit to the vessel.”

Sean Mackey just wants his life back. A former guard (policeman) in Dublin, a series of unfortunate circumstances has him cooling his heels back in his hometown of Ballybeg. While on a holiday weekend, he meets a gorgeous young woman and indulges in an incredible one night stand only to discover that she is the daughter of his nemesis, Helen Havelin.

Clio Havelin hasn’t had an easy life. Pregnant at seventeen, she was tossed out by her family and ended up falling into a life of drugs and crime. Clean now, she grabs onto the lifeline her mother offers her, desperate to give her daughter a better life. When her past comes back to haunt her, Clio finds herself the unwilling participant in the heist of a decade. And the last thing she needs is her sexy one night stand watching her every move.

Zara Keane’s Ballybeg series is a humorous romance contemporary series that revolves around a small Irish town and its gregarious and very nosy inhabitants. Love, laughter, and mystery makes this series a fast engaging read. Heavily character driven, the story is firmly set around our protagonists Sean MacKey and Clio Havlin – though fans will be pleased to see updates on the lives of previous characters. The romance and a series of small multiple subplots intertwine and feed off each other as our hero and heroine try to figure out their lives and hearts. The true appeal of this series is the hint of seriousness Keane imparts to the various character situations; showing us the foibles we all possess without offering a quick fix to their problems in order to make the story more ‘happy’.

Sean has been a casual player in this series up until now; popping up here and there with hints towards a mysterious past. Keane addresses that mystery, giving us Sean’s full background story which goes far in explaining his reasons for being in Ballybeg and the demons that he carries on his back.  A hard working man committed to his job, his childhood was steeped in tragedy. Ballybeg brings back memories he’d rather keep buried but it also rips off the makeshift bandage he slapped on his pain, finally allowing him closure.

Clio is a heroine most will identify with. A fighter who made some seriously bad choices early on in life but chose to pull herself out of the muck instead of using her past to justify her mistakes. She loves her daughter and wants a better life for her; even if it means making up with her mother who abandoned her when she needed her most. Meeting Sean and sleeping with him was an anomaly for her but it was a physical connection she and him both sorely needed.

The slow burning romance flows well with the suspenseful storyline; backdropped by various subplots that play out to try to solve Sean and Clio’s separate issues. There are certain events that weren’t solved but Keane does her best to at least give some peace. Clio and Sean’s attraction to one another is plausible with some nice smouldering looks and weighted glancing touches. I liked that while Sean got upset over Clio’s lies, he didn’t use it as a way to punish Clio. He gets over it fairly easy once he gets the full story.  An ongoing mystery revolving around the Travelers gets some  air time though no resolution which clues us into the subject being revisited in coming books.

Keane’s stories wouldn’t be complete without the various town folks whose eccentricities will leave you giggling at Sean’s always drunk swimming Elvis impersonating uncle to swooning over Clio’s super sexy, bad boy, baby daddy-Lars Delaney. I certainly hope he gets his own story. *waggles eyebrows* Clio’s daughter hold a viable place in the story without coming off as a plot device. As always, the town knows everything and gossips like mad. Familiar faces pop in to add to the overall small town appeal and update us on where their lives.

A quick realistic ending wraps up mostly everything and leaves us with a sweet happily ever after for our protagonists. Fans of international small town romance contemporaries with bits of romance, mystery, and comedic drama are sure to enjoy Zara Keane’s Ballybeg series.

Overall Rating: B

Prior Zara Keane Reviews

Recent Reviews:
Dear Author
Red Hot Reads
Talking Books

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