WW2 crime mystery set in Canterbury, Kent (and London)
Ten Great Love Stories set in IRELAND
20th June 2025
Ten great love stories set in Ireland. The country’s misty landscapes and rich history provide an enchanting backdrop for love stories. From windswept cliffs to cozy village pubs, these stories often weave together themes of destiny, cultural clashes, and the enduring power of love. Readers are transported to a world where ancient legends intertwine with modern desires, and strong, independent characters find their match amidst the emerald isle’s charm. Irish-set romances capture the heart with their blend of passion, humour, and a touch of the mystical. The vibrant culture and stunning scenery become almost characters themselves, adding depth and allure to every passionate encounter.
Here are ten of our favourite Irish love stories.
On the First Day of Christmas by Faith Hogan
This Christmas, everything will change…
When Liv Latimer says goodbye to her fellow nurses and finishes work for the holidays, she’s looking forward to a Christmas to remember with her boyfriend Eddie.
But as she leaves the hospital, tragedy strikes and Liv is faced with a choice. Will she ignore her instincts and go home as planned? Or will she stay, and potentially change the course of her life as she knows it?
Whatever choice she makes, Liv is about to discover that fate finds a way…
From the bestselling Irish author of The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club, comes an emotional and uplifting festive story about love, family and how a split second decision can change your life.
Rory & Chloé: A Dublin Love Story by Amelia Doyle
Chloé Amiya Kapoor and Rory McCarthy spent all their childhood summers with Chloé’s aunt Élodie and her wife Saoirse (Rory’s godmother) in beautiful Dublin.
Chloé in Mumbai and Rory in London are both astonished when, almost a year after Élodie’s funeral, a lawyer’s letter unexpectedly arrives at their houses asking them to come to Ireland in May.
When they arrive in Dublin, not only is the aunt’s and godmother’s lawyer waiting for them, but also a big surprise: Saoirse has signed the house over to them with a clause that says that they have to spend one last summer together in the villa before they can decide what should happen to the property.
However, the friends have not spoken to each other since an unexpected incident at the airport last year just a week after Élodie’s funeral. How will they react to the additional clause which has the potential to disrupt their entire lives?
Songs of Love and War by Santa Montefiore
West Cork, Ireland, 1900. The year marks the start of a new century, and the birth of three very different women: Kitty Deverill, the flame-haired Anglo-Irish daughter of the castle, Bridie Doyle, the daughter of the Irish cook and Celia Deverill, Kitty’s flamboyant English cousin.
Together they grow up in the dreamy grounds of the family’s grand estate, Castle Deverill. Yet their peaceful way of life is threatened when Ireland’s struggle for independence reaches their isolated part of the country.
A bastion of British supremacy, the castle itself is in danger of destruction as the war closes in around it, and Kitty, in love with the rebel Jack O’Leary and enflamed by her own sense of patriotism, is torn between loyalty to her Anglo-Irish family and her deep love of Ireland and Jack.
Wrenched apart by betrayal, their world turned to ash, the girls’ friendship seems all but lost as they are swept to different parts of the globe. Yet, they have one thing in common: a fierce and unwavering longing for Castle Deverill and all the memories contained within it.
A Scarlet Woman by Lorna Peel
Dublin, Ireland, 1880. Tired of treating rich hypochondriacs, Dr Will Fitzgerald left his father’s medical practice and his home on Merrion Square to live and practice medicine in the Liberties. His parents were appalled and his fiancée broke off their engagement. But when Will spends a night in a brothel on the eve of his best friend’s wedding, little does he know that the scarred and disgraced young woman he meets there will alter the course of his life.
Isobel Stevens was schooled to be a lady, but a seduction put an end to all her father’s hopes for her. Disowned, she left Co Galway for Dublin and fell into prostitution. On the advice of a handsome young doctor, she leaves the brothel and enters domestic service. But can Isobel escape her past and adapt to life and the chance of love on Merrion Square? Or will she always be seen as a scarlet woman?
Summer at Castle Stone by Lynn Marie Hulsman
This summer, lose your heart in Ireland…
Shayla Sheridan’s a New York native born into big city luxury, but she’s never really fitted in with the “it” crowd. Desperate to make it as a writer and to finally step out from her famous father’s shadow, Shayla decides to take on a tricky assignment across the pond…
Swapping skyscrapers and heels for wellies and the heart of the Irish countryside, Shayla must go about ghost-writing a book of recipes by the notoriously reclusive and attractive head chef of Castle Stone, Tom O’Grady.
The only problem? He has no idea that she’s writing it.
The Rose Garden by Marita Conlon-McKenna
Molly’s perfect life comes crashing down following the unexpected death of her husband David. She is left alone with a big old house to maintain, finances in disarray and her hopes for happiness in a heap. But Molly is a survivor. Despite objections from her two daughters, Molly fears that the only solution will be to sell their beloved home. But as she finds herself drawn to the old neglected and overgrown walled rose garden and the dilapidated gardener’s cottage attached, shesuddenly sees a future as shedecides to restore them.
As the rose garden takes on a new life and starts to bloom again,Molly finds that she can look to the future with new confidence and hope.
The Heart Whisperer by Ella Griffin
Claire Dillon still lives in the shadow of the past. On her thirty-third birthday, she gives herself a present. One year to change her future.
Claire Dillon’s mother had everything to live for. A husband, two children, a successful medical practice. Then, at thirty-three, she died in a tragic accident. And it was Claire’s fault.
Now Claire is the same age. A floundering actress with a broken heart, a collection of draft snakes, and a talent for self-sabotage. She is frittering her life away with the help of her oldest friend, the gorgeous ex-rock star, Ray Devine.
On her 33rd birthday she gives herself one last year to be more like her mother. But you should be careful what you wish for . . .
Her estranged brother Nick is back from America and keeping his distance from his clingy sister and his pathetic father while he reinvents himself as a daytime TV relationship guru. But Dublin is full of memories and Nick is already dreaming of escape. While his wife Kelly, has dreams of her own. Ones she isn’t telling him about.
What will happen when another accident throws the dysfunctional Dillons together? And the secrets they have kept from themselves and one another finally begin to emerge?
Hot Property by Susanne O’Leary
When Megan O’Farrell inherits her uncle’s house in a remote part of the windswept Atlantic coast of Ireland, she imagines it will be a romantic hideaway where she can recover from her recent divorce. But the house is a wreck that requires a fortune to restore, and she decides to sell it. An easy choice, were it not for the discovery of an old family scandal and a budding love affair with both the beautiful landscape and a handsome Kerryman. Catapulted into country life and faced with the less romantic side of farming, she also has to deal with a conspiracy to make her leave.
All For You by Sheila O’Flanagan
As TV’s favourite weather forecaster, Lainey is good at making predictions. But what she doesn’t foresee is that her own life is about to hit a stormy patch. With a string of failed relationships behind her, surely history isn’t about to repeat itself with her beloved Ken? To add fuel to the fire, her estranged mother announces that she’s returning to Dublin. Deanna has always been dismissive of Lainey’s choices – particularly in men. And Deanna’s lectures are the last thing Lainey needs now.
Yet is there more to her mother than she knows? Uncovering some long-concealed family secrets, Lainey begins to reassess her life. Is the happy-ever-after she’s always dreamed of really what she wants after all?
A Parachute in the Lime Tree by Annemarie Neary
April 1941. German bombers are in the air, about to attack Belfast. Oskar is a Luftwaffe conscript whose sweetheart, Elsa, was forced to flee Berlin for Ireland two years before. War-weary, he longs for escape. In remote Dunkerin, Kitty awakes to find a parachute trapped in one of the lime trees. When she discovers Oskar, injured and foraging for food in her kitchen, he becomes a rare and exciting secret. But Ireland during the Emergency is an uneasy place, and word of the parachute soon spreads. Meanwhile, Elsa is haunted by the plight of the parents she left behind. With the threat of Nazi invasion, she feels far from secure.A chance encounter with Elsa, and Charlie, a young medical student, finds himself falling in love. Oskar, Kitty, Elsa, Charlie. Their lives intertwine in a climate of war, exile, and ever-uncertain neutrality.
Enjoy our selection of Love Stories set in Ireland!
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