The Secret of the Irish Castle

Deverill Chronicles Series, Book 3

By: Santa Montefiore

Narrated by: Genevieve Swallow

Length: 14 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's Summary

International best-selling author Santa Montefiore continues the story of the Deverill family in the third book in her beautiful and moving Deverill Chronicles trilogy - perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Beatriz Williams.

1939: Peace has flourished since the Great War ended, but much has changed for the Deverill family as now a new generation is waiting in the wings to make their mark.

When Martha Wallace leaves her home in America to search for her birth mother in Dublin, she never imagines that she will completely lose her heart to the impossibly charming JP Deverill. But more surprises are in store for her after she discovers that her mother comes from the same place as JP, sealing her fate.

Bridie Doyle, now Countess di Marcantonio and mistress of Castle Deverill, is determined to make the castle she used to work in her home. But just as she begins to feel things are finally going her way, her flamboyant husband Cesare has other ideas. As his eye strays away from his wife, those close to the couple wonder if he really is who he says he is.

Kitty Deverill has come to accept her life with her husband Robert, and their two children. But then Jack O'Leary, the love of her life, returns to Ballinakelly. And this time his heart belongs elsewhere.

As long-held secrets come to light, the Deverills will have to heal old wounds and come to terms with the past if they hope to ensure their legacy for the future.

©2017 Santa Montefiore (P)2018 W.F. Howes

Critic Reviews

“Nobody does epic romance like Santa Montefiore. Everything she writes, she writes from the heart.” (Jojo Moyes, number one New York Times best-selling author of Me Before You)

Disappointing third

Really enjoyed parts 1 & 2. Not so much this one. A bit heavy on message and not plot.
And, someone should tell Santa and her fact checkers that Virginia Slims were not around in 1938, having been introduced in 1967

Mildly entertaining, but predictable

This book is a light read and not as substantive as it’s predecessors. The story was predictable and overladen with moral sermonizing . The narrator’s reading provided convincing English and Irish accents but not at all for any of the other characters. Made the dialogue hard to listen to at times.

The secret of the Irish castle

Easy to understand the narrator she has many believable voices for characters.
This is book 3 of an excellent series.
If you listen to this one first it would be possible to follow the story. The book is so exceptional that you’ll want to listen to all them. So may as well start with the first in the series. This book is not overt with gore or sex as some are. I found it captivating and pleasant.
I listened every opportunity because it is a well written historical novel mostly about families connected with a Castle, historic events and community in Ireland.

Powerful, Beautiful and Gripping

I listened to/read this 3-book series and was pleasantly surprised. It was so unique, provided character insight was thorough, with regard to completing storylines. There were so many different components that kept my interest. As a fan of historical fiction and period pieces, this was perfect, and I was sad to see it end. Loved it, and happy to have found another wonderful author to add to my list of favorites.

Loved the whole series

Loved the whole series. Kept me in intrigued from beginning to end. Would definitely recommend.

Gripping. Everything a book should be

If you are a fan of historical fiction or love stories this is your book. Fans of Outlander would love it. The three book series tells the tale of a town in Ireland and the families that live there over several generations. Each character is meticulously described and you grow to love and hate and sometimes love again, each one of them. The narration was fantastic, one of the best I’ve heard. You sit wishing for things to happen and wondering what could possibly happen next. Love, intrigue, danger, misfortune, mystery. It had it all. I’m sad that it’s over.

Great story!!

Such a great story! The narrator did an excellent job capturing each character’s personality! Not an easy thing to do. I love that the author brings all the families together and ties up all the loose ends! This is a must read

Don’t waste your time

The story was predictable and lengthy. The characters were not well drawn. I was really disappointed.

Amazing

I discovered this series by accident! I was captivated from the very beginning and was held there through the end. I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys historical fiction that includes mystery, drama and romance. The authors descriptions made it so easy to visualize everything as if you were right there.

Very well done

I have listened to many books on tape and it doesn’t matter how good the book is, if the narration is not good, then it futile; I will definitely listen to anything that is narrated by Genevieve Swallow, she brings the story to life.
I also enjoyed the trilogy that this book belonged to immensely. Of all the audible books I’ve listened to the past year, it is my favorite.