She regrets having just snaffled the out of date Jacobs Club bar she found down the back of the cupboard, and the cheese she ate before bed the night before-it gave her the strangest dreams. Mammy always told her not to eat cheese before bed. She should have listened. Just like when Mammy asked her if she was sure doing the right thing getting married because that's her biggest regret of all.
When Roisin discovers a secret her husband's been keeping from her she and their five year old son, Noah leave London and head for her old home in Dublin, O'Mara's Guesthouse on the Green.
Reggie Nolan has regrets too. To say he's sorry, isn't in his vocabulary but time is running out. He's come to stay at O'Mara's to try and find the strength to put things right with the person he loves most in the world.
With a little sisterly love and some advice from Mammy will Roisin be able to move forward? And can Reggie make amends for what he did thirty years ago, before it's too late?
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.
Rosi’s Regrets: The Guesthouse on the Green Book 4 is by Michelle Vernal. This book continues the story of the O’Mara girls and their Mother who have changed their family home into a guesthouse run by Aishling. Moira lives in the guesthouse and helps her sister. Their Mother lives nearby in her own home; but right now is in the guesthouse due to a broken foot. Roisin and her husband live in London while their brother is in America. Roisin is angry at her husband Colin. He took out a mortgage on their house and hadn’t kept up the payments so the bank was declaring foreclosure. Where did he expect his wife and son to go when they were evicted? It was while she was angry over this that she realized it wasn’t just the mortgage; but she was no longer in love with Colin and wanted a divorce. The only problem was their son, Noah. Colin was a good father, just not a good husband. She gets some help from one of her friends from Noah’s school, packs some things for them and gets tickets to Dublin. She was going home to figure things out. Then, she would talk to Colin. When she gets to Dublin, she finds the house full. Moira and their Mother were back from their travels in Vietnam with their Mother as a casualty- a broken foot. They were staying at the inn; but Aisling made room for Roisin and her son. Whatever she needed, they would provide. One guest at the inn was Mr. Reggie Donovan. He was in Dublin to try to make amends with his daughter, Jodie. However, he was a grumpy man to be staying at the inn. However, Aishling handled him well. His grandson shows up to talk to him after his daughter refused. The tale that Shay tells of what happened to his mother after her father threw her out brings on the tears for both Mr. Donovan and the reader. Life at the Guesthouse on the Green is never dull. Something is always going on, even if it is only Mr. Fox.
We hadn't really gotten to know Roisan "Rosi" O'Mara Quealy until this book. She lives in London with her (chinless, according to her sisters) husband and 4 year old son Noah. She isn't really happy in her life, and accidentally finds out her husband mortgaged their home to fund one of his (unsuccessful) business schemes and it is being foreclosed on. She is shocked, and talks to another mother of Noah's classmates, and decides she is leaving right then. She packs up Noah, leaves a note and heads to Dublin and the O'Mara Guesthouse, her former home. She arrives to find Mammy staying there too with her broken ankle. The sisters make it work but Rosi is at sea, not knowing what to do next as she hadn't worked since Noah was born and where the best place to live for Noah would be. There is no question she is getting a divorce as she realizes she should have never gotten married in the first place, but she was pregnant. There is a subplot dealing with an elderly man who has come to see his daughter who he threw out of the house when she was pregnant as a teenager. He meets her son, his grandson, who i think we shall see again in a future book. All in all a quick but good book.
The first thing that caught my attention in reading this book was the total apparent lack of editing. It is rare that I have seen a book with such poor punctuation and grammar. It was embarrassing. I do not understand how this book could be published without any proofreading and editing. The second issue I had with the book was that it was boring. Even when I tried to overlook the poor grammar and improper punctuation, or lack there of, it just never got my attention. So after reading about 20% of it, I gave up. I rarely write book reviews, but this book was so lacking in so many areas, I thought maybe I could save someone else the time and effort of trying to get through it.
It was lovely getting back to O'Meara's Guest House in Dublin and the O'Meara family. This story centered on one of the sisters, Roisin and her son Noah, but there is a secondary story about one of the guests with some flashbacks to 30 years previously. It was a great story. My only complaint is it was much to short. I was disappointed not to find out what comes next in Rosi's life. I look forward to reading the next installment!
Only typo that caught my eye is at end of Chapter 13: "....boys where [sic. should be 'wear' not 'where'] underpants, not knickers."
I enjoyed reading this story. Rosi realizing the truth about herself and the relationship she has with her husband was not unique. It is probably more common than people will admit to. What was refreshing was Rosi standing firm and taking the steps to improve her life. There are plenty of laugh out loud moments from the sisters.
Book 4 in The Guesthouse on the Green series. In this one, eldest sister Roisin leaves her husband in London after finding out he has lost all their funds and their house on his unsuccessful business deals. She take their son Noah, and heads back to her childhood home, O'Mara's Guesthouse in Dublin.
These characters become very very personal and intriguing. Don’t let the story end here. We need to know what happens with Moira & Tom, and how Rosie gets back onto her feet!
I love these characters and living’ their lives vicariously.... charming ,funny and relatable... beautiful tale of Reggie, Jodie and the oh so lovely grandson. Who is coming to town next?
I've read all four of Michele Vernal's books so far and all have been thoroughly entertaining. In these challenging times, Michele's books off a light in the darknesss and a good laugh out loud! I plan on reading all of her books.
This is a beautiful series of loss, love, pain and humor..most of all how family can make all things right again if you will just trust that it will. Plan on reading the series!
This series is so engaging.The stories are endearing. It's also fun to read a story about a family of O'Mara's because that is my maiden name! Michelle is a wonderful story teller. I'yen ve read the first four books in this series. Looking forward to reading more!
Amusing and charming story of the/O'Mara sisters from Dublin. Between their antics and their mothers hilarity,.it's a.fun read. Recommended light reading!
The continuing saga of the O'Mara's is easy reading. The continuing development of the characters makes the stories interesting. I would recommend the series.
So what happens to single girls that changes the whole course of their lives? In most cases, what is the worst way to handle this situation? So Rosi regrets!