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Village of Ballydara #1
It Only Takes Once
Are you a Maeve Binchy or Marian Keyes fan? Or do you enjoy Ballykissangel, the BBC Irish comedy-drama? Then you might like It Only Takes Once, a sweet, soulful romantic comedy set in Ireland.
It's the coming-of-age story of a Dublin single mom seeking the perfect father for her son--and what she discovers about love and forgiveness along the way...
Here's
Twenty-something Irish girl Aislin Moore suspects that her life is seriously stuck in neutral. All she needs is a man…or to be precise, a father. Not for herself—she’s completely estranged from her scruple-impaired dad, and plans to keep it that way. But her daddy-hungry son Kevin has been without one long enough…and she’s determined to succeed at motherhood, even if the rest of her life is a bit of a disaster. So Aislin follows the mad impulse to track down the perfect father-figure for her who else but American Ben Carpenter, Kevin’s real father.
She’s determined to keep her relationship with Ben 100 percent platonic, especially after their truly awful breakup seven years ago. But Aislin has a way of mucking up her most inspired schemes. Sequestered in the Irish countryside with Ben, Aislin discovers their chemistry is stronger than ever…then her father’s unexpected gesture creates a seismic shift in their relationship too. What should she do? Ignore her father, or take a chance on forgiveness? Cool it with Ben, or take a chance on love?
It Only Takes Once is the first book of the Village of Ballydara Series.
It's the coming-of-age story of a Dublin single mom seeking the perfect father for her son--and what she discovers about love and forgiveness along the way...
Here's
Twenty-something Irish girl Aislin Moore suspects that her life is seriously stuck in neutral. All she needs is a man…or to be precise, a father. Not for herself—she’s completely estranged from her scruple-impaired dad, and plans to keep it that way. But her daddy-hungry son Kevin has been without one long enough…and she’s determined to succeed at motherhood, even if the rest of her life is a bit of a disaster. So Aislin follows the mad impulse to track down the perfect father-figure for her who else but American Ben Carpenter, Kevin’s real father.
She’s determined to keep her relationship with Ben 100 percent platonic, especially after their truly awful breakup seven years ago. But Aislin has a way of mucking up her most inspired schemes. Sequestered in the Irish countryside with Ben, Aislin discovers their chemistry is stronger than ever…then her father’s unexpected gesture creates a seismic shift in their relationship too. What should she do? Ignore her father, or take a chance on forgiveness? Cool it with Ben, or take a chance on love?
It Only Takes Once is the first book of the Village of Ballydara Series.
- GenresRomance
Nook
First published March 11, 2011
195 people are currently reading
561 people want to read
About the author
Susan Colleen Browne
23 books64 followersSusan Colleen Browne weaves her love of Ireland and her passion for country life into her Village of Ballydara books--feel-good novels of love and family set in the Irish countryside. Susan's new series, The Fairy Cottage of Ballydara Mini-series, now includes The Little Irish Gift Shop and Becoming Emma...with #3 on the way for 2021!
Her 4th Ballydara novel, The Galway Girls, is a warmhearted tale of women's friendships and finding love where you least expect it.
You'll find Susan's favorite Irish books and movies at www.susancolleenbrowne.com, and free books too! She's a big fan of authors Jenny Colgan, Liane Moriarty, and Marian Keyes.
Her award-winning memoir, "Little Farm in the Foothills," is a lighthearted tale for gardeners, nature lovers, and dreamers of all ages. If you like backyard farming, cooking with homegrown food and country living, you’ll find stories and pics on her Little Farm blog.
Susan has also penned a fantasy-adventure series for tweens, set near Seattle, that's family-friendly too!
A creative writing instructor, Susan writes and gardens at Berryridge Farm in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Many of the farm adventures in The Galway Girls were inspired by her real-life experiences...and when not writing, you’ll find Susan wrangling chickens, tending vegetable beds, and dreaming up new Irish stories!
Her 4th Ballydara novel, The Galway Girls, is a warmhearted tale of women's friendships and finding love where you least expect it.
You'll find Susan's favorite Irish books and movies at www.susancolleenbrowne.com, and free books too! She's a big fan of authors Jenny Colgan, Liane Moriarty, and Marian Keyes.
Her award-winning memoir, "Little Farm in the Foothills," is a lighthearted tale for gardeners, nature lovers, and dreamers of all ages. If you like backyard farming, cooking with homegrown food and country living, you’ll find stories and pics on her Little Farm blog.
Susan has also penned a fantasy-adventure series for tweens, set near Seattle, that's family-friendly too!
A creative writing instructor, Susan writes and gardens at Berryridge Farm in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Many of the farm adventures in The Galway Girls were inspired by her real-life experiences...and when not writing, you’ll find Susan wrangling chickens, tending vegetable beds, and dreaming up new Irish stories!
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 15, 2018
A fun book to read.
It took me a few chapters to get all the characters straight in my mind, but after that I really did enjoy reading this book, I hated to see it end. I hope the next one in the series is as enjoyable.
It took me a few chapters to get all the characters straight in my mind, but after that I really did enjoy reading this book, I hated to see it end. I hope the next one in the series is as enjoyable.
July 10, 2020
I didn’t like it that much.
I didn’t like this book that much. I don’t plan on reading another one of her books. But at least I tried.
I didn’t like this book that much. I don’t plan on reading another one of her books. But at least I tried.
February 8, 2025
Life, Love and Forgiveness
A young lady who doesn't know how to trust anyone and she feels betrayed by her parents and by Ben with whom she had a child.
A young lady who doesn't know how to trust anyone and she feels betrayed by her parents and by Ben with whom she had a child.
March 29, 2012
It was just after St. Patrick's Day and I was really in the mood for Irish Fiction. I've read all the Maeve Binchey and Marian Keyes books at least three times apiece and was hoping to find something new out there.
So when this Kindle self-pub said "if you like Maeve Binchey and Marian Keyes, you might like this", I figured it was worth a couple bucks and a few hours of my time.
Well, it took me a lot longer than "once" to finish this book and I'll tell you why.
There is NO story here. I take that back. There's a short story that gets dragged out into the most tedious novel-length tale I've come across in awhile. You know that co-worker you have who insists on spending your lunch breaks and water cooler chat sessions on going into every detail of her failing, flailing romance and her child support and custody battles?
This book is that co-worker.
The first half of the story--literally 50% according to my Kindle--is spent with the main character dithering about telling a man he is the father of her seven year old son. Right there any sympathy I had for her went out the window. Keeping a man from even the knowledge of his child is a really lowbottom way to act. It's cheap and smarmy and I felt no sympathy for the Nicole Kidman lookalike.
Once he finally(!!) finds out, the rest of the book is spent in one of those frustrating "romantic" dances of approach-avoidance. They're attracted to each other! But they can't be together! Why not? Well...the eejit main character whose name I forget--really--keeps coming up with dumb reasons. How will it affect her son? Oh, like she cares NOW!??? For her own stubborn pride she made her boy spend the first six years of his life without knowing his father and growing up in near poverty in Dublin. Her own father is wealthy but she doesn't ask him for money because of a falling out in the past. "We don't get along." Well, how does it affect your son to grow up without the medical care he needs?? Didn't care for six years, but you care NOW? Just to create a sort of dramatic tension, I suppose.
The only reason I'm giving this 2 stars (1.5, actually) is that she has some writing skill and she worked to finish a novel. That deserves acknowledgment. I just hope to God the next novel she finishes has likable characters and a better central conflict.
So when this Kindle self-pub said "if you like Maeve Binchey and Marian Keyes, you might like this", I figured it was worth a couple bucks and a few hours of my time.
Well, it took me a lot longer than "once" to finish this book and I'll tell you why.
There is NO story here. I take that back. There's a short story that gets dragged out into the most tedious novel-length tale I've come across in awhile. You know that co-worker you have who insists on spending your lunch breaks and water cooler chat sessions on going into every detail of her failing, flailing romance and her child support and custody battles?
This book is that co-worker.
The first half of the story--literally 50% according to my Kindle--is spent with the main character dithering about telling a man he is the father of her seven year old son. Right there any sympathy I had for her went out the window. Keeping a man from even the knowledge of his child is a really lowbottom way to act. It's cheap and smarmy and I felt no sympathy for the Nicole Kidman lookalike.
Once he finally(!!) finds out, the rest of the book is spent in one of those frustrating "romantic" dances of approach-avoidance. They're attracted to each other! But they can't be together! Why not? Well...the eejit main character whose name I forget--really--keeps coming up with dumb reasons. How will it affect her son? Oh, like she cares NOW!??? For her own stubborn pride she made her boy spend the first six years of his life without knowing his father and growing up in near poverty in Dublin. Her own father is wealthy but she doesn't ask him for money because of a falling out in the past. "We don't get along." Well, how does it affect your son to grow up without the medical care he needs?? Didn't care for six years, but you care NOW? Just to create a sort of dramatic tension, I suppose.
The only reason I'm giving this 2 stars (1.5, actually) is that she has some writing skill and she worked to finish a novel. That deserves acknowledgment. I just hope to God the next novel she finishes has likable characters and a better central conflict.
September 26, 2023
Really my rating is 3.5...this book kept me involved but was also quite frustrating. The main character, Aislin, is a single mom raising a six year old boy in Dublin who has recently expressed a longing for a father. On a bit of a whim, she attempts to contact the biological father through his mother, her family’s former housekeeper. Unexpectedly, the long lost dad/almost boyfriend comes into the shop where she works. He has moved to Ireland to open a new business venture after having already been quite successful in Seattle. So things are not going exactly as planned…
This is where things got frustrating for me. Aislin is a cowardly, emotional mess and not that endearing. She postpones telling anyone the truth or at least the entire truth and seems to alienate everyone who cares about her except her grandmother. She is boringly prone to self depredation – she always thinks she is a ‘crap Mammy’. She also has a lot of personal family baggage, a controlling father in the US who was a charismatic Politian but resigned in shame after being charged with embezzlement; an alcoholic mother and estranged sister. Her communication skills and self knowledge are pitiful. She also has an on-again-off-again boyfriend who is easy to hate, selfish and self absorbed.
Bio-Dad is too good to be true but has a few unresolved issues with anger management. His character could definitely be better defined.
What the author did well was keep you reading so that you could gain some clarification on what happened to create this mess. The various past events are doled out in little tidbits but you finally get closer to understanding Aislin and her weaknesses. However, the ending was too TV movie for me and some issues (the relationship with her mother and sister) are left totally unresolved, possibly intentionally.
This is where things got frustrating for me. Aislin is a cowardly, emotional mess and not that endearing. She postpones telling anyone the truth or at least the entire truth and seems to alienate everyone who cares about her except her grandmother. She is boringly prone to self depredation – she always thinks she is a ‘crap Mammy’. She also has a lot of personal family baggage, a controlling father in the US who was a charismatic Politian but resigned in shame after being charged with embezzlement; an alcoholic mother and estranged sister. Her communication skills and self knowledge are pitiful. She also has an on-again-off-again boyfriend who is easy to hate, selfish and self absorbed.
Bio-Dad is too good to be true but has a few unresolved issues with anger management. His character could definitely be better defined.
What the author did well was keep you reading so that you could gain some clarification on what happened to create this mess. The various past events are doled out in little tidbits but you finally get closer to understanding Aislin and her weaknesses. However, the ending was too TV movie for me and some issues (the relationship with her mother and sister) are left totally unresolved, possibly intentionally.
February 10, 2013
I found this to be a truly delightful story...sweet and charming. You can't help but love the characters. They're so genuine and relatable. I couldn't wait to find out more about their lives. Spend a little while with this lovely, readable novel and you will feel transported to Dublin. Can't think of a better way to spend a weekend!
January 5, 2014
eeIrish love story
Really enjoyed the vocabulary of Ireland. The author made me feel. like I was actually there. I would definitely read this author again.
Really enjoyed the vocabulary of Ireland. The author made me feel. like I was actually there. I would definitely read this author again.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews