The Ladies Midnight Swimming Club - Faith Hogan

 

Three women. Three different stages of life. United by one thing: the chance to start again.

 'Uplifting, emotional and brimming with warmth and humour' – Cathy Bramley

When Elizabeth's husband dies, leaving her with crippling debt, the only person she can turn to is her friend, Jo. Soon Jo has called in her daughter, Lucy, to help save Elizabeth from bankruptcy. Leaving her old life behind, Lucy is determined to make the most of her fresh start.

As life slowly begins to return to normal, these three women, thrown together by circumstance, become fast friends. But then Jo's world is turned upside down when she receives some shocking news.

In search of solace, Jo and Elizabeth find themselves enjoying midnight dips in the freezing Irish Sea. Here they can laugh, cry and wash away all their fears. As well as conjure a fundraising plan for the local hospice that will bring the whole community together...

From bestselling Irish writer Faith Hogan, The Ladies' Midnight Swimming Club is an emotional story about finding new friends and living life to the fullest, that will appeal to fans of Sheila O'Flanagan, Heidi Swain and Liz Fenwick.

 

My Review:

One of those life affirming, inspiring reads that stays with you long after you close the book. I was absolutely charmed by this book; Faith Hogan has written a book full of emotion and spirit, with characters you will take instantly to your heart. Touching on Irelands history of forced adoption as well as homosexuality, illness and the true impact that living a lie can have on all the people trying to maintain a level of respectability and responsibility within their local and small community.

Faith Hogan paints a gorgeous scenic picture, it isn’t hard to imagine ourselves in Ballycove and taking a dip in the Irish Sea.

With the focus on the three ladies, Elizabeth, Jo and Lucy, we have three people in very different situations, all dealing with things that are weighing them down. They find some freedom, calm and release in the midnight dips in that freezing water. It was good to see the story told from their points of view and how each character impacted and supported the rest. Each character is special in their own way, seeing the growth and independence of Elizabeth and the inspirational strength of Jo.

Although there are serious themes and emotional moments (grab the tissues!) it is littered with moments of humour that provide a nice balance. Faith Hogan’s writing is brilliant, the story is very well paced and engaging – I didn’t want to put it down!

Heartwarming, tender and will enrich your heart, I highly recommend this book – definitely one of my favourites this year. 

About the author

Faith Hogan is an Irish award-winning and bestselling author of five contemporary fiction novels. Her books have featured as Book Club Favourites, Net Galley Hot Reads and Summer Must Reads. She writes grown up women's fiction which is unashamedly uplifting, feel good and inspiring.

She is currently working on her next novel. She lives in the west of Ireland with her husband, four children and a very busy Labrador named Penny. She's a writer, reader, enthusiastic dog walker and reluctant jogger - except of course when it is raining!

Follow Faith:

Facebook: @faithhoganauthor

Twitter: @gerhogan

Website: www.Facebook/FaithHogan.com

Buy links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2PtPN2C

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2Pv0K3X

Google Play: https://bit.ly/3vrHN1y

Apple: https://apple.co/3sX4XuP

Bookshop.org: https://bit.ly/3aNtmwL

Waterstones: https://bit.ly/32SOgWP

Easons (Ireland only): https://bit.ly/3sUxpNX

BLOGTOUR: The Place We Call Home - Faith Hogan

About the book:
 

Welcome to Ballycove, the home of Corrigan Mills...

 

Set against the backdrop of the beautiful Irish countryside the famed mills have created the finest wool in all of Ireland. Run by the seemingly perfect Corrigan family, but every family has its secrets, and how the mills came to be the Corrigan's is one of them...

Miranda and her husband were never meant to own the mills, until one fateful day catapults them into a life they never thought they'd lead.

Ada has forever lived her life in her sister's shadow. Wanting only to please her mother and take her place as the new leader of the mill, Ada might just have to take a look at what her heart really wants.

Callie has a flourishing international career as a top designer and a man who loves her dearly, she appears to have it all. When a secret is revealed and she's unceremoniously turfed out of the design world, Callie might just get what's she's been yearning for. The chance to go home.

Simon has always wanted more. More money, more fame, more notoriety. The problem child. Simon has made more enemies than friends over the years, and when one of his latest schemes falls foul he'll have to return to the people who always believe in him.

Ballycove isn't just a town in the Irish countryside. It isn't just the base of the famous mills. It's a place to call home.

My Review:

I’m a fan of Hogan’s work and jumped at the opportunity to get stuck into ‘The Place We Call Home.’ She is an amazing storyteller – whisking us to beautiful locations and giving us a fantastic array of characters, some you love the bones of but some you simply can’t stand, just how we do in life I think.

With this book, we have themes of family, friendships and deep-seated secrets and desires, as well as feeling like we belong. We are taken on quite the journey and are given some great characters; they are funny and successful, full of love and heart and of course have that Irish charm that can land them in a whole heap of trouble. Typically, they are all searching for their own happiness but are they going to find it back in Ballycove, back home.  

It is a nicely paced story, so well written especially moving between past and present. This gorgeous saga kept me engrossed for hours. I simply didn’t want to put it down once I’d started – so prepare, give yourself a whole afternoon and get cosy!

Buy links

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2reRKDx

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2JZqjEn
Google Play: https://bit.ly/2X1zd9T

iBooks: https://apple.co/33oLQhm

About the author 

Faith lives in the west of Ireland with her husband, four children and two very fussy cats. She has an Hons Degree in English Literature and Psychology, has worked as a fashion model and in the intellectual disability and mental health sector.

Follow Faith:   

Twitter: @GerHogan

Facebook: @faithhoganauthor

BLOGTOUR: The Girl I Used to Know - Faith Hogan

About The Book

Amanda King and Tess Cuffe are strangers who share the same Georgian house, but their lives couldn’t be more different. Amanda seems to have it all, absolute perfection.

She projects all the accouterments of a lady who lunches. Sadly, the reality is a soulless home, an unfaithful husband and a very lonely heart.

By comparison, in the basement flat, unwanted tenant Tess has spent a lifetime hiding and shutting her heart to love.

It takes a bossy doctor, a handsome gardener, a pushy teenager and an abandoned cat to show these two women that sometimes letting go is the first step to moving forward and new friendships can come from the most unlikely situations.

My Review:

The Girl I Used to Know is a beautiful, inspiring story of self-discovery, knowing your own worth and having a second go at life.

A story of friendships, this book shows us how people are always worth taking a chance on, looking past the exterior and trying to understand the person someone truly is or wants to be. I love how the emphasis was put on friendships and in supporting others – taking two main characters who were both alone, but in very different ways and making them so powerfully connected.

I enjoyed the plot of the book, the ways their lives are so very different, yet they are so closely entwined. Such meaningful and powerful writing by Faith Hogan, it is a well-paced book with short, fast chapters that will allow you to get fully immersed into the two ladies’ lives. I loved that we had chapters that took us back in time and we get to see what happened in Tess’s early life, I think this adds so much to the story and gave us such compassion for the character.

At the beginning of the book neither of our main characters are that appealing, I doubt many people found them charming or even likable but as I read through their story, I grew to be very fond of them both. This book is a real emotional journey and full of surprises. Both Amanda and Tess have some real low blows within their lives, things that turn everything they think they know on its head, but this is countered by some fantastic highs and moments of pure happiness for both.

It’s a gorgeous book to curl up and enjoy, I cannot recommend it enough as it is very uplifting and motivating. I am very grateful to Aria Fiction and Faith Hogan for the opportunity to read and review - Thank you!

Purchase links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2JF2sLJ

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2W78zzb

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2Wo4qWD

About the Author:

Faith lives in the west of Ireland with her husband, four children and two very fussy cats. She has an Hons Degree in English Literature and Psychology, has worked as a fashion model and in the intellectual disability and mental health sector.

Twitter: @GerHogan

Follow Aria: 

Website: www.ariafiction.com

Twitter: @aria_fiction

Facebook: @ariafiction

Instagram: @ariafiction