An Irish Doctor in Peace and at War by Patrick Taylor

Title: An Irish Doctor in Peace and at War
Author: Patrick Taylor
Genre: Fiction

Synopsis: The 10th book in the Irish Country Book Series, follows Dr. Fingal Flattery O'Reily and his life as an Irish country doctor in the 1960s in the town of Balleybuckleboo. This book also features flashback chapters detailing Fingal's time as a navy lieutenant doctor on the Warspite during WWII.

My Thoughts

First, I have to say that I finished this book yesterday, which was 1 year to the day since I began this blog! In that time I have read and reviewed 20 books (including this one) and I am so glad to have been able to share my thoughts on each of them with all of you!
Alright, back to reviewing this novel...
This is the 3rd Irish Country Book that I have read, one was reviewed on this blog and this one immediately follows it in the series. It is much as I expected it to be from reading the other two.
 I like that the books in this series are light and easy reads. The characters are quirky and amusing and small town life is always entertaining to read about. Taylor often touches on sensitive topics of the time period, but not in a way that makes the reader feel uncomfortable. 
It was interesting to also get some more background information about Dr. O'Reily's first wife, Deirdre, and what it was like to be at war, while your loved ones were back home.
This was also a perspective on WWII that I had not experienced before, the life of a reservist United Kingdom naval doctor on a ship at war.  It is cool to see that they worked to save many of the injured, even those who had been captured from their enemies.

Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


To buy this book from amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from Patrick Taylor, visit his website linked above.

June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

Title: June
Author: Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
Genre: Fiction

Synopsis: Cassie has just inherited a dilapidated mansion in rural St. Jude, Ohio upon the passing of her grandmother, June, who raised her after Cassie's parents died in a car accident. While trying to figure out her life without family, Cassie learns that she has been named the sole heir to Hollywood movie star, Jack Montgomery's, fortune. She has no idea how he even knows her. His daughters come to St. Jude to stake their claim to the inheritance, and Cassie discovers that Jack had filmed a movie in St. Jude in the 1950s. 

My Thoughts

This one seriously had me intrigued from beginning to end, some nights I stayed up way too late because I could not wait to know what happened next. I am honestly sad that I will not get to visit St. Jude again tonight before bed.

The novel is written in such an interesting way. There are little nuances that really make it fun to read. The mansion in which Cassie (and 4 generations of her family before her) lives is personified as it sends her dreams and longs for the days when it was full of happy people. As someone who lives in a 1920's home, it is interesting to think about what a house may have 'seen' in almost 100 years. The story follows Cassie and her grandmother, June. There are flashback sequences provided by the dreams sent from the house to Cassie. The bulk of the story takes place in the month of June, jumping from 2015 to 1955. 

June is such a beautiful mystery where a granddaughter gets to learn about her grandmother's young life, discover the possibility that she might have more family than she thought, and help bring a small town back to life. It is also a story of true, loving friendship and the sacrifices friends make for one another. 

As soon as I closed the last page I was dying for someone to talk about the ending with! It is amazing when an author can make the reader believe one thing, and then one subtle revelation unveils an entirely new perspective. Beverly-Whittemore does this more than once throughout this novel, making the reader feel like Cassie, uncovering the truth one piece at a time.

If you love mystery, coming of age stories, love, friendship, beautiful old homes, or old Hollywood, this book is for you. I really, really enjoyed it.

Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


To buy this book from amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, visit her website linked above.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.