Maggie O’Halloran Book 2

Publication Date: May 22, 2026 by @ Bookouture

Chicago, 1892: Maggie O’Halloran knows she is lucky to have escaped New York City with her life, after a notorious gang threatened her and her brother. Now, twisting the wedding ring on her finger, she knows her friend Brendan O’Donoghue’s plan to pretend to be married is sensible. But can she really pretend to be his wife when she doesn’t love him with her whole heart?

Walking Chicago’s cobbled streets, Maggie is more resolved than ever to rebuild her life and when she secures a job at the famous department store, Marshall Field & Company, she is delighted. But when ghosts of her past appear in the millinery department, she knows her true identity could be revealed at any moment, and her dreams once more reduced to ash.

When a chance encounter leads to Maggie making hats for Chicago’s World’s Fair, her desire to become fully independent feels closer than ever. But as gossip swirls about her relationship with her benefactor, can Maggie keep her head held high in this city she now calls home?

When Brendan finds himself in a perilous situation, Maggie’s courage is tested more than ever before. With danger looming, can she and Brendan survive it together? Or will they once more need to flee their home to find safety, and a chance to begin again?

My Thoughts:

Maggie and her brother Danny are Irish immigrants that made their way to New York for a better life, and to meet their father, and it quickly became a life of hardships, and trouble to say the least. In this story “A New Home for the Irish Daughter,” Maggie, and her brother fled New York at the help of their loyal friend, Brendan O’Donoghue. They traveled by train to Chicago to start afresh and it is not too long after they stepped off the train, they realize it is not going to be easy to start over. My goodness, they couldn’t seem to catch a break! My heart broke for them.

About half way in the book, I felt a deep sense of dread come upon me and my chest tighten. I knew something dark was about to happen and I was right. There was an assault and attempted rape of Maggie by the boarder’s husband, and I need to be honest, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to finish reading this story. I took a deep breath and carried on, and thankfully, the scene was cut short. That is all I can say about the scene without giving too much away, but I feel readers must know. That said, the author’s telling of the assault and characterization of the attacker, leading up to the moment it happened, was so effective in building tension without the shock value I find too often in stories. Great writing!

There are a few intriguing historical elements to this story and rightfully so considering the timeline for this story. I really enjoyed how the details were weaved in and how it put the characters right in the center of it all. There is also the infamous serial killer Dr. Holmes who plays a role in this story and wow, you get the creep vibe from him the moment he is introduced in the story! Again, great writing by the author.

The story did abruptly end, so I was taken a little back by that, however, there is another book in this series coming up, I believe. Now, I need to go back and read the first book in this series for more context, and background on the characters.

A deeply emotional, hope filled and gripping historical fiction read!

Stephanie

I obtained an ARC from the publishers through NetGalley for an honest review.