Finding Friends on Beamer Street

Rating: 3 out of 5

Pregnant Mary Jane's secret wedding to Paddy ends in disaster when her fiance is murdered on the way to the church. Paddy's wayward twin, 'Red', intercepts Mary Jane warning her they must flee Ireland never to return, for fear of reprisals from her family. Mary Jane is too young and terrified to question Red's motives and follows him. Mary Jane learns that Red's act, is in fact an act, when he abandons her taking all her money. However, strength, fortitude and good luck save her when she catches the eye of the reclusive Cal and is befriended by Molly and her family. But, Mary Jane still has to live with the overbearing guilt of the secrets she holds. Will she ever be able to follow her dreams and reconcile her past?

Red and Paddy are brothers who don't seem to have much love for each other and this quickly causes chaos. It turns out both brothers have feelings for Mary Jane. Once Paddy is murdered Mary Jane doesn't take the time to ask many questions, she just accepts what Red is telling her, although she knows him to be untrustworthy. She is swept off to Liverpool and quickly realizes that real life is a bit harder than she thought. I wasn't much of a fan of Mary Jane's character because she did a lot of complaining but could have easily solved her problems.

Mary Jane spent a lot of time thinking she was better than everyone around her and honestly everything was handed to her throughout the novel. I was disappointed in this story because many elements seemed thrown in only when it furthered the plot. Cal and Mary Jane don't have much interaction with one another but somehow he feels the need to help her out in insane ways. The book had no romance and honestly was mostly just Mary Jane hating Red but knowing that she needed him to be accepted into society. I'm sure this book is someone's cup of tea but for me it was a let down.