Irish on the Rocks

Two and a half stars. So, this series is based the premise that in this day and age a father can leave his multi-million euro pub and whisky business to his three sons on the proviso that they must each be married within six months (and stay together for at least six months), otherwise the business will be offered to the highest bidder by the board. Jack Murphy is the oldest brother, the CEO, he has a bad reputation of being an exacting boss and can't keep an assistant for more than a few weeks, ever since his brother Connor married his best assistant Fallon. As a child he was cocky and obnoxious, especially to his younger brother Sean and Sean's best friend Grace. At a charity ball he meets Grace again, looking somewhat different to the short frizzy -haired girl with glasses he remembers. Things are going well, they flirt and then it all goes horribly wrong and Grace accidentally knocks a full glass of champagne all over him. Words are spoken and both Jack and Grace take offence. Of course it turns out that Grace, a book editor who has recently been made redundant, is perfect for the job of assistant and despite their initial animosity it seems as though there are major sparks between them. But Jack needs a wife and Grace has vowed never to marry after her parents' acrimonious divorce left her mother heartbroken and destitute (although Grace's grandfather is a millionaire). I really struggle to get my head around this series. The men are too young to be running a multi-million euro business and the board are all too old and cliched. The big misunderstanding between Grace and Jack I just can't get my head around at all. I don't understand why he was angry/ upset. Overall, everyone felt like a caricature. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is the second book in the Murphy Brothers series and it is every bit as delightful as the first novel. In this story, Jack is the confirmed bachelor and CEO of Murphy's, the family business empire. However,a provision in his father's will requires him to be married within a year or to forfeit his inheritance. Grace has been best friends with Sean, Jack's brother, since their early school years. For most of that time, she has harbored a crush on Jack. Since she recently relocated back to Ireland (from England), she has been seeking employment. Since Jack also needs an assistant, it is serendipity that she has returned to Dublin searching for a job. However, after watching her parents' divorce, Grace has vowed to never marry. Despite all of this, they begin a romance. This is a wonderful book that I just loved. I found myself engaged by the characters and wanting them to get their HEA ending. I even fell in love with the dog, Jane Pawsten (the canine version of Jane Austen), I mean, what could be cuter than that? Simply adorable! Fans of the genre will love this book. Put it at the top of your TBR list. While it is part of a series, this is a stand alone novel, however, it's so good that you really owe it to yourself to read them all.

I thought this was good read. The writing flowed well, and I thought Jack and Grace had good chemistry. There isn't a lot of drama in this story, except for Grace's aversion to marriage. It felt a little forced to me, because she was a grown woman when her parents divorced. Grace's grandma was a hoot! She said exactly what she thought, and didn't care what anyone thought. I didn't read the first book in this series, but I didn't feel lost at all. I would definitely like to find out how Sean's story goes! I voluntarliy reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.