The Only Man (From Connemara With Love #4) by A.S. Kelly

ABOUT THE BOOK

I was a different man, once. I was a man with only one woman on my mind – the only woman I wanted to hold in my arms. I was her man. But things change. Life changes you. Choices, mistakes, resentment: they all change you. So do unkept promises. We hurt each other. We loved each other, then hated each other, then missed each other, then grew apart.

And then… One day, we found each other again. At the wrong time, in the wrong place. Because the two of us are wrong together – we’re too far apart, too incompatible. We’re the main characters of a story that doesn’t belong to us. But I still keep loving her, even though she hates me. And she keeps hating herself, because she can’t help but love me. And we keep searching for each other, even though we’re destined to lose each other.

I wish I could be a different man, just once. I wish I could be the kind of man who’s ready to give everything for the woman he loves. Someone who was ready to let her go. Because I want her to be happy more than I want her to be mine.

MY REVIEW

Love is the most terrible, and also the most generous of the passions; it is the only one which includes in its dreams the happiness of someone else. — Alphonse Karr

I love Ms. Kelly’s writing. Her characters love so deeply and their journeys are full of much self-reflection and courage. How do you say goodbye to the person you love most in the world? Brian and Darcy are so in love, but past mistakes and lack of self-confidence get in the way of their happiness. Darcy has come back to Connemara one last time to get back what she lost from Brian so many years ago. Will he give her what she wants, or will he finally give her what she deserves?

I have read all of the books in this series and I’ve loved each and every one. What I’ve learned is that the people in this small town in Ireland have seriously repressed feelings that have been unrequited for years. Darcy and Brian are no exception.

Darcy and Brian grew up hiding their love from their families. Brian’s bad-boy reputation did not fair well with Darcy’s father, Seamus, who only wanted the best for his daughter. When Brian realized Darcy’s dreams to travel and see the world, he sabotaged their love by breaking an important promise he made to Darcy. Ever since then whenever she returns home, she has not hesitated to show how much she hates Brian for his betrayal. Darcy’s life is about to change and she is getting ready to move across the world to start a new life. She wanted one last time to say goodbye to her family and to the man who destroyed her heart so many years ago.

Darcy and Brian’s last days together are heartbreaking and had me sobbing. They love each other so much, but they feel they want different things in life. Their stubbornness is frustrating at best as they waste so much time not saying what they feel which is that they will only ever love each other. Brian is so messed up being raised by his grumpy and controlling brother and living with the sins of his father. Brian has had nothing of his own and doesn’t believe he’s worthy of love from someone like Darcy. So he convinces himself to let her go by sacrificing his happiness. Darcy poured her whole heart and soul into loving Brian and when he betrayed her, she shut her heart down completely. But she kept coming back to Ireland claiming she hated him for what he did, but she has always been the one who believed in him more than he did himself. She wants him to move on and be happy, despite how much she will miss him and love only him. They both grow and become the adults they need to be to finally move on. Their happily ever after is the best and I cheered for these two from the beginning. Home is definitely where the heart is for Brian and Darcy.

What I truly love about this book, is the support of Darcy and Brian’s loving family and friends. There are several couples who had the same pattern of languishing secret love and they give good advice and loving support to Brian and Darcy.

This delightful and heartwarming book is about believing in yourself and taking risks for the one you love. If you love love as much as I do, give this book a try. The characters are charming and pigheaded and the plot is what Ms. Kelly does best: angst and love. This book can be read as a standalone, but I recommend reading the series to get a full experience of the lovely people of Connemara. For more of my reviews on the series see The Best Man, The First Man, and The Good Man.

Thank you to Ms. Kelly for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A. S. Kelly was born in Italy but lives in Ireland with her husband, two children and a cat named Oscar. She’s passionate about English literature, she’s a music lover and addicted to coffee. She spends her days in a small village North of Dublin, looking for inspiration for her next stories. Rainy Days is her debut novel.

Follow Alex on her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.