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Love In Galway #1

Audible Audiobook

Author: Ivy Fairbanks

Narrators: Angela Dawe and Gary Furlong

You know you are going to love a book when the meet-cute involves… body bags. 

Lark Thompson is an import from Texas to Galway, Ireland. The sunshiny animator and cartoon creator came to Galway to escape a big loss. Losing her husband crushed her and this new job in an opportunity to breathe. She’s living next to Willow Haven. With such a bucolic name it has to be a quaint B&B, right? Wrong! It’s a funeral home! And the undertaker who takes care of it? Oh wow…

Callum Flannely would rather be buried alive than ask a stranger on a date The poor man, however, has been forced to resort to dating apps. He needs to find a wife ASAP. If he doesn’t find one by his 35th birthday, he’ll lose his inheritance – the business he promised his Granda he would keep in the family. If he doesn’t, his father will sell it. 

Lark agrees to help Callum find a wife. She’s worn off love but she’s hopeful Callum will find his soul mate. But what if his soul mate is… Lark?

The audiobook is narrated dual style by Angela Dawe and Gary Furlong and don’t get fooled by the morbid theme – it’s funny, sweet and delightful. Both narrators rock the accents (Texan and Irish) and convey Lark’s and Callum’s personalities and vulnerabilities with talent. 

I loved the representation . Callum is demisexual (which makes this ‘mail order bride’ tomfoolery impossible) and has a stutter. He is “peculiar” in people’s eyes, which gives me a hint of neurodivergent. Lark is one hundred percent accepting of him exactly as he is. Their romance takes a while to kickstart and it’s a sweet “he falls first”, so you get invested in seeing Callum get the girl. Lark is dealing with grief and guilt, so it’s understandable that she’s afraid to fall in love again.

I really enjoyed my time in Galway! The audiobook is a must!

Representation: Demisexual MMC. Neurodivergence . Queer secondary character. 

Content notes: Grief. Loss of spouse (off page, past), loss of an elderly friend. Harassment in the workplace. The story contains brief but honest descriptions of caring for the departed in a funeral home.