Secrets at the Irish Adoption House: Absolutely gripping and heart-wrenching Irish historical fiction

by Michelle Vernal

Ireland, 1920. Tears fill my eyes as I hear the whispers of the other girls in the dark of the night. But I won’t let them see me cry. I won’t let my secrets out. The family I’m hiding from could find me, and take my baby away…

To the other girls at St Patrick’s Mother and Baby Home, Cecelia is just another fallen woman. But they don’t know her father is a penniless lord with an English title… And Cecelia is determined that they never will. She came here alone, in if her family knew she was pregnant the life of her baby could be on the line.

Despite herself, the kind act of stolen bread being pressed into her hands when she’s in most need sees her confiding in the other women. Then the worst Cecelia’s family find her and take her precious newborn. Was she betrayed by another girl in the home?

She’s determined to find her child… but with all her family’s connections, she can’t do it by herself. She hears whispers of a network of women working to unite mothers and babies. But with the baby’s father dangerously caught up in the unrest brewing across Ireland, will Cecelia or her darling daughter ever see him again?

This tear-jerking and unforgettable historical novel, full of family secrets, betrayal and friendship in the darkest times, is perfect for fans of Jean Grainger, Lisa Wingate and Sandy Taylor.

What readers are saying about Secrets at the Irish Adoption House:

‘I absolutely fell in love with this heart-wrenching tale… Had me reaching for tissues multiple times while reading late into the night.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I read this in one sitting. I couldn’t put it down… I loved it.’ abashfulbookdragon, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Have the tissues ready, it will make you cry.’ coffeeandpages2021, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘Oh my, what a heartbreaker!’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘Wonderful… Heartbreaking and heart-warming all at once… I read in one sitting.’ Stinathebookaholic, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘The story gripped my heart. A must-read.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I found myself shedding a few tears… Wonderful.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘An emotional page-turner… Heartbreaking… Brilliant.’ the.bookjunction, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘Wonderful… Full of heartbreak and suspense, I had to finish it in one sitting.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Ireland, Womens Fiction

282 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 3, 2025

About the author

Michelle Vernal is a bestselling author of warm, witty, and uplifting Irish fiction. Born in England to parents from Liverpool – often called “Little Ireland” – she grew up on her mum’s tales of Iocal families, music, and humour. Later, she lived, worked, got engaged, and travelled extensively in Ireland, experiences that inspire her much-loved novels, including the hilarious Guesthouse on the Green series. Her stories, filled with heart, humour, and unforgettable characters, have earned her a loyal readership worldwide.

For updates on Michelle's latest book releases you can follow her here: https://www.amazon.com/author/michell...

Reviews

[Caroline|Page~Turners · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another day has passed, and Cecelia, a single mother, cries herself to sleep once again. She left her family to give birth to her baby in a safe place, or so she thought.

Cecelia’s life has been filled with hardships. Now, as a single mother delivering her baby in a home for unwed mothers, she will do everything possible to protect and care for her newborn. However, when her family finds her, they take her baby from her. Determined to find her child, Cecelia finds a network of women who risk everything to reunite mothers with their children. Finally, she has some hope.

“Secrets at the Irish Adoption House” by Michelle Vernal is an emotionally charged and heart-wrenching story of family betrayal and the profound love between a mother and her child. I was deeply moved by this story. It sheds light on the terrible treatment women faced during this time in history, especially those who were single and expecting.

Despite the emotional impact and the tears that flowed while reading, the story radiates the hope and spirit of a mother’s love for her baby. It’s an incredible and captivating story that I highly recommend.

[Melissa * bookedwithmel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an emotional book. I couldn’t stand Cecelia’s family. If she didn’t have the people that worked for her family, she never would have held herself together.

Reading about these homes for unwed mothers is so sad in my eyes. The way the women were treated, especially when so many of them weren’t to blame for their situation is just horrible. And even if they had made the choice to have relations with a man, out of love or whatever reason they chose, it’s unfair that they were forced to be treated the way they were.

It was definitely an emotional read. Michelle always does a good job of immersing me in the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my copy of this book.

[StinaStaffymum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ireland 1920: Young and idealistic Cecelia thought she was in love. Dark and mysterious Finian Fahy offered her a world she could only dream of - freedom for Ireland. Not to mention, freedom from the life her family have already mapped out for her.

With her family's estate falling into ruins around them and nothing but a title to keep their heads held high in respectable society, the plan is to send Cecelia off to London with her ladies maid Lizzie and her mother in tow, to make her debut in society and to hopefully land a husband who will save the family from ruin. A suitor in her mother's sights, Cecelia carries with her another secret; one that will shame her and her family. She confides in Lizzie and together they hatch a plan to return to Ireland where Cecelia will find herself at the mercy of the nuns at St Patrick's Mother and Baby Home which they nickname the Irish Adoption House.

She's no sooner moved in that she regrets it at once. The nuns are harsh and unfriendly; the mother superior just as bad. Only one nun, Sister Louise, who is a kind and gently soul wanting only to help the women who have fallen through no fault of their own than the life they had been born into. Cecelia keeps to herself and follows the strict rules so as to make her time there as uneventful as she can.

Cecelia's not here to make friends so when Nessa tries to befriend her, she shuns her thus coming across as aloof as if they were below her. Even after she has given birth to a baby girl she refuses to name or get close to, Cecelia stays at the home growing closer to her child she dare not love for fear of losing her. But Nessa, Maudie and Molly soon worm their way into her heart. She soon finds herself confiding in them her story. Maudie knew her from the village she came from though she had never let on. Then when Nessa goes into labour and disappears one night, never to return, Cecelia vows to take the other two under her wing. And in their friend's honour, she names her unnamed daughter Vanessa, Nessa for short.

Soon Maudie has gone, in search of her daughter who disappeared one night, and then Molly, leaving only Cecelia and baby Nessa...and the comings and goings of girls like her. Until one morning, Cecelia's mother sweeps into the home and takes Nessa, promising her a life a plenty - and that Cecelia will never see her child again. How did her mother know where to find her? Did someone betray her?

Determined to be reunited with her child, Cecelia makes a plan with an unlikely source as she cannot do it alone. With all the unrest in Ireland brewing and her family's connections, can Cecelia reclaim her daughter and make it to safety before it's too late?

This is a wonderful sequel to "The Irish Adoption House" which told of Maudie's tale but this one was so much better. When reading the first book, you just know there is a story to be told about Cecelia so I was thrilled to discover at the end of the first one, that Cecelia's story was to come. And what a tale it was! It is heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once, filled with secrets, deception, betrayal and the bond of friendship spanning the decades from 1919 to 1985. And with it, brings a beautiful conclusion to the two stories which remain connected throughout time.

Ireland was awash with mother and baby homes run by nuns who showed no ounce of Christ's love and compassion they claim to live by. It is a sad part of the country's history that those in authority weren't ideally equipped to care for these girls and instead they punished them. Most people would judge them for their horrible and harsh treatment which was barbaric to say the least but they didn't know any better and were only equipped with what had been drummed into them. And most of them certainly had no lived experience that these girls had and honestly would have been better placed to take care of them, knowing all too well the fear, guilt and shame that they too experienced. But it was another time and Ireland was under pressure with unrest brewing in the fight for independence.

Still, this was a wonderful tale I read in one sitting and enjoyed meeting up with Maudie once again.

I would like to thank #MichelleVernal, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #SecretsAtTheIrishAdoptionHouse in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

[Robin Loves Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Secrets at the Irish Adoption House, Michelle Vernal delivers a deeply moving and unforgettable story set against the haunting backdrop of an Irish home for unwed mothers.

Cecelia, long judged and overlooked because of her noticeable limp, has endured more than her share of pain and betrayal. When she crosses paths with Finian, she never imagined that she would end up in a home run by nuns. Yet, now pregnant, she hoped that it would be a good place to stay and give birth, even hoping for a connection with her baby.

The nuns who once ran the home harbored shocking secrets—acts of cruelty hidden behind walls meant to shelter. As long-buried truths come to light, each character must face the past to find healing, forgiveness, and hope for the future.

This is an incredible, heart-wrenching story that had me with a lump in my throat page after page. Michelle Vernal captures both the pain of injustice and the power of redemption, leading to a truly wonderful and satisfying conclusion.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a deeply moving story! This is book number two in the series, and it revolves around Cecelia, who is pregnant and living in an institution for unmarried mothers run by cruel nuns. These nuns are harsh and unapproachable, particularly one named Agnes, who takes pleasure in making the girls feel utterly worthless and delights in punishing them.

The girls endure a miserable existence at the home. They are not allowed to speak to or befriend one another. Cecelia fled her parents' house upon discovering her pregnancy, knowing that her vindictive mother would take pleasure in snatching her baby at birth and having it adopted. In her desperation to protect her child, Cecelia sadly and blindly ran from one dreadful situation to another.

This well-written story sheds light on the strict rules and treatment that suffering pregnant mothers faced during this time. While parts of the narrative are heart-wrenching, it kept me turning the pages, eager to see what would happen next. Would Cecelia be able to have her baby and save it from adoption? Would the nuns receive their just desserts? It was a nail-biter until the very end!

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cecelia grew up in a well to do Irish family, her father is titled but that is an English title and doesn't endear him to many!. It was not a happy home, her mother disliked her and her younger sister never failed to make Cecelia aware that she was not the favourite child. She found happiness riding and in the company of Fintan, a worker in the stables and an Irish freedom fighter. Before long Cecelia is in love, willing to further the Irish cause. However when she discovers she is pregnant there is only one solution. Helped by a friend she passes herself off as a Catholic and goes to a mother & baby home. Like many of these places, it was run by nuns,who on the whole, treated the girls like dirt. Abandoned and betrayed Cecelia is determined to keep her baby.

This is not a unique story and unfortunately it reflects the suffering many poor women went through. Overall it was an interesting and sad read. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gut wrenching look at Ireland during war and how unwed mothers were once looked at with disdain and shame. This is a follow up to Michelle Vernal's The Irish Adoption House .

Cecilia thinks that she has finally found acceptance in her father's horse trainer, Finian Fahy. As she joins the cause for Ireland and becomes entangled in the life of the cause. She is also being forced to debut in society to help keep her family home afloat. All of these events lead to the story filled with hope but also loss and heartbreak. Vernal has a way with characters that truly makes you feel for them. She also does a great job at showing how truly brutal the time period was and all that people of that time had to endure. This is historical fiction at its finest.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely story

This is the second book in a series about a Mother & Child home in Ireland. It can be read as a standalone though some of the characters do cross over from both stories.

This is a well written historical fiction novel told in different timelines. The brutal history of the way unmarried pregnant women were treated is hard to read and reconcile the horrible things done in the name of religion.

The book follows Cecelia as she participates in the Irish resistance and then discovers she is pregnant. She willingly checks herself into the home thinking it would be a safe place for her and her unborn child.

Like the first book, some of the subject matter explored is very difficult including forced adoptions and abuse.

Overall, this is a lovely story about a very tough period in history. I have enjoyed both books in the series and I look forward to any subsequent stories.

[Chelsea Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

An impactful and heart-wrenching historical novel, Michelle Vernal's Secrets at the Irish Adoption House brings a tragic and lesser-known period of Irish history to light. The story of Maudie's desperate quest to reclaim her child is both powerful and emotionally resonant. While Maudie is a compelling and tenacious protagonist, the supporting characters could have been more developed. As the first book in a two-part series, the narrative feels somewhat incomplete by the end. However, its powerful core and strong emotional resonance make it a highly recommended and captivating read for fans of historical fiction.

[Helen H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in The Irish Adoption House series by Michelle Vernal and it’s an emotional page-turner.

Filled with political tension, personal hatred, deception and betrayal, Cecelia’s story of survival is heartbreaking at times.
The history of Ireland’s Mother and Baby Homes is horrific; institutions where ‘fallen women’ were subjected to awful abuse by nuns. But in the midst of Cecelia’s suffering there is hope, kindness and help along her journey to safety, a future and a second chance.

Another brilliant book in the series; I highly recommend Secrets at the Irish Adoption House.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

📆 single, non-linear timeline.
👀 single POV
🐢 -🐇 medium-paced
💬 "Home wasn't a place, [...], but another word for family"

Another tear-jerker from Vernal who gives her fictional characters hope where their real-life counterparts had none. 'Secrets At The Irish Adoption House' is book 2 in the series and we are reunited with the ladies from book 1. In this book we get to know Cecelia, who was a small character in the previous book. I loved her story! I think it was even more fascinating than Maudie's. I can't wait to find out who we will follow in book 3. I hope its Molly, although I'd love to know Sister Louise's full story too.

I highly recommend this series.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!
Number two in the Irish Adoption House Series and this time the story is centred around Cecelia.
Another great read, all the more enjoyable as I had read the first book in the series and there are crossovers in characters. That said this book works perfectly as a standalone read too.
While a work of fiction this shines a light on both the political situations of the time and the terrible suffering of the woman who find themselves incarcerated in The Adoption House.
A great series, I'm already looking forward to the next instalment.

[Carol Mageean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based in Ireland, during the 1900s a story about Cecelia, a fallen woman, who comes from a well bred family and eventually ends up at an Adoption House living with nuns. A tale of hardship and a tear jerker as Cecilia deals with relationships that carve her future. A real page turner and I enjoyed the twist and turns and the fact that the story flicked between past and present. Very well written, although this is book two it could be read as a stand-alone quite easily. It held my interest throughout and I loved the surprise ending.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great book, I couldn't put it down! Captivating, historical fiction set in both Ireland and London.
I enjoyed the way this story was split between before and after Cecelia's arrival at the adoption house. The gradual reveal of how she ended up there was intriguing. Cecelia was a great character, I loved how she stuck to her principles all the way through.
The book was quite emotional, with some really sad moments, but also a theme of hope running through it.

[Jacqui · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 2nd in a series. Cecilia's father is a penniless lord with an English title living in Ireland. Drawn into the fight for freedom in Ireland by her charismatic horse trainer, she falls hard for him.
She comes to the St Patrick's Mother and Baby Home as another fallen woman. Standoffish at first, she gradually befriends the other mothers at the house.

I liked Cecilia's story. She grew up feeling unloved by her parents and siblings and found solace in the stables with her horses and the other staff at the house. The baby home she went to was a horrific experience, except for a kind-hearted nun and a few of the other ladies who were in the same situation as she was. Maudie, from the last story was there. Her parents, especially her mother, were awful to her. Through the experience, Cecilia found out who her friends were and developed a passion for a free Ireland. Hopefully, there will be more stories in the series.

Thanks to @bookouture, @netgalley, and the author for this arc

[dorothy cannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average at best.

I could take to any of the characters in this book. I found reading it tedious at times and did not enjoy its predictability.
It tells the story of Cecelia a privileged girl who falls in love with an Irish freedom fighter she finds herself pregnant.
She then enters a Catholic mother and baby place.
Overall this book was not for me.

[Anne Whiting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my what a heart breaker!

I was so sorry for the poor girls in the adoption house run by some wicked nuns!

Cecelia was a strong willed girl who unfortunately ended up in that awful place along with all the other poor girls and young women.

Michelle's writing made the story so realistic. Her research into the history of those terrible places was impeccable.

This is the second in the series and I would love another although I think all the loose ends were tied up well.

Thank you Michelle.

[Valerie McGurk · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Cecelia finds herself pregnant she doesn’t expect to find herself at an Irish Adoption House. As we follow her story Cecelia develops a friendship that will be her saviour. This is an emotional read with a surprise ending.

[joan geary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leaves a lot to consider about in this time in history.

Shows how badly treated were those unlucky girls who found themselves pregnant out of wedlock. Thank goodness things have changed!

[Gina Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read

I liked this as it connected with the first book and continued the story of Cecelia. It also gave insight into how it was in the homes.

[Christy O'connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

great series

I have enjoyed reading the first two books in this series
I hope there are more to come please and thank you

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

1920’s Ireland was a tough place to be a unwed mother. Cecilia came from an aristocratic family, so when she found herself pregnant she ran away to the St Patrick Mother and Baby home.

[Leona · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Irish Adoption House series but it can be read as a standalone . This book captivated me right from the very beginning and I was completely invested in the story of Cecelia and her quest to find her child . This was an emotional read and I found myself shedding a few tears at times . Michelle Vernal has again written a wonderful addition to this series and one which I highly recommend for fans of historical fiction .