Village of Ballydara Series

An Irish story from the sleepy little village of Ballydara...In this luminous prequel to the story "The Christmas Visitor," you'll meet the O'Donoghue family: Maeve, Declan, Nuala and Ava...and Frank, Maeve's husband. Frank is celebrating his retirement when his son Declan shares shocking news. The next day, St. John's Eve (June 23rd), Frank escapes to his favorite getaway, a serene, verdant glen, planning ways to help Declan and make a fresh start for his own marriage to Maeve. The hidden well he's loved since childhood has always had a calming, even magical effect on him, and in there, deep in the woods, Frank has an extraordinary experience that leads him to re-examine his own life as a husband and father. In this gentle, uplifting tale, can one man's loving spirit lead to a family's reconciliation? The Secret Well is part of Susan's new Fairy Cottage of Ballydara mini-series... both Book 1, The Little Irish Gift Shop, and Book 2, Becoming Emma, are now available!   Susan Colleen Browne's Village of Ballydara series includes the novels It Only Takes Once,The Galway Girls, and more. Susan is also the author of award-winning Little Farm in the Foothills, a true-life homesteading tale, and the sequel, Little Farm Homegrown: A Memoir of Food-Growing, Midlife, and Self-Reliance on a Small Homestead.  Enjoy family-friendly books? Susan's Morgan Carey series, heartwarming fantasy-adventures for tweens, features ghosts, fairies, magic spells, and The Goonies Anniversary Celebration! Find more about Susan's books, as well as recipes and homesteading stories at her Little Farm in the Foothills blog!

In this breezy Irish tale, twenty-six-year-old Aislin is at a crossroads. As a Dublin single mammy, a lot of her life needs improvement, yet what she really needs is a father. Not for herself—she so does not need a father—but for her young son, daddy-hungry Kevin. And she's determined to succeed at motherhood, if nothing else. So Aislin follows the mad impulse to track down the perfect father-figure for her little boy.   Who else but her first love, Ben Carpenter?   Ben is great dad material, and has a cozy manor house tucked away in a quaint little village in County Galway. All the same, after her truly awful breakup with him seven years ago, commitment-shy Aislin is determined to keep Ben at arm's length. Or at least very platonic. Besides, surely friends-to-lovers only happens in films, right?   Not...always! And now, along with this sizzling attraction, Aislin has new family complications to sort out. In this heartfelt novel of secrets, second chances and forgiveness, will Aislin find her own fairy-tale ending?   Susan Colleen Browne's Village of Ballydara series, set in a sleepy Iris village, features deeply romantic, feel-good novels about love, friendship and family!   "Browne has done wonderful work in capturing Ireland's language and current cultural milieu from pubs to puddings." —The Bellingham Herald   About the Author: Susan Colleen Browne weaves her love of Ireland and her passion for country living into her Village of Ballydara series. She's also the author of an award-winning memoir, Little Farm in the Foothills, a heartwarming, true-life story of modern homesteading, and the sequel, Little Farm Homegrown. Her Morgan Carey series, fantasy-adventures for tweens, features ghosts, fairies, magic spells...and The Goonies Anniversary Celebration! A community college instructor, Susan runs a mini-farm in the foothills of the Pacific Northwest, USA.   When not writing, Susan is wrangling chickens, tending vegetable beds, and dreaming up new Irish stories!

For her thirtieth birthday, Irish girl Grainne Larkin wants three things: her mother's love, a baby, and her old flame Rafe Byrne—not necessarily in that order. On Rafe's wedding day (of course he's marrying a rich, gorgeous American blonde), brash, irreverent Grainne, who hides her tender heart, is keen for a fresh start. Why not settle for the nice guy in the wings who's successful, and mad about her too?   Yet the Larkin family, as usual, complicates her plans…Grainne's oldest sister pressures her to leave Dublin for the quaint little village of Ballydara, to help their mother Eileen launch a B&B. Given her turbulent relationship with her mam, the last thing Grainne wants to do is live with her.   But when Rafe turns up in Ballydara a free man, Grainne takes a page from her favorite fictional heroine Scarlett O'Hara and plunges into a no-holds-barred pursuit of her lifelong dream. Yet Grainne may discover that opening her heart—to Rafe, to the prospect of motherhood, and to her mother—is the biggest risk of all…   Sparkling banter, family secrets, big lies…Mother Love is a deeply romantic Irish beach read!   Susan Colleen Browne's Village of Ballydara series, set in a sleepy Irish village, features warm, feel-good novels about love, friendship and family--includingThe Galway Girls (Book 4), a warmhearted tale of women's friendship and discovering love where you least expect it.   "Mother Love, a romantic Irish story set in the colorful Village of Ballydara, vividly portrays a written slice of contemporary life in Ireland…a story of love, growth, and healing—with a good dose of Irish humor to make it a fun and entertaining read."        —Chanticleer Reviews   About the Author: Susan Colleen Browne weaves her love of Ireland and her passion for country living into her Village of Ballydara series, novels and stories of love, friendship and family set in the Irish countryside. She's also the author of an award-winning memoir, Little Farm in the Foothills, and the sequel, Little Farm Homegrown, as well as the Morgan Carey fantasy-adventure series for tweens. A community college creative writing instructor, Susan runs a mini-farm in the foothills of the Pacific Northwest, USA. When not writing, Susan is wrangling chickens, tending vegetable beds, and dreaming up new Irish stories!  

A lonely cottage in the Irish countryside...a rare snowstorm the night before Christmas Eve...Escape to the cozy world of Ballydara, a wee, quaint village in the West of Ireland.   "There's a light in the fairy cottage!" And so begins this prequel to the new heartwarming Ballydara novel The Fairy Cottage of Ballydara... Recent widow Maeve O'Donoghue hasn't the heart to celebrate Christmas this year, even though the young granddaughters in her care are hoping for a proper holiday. All that changes when a mysterious stranger appears, seeking shelter for the night--Hazel Carey, who is young enough to be Maeve's granddaughter. In this tender, magical tale, will an unexpected blessing, a mystical encounter and a bit of fairy lore help a grieving family heal? And rediscover the true meaning of Christmas?   The Christmas Visitor and its prequel, The Secret Well, are the origin stories in Susan's Village of Ballydara Emma trilogy... Discover more books featuring the O'Donoghue family and the Carey sisters, including The Little Irish Gift Shop and Becoming Emma!   About the Author Susan Colleen Browne weaves her love of Ireland and her passion for country living into her Village of Ballydara series, novels and stories of love, friendship and family set in the Irish countryside. She's also the author of an award-winning memoir, Little Farm in the Foothills, and the sequel, Little Farm Homegrown, as well as a fantasy-adventure series for tweens. A community college instructor, Susan runs a mini-farm in the foothills of the Pacific Northwest.   When not writing, Susan is putting up fruit, tending vegetable beds, and dreaming up new Irish stories...Find more at Susan's new Substack, and her Little Farm in the Foothills blog!  

This holiday season, escape to the cozy Irish village of Ballydara, where you'll discover the strength of family bonds, a warm community, and enduring love… Kerry McCormack, a Dublin wife and mother, longs to trade her cubicle-bound job for a simpler life. At 33, she has an outwardly successful marriage to steady, successful Stephen. A devoted father to her son Jamie, Stephen has had an abiding passion for Kerry since the first time he saw her.   Yet after a recent, shattering loss, Kerry and Stephen have grown apart. Immersed in his high-powered career to bury his grief, Stephen also struggles with his secret fear that he'll never be the love of her life. And Kerry's lifelong dream to live in the country, and flee her predictable city routine, is only creating more tension between them.   When Kerry finds the perfect farm online, she embarks on what she thinks will be an idyllic country weekend with her family. Instead, her life is turned upside down.  As the holidays approach, Kerry will risk everything to give her family a second chance--but can she and Stephen recapture the passion they once shared in time for Christmas?   Let this deeply romantic novel take you on an unforgettable journey to the tender heart of a marriage.   Susan Colleen Browne's Village of Ballydara series, set in a sleepy Irish village, also includes The Galway Girls (Book 4), the sequel to The Hopeful Romantic—it's a warmhearted tale of women's friendship and discovering love where you least expect it. New Release: The Little Irish Gift Shop, Book 1 of Susan's new Fairy Cottage of Ballydara mini-series…it's the story of a Dublin girl's summer in Seattle, a charming little shop, and her once-in-a-lifetime chance at a new life... Now available!   "The Hopeful Romantic was a pleasure to read for its engaging characters, its authenticity, and its unforgettable moments…a poignant and sometimes humorous, old-fashioned romantic story."    —Chanticleer Reviews   About the Author: Susan Colleen Browne weaves her love of Ireland and her passion for country living into her Village of Ballydara series, novels and stories of love, friendship and family set in the Irish countryside. She's also the author of two country memoirs, the award-winning Little Farm in the Foothills, and the sequel, Little Farm Homegrown; Susan gives her imagination full rein in her Morgan Carey series, fantasy-adventure books for tweens set near Seattle. A community college creative writing instructor, Susan runs a mini-farm in the foothills of the Pacific Northwest, USA.   When not writing, Susan is wrangling chickens, tending vegetable beds, and dreaming up new Irish stories... You'll find more about the Village of Ballydara series at Susan's Little Farm in the Foothills blog, as well as recipes, Irish stories and tales of backyard farming!

Two friends search for their heart's desire in this small-town romantic story set in Ireland. Kerry has fallen in love all over again with her husband Stephen, and after their miscarriage, she longs to try for another baby. But will her lifelong quest of having a farm bring an end to her marriage? Her best friend Fiona has left her free-spirited life behind her. Or so she thinks—until she finds herself caught between Dublin artist Colm, the man she was once mad about, and the sweet, youthful passion of Davie, who can see the woman she's meant to be. Follow this warmhearted tale of women's friendship and love lost and love found among the misty green hills of the Galway countryside!   A fun, feel-good read for gardeners and country-lovers, The Galway Girls continues Kerry and Stephen's love story from Susan Colleen Browne's 3rd Ballydara novel, The Hopeful Romantic--many of Kerry's farm adventures in The Galway Girls have been inspired by Susan's real-life experiences!   Escape to the cozy Irish Village of Ballydara, where you'll discover the strength of family bonds, a warm community, and enduring love. New Release: The Little Irish Gift Shop, Book 1 of Susan's new Fairy Cottage of Ballydara mini-series...it's the story of a Dublin girl's summer in Seattle, a charming little shop, and her once-in-a-lifetime chance at a new life... Now available!   About the Author: Susan Colleen Browne weaves her love of Ireland and her passion for country living into her Village of Ballydara series. She's also the author of an award-winning gardening memoir, Little Farm in the Foothills, and the sequel, Little Farm Homegrown, and a bonus book, Little Farm in the Garden, as well as the Morgan Carey fantasy-adventure series for tweens. A community college instructor, Susan runs a mini-farm in the foothills of the Pacific Northwest, USA.   When not writing, Susan is wrangling chickens, tending vegetable beds, and dreaming up new Irish stories! 

A summer in Seattle, a charming little shop, and a once-in-a-lifetime chance at a new life... In this sparkling prequel, Dublin girl Emma Carey jumps at the opportunity to start fresh in America—her old friend Fitzwilliam has offered her a job running a picturesque Irish shop near the shimmering waters of Puget Sound.   At 30, she's always played it safe, yet the shop sounds perfect—plus Emma's wise (and rather mystical) younger sister Hazel is all for it. But arriving in Seattle, Emma discovers the shop isn't at all what she imagined--the place actually needs a complete makeover in the worst way, and Fitz isn't quite up for the job.   As Emma begins to transform the shop, she discovers it's full of potential…and surprises. Just like the future that awaits her…   Brimming with heart and humor, The Little Irish Gift Shop is the first book of the Emma Carey Trilogy, the beginning of Emma's unforgettable journey to her heart's desire. This prequel spinoff may start in Seattle, but it's very much part of the cozy world of Ballydara, in County Galway, Ireland.   Susan Colleen Browne's Village of Ballydara series, set in a quaint Irish village, are heartwarming novels of love, friendship and family. The sequels to The Little Irish Gift Shop are now available: Becoming Emma and The Fairy Cottage of Ballydara!     About the Author: Susan Colleen Browne weaves her love of Ireland and her passion for country living into her Village of Ballydara series, warmhearted novels set in the Irish countryside. She's also the author of an award-winning memoir, Little Farm in the Foothills, and a sequel, Little Farm Homegrown. A community college instructor, Susan runs a little homestead with her husband in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Her latest Little Farm book is a gardening guide, Little Farm in the Garden: A Practical Mini-Guide to Raising Selected Fruits and Vegetables Homestead-Style. When Susan isn't in the garden, she's working on her next Irish story!