A Matter of Class Series by Susie Murphy

'A beautifully written historical novel with characters who linger long after the last page is turned.' - Hazel Gaynor, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Came Home. It’s 1828, and Ireland is in turmoil as Irish tenants protest against their upper-class English landlords. Nineteen-year-old Bridget Muldowney is thrilled to return to the estate in Carlow she’ll inherit when she comes of age... more'A beautifully written historical novel with characters who linger long after the last page is turned.' - Hazel Gaynor, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Came Home. It’s 1828, and Ireland is in turmoil as Irish tenants protest against their upper-class English landlords. Nineteen-year-old Bridget Muldowney is thrilled to return to the estate in Carlow she’ll inherit when she comes of age. But since she left for Dublin seven years earlier, the tomboy has become a refined young lady, engaged to be married to a dashing English gentleman. Cormac McGovern, now a stable hand on the estate, has missed his childhood friend. He and Bridget had once been thick as thieves, running wild around the countryside together. When Bridget and Cormac meet again their friendship begins to rekindle, but it’s different now that they are adults. Bridget’s overbearing mother, determined to enforce the employer-servant boundaries, conspires with Bridget’s fiancé to keep the pair apart. With the odds stacked against them, can Bridget and Cormac’s childhood attachment blossom into something more? A Class Apart is the first book in Susie Murphy's historical fiction series A Matter of Class. The second book is called A Class Entwined. less

Trapped in a loveless marriage far from home, Bridget does what she can to fill her lonely days. She throws herself into charitable work, but her cherished daughter, Emily, is her only true source of happiness. Meanwhile, Cormac's own life unravels and he finds himself doing unspeakable things just to survive. Neither of them dream they will ever meet again, but fate brings them back together in the most unexpected of ways... moreTrapped in a loveless marriage far from home, Bridget does what she can to fill her lonely days. She throws herself into charitable work, but her cherished daughter, Emily, is her only true source of happiness. Meanwhile, Cormac's own life unravels and he finds himself doing unspeakable things just to survive. Neither of them dream they will ever meet again, but fate brings them back together in the most unexpected of ways. Can Bridget rediscover her love for the man Cormac has become? And how will Cormac react when he learns Bridget’s secret? A Class Entwined is the second book in Susie Murphy’s A Matter of Class series. less

His past could destroy their future…Having escaped capture in London, Bridget and Cormac flee to Ireland with their daughter, Emily. Their homecoming is bittersweet as they embark upon the daunting task of searching for Cormac’s family who have been missing for over seven years.Their journey takes them back to the familiar surroundings of the Oakleigh Estate in Carlow but their childhood home has become a different place to the one they remember... moreHis past could destroy their future…Having escaped capture in London, Bridget and Cormac flee to Ireland with their daughter, Emily. Their homecoming is bittersweet as they embark upon the daunting task of searching for Cormac’s family who have been missing for over seven years.Their journey takes them back to the familiar surroundings of the Oakleigh Estate in Carlow but their childhood home has become a different place to the one they remember. As they confront the consequences of Bridget’s embittered mother’s actions, they must also come to terms with an agonising choice between family and duty.And when Cormac’s murky past catches up with him, endangering the ones he loves, will the threat be great enough to crush the hopeful future he and Bridget have envisioned together?A Class Forsaken is the third book in Susie Murphy’s A Matter of Class series. The story will continue in the fourth book, A Class Coveted. less

Their choices have shackled her dreams…It’s 1836, and Bridget and Cormac have arrived, full of hope, to the city of Boston with their growing family. However, as they adjust to domestic life together for the first time, they face anti-Irish sentiment from the local Americans, as well as a threat to their happiness from a much closer source.Cormac undertakes the challenging search for his missing sister, Bronagh... moreTheir choices have shackled her dreams…It’s 1836, and Bridget and Cormac have arrived, full of hope, to the city of Boston with their growing family. However, as they adjust to domestic life together for the first time, they face anti-Irish sentiment from the local Americans, as well as a threat to their happiness from a much closer source.Cormac undertakes the challenging search for his missing sister, Bronagh. He is determined to do all he can to put the broken pieces of his family back together, but the appalling truth he uncovers will shake him to his core.Meanwhile, as Emily grows up in this new country, she realises how her parents’ past actions will affect her entire future and she begins to covet that which is no longer within her reach. When she receives an unexpected proposition, will she be able to resist its temptation, despite the untrustworthy nature of the person behind it?A Class Coveted is the fourth book in Susie Murphy's historical fiction series A Matter of Class. The story will continue in the fifth book, A Class Reunited. less