All that compels the heart - Erin Bowlen

Aoife O’Reilly had the perfect life: her dream job working in a publishing house, a successful boyfriend, and the two best friends she could ever ask for. But, when tragedy strikes, she begins to feel like her life is unraveling. Seeking some sort of divine answer to what she should with her life she seemingly finds her answer in the charming village of Ballyclara, and in a bold move, Aoife uproots her cozy life in Dublin and moves to the Irish countryside. 

Purchasing the long-abandoned Aldridge Manor, she throws herself into the task of renovating her new home with the help of local pub owners and contractors, Michal Flanagan and Brendan McCaffrey. While Aoife easily becomes friends with the other residents of Ballyclara, she finds herself perpetually at odds with Michael, who seems to have a deep dislike of her she cannot explain. But somewhere beneath his stubborn and irascible exterior, Aoife slowly uncovers a man she feels she may have misjudged at first, and who may have misjudged her. As the two try to find common ground, her old life begins to intrude, and she has to choose between her life in Dublin with her boyfriend, Danny, or the possibility of a new life here with Michael. 

Just as Aoife finally finds peace with her choice, a career opportunity in New York presents itself and she is left with the question: will she choose to stay in Ireland? Or should she take the job in New York and leave everything behind? 

Links

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/erinbowlen

Website: https://erinbowlen.weebly.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorErinBowlen/

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My Review

This book opens with the main character having lost her job due to the economic downturn. She is faced with changing her direction in life and deciding where to go. This leads her to the village of Ballyclara where she hopes to find the answers to what she wants in life.

The writing style of this book is rather descriptive. I found the first chapter quite hard going as we are told so much information with very little being shown, it, unfortunately, makes for quite a slow paced book which doesn't seem to flow that well. I struggled to get into the storyline, this style of writing just wasn't for me. I like a little bit more showing and for the story to almost seem to develop on its own so that it almost feels as though you aren't reading, the events just unfold in front of you.

I think that if you do enjoy this style of writing, then you would probably also enjoy the book as a whole. Sadly this time, it just wasn't for me.