Carmel Sheehan Books

Carmel Sheehan was raised in an orphanage in Dublin, and always believed what she was told, that her unmarried mother abandoned her as a newborn. Forty years later, living in rural Ireland, in an unfulfilling marriage, and she has no reason to suspect that version of her past was untrue, until she gets a Facebook message one day from a stranger claiming it was all lies. In this gripping story, Carmel begins a journey of discovery that takes her back to a time long before she was born when love and loyalty, betrayals and secrets decided her fate. The reality of her true story is both shocking and heartwarming, and Carmel learns that in order to go forward, she must first make peace with her past.

‘In the style of Maeve Binchy and Frank McCourt, Jean Grainger is destined to become one of the great Irish storytellers.’ Roberta Kagan, Bestselling author of With All My Love, Dietrich As someone raised in an orphanage, Carmel knows she should be grateful for a roof over her head and a respectable family, but she would love nothing more than to escape Birr, Co Offaly and get away from her husband, the monosyllabic Bill and his horrible sister forever. Life as Mrs Sheehan should be bearable, all she had to do was look after the house and cook Bill’s meals. She didn’t even need to speak to him, in fact, he preferred that she didn't. But, as her fortieth birthday approaches, Carmel knows the change must be now or never. Her birth mother has offered her a lifeline from beyond the grave in the form of handsome, charming and kind Dr Sharif Khan. He's offering her a new life in London, one he assures her that her birth mother Dolly would want her to take, but the decision must be hers. A life filled with joy, friendship and the legacy of her mother’s enduring love for her awaits. But can Carmel do it and scandalise the parish? Can she finally realise her own worth and live her life on her own terms? The Future’s Not Ours to See is the next book in the Carmel Sheehan Story. What reviewers say: ‘Jean Grainger is rapidly becoming my favourite author. These characters feel like friends and I hate to leave them at the end.’ 'I love Ireland and everything Irish, I can’t afford to go there, so this is the next best thing.’ 'Good old-fashioned storytelling at it’s best. No profanity or violence, just a great story well told. I loved it.’

‘In the style of Maeve Binchy and Frank McCourt, Jean Grainger is destined to become one of the great Irish storytellers.’ Roberta Kagan, Bestselling author of With All My Love, Dietrich As long as Carmel stays in London, nothing can happen to shatter her perfect life. She has a wonderful marriage, a rewarding career and a great bunch of friends. As far as she's concerned, the sadness of her past can stay back in Ireland, where it belongs. For Carmel, Ireland only means misery, loneliness and fear and she never wants to return. The new, confident and happy Carmel only exists on the cosmopolitan streets of Britain's capital. If she ever was forced to return, she fears she would revert to the mousey downtrodden woman she once was. But when her father suggests a family road trip along Ireland's famous Wild Atlantic Way, she hasn't the heart to turn him down. She tells herself that Sharif will be by her side, and that maybe her father is right and Ireland isn't the terrible place she's made it out to be. But trouble is brewing once more for Carmel and everything she struggled to build looks like it is disintegrating. As Carmel returns to the land of her birth, she discovers that she cannot fully embrace her future, until she makes peace with her past, and with her country. A heartwarming story of families, love and loyalty, set against the backdrop of Ireland. What Will Be , is the final book in the Carmel Sheehan Story. What reviewers say: ‘Jean Grainger is rapidly becoming my favourite author. These characters feel like friends and I hate to leave them at the end.’ 'I love Ireland and everything Irish, I can’t afford to go there, so this is the next best thing.’ 'Good old-fashioned storytelling at its best. No profanity or violence, just a great story well told. I loved it.’