The beginning
Emily Allen has always been an introvert - but never afraid of adventure. When her favourite author, Siobhan Riordan, offers her a job in her bookstore, she moves to Ireland without a second thought.
The middle
Helping Siobhan overcome writer’s block and finish the final book in her acclaimed series is a dream come true for Em. If only she didn’t have to deal with Kieran – the grouchy manager of Siobhan’s bookstore who clearly doesn’t want her around.
The plot twist
Em falls deeply in love with the new life she’s built – and, unexpectedly, with Kieran. But when she discovers the reason for his initial resistance, she finds herself torn between helping Siobhan find closure and what could be a new chapter in her own love story. (Synopsis courtesy of Penguin UK.)
I love books set in Ireland and I love book shops, so Love at First Book really appealed to me and I was excited to go on this adventure with Emily (Em). The book certainly didn’t disappoint in creating a fabulous book shop I’d love to visit in real life, with some great supporting characters in the staff and store helpers. I also truly felt I was transported to Ireland through the writing and seeing particular sites with Em for the first time on her trips with Siobhan.
Em was a character I immediately warmed to; an introvert who gives as good as she gets, particularly in terms of the instant fractious relationship with her new boss Kieran who is quite frankly rude and unwelcoming to Em. It did take me a while to warm to him because of this and when the chemistry between the pair began to grow I struggled to see what Em saw in him, he was hot and cold towards her (mainly cold) for a decent amount of the novel and he got on my nerves a bit!
When we find out more about what’s going on with Siobhan (Kieran’s mother and famous author) and some of Kieran’s background/childhood, my feelings towards the character began to soften and I felt I understood him more. Siobhan’s story was moving in itself and she was the real heart of the story and the pin of Em and Kieran’s relationship. I enjoyed the dynamics between the core three characters and how this developed throughout the novel. The closing chapters of the novel were again moving and satisfactory to me as a reader.
Overall I’d say this is a lovely enjoyable book which at its heart is a romance, but also covers the complexities of family relationships and dynamics, giving it a further depth to the stories and characters. Now I just need to save up to visit Ireland!
Thanks to Berkley for the book in exchange for an honest review.
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This sounds very good thank you for the review
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