The Crumbly Old Castle (The Irish Escape #1) by B.E. Baker

  

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Women's Fiction
Content: Clean

 

Three best friends. Two crumbling estates. And one trip that changes everything.

When three barn besties escape for a girls’ trip to Ireland, they expect a lot of fun. They don’t expect to want to stay… forever.

Natalie was always the responsible one, the organized one, the together one. But when she inadvertently leaves one day early for their vacation and comes home pink-cheeked with embarrassment, the last thing she expects to find is her husband. . .in their bed with another woman. Luckily, they don’t notice her, and she takes the trip as a time-out to figure out what to do.

Samantha’s marriage has never been full of fireworks and trips to Cabo, but they were making it work. At least, she thought they were. When an unreasonable ultimatum sends her into a tailspin just before the trip, she takes the time to reevaluate what matters and what she wants out of life and love.

Vanessa’s husband passed a few years before, and she’s been soldiering on. Moments away from her job and responsibilities as a mother of three have been rare, but she has no plans of uprooting their life in Colorado. At least, not until someone she trusts betrays her in a big way. That wound makes her question everything about her own value and her family’s future.

Can these three friends help each other find firm ground in a world that seems to be unsafe, unsteady, and unhappy? And can found family really be what they all need when the going gets tough?

 

I've really enjoyed all of B.E. Baker's women's fiction, so of course I was excited to read this new series, and of course I ended up loving this book! All three of the women in this book were so likable and relatable in many ways. I have to say that I feel like I identify most with Vanessa's personality. The thing I appreciated most about this book is the way the three women supported and helped each other through the hard times and changes they were each going through. It had me thinking about my bestie often and the many ways she's been helpful and supportive in my life. I hope that I've been just as supportive of her.

 "People aren't objects, and that means we're all in a constant state of flux. We all know it, but then we act terribly surprised when other people change."

I love that quote. It's so true. We often view the people around us as always staying the same, even though they don't. Sometimes that change is for the better and some times it isn't. It can be hard when it isn't, and that's what happens in this book. 

I really liked the Irish setting in this book. I've never been to Ireland, but I felt like I was there visiting along with these characters. The author did a lot of research for this book, especially about the locations that are visited in it, and I particularly liked the photos of the real places that were included in the book. I also enjoyed the different people the ladies meet in the book, particularly a few of the men. There isn't really any romance in this book, as it wouldn't have made sense for there to be at this point in the series. However, there is some set up in it for future relationships that I'm looking forward to exploring in the rest of the series. 

If you've never read anything by this author, I think this book would be a good place to start, or her Birch Creek Ranch series.

Thanks to the author for providing me with an ARC of this book.