Liz Ryan: The Past is Tomorrow [2001] mass_market

Shivaun Reilly has had enough. Still reeling from the loss of the only family she ever knew, passionately opposed to the injustices of heartless, Celltic-tiger Ireland, she thinks her heart will break when solid, dependable Ivor - the man she always thought she'd marry - decides to give up his safe career to take new risks in Spain. Then the hospital to which she's given all the devotion a dedicated nurse can bring is abruptly shut, and her ever-helpful lodger Alana finds the perfect solution: a job in America, away from all the politics and disappointments. Shivaun can't wait to go - and in a pretty New England town, she finds a whole new world of optimism and friendship. But neither happiness nor unhappiness is that easy to leave behind. 'Liz Ryan understands not only a woman's heart but a woman's mind' Terry Keane Sunday Times