The Irish Cottage: Finding Elizabeth

· The Irish Heart Series Book 1 · Juliet Gauvin
4.6
506 reviews
Ebook
308
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

For fans of The Holiday & Letters to Juliet comes a delicious story about losing your way and finding your life . . . in Ireland. Book 1 of The Irish Heart Series Original Trilogy.


Elizabeth Lara built a perfect life as San Francisco’s top divorce attorney, but when she loses her great-aunt Mags, the woman who raised her, she boards a plane and leaves it all behind.


Mags has left Elizabeth a box of seventeen letters—expressly written to help guide Elizabeth back to herself. The first reveals a shocking truth, kept secret for thirty-five years.


Reeling from the revelation, Elizabeth thinks Ireland will be the perfect place to find some peace.


But her serene Irish escape isn’t the respite from reality she expected. Fate instead delivers an embarrassing encounter with Irishman Connor Bannon—the striking cottage owner, Ireland’s most eligible bachelor, and her nearest neighbor.


Elizabeth’s aching to feel like herself again, but escaping her life of black and gray and learning to live again won’t be easy. The letters help, the fresh Irish air too, but nothing moves the needle quite like the man just up the lake . . . Connor.


With the help of Mags’ letters, the colorful townspeople of Dingle, and Connor, Elizabeth uncovers decades-old family secrets, kicks up her heels to the Irish music, lets her hair down, and finds a way back to who she really is.


Come journey with Elizabeth in a story that explores the twists and turns of life, the magic of new beginnings, and the timeless allure of Ireland.


This is more than a romantic story—it’s an invitation to rediscover life’s possibilities.


Lose your way and find your life in Ireland.



READING ORDER:


The Irish Heart Series Original Trilogy:


The Irish Cottage: Finding Elizabeth (Book 1)


The London Flat: Second Chances (Book 2)


The Paris Apartment: Fated Journey (Book 3)



. . . and for the readers who wanted more . . . 5 years later . . .



The Irish Heart Series Continuing Trilogy:


The Irish Castle: Keeping Elizabeth (Book 4)


The Irish Secret: Wild Fire (Book 5)


The Irish Wedding: A Novel Romance (Book 6)




Juliet Gauvin’s books are feel-good romantic women’s fiction. They include international travel, holidays, contemporary women, and epic love.



INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR

Q: How did you come up with The Irish Cottage?

 Juliet: Well the story came together in pieces. I love Ireland, I've always been attracted to the country, the people, the music, the dancing. I've spent time traveling the country so I knew I wanted to set the book there. And then the character of Elizabeth was based on a lot of the experiences I had when I was in law in San Francisco. When I was immersed in that world--it was a very dark time, and I really did lose my way--like Elizabeth. I even let long-time relationships die because I was in such a dark place, it was difficult to see anything past my own nose. So yeah, I knew I wanted my heroine to be a "recovering attorney" and I knew that I wanted her to have this great love affair in Ireland that would open her up to the truly great possibilities life has to offer.


Q: And what about Connor Bannon? Is he based on anyone? 

Juliet: Ummm...he might be an amalgamation of several people, but I think I'll refrain from commenting further--have to keep some of it to myself, don't I?


Q: Why did you elect to write romantic women's fiction as opposed to traditional contemporary romance? 

Juliet: I knew I wanted to write in the romantic women's fiction space because writing a story where the heroine's evolution is paramount--not just her relationship with Connor--is what really gets me, drives me--I love those types of stories. I like writing herstory--women's lives and journeys are so complex--I wanted to write a series that included a great love story, but didn't sacrifice the heroine's journey in any way. It's about Elizabeth finding her way--we all need to find our way. Sometimes people help with that, but ultimately each of us has to find our own path...and we all need love too.

 

Q: Why London and then Paris? 

Juliet: I lived in London for a time--I love it so much. It's one of the best cities on the planet, really. When I closed my eyes and thought about where Elizabeth's journey would take her I knew London would be next. And Paris--I lived in France for a time as well and I've spent a lot of time in Paris so it seemed only natural for the final book to be set there. I also set certain things in motion in The Irish Cottage that make it impossible to end anywhere else--I knew I wanted to end it in France. Plus, Elizabeth has a major sweet tooth, like me, and Paris has the most amazing dessert masters in the world. I spent many hours pouring over the websites of my favorites and discovering some new ones. Those were the hardest and best research nights--I'm nocturnal, I write at night--and pouring over the websites of my favorite masters was heaven and hell. I wanted to get on a plane already. My sugar intake definitely went up while I was writing The Paris Apartment--and my waistline with it. 

 

 

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Ratings and reviews

4.6
506 reviews
Annette Masden
September 22, 2023
Very rarely will you find a book, with a perfect story. I have found that and hopefully 🙏 you will stop and read it also. It has everything you could possibly want and I highly recommend that you read this story. I am so thankful that I have had the opportunity. Thank you 😊
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Arlene Beaupre
May 26, 2023
I want you too know I thoroughly enjoyed reading the "Irish Cottage". It is on my favorites list, and I am looking forward to reading the " London Flat". Your style of writing and telling a story kept me turning the page. I rank you up there with " Nora Roberts". Sincerely Arlene
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Judith Hanses
January 6, 2021
While there are very few books that I actually loved, this one was more than just liked. I really liked it. I liked how strong, yet vulnerable out leading character, Beth, was. I really liked how the other characters were very diverse. I really liked the back stories on Beth and her leading character, Connor. Both had been damaged by people who should've loved them. So, Beth was abandoned by her father, then later by her mother. Normally, this would cause anyone to take a good look at themselves, but this all happened before Beth turned 4, so not really responsible for their shortcomings. Beth is raised by her mother's aunt Magdalen, Mags. Great Aunt Mags is a colourful character, telling like it is, traveling all over, leading her life on her own terms, everyone else be damned. Beth turns her spurned feelings into action-she becomes an indomitable force as a divorce lawyer in San Francisco. Her services are in high demand and she is paid very well. When Beth reads a letter from Mags tell her that she, Mags, is dead, Beth goes into a spiral. She takes a leave of absence from her job and travels to Ireland. There, she meets a man stepping out of the bathtub in the cottage that she had just rented. Indignation takes over. Beth is ready to do battle, both verbally and physically (she's equipped herself with an umbrella with this very fit, very handsome stranger. And so begins the story of Beth and Connor. They both have demons to excise. It won't be easy, but, after they become friends, they lean on each other to help one another along the way. Beth gets the funny feeling that the people of Dingle know something that she doesn't. And lacking information is not the position that Beth ever likes to find herself in. Eventually, she finds out what's going on. Some people in this small town don't like an outsider, an American, no less, coming in to mess up the equilibrium that they've worked so long to maintain. This are about to get interesting.
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About the author

Feel-good romantic books, life-changing journeys, a dash of steam, and Ireland.


Juliet is originally from California. She is a true, hopeless, all-in romantic. Her first kiss was with a Frenchman in Paris, her first love was an Eagle Scout, her first crash and burn was with someone from Harvard (Juliet studied history at Yale—she should have known better).


The Irish Cottage: Finding Elizabeth was inspired by her love for all things Irish. A love sparked in her teens by Riverdance; fanned into a flame when she befriended a group of Irish kids in France; and blazed into a wildfire by a visit to the Emerald Isle.


After traveling to Ireland & Scotland for book research, Juliet fell in love with a Scot and moved to Scotland.


For fun anecdotes about Ireland, romantic stories about living in Scotland, exclusive group-only giveaways & news—and Bonus Epilogues—join Juliet’s Readers Group by following the links in the back of your book or by going to julietgauvin(dot)com


The Irish Heart Series is about Elizabeth Lara, a woman who boards a plane to Ireland after a difficult death in her family. She leaves her high-powered San Francisco attorney life behind and trades it in for . . . some amazing things on her way to living a more authentic life. It’s a fun ride if you like romantic books, life-changing journeys, a box of letters, a bit of steam, and Ireland [& London & Paris].


Lose your way and find your life in Ireland.



READING ORDER:


The Irish Heart Series Original Trilogy:


The Irish Cottage: Finding Elizabeth (Book 1)


The London Flat: Second Chances (Book 2)


The Paris Apartment: Fated Journey (Book 3)



. . . and for the readers who wanted more . . . 5 years later . . .



The Irish Heart Series Continuing Trilogy:


The Irish Castle: Keeping Elizabeth (Book 4)


The Irish Secret: Wild Fire (Book 5)


The Irish Wedding: A Novel Romance (Book 6)




Juliet Gauvin’s books are feel-good romantic women’s fiction. They include international travel, holidays, contemporary women, and epic love.







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