The Irish Daughter of New York

Maggie O'Halloran, Book 1

By: Kate Hewitt

Narrated by: Jacqueline Milne

Maggie O’Halloran gazes at the Statue of Liberty, her eyes wide with wonder. “At last,” she breathes softly. “This is where my future begins…”

New York City, 1891: Stepping off the boat she boarded in Ireland, Maggie O’Halloran’s heart is filled with hope for this brave new world. But when her father isn’t waiting at the docks as planned, her excitement vanishes with the terrible realization she and her brother Danny are utterly alone—homeless, penniless and without a friend in the world.

Life on the Lower East Side is hard and grindingly poor, but Maggie is determined to survive. As she gazes longingly into the windows of Manhattan’s famous department stores, she dreams of owning her own millinery shop and becoming independent at last. And when fellow Irishman Brendan O’Donoghue offers her and Danny refuge, Maggie finally feels hope for their future.

Finding work with a wealthy family on the Upper East Side, Maggie’s dreams begin to feel closer than ever before. But just as her fortunes finally change, her brother’s involvement with a notorious New York gang brings terrible danger to both her and Brendan’s doors. Facing a heartbreaking decision, can Maggie save her brother and protect the new life she’s built? Or will the American dream she has held so close to her heart be lost forever?

The first book in the Maggie O’Halloran series, this is a sweeping, epic and heart-wrenching story of one woman’s determination to change her fortunes against all odds. Perfect for fans of moving historical fiction, Kristin Harmel and Jean Grainger.

©2026 Kate Hewitt (P)2026 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.