Share this book page

Secrets in the Babby House

Publisher: Néifinn Press
Year of Publication: 2023
Book type: Novel
Age: Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Sub Genre: Conspiracy · Family · Historical Fiction · Suspense
Language: English
POV: Third-person
Tense: Past
Key Phrases: 1950s · 1960s · 1970s · affair · Betrayals · Blackmail · Domestic Abuse · family saga · ireland · Love and loss · revenge · secrets and lies · small town
“A debut novel with all the charm and angst of early Maeve Binchy. Think Circle of Friends meets Echoes. You can see that a lot of time and care went into creating this subtly layered story, as it seamlessly moves through three decades of time without losing the reader or the characters. The characters themselves were all very well defined, which is a skill I would always associate with a veteran writer, so for a debut, it is amazing. The storyline, covers many themes, mostly love, loss and redemption and the story keeps giving right to the very last page. Well paced, engrossing and beautifully written.”
– Aisling Doonan – Goodreads reviewer

Flossie Lynch is heartbroken when her only love, Frank Connolly, marries another. So when John O’Malley—the well-off catch of the parish—proposes to her, she resigns herself to a marriage of convenience, hoping to learn to love him.
For John, Flossie is mostly a respectable wife and caring mother to their son—and the perfect façade for his dark secret. But bloody Frank Connolly and his blackmailing wife are making things difficult for him.
Another victim of his jealous wife’s abusive behaviour, Frank stays in his loveless marriage for the sake of his two wee girls. He turns his childhood fort into a babby house to give them a refuge from their cruel mother. But for Frank, there is no refuge.
When Flossie rekindles her friendship with Frank, she tries desperately to save him from a life of misery and promises to always look out for his daughters. As the two star-crossed lovers near a second chance, tragedy strikes, forcing Flossie to make good on her promise—while attempting to protect her husband and son.
But as long as there’s a Connolly with a score to settle, there is no escape from the past and no promises for the future.

Set in a gossipy small town in Ireland at a time when marriage is for keeps and sexuality is repressed, Secrets in the Babby House is a family saga over three decades that starts in 1956. It is a story of love, deception, and stolen diaries filled with sins and secrets.

Where to read

eBook

To edit this listing, please enter the editing password. Only the author or publisher can update their listings. If you did not set a password upon submitting the original listing, please request one using the contact form, remembering to state the book name.Â