USA Today bestselling author wants to take you to Ireland for a story that will leave you wanting more long after you turn the last page…Twenty-five year old Billie Romano is struggling. She is grieving the death of her beloved dad and nothing in her life is going right. Her mother has remarried with indecent haste, so when her grandfather presents everyone in the family with a DNA testing kit … family with a DNA testing kit for fun, Billie couldn’t be less interested in playing happy families.
The test results are shocking, and Billie finds herself caught in a turmoil of emotions as she is faced with a reality she could never have imagined.
Her journey of discovery takes her to Ireland, and to the stunningly beautiful Castle Dysert on the Wild Atlantic Coast, when Conor O’Shea once more steps into the role of fixer of problems and soother of troubled souls. Can Billie make a whole new start or are some cans of worms best left closed?
Finding Billie Romano is the fifth book in the Tour Series.
more
Love this author and all her characters. Always true to life, believable, and readily accepted as friends.
Finding Billie #5 – I absolutely love this series. This book ends up sharing a storyline from The Star and The Shamrock. Ms. G is the ultimate storyteller and The Tour Series has been a fun, interesting, heartbreaking and heartwarming set of books, with Finding Billie adding to the glory of this series. As always, the storylines of Billie mesh into a tapestry of present, past, history, modern themes, romance and discovery, while using Conor the tour guide then hotel owner as the foundation of the series. I loved visiting with past characters; getting an update of their present whereabouts. Some good and some sad, but Ms. G always shares updates with her readers. Face it, we faithful want to know the rest of the story.
This is a difficult review to write because it is so easy to turn it into a book review since I have the pleasure of reading each book from the first. Lucky new readers, please start with the first book; the foundations laid in each story build upon each other to give the reader a wonderful glimpse into the lives of others and not just the Irish and the American, while learning of Irish history and language. Each book is a standalone but why deprive yourself of a wonderful world written by a talented, knowledgeable writer definitely gifted as a great storyteller. 5*
The Tour
The Tour #1 – I never get tired of reading Ms. Grainger’s books. This is another well written, heartwarming, funny, entertaining, intriguing story. The characters are realistic and run the gamut of personalities. Funny and sad and heartbreaking and uplifting things happen along the route, but the reader never wants to stop reading. The vivid descriptions of Ireland and its culture and its people and the scenery, including buildings, keep the reader immersed in the pages. 5*
Safe at the Edge of the World #2 – What, this is a lot about a couple of Americans. But as I kept reading I forgot that I wanted to read more about Ireland. We still have all our favorite characters from The Tour and the two Americans find safety with the fellow tourists and the crew. Help comes from everywhere and this intense, intriguing story with its surprises is an exceptional book on its own. It was similar to works by Mario Puzo; substantial, heartwarming, heart wrenching and entertaining. Ms. Grainger is very talented in her craft. 5*
The Story of Grenville King #3 – What an amazing collection of stories. No, it’s one book but the intertwining stories of the many characters make this a rich, fulfilling, twisting, intriguing story. The characters are well developed, interesting and so real. The dialog is better than average. The plot goes on and on with new happenings, twists and turns. The emotions run the gamut: love, happiness, fear, sadness, hate and more. This is the first book I’ve read of the Tour series and I didn’t miss anything not having read the previous books. I’ve read several stories by this author and never have I been disappointed. This book is amazing, substantial and hard to put down. My review doesn’t do justice to this story. I’m glad I contacted the author to review her books. 5*
The Homecoming of Bubbles O’Leary #4 – A terrible person ruins the life of a good person, but …. I absolutely enjoy The Tour Series and this is probably now my favorite of the four books. There are a lot of storylines going on, naturally – Ms. Grainger wrote it, that just kept me glued to the pages. Our favorite characters are still there just as realistic and likable as always. The variety of characters that Bubbles attracted to himself with his big heart and wise ways ran the gamut of different personalities and quirkiness, and the range of emotions gave such depth to the story. While there are a lot of good things happening, there are also the bad. There are plenty of heartbreaks and joys, but the journeys everyone made through the good and bad, as well as their discoveries kept me immersed totally. Of course, Ms. Grainger has a talent for vivid descriptions and I felt as if I was there, too. I contacted the author to review her books. 5*
The Tour end.
The Star And The Shamrock – Ms. Grainger does a wonderful job telling about the transportation of children from their families in Europe to the UK. The Jewish children of this story land in Northern Ireland and the reader is introduced to the Irish side of the equation.
The storylines are varied and heartwarming and heart breaking about this horrible period in man’s history. The characters run the gamut from extremely good to extremely hateful. There is good where it is least expected. The pulling together of different cultures, different age groups and different religions shows that man can rise about prejudice and intolerance and make a difference.
While the history is important, this book tells the experiences of a set of characters as they strive to make the best of a bad time. There are plenty of heroes and none wear a cape. It was hard to put down this book since I so immersed in the history and the story. Even though, I know a lot about WWII and the Holocaust, I found Ms. Grainger did an interesting presentation of history and everyday life. For those who don’t like to read about world history, or any history, this is a good introduction. I contacted the author to review her books. 5*
Finding Billie Romano reunites the reader with Conor and his wonderful family. (if you have not read previous books, this also works as a stand alone.) All Jean Grainger’s books grab my attention and refuse to let me go until I reach the end. In this awesome story, Billie Romano is still grieving the death of her father nearly four years after his death. Upon learning some troubling facts, Billie, her grandfather and his partner, her mom and stepdad make a trip to Ireland, staying at Castle Dysert. All these fascinating people in this great location make for a very interesting book. If you enjoy well written drama and romance, with wonderful characters who feel like friends, do not miss this book!