 The Irish Adoption House: Book 3
Publication Date: February 6, 2026
Ireland, 1920. As they take my baby away, I choke on my tears. I grew up alone, abandoned in a place like this. I won’t let my newborn share the same fate.
Arriving at St Patrick’s Mother and Baby Home, it’s not the first time Mary-Kate has faced hardship. She grew up in a poor orphanage in Dublin after her father died and her mother gave her up, and never stopped working for a better future.
But, as her baby is taken from her arms moments after coming into this world, Mary-Kate almost loses all hope. She can’t do this by herself. The baby’s father has made it clear he wants nothing to do with the child. And she hasn’t heard from her only friend since she was trapped here.
When a kind nun finally hands her a letter, it revives some of her determination. Help is coming for Mary-Kate and her baby. But as much as the secret plan to get them out raises her spirits, the letter is also gut-wrenching. Why was she left to grow up all alone… when her father is actually alive?
Could Mary-Kate really have a family out there to rely on? Or will counting on the offer of help in the letter leave her more alone than ever?
This achingly beautiful and emotional historical novel is perfect for fans of Jean Grainger, Lisa Wingate and Sandy Taylor. The family secrets will have you sobbing – and you won’t be able to put it down!
Poor Irish children in the early 20th century were often given up by their parents and sent to an orphanage.
Author Michelle Vernal tells the story of a little girl named Mary-Kate in The Orphan at the Irish Adoption House, marking the third in a series. It can easily be read as a standalone.
Mary-Kate’s story includes an early stay at Our Lady’s Home for Girls after being dropped off by her mother. Not only does she face the trauma of being separated from her only family member, but she is known only by a number. The brutal treatment of the children at the hands of their nun caretakers was despicable.
From the beginning, Mary-Kate seems doomed to a life of servitude. When her uncle comes to claim her, there is a sense that Mary-Kate will get a fresh start, however, between the conditions on the farm and the one opportunity she perceives as love lands her in a second home, this time at the St. Patrick’s Mother and Baby Home.
The author’s vivid descriptions illustrate the everyday horror taking place within the walls. The story focuses on the basic human need for love in a setting designed for misery.
The storyline also includes a return visit to Ireland decades later, which serves as a chance for Mary-Kate to put her past to rest.
The Orphan at the Irish Adoption House features a young girl’s refusal to let her past dictate the future.
Michelle Vernal is a New Zealand author who writes stories that will take you onto the page with her characters and make you feel part of their lives. She writes with humour and warmth, and her readers describe her books as unputdownable, feel good and funny. Her writing has been likened to Maeve Binchy but with a modern-day vernacular. In 2015 she was shortlisted for the Love Stories Award. In 2020 she won the Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal Award for Chick lit, and in 2021 was shortlisted for the Page Turner Book Awards.
