The Hopeful Romantic

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, an Irish 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. He's had an abiding passion for her since the first time he saw her, and has been a steadfast father to her son Jamie.

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 wasn't and never will be the love of her life. And Kerry's lifelong dream to live in the country, and flee her predictable Dublin 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 holiday with her family. Instead, Kerry is stunned by new revelations about her past. She and Stephen must face the long-hidden secrets haunting them both.

Fiercely determined to heal the rift in their relationship, Kerry will risk everything to give her family a second chance. Can she and Stephen recapture the passion they once shared?

In this heartfelt, deeply romantic novel, take an unforgettable journey to the tender heart of a marriage.

The Galway Girls, the sequel to The Hopeful Romantic and Book 4 of the Village of Ballydara series, is 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 ReviewsAbout 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!