The Ladies' Midnight Swimming Club

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I loved that to sort through your minds cluttered box, to find a way through the drama which envelopes these women that to simply have a midnight swim in the sea with like-minded women who never judge but encourage and respect and help. It really is the most beautiful thing! Elizabeth O’Shea’s husband had just died, leaving her on the brink of bankruptcy and saddled with a sad and outdated medical practice. She lives on top of a stone cliff in a small Irish village on the western seaboard. I love the sea and I had to read a story with a title like this. Here the sea is seen as a place where you can just be you, living in the moment, the salty water washes away your thoughts, your troubles and recharges you. What’s she thinking? The sight of her in the buff will be enough to frighten every fish from the bay.

Linked to this, we now we come to a feature that I both liked and didn't like. The story was constructed so perfectly - literally every loose end was tied, every problem solved, every rift restored; every character journeyed from an emotional low to ultimate contentment. On the one hand, this felt extremely contrived. It was just too unrealistic - life just doesn't fall into place happily ever after like that. Elizabeth's GP husband leaves the surgery empty and in debt, and Lucy just so happens to be a doctor looking for a fresh start and moving into the area - problem solved. Dan has been looking for his birth mother his whole life, and on his research trip to Ballycove finds her right in front of his eyes - perfect. Jo's dying wish is to share her insane love of naked swimming in the freezing Irish sea, and somehow every woman in the village is up for joining in - improbable, but amazing. It was such a storybook story in every possible way, that it ended up being eminently predictable.I know that I am in safe hands when it comes to a Faith Hogan book and this one did not disappoint. I was warmly welcomed in like an old friend and caught up in the most sincere story imaginable. If your book club is planning on including My Husbands Wives, do let me know. I’d love to hear how you get on and where your reading leads you….

Faith Hogan knows her characters well, bringing them very much alive to the reader as we journey through the good and the bad times with them. They become much more than individuals. They become the readers’ friends. Jo, Elizabeth and Lucy all come to realise the importance of true friendship, in particular in times of trouble. Full of warmth and plenty of emotional moments, Faith Hogan sensitively handles very relevant societal and health issues. I am sure there are many readers who will be very personally affected by some of the threads running through this novel but Faith Hogan treats the issues in question with great respect, and with a very gentle hand.Three women completely different lives and the story of how they come together to support each other, find solace and move on from the blows they've received. The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club was founded by Jo, who coerced her daughter and friend to join her. They all have their own problems but their midnight swims help them connect, talk, laugh and be inspired. . . . . This is a story which focuses on these three ladies, Lucy’s son and a writer who has come to stay in the village whilst he writes a novel and searches for his past. Thanks to the WaWa Club Readers for getting in touch to let me know that they have selected My Husband’s Wives for their July meeting. I hope you have fun!

The author did a great job of presenting these women as individuals and then who they were as members of the tight knit community in which they lived. There were times of sadness, where I almost shed a tear and others when I was almost laughing out loud. The characters were strong, brave women who had all been through tough times, but something about meeting nightly in the cold waters of the ocean where they felt the freedom only the vastness of the sea can bring brought out the very best in them. They went from being insecure and scared about what the future held to being ready and able to confront whatever life threw at them next.The novel and characters pull you in like an old friend. It has feel-good vibes throughout despite some of the very difficult situations that occur for these women. There are two male characters who are also realistic and enjoyable. The camaraderie that exists between these women in different walks of life is so important in our growing and aging process. Jo, Elizabeth and Lucy are all very different but they become a very tight group. They all have secrets between them too which as you read and get to know them begin to surface.

These three women form The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club where they can swim away their troubles in the freezing cold waters of the Irish sea. It is a place they can be alone, gather their thoughts, talk, laugh, and listen. Each of the women dealt with their grief differently, and although there was anger, sadness and regret, none of them actually hated Paul – why was that? Review: Snowbound With The Brooding Lord by Sarah Mallory @SarahMRomance @MillsandBoon @HarlequinBooks #publicationday #histfic #RegencyRomance #RespectRomFic November 23, 2023THE LADIES MIDNIGHT SWIMMING CLUB is an inspiring tale of friendship, fortitude, and resilience. The setting is delightfully picturesque, with the golden sand beaches of Ireland’s west Atlantic coast, where a midnight dip in the frigid waters creates a bond and heals more than one troubled soul.