Blog Tour: The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon

 

Ariel Lawhon is a relatively new author for me. I have only previously read one of her books. However, as soon as I saw that this book was about 16th century pirate queen Gráinne (or the English version of her name Grace) O'Malley. Maybe 20 years ago, there were quite a few books that came out featuring Grace as the main character, but it has been a while. And in the hands of Ariel Lawhon, I had high hopes. Luckily I was not disappointed! Far from it!

Gráinne O'Malley is such an interesting character from history. She defied norms from a very young age when it became clear that she had an affinity with the sea. Her father was a chieftain and he hoped that her half brother Donal would be the one to take over his fleet but unfortunately Donal was prone to sea sickness, so that was never going to work! It wasn't just that she loved it, she also has the Sense - the ability to hear and feel major storms coming. She also had the ability to attract the loyalty of the men who swear to sail her ships and protect her, no matter what.

This book has a really interesting structure. The story is told through three different timelines which are  then told alternatively. The first is the Maiden where we learn about Gráinne's childhood. In Mother we see Gráinne as she navigates through a violent marriage, raising children, finding love and so much more. The final strand of the story is that of the Matriach as she tries to navigate the demands of the English queen, Elizabeth. Elizabeth demands fealty and then meddles in the Irish laws for her own purposes. Her representatives also want far more than the Irish want to give.

There is no doubt that this structure was a little tricky at first, and I have heard that there are suggestions that you could read each section, for example read all The Maiden chapters, then read all the Mother chapters and finally all The Matriach sections so that you actually read the story chronologically. However, once you got used to it and remember to check which viewpoint the next chapter was, then I did not get confused.

Gráinne's life is complex, suffering great losses throughout her life, but surrounding herself with family and men who will do her bidding. She loves intensely, both her country, people and her loves, she is stubborn and at times intractable but she is always formidable, and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to learn about this amazing historical figure through the pages of this exceptional book!

This is a big book at around 580 pages, but I was able to read it very quickly as I was so engrossed in the story! I couldn't wait to get back to the story!

I am not sure I have been able to convey how much I enjoyed this book!

I am sharing this review with New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here. Thanks to the publisher and Random Things Tours for the review copy. Be sure to check out other stops on the blog tour below.

Rating 5/5

About the book

'A writer to watch’ J.T. Ellison, author of A writer to watch’ J.T. Ellison, author of What Lies Behind

THE NEW HISTORICAL THRILLER FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE FROZEN RIVER, THE FROZEN RIVER, BASED ON A TRUE STORY BASED ON A TRUE STORY 

Grace O'Malley was born to be at sea. Raised alongside her brother by their father, chief of the name of clan O'Malley, Grace learns early that her dreams of the open water are not compatible with the life she's expected to lead as the daughter of a noble family. And when her father marries her to the wrong man, a neighbouring chief named Donhal, Grace's world shifts for the worse. 

Undaunted, Grace raises a family without abandoning her passion, aiding her hot-tempered husband in his campaigns against rival tribes. Eventually ousted from her husband's land in the wake of his death, Grace returns to her childhood home and begins her career as a pirate in earnest, claiming new territories and finding deeper love, only to see her livelihood threatened by English incursions into Ireland, and her family endangered in an attempt to check her power. 

Tenderly observed and fiercely written, Ariel Lawhon's gripping latest novel channels the natural beauty of sixteenth-century Ireland alongside the brutality of the period as seen through the eyes of an unforgettable heroine and defender of her people, who truly earned the title ʻthe Pirate Queen of Ireland.’ 

A thrilling historical adventure inspired by the life of Grace O'Malley, an infamous Irish sea captain and folk heroine who risked everything to infamous Irish sea captain and folk heroine who risked everything to protect her people against the powerful Elizabethan regime protect her people against the powerful Elizabethan regime 

PRAISE FOR ARIEL LAWHON PRAISE FOR ARIEL LAWHON 

One of our most interesting authors of historical fiction' People 

'Ariel Lawhon is a masterful storyteller'  Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author of bestselling author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis 

'Her skill with characterisation is enviable' 5 Star Reader Review 

'An extremely talented author' 5 Star Reader Review

About the Author

ARIEL LAWHON is a critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction. Her books have been translated into numerous languages. She lives in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and four sons

Weekend Cooking: The Oyster Catcher by Jo Thomas

 

I have read a number of Jo Thomas's books now and really enjoy them. They are always fun stories, with lots of food and quite often interesting settings! I have decided that while I wait for each new book,  I will work my way through her backlist, starting with her first book, The Oyster Catcher.

When Fiona Clutterbuck's husband dumps her at their wedding, she takes the campervan that they were supposed to be honeymooning in and just drives. She ends up in a small town named Dooleybridge that has seen better times on the shores of Galway Bay. After crashing into a brick wall, and being admonished by the local police because the van has now been reported stolen, Fi realises that she is broke and homeless.

In the local pub she overhears that there is a job going with one of the local farmers, Sean Thornton. Desperate, she very quickly agrees to take the job, which is especially handy given that it comes with accommodation. She soon realises that she should probably have asked more questions because it turns out that Sean is an oyster farmer. Fi doesn't like oysters and she has an extreme fear of water and boats.

Sean has his own reasons for employing a stranger. Years before, the oyster industry of Dooleybridge had collapsed, with lots of repercussions for the town. Sean is now trying to keep his uncle's farm going, but it is hard work and isn't that profitable, but he loves it. He does feel like he is on the brink of being able to turn things around but he doesn't want the locals to know what he is doing just yet.

While there might be a spark of attraction between them, Fi is staying far away from Sean, not least because of his very ambitious oyster broker/business partner/girlfriend, Nancy.

It was interesting to see the parallels between this, Jo Thomas's first book, and her latest book which I reviewed here. Both feature communities where the town has seen better days, and feature that same community coming together to organise an event which will help revitalise the town. In this book, the event is a revival of the Oyster festival which had been scrapped years before after the oyster industry was pretty much closed down. It's not all smooth sailing though. Some people want a slick, high class oyster festival and others want a rustic festival with a nostalgic feel. 

There are lots of really fun characters who make up the population of Dooleybridge, as well as a couple of "baddies" like Nancy, who probably could have done with some nuance in their characterisation. There are also some really fun animal characters including donkeys Freddie, Mercury and Juliet, who have a nasty habit of escaping their enclosure at very inconvenient times!

I love most seafood, but oysters is one of the things I don't love. Give me prawns any day over oysters. I did, however, really like learning more about oyster farming. It was interesting because whenever you travel in certain parts of Australia you will see oyster farms advertised as tourist destinations. We have never stopped at one before, although we did go to a pearl farm in Broome in Western Australia which is same same but different. We might next time we come across one of them

I already have my next Jo Thomas read out of the library. That book will take me to  Italy, and I am really looking forward to it!

I am sharing this review with Foodies Read hosted at Based on a True Story.

Rating 4/5

Weekly meals

Saturday - 
Sunday - Pork chop, mash, beans and gravy
Monday - Mac and Cheese
Tuesday - Steak Egg and Chips
Wednesday - Takeaway
Thursday - Pad See Ew
Friday - Takeaway

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page

Pomegranate Soup by Marsha Mehran

Recently I saw that Deb from Kahakai Kitchen was reading a book for an online book club called Cook the Books, and I straight away thought that it might be a book club that worked for me! I therefore requested the February/March read from the library straight away, which is Pomegranate Soup by Marsha Mehran.

This is a book that I have been aware of for a long time but I hadn't read it before. In fact, I haven't read any of the books that have been selected for this year.

Pomegranate Soup begins with the three Aminpour sisters arriving in a small town in Ireland called Ballinacroagh. Marjan, Bahar and Layla are looking for another new home and are opening a cafe serving their traditional foods in a town that may not be ready for them

The three women escaped from Iran at the start of their revolution in 1979, making their way to Ireland by sneaking over the border into Pakistan, making their way initially to London and then to Ireland.

Marjan has unsurpassed ability with food. Her food can change your mood, and even the direction of your life in some cases. Each day, she and her sisters cook delicious lamb stews, pomegranate soup, bake elephant ears pastries and serve coffee using beautiful samovars, sending the delicious scents of cinnamon and other spices wafting into the main street of the town. Whilst there are those who are willing to accept strangers into their town, especially after tasting their food, there are others who are not.

There was lots to like about this book. I loved all the food content, the descriptions of the way that Marjan in particular nurtured those around her through her food. I liked that there were a number of recipes included in the book, and enjoyed the almost magical realism feel to it, focusing on the power of food to change the way that you are feeling. I guess I would call it magical realism lite for want of a better term.

There were some things that didn't work as well for me. Many of the characters felt almost like caricatures, especially the characters who weren't willing to accept the family, from the nosy busy body neighbour who spied on the women, and the local bar owner who had his own plans for the cafe space.

Overall, it's a readable book, without being amazing.

I am looking forward to reading the next selection of the Cook the Books bookclub which is Hippie Food by Jonathan Kauffman

The idea of the Cook the Books is that you cook something inspired by what you read. I am choosing to share a recipe for Persian Drizzle Cake which I made last year.  The recipe is from Queen.com.au. I chose to top my cake with Turkish Delight Easter eggs  rather than rose petals.

Persian Drizzle Cake

Cake
¾ cup (180ml) milk
Pinch of saffron
150g butter, room temperature
1 cup (220g) caster sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp rosewater essence
1 ½ cups (225g) self raising flour
1 tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp lemon zest (approx. ½ lemon)
½ cup (60g) chopped pistachios

Lemon Rose Syrup
⅓ cup (75g) caster sugar
80-90ml lemon juice (juice of 2 lemons)
½ tsp Queen Rosewater Essence

For the cake

Preheat oven to 180°C (fan forced). Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin.

Gently warm milk in the microwave for 40 seconds. Add saffron and allow to infuse while you make the cake.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla extract and rosewater essence and beat well.

Add flour, cardamom, lemon, pistachios and saffron milk and mix on low until just combined.

Pour into prepared cake tin and bake for 55-60 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

For the Lemon Rose Syrup

During the last 10 minutes of baking, combine sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and heat until sugar has dissolved and mixture has slightly thickened. Add rosewater essence, stirring to incorporate. Straight from the oven, pierce the cake multiple times with a skewer and pour warm syrup over hot cake. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in tin before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Top with rose petals, pistachios and icing sugar before serving.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. For more information, see the welcome post.

I am also linking this post up with Foodies Read hosted at Based on a True Story

And also at Novel Food

RIP XIII

Whilst I am not reading anywhere near as many books as I used to, things are much better than they have been over the last few years when it comes to reading. I think last year I read 12 books in total for the year. 12!! A few years ago, reading 12 books in a month would have been a bad month! At the moment, I am on track to read about 50 books for this year, which I am pretty happy with.

When I was on Instagram the other day I saw about RIPXIII - the Readers Imbibing Peril challenge that is hosted at Readers Imbibing Peril. This is a challenge that I used to look forward to every year, and that I participated in regularly. It is something of a shock to realise that I haven't participated in it for 5 years. When I was thinking about my previous participation in this challenge it has lead me to think about so many people who blogged but have now disappeared, including Carl who originally hosted this challenge. It pleased me to see that the challenge is still recognisable as the RIP reading challenge of old, but still moving forward as well.

When I looked at what I want to read over the next few weeks though, I realised that quite a few of the books I want to read fit the challenge criteria which is to read and enjoy books that are

Mystery.

Suspense.

Thriller.

Dark Fantasy.

Gothic.

Horror.

Supernatural

The books that I have in mind to read before the end of October include The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan, The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton and Lethal White by Robert Galbraith.  I am thinking that I am going to try and stretch myself to read one more and therefore meet the Peril the IVth level of participation. I have no idea if I will actually review any other books, but there's still fun to be had on Litsy, Instagram, Twitter etc even if that doesn't actually happen.

I actually finished listening to The Ruin yesterday and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. The audiobook was narrated by Aoife McMahon and she did a great job in telling the story. I wasn't always 100% convinced by her Irish-Australian accent, but I think that every Irish-Australian out there probably have different inflections in their accent anyway. I also swear that at one point the wrong name (Ella) was used for a character  (Emma) but I didn't end up trying to find it again to see if it really happened of it was just my hearing!

The story itself was interesting. It starts with a young police man being sent to a house where there has been a report of domestic violence but when he gets there he finds two kids who have been obviously neglected and abused, and their dead mother who has apparently died of a heroin overdose.

Fast forward 20 years and Cormac Reilly has just returned to Galway having lived in Dublin for many years and worked his way up into specialist units in the Garda. He has returned to Galway for personal reasons and finds himself ostracised from his colleagues, not knowing if he can trust some people he called friends, suspicious of some of the events that are happening within the station and only being allocated cold cases.

One of the cold cases he is allocated to reinvestigate is the death of the mother, and he is taken back in time to the case that he has thought of many times over the years. But when the young boy, now grown, is found dead in a suspected suicide, things get complicated.

I enjoyed the narrative a lot, and I like that this is the first in a series. I particularly like that there are still threads of the story that I suspect will flow into the next book. I think we got to know just enough about Cormac in this book to keep me reading, without having his whole backstory overwhelm the storyline of the book.

Dervla McTiernan is an Irish born author who moved to Australia a few years ago. It's a long standing Aussie tradition to claim anyone with this kind of background as an Aussie, and I am therefore counting this towards the Australian Women Writers Challenge.

I never really wrote a post declaring that I was participating in the challenge this year, but I would say at least half of the books I am reading at the moment are by Australian women writers, so my participation in this challenge over the last five or six years has definitely left a lasting impact on my reading choices.

Rating 4.5/5

Lifesaving for Beginners Readalong Week 3

This week is the third and final week of the readalong of Lifesaving for Beginner by Ciara Geraghty. I feel like a bit of a cheat sitting down to write this post today because I actually couldn't stick to the schedule because I just had to keep reading so finished the book nearly two weeks ago! Oh well. I guess it is better to be way ahead of the schedule than way behind *cough...War and Peace readalong...cough*.

Given that this post is about the final third of the book,  please be aware that there are

*****SPOILERS AHEAD*****

This final third is still about Milo and Faith, but really it is the part of the book where Kat has a big reality check. Her brother Ed collapses with a heart condition, and it is almost as though this is the spur that Kat needed to see that she had been blocking so much emotion that she has removed herself from her friends and family, from her former boyfriend Thomas, from realising the truth about herself.

Suddenly, after years of secrecy, Kat decides that she is going to come clean about that she is in fact Killian Kobain, and in doing so the power is taken away from the person who was blackmailing her. I must confess that the revelation of the identity of the blackmailer was a bit of an anticlimax for me. Bree and I had been having a discussion about who the blackmailer might be, and I was in the ball park but it is hard to get completely right when you never even knew of the existence of the person!

What the revelations about her identity do bring about is a media siege. Both Kat's own home and her parent's home is surrounded by a media scrum as they try to find out more about the huge story that has just broken. With a bit of subterfuge, Kat is able to escape and finds herself heading to England to start working on repairing starting a relationship with Faith and her family. There were a few moments in this section that almost slipped into the slapstick zone, particularly around the upcoming birth of Milo and Faiths dad's new child. It was amusing, but it kind of broke the flow for me.

I did mostly like the end, but there was one thing that I wasn't as keen on and that was the fact that Kat went on to write a novel that was called Lifesaving for Beginners. I guess that it won't bother some people, but I often find that kind of thing when an author inserts themselves into the story or does meta kind of stuff a little irritating. It was but a small blot though. The actual closing scene of the book where Thomas brings his book to be signed was the perfect way to end the book. Whilst it is clear that this is a new beginning for the two of them, it wasn't an ending where we see Kat waltzing down the aisle, or popping out her third child or anything like that. It was understated and hopeful, and really lovely!

In her discussion post this week, Bree posed a couple of questions that I thought I would address here:

What do you think Milo’s role in the story was? Do you think that without him, Kat and Faith would have been able to connect?

Milo was a fantastic character. His inquisitiveness and openness were the main facets of his personality that allowed him to enable many of the interactions between Kat and Faith. One example is when he rang Kat in the middle of the night to talk to her about Faith. Whilst initially Kat was resistant to the idea of coming to see Faith, I do think that having had that contact, Kat felt more secure when she did try to reach out. I did find it interesting that the author chose to have these scenes set at Christmas time. That can be such a trying time of year for a lot of people and so to then throw in the added complication of a birth mother on top of it being the first Christmas without a loved one added another level of emotional drama to the whole scene.

The whole lifesaving thing was quite an interesting aspect to choose as the title for the book. It is a great title. It certainly made me wonder what on earth the book could be about. Mile talked a lot about his lifesaving class but it was interesting that we never got to observe him in that environment.

Was Kat redeemed as a character? Did you like her/identify more with her at the end of the novel than you did at the beginning? Do you think she evolved in a believable way?

Kat as a character had a long journey in this book, and for the most part I think that she was redeemed. I think that she will always be who she is. I can't imagine that as a result of the events in the book that she will suddenly becomes fun and flirty and always happy, because I don't think that is truly who Kat is. But I do think that she is more open and far more honest both with herself and with the people that she loves, which has to be a good thing.

For those that enjoyed this novel, if you haven’t before, will you be reading any of Ciara Geraghty’s backlist/her future novels? Has this read-a-long introduced you to a new sort of book and a new novelist that you might wish to read more of?

This was my first Ciara Geraghty book, but most definitely won't be the last! I already have one of her other books out from the library and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for her future books. I was kept up late into the night reading this book, wanting to get to the end so that I would know what happened!

Oh, and I have to say.... if there was a branch of the Funky Banana cafe near me I would practically be living there! It sounds like such a fab place!

Rating 4/5

Thanks to the fab people at Hachette for organising the readalong and for the book, and to Bree for hosting the discussion.

Synopsis

Kat Kavanagh is not in love....

She has lots of friends, an ordinary job, and she never ever thinks of her past. This is Kat's story. None of it is true.

Milo McIntyre loves his mam, the peanut-butter and banana muffins at the Funky Banana cafe, and the lifesaving class he does after school. He never thinks about his future, until the day it changes forever. This is Milo's story. All of it true.

And there is the other story. The one with a twist of fate, which somehow brings together a boy from Brighton and a woman in Dublin, and uncovers the truth once and for all.

This is the story that's just about to begin.

Lifesaving for Beginners Readalong Week 2

Shhh... don't tell anyone but I am actually writing the start of this post on Thursday night, even though I am not going to post it until probably Tuesday. Why am I doing that you might ask. Because I really want to be able to go and pick up the book and keep reading until I am finished! I am finding the book very, very readable and very difficult to put down.

So in this week's discussion we are very much in the meat of the book so

**************Spoilers Ahoy*******************

So the book did go where I thought it was going to go when I read last week's section. While it was pretty obvious, I did enjoy the reveal and the way that Kat stayed true to character even if that means that she behaves badly in the eyes of other people. Kat takes much longer than you or I might to process her feelings and doesn't cope well with emotional ambushes -something I think we have seen time and time again through the book.

I thought Faith was incredibly brave to just turn up in Ireland at Kat's parents, and it was the first time that I felt that we got to see anything much personality wise of her parents. I did enjoy the reunion between Faith and Kat's parents.I am not sure I would have run off to Ireland the way she did, and especially not with Milo in tow, but it turned out that he really was the catalyst that made so many of the connections for Faith.

My heart broke for young Kat as we found out how the adoption came about. I can't imagine not realising that you were pregnant, although I guess if you were a completely innocent 15 year old you could deny the obvious. As for Kat's parent being unaware, I can see how that would be happen. When I had my son I took him into my workplace and the receptionist (who I saw most days) asked me if I had been on holidays at which point I held up the baby capsule to show her my bundle of joy and she hadn't even realised that I was pregnant! I do suspect though, that it wasn't so much that Kat wasn't showing much but rather that her parents were just too distracted by whatever it was that they were doing to notice.

The birth scene broke my heart. Kat's mother turned up not even knowing that her daughter was pregnant and suddenly took control. There was no discussion, no options put forward. The baby was just whisked away with Kat not even knowing if she had a daughter or a son. One thing that I found confronting was the fact that as a family, Kat and her parents never ever spoke about the baby again. In her discussion post, Bree has identified denial and doing the right thing as two of the big themes of this section of the book and if you want just one example of it, then this would be it.

The moment when Thomas finds out about Faith was interesting for me. I understand completely why his feelings were hurt about this but I also wondered if given a little bit of time to digest the news he wouldn't see that this is how Kat deals with all the biggest issues in her life. Denial, repression and yet more denial.

And how about Thomas? I must say I think he moved on way too quickly and I lost a teeny bit of respect for him when he told Kat the news that he was engaged to someone else. I am sure in the end everything will work out, but there is a bit of a journey to happen here.

I have now finished the book, but I will hold off on discussing the end of the book until next week's discussion post is up! The fact that I have already requested my next Ciara Geraghty novel from the library will possibly give you some clue as to my final reaction about the book!

Lifesaving for Beginners Readalong Part 1

Over the next couple of weeks I am participating of a readalong of Ciara Geraghty's book, Lifesaving for Beginners. The readalong was organised by Hachette AU and is being hosted by Bree from All the Books I Can Read. The fact that Bree is the host was pretty much my deciding factor as to whether I was going to join in or not (you know, bloggy friends sticking together etc etc) but so far I have to say that I have been really surprised by how much I am enjoying the book!

I am not sure what genre this is supposed to fit into. In days gone by, may have been classified as chick-lit, although I am not sure that it fits easily into that category (despite the fact that I am going to talk about it as if it does in a little while). Perhaps it is more women's fiction - whatever that means! Perhaps I should avoid trying to pigeon hole it and just get on with writing this post, and reading the book for that matter!

If, however, we are going with the chicklit label then I have to say that for some reason I really enjoy the voices of Irish writers when they write in this genre. I really like British voices too. Those two both really work for me. I have long been a fan of authors like Marian Keyes and Jill Mansell and I can definitely see myself reading more by Ciara Geraghty once I finish this book.

Right from the beginning of the book, I was engrossed in the story. It opens with a car accident involving a truck, a deer and two cars. In one car, there is Beth, the mother of 9 year old Milo, his older sister Faith and older twin brothers Adrian and Anthony. In the other car, there is Kat Kavanagh. On the surface Kat is living a normal, middle of the road kind of life, but the reality is that Kat has secrets - lots and lots and lots of secrets.

While Beth is killed, leaving her family trying to manage as best they can, Kat finds herself trying to cope after her "miracle" survival. Kat seems to not really be able to function on a day to day basis and soon it becomes clear that Milo's family have plenty of secrets of their own that are impacting on their lives daily too.

In alternate chapters we learn more about Kat and her boyfriend Thomas, her few friends, and the secret life that she has been living for many years as an uber-successful, uber-private crime writer of the Declan Darker series. I presume that in the next part of the book we are going to find out why it is that she seems so closed down emotionally, especially in relation to Thomas who has to put up with Kat's apparent disinterest in anything more than a superficial relationship.

In the other thread of narrative, we spend time with Milo as he tries to deal with the fall out from his mother's accident, the impending birth of his half sister or brother (which his dad announced at his mother's funeral - good going dad!), plus we get to see his relationship with his siblings, most especially with Faith. Faith has gone from being a big sister to having almost parental responsibility for Milo, whilst trying to maintain a relationship with her boyfriend Rob, playing in a band and studying. She is a young woman with a lot on her plate. So when she finds out that she is not precisely who she thought she was, her own world starts to become somewhat uneven as well.

I am enjoying both voices. Milo is obviously the easier of the two characters to like, but I do think I get why Kat might be so shut down emotionally. I don't however get the whole  'I am about to turn 40' disaster theme, mainly because when I turned 40 it wasn't so much that I wanted to have a meltdown, but more that I just wanted to sleep through it and wake up on the other side!

It seems obvious to me where this is going to go in terms of the link between the two main characters, beyond the initial impact of the accident. We will have to wait and see to see if I am right and if there is any subtlety in the way that this is revealed to the reader. If it does go where I think it is going to go, then it was telegraphed a fair way out.

Now, excuse me! I am off to read more of this book!

The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes

Helen Walsh has taken a long time to find a niche in life that she fits. She knows that she has can be somewhat abrasive personality wise and that she beats to a slightly different drum! Once she became a private detective, she was in a job that suited her perfectly. She was determined enough to do whatever it takes to solve her cases, relying on a mix of modern techniques like accessing bank accounts and phone records but also to use old fashioned gum shoe style techniques like stake outs, no matter how long it took. Life was good.

Or at least it was until the GFC hit the Irish economy hard (much harder than we experienced here in Australia). Suddenly the big firms weren’t hiring, rich spouses weren’t as keen to spend money spying on their most-likely-straying spouses and Helen’s work pretty much dried up. This coincided with a major depressive episode that saw Helen contemplating suicide more than once.

Now her flat and most of her possession have been repossessed by the bank, she owes money to everyone and she finds herself moving back home with her delightfully quirky parents. The only thing that keeps her happy at the moment is her relationship with her boyfriend Artie and even that is not without complications in the form of his children who either love or hate her and a very present, still very friendly ex wife.

When her ex, Jay Parker, turns up and offers her a job Helen knows that this is likely not a good idea to spend time with him but a job is a job and the money is good so she has to take it. Former Irish boy band, The Laddz, are due to get back together for a reunion show very soon but one of the members, Wayne, has disappeared. Without Wayne (the wacky one in the band) there is no way the show can go on but there is very little in the way of clues to give some idea of where he might have gone. Helen must navigate between the various egos within the band who all want the reunion to take place for their own individual reasons, deal with his highly protective family and follow the trail to see where exactly he has disappeared to. If successful, this reunion show could provide them all with lucrative rewards. If it fails, then there are going to be some investors who will lose a lot and they are not happy at that prospect!

As Jay and Helen work together to try and find Wayne, sidetracked along the way by nosy neighbours and Jay’s interest in rekindling their relationship, Helen also has to try and fight the gathering storm of depression that she knows is coming her way again, figure out what is happening with her boyfriend and just generally get her life together again and more.

There was a lot to like about this book. Helen has an unusual point of view on life and that makes for interesting reading. We got to see Helen’s life both as it was currently happening as well has her looking retrospectively at the events that led to her last depressive episode including the breakdown of her friendship with one of her few close friends, Bronagh. At first, I wasn’t sure where the story of this friendship was going. We knew that Helen and Bronagh were no longer friends but it took a long time for the truth to come out about why. When the truth was revealed I was a little bit surprised at the reason, mainly because I guess I didn’t see why the friendship had to end between the two women. As I saw it as more the friendships between the other players that should have imploded but sometimes friendships do seem to end on the flimsiest of pretexts. There were some other things in the book that didn’t work for me too including some repetition and a bit of saggy middle where the search for Wayne got a bit bogged down in the chase. Oh, and the ending was all neatly tied up like a present with a lovely bow on top. I mean, I was happy for Helen, but how likely was that to really happen?

It’s hard to believe that we have been waiting nearly 6 years for the final installment in the Walsh sisters series from Marian Keyes. Given the way that Helen had been portrayed in the previous books, I always thought it was going to be a hard story for Keyes to write even without Keyes’ own not-so-secret battle with depression over the last couple of years where she struggled to write at all. The reason I mention that depression is that Keyes has always been very open about her own demons and has often used some of those battles as subject matter in her books (for example, in the past, she has written about alcoholism). Keyes has always had the ability to talk about difficult topics but doing so with characters that you wished you knew personally so you could sit down and have a good laugh with. She puts them in situations that are funny and touching and poignant, but never in a way that trivializes the particular topic of the book. Depression very much plays a huge part in the lives of Helen and other characters including the effect of that depression on the lives of the family members around them.

Speaking of family members, it was good to see the roles that the other Walsh sisters played in the book. Rachel (from Rachel’s Holiday) and Anna (from Anybody Out There?) both live elsewhere and were barely mentioned but both Clare (Watermelon) and Maggie (Angels) got at least some page time. I have read each of these previous books, but I must confess that I found myself trying really hard to remember what Maggie’s story was….and failing badly.

Now that each of the sisters has had their turn in the limelight, it is easier to look back over all the books a bit more objectively. There are elements from different books that stick in the mind (for example Luke and his friends the Real Men from Rachel’s Holiday) but if I had to pick only one book from the series to name as my favourite it would without doubt be Anybody Out There?.

Keyes has said that there may be more Walsh family books in future, maybe with the next generation. Whatever her next book is I will be keen to pick it up and once again immerse myself in the worlds that she creates that are full of humour and warmth but not afraid to talk about the big issues in life.




Synopsis

I employ this thing called The Shovel List.'

'A shovel . . . ?'

'No. A Shovel List. It's more of a conceptual thing. It's a list of all the people and things I hate so much that I want to hit them in the face with a shovel.'

Meet Helen - youngest of the Walsh sisters and a law unto herself. She's easily bored, has an inability to filter her thoughts and was fired from every job she ever had before she found her true calling as a private investigator. But times are tough for PIs and Helen's had no choice but to take on the search for AWOL boyband has-been Wayne Diffney - The Wacky One.

It's not all bad this game of Where's Wayne. It may have brought her charming crook of an ex Jay Parker back into her life, but it's giving her an excuse to avoid the usual Walsh family dramas and the intense looks from her gorgeous boyfriend Artie that make her heart beat wildly with lust and panic in equal measure. But most of all it's an excellent distraction from the huge swarm of black vultures gathering over her head. If she hides out in her target's empty house on Mercy Close for long enough maybe they'll go away . . .

But as Helen begins to unravel the mysteries secreted on Mercy Close she discovers a kindred spirit in a man unwilling to be found. Could someone be telling her to look a little closer to home . . . ?

Thanks to Lisa from ANZ Litlovers for this book. This review has been cross-posted at ANZ Litlovers

The Swan Maiden by Jules Watson

Today I was supposed to be reviewing The Raven Queen by Jules Watson as part of a blog tour for that book, but due to the vagaries of the postal system, I haven't actually received the book yet. That left me scratching my head wondering what I should post instead. A quick look at all the half written reviews I have sitting in draft (and yes, there are a lot of them) revealed that I had a review of Jules Watson's previous book that was oh so close to finished, and so I have done the tidying up of what I had written previously and I am posting that instead. I don't know why I didn't finish the review earlier, especially seeing it was one of the few books I rated as 5/5 reads in the year I read it.

It was fair to say though that I already knew I was a fan of Jules Watson after reading her Dalriaida trilogy, which is set in Roman Britain, and features a warrior princess, battles against the Roman invaders, a handsome Irish prince and much more. I have reviewed all three of the books in the trilogy. The first is The White Mare, the second book was called The Dawn Stag and the third book in the trilogy was published in some places as The Boar Stone with an alternative title of Song of the North. Click on the links to read my reviews of the trilogy.

Jules Watson is an Australia author who had been living in Scotland, but has now moved to the US. For more information about Jules, check out this interview we did with her at Historical Tapestry, and also at other stops around her blog tour for The Raven Queen. You can find all the stops here.

I will definitely be reading and reviewing The Raven Queen as soon as I can.

In this lush, romantic retelling of one of the most enduring Irish legends, acclaimed Celtic historical author Jules Watson reignites the tale of Deirdre—the Irish Helen of Troy—in a story that is at once magical, beautiful, and tragic.

She was born with a blessing and a curse: that she would grow into a woman of extraordinary beauty—and bring ruin to the kingdom of Ulster and its ruler, the wily Conor. Ignoring the pleadings of his druid to expel the infant, King Conor secrets the girl child with a poor couple in his province, where no man can covet her. There, under the tutelage of a shamaness, Deirdre comes of age in nature and magic…. And in the season of her awakening, the king is inexorably drawn to her impossible beauty.

But for Deirdre, her fate as a man’s possession is worse than death. And soon the green-eyed girl, at home in waterfall and woods, finds herself at the side of three rebellious young warriors. Among them is the handsome Naisi. His heart charged with bitterness toward the aging king, and growing in love for the defiant girl, Naisi will lead Deirdre far from Ulster—and into a war of wits, swords, and spirit that will take a lifetime to wage.

Brimming with life and its lusts, here is a soaring tale of enchantment and eternal passions—and of a woman who became legend.

I have read and enjoyed Jules Watson's Dalriada trilogy,and so was very much looking forward to reading this book when it came out and I haven't been disappointed!

A retelling of the Celtic tale of Deidre, this tells the story of a young woman who has been separate from society, being specifically raised to be the wife of a king (Conor) and with a strong mystical focus, but she has other ideas and so flees with the assistance and protection of rebel warriors Naisi and his two brothers. As the group struggle to find their place in the world, they can't seem to escape what seems to be their fate especially when it seems it is only a matter of time before Conor finds them.

Where Deidre was not interested at all in Conor, she finds herself attracted to Naisi. I thought the build up in the tension between Deidre and Naisi was great and there was definitely a lot of chemistry between the two of them. The balance between the relationship, the various mystical elements and the story was really well done. These mystical elements were a feature of Watson's earlier books, and I hope that this is something that she continues to explore in her next books.

There are a few signs that make it obvious to me when I am really enjoying a book apart from the feelings it invokes in me as I am reading it. One is when I break my no reading books at lunch time at work, and another is when I am prompted to Google things like locations, or as it was with this book, to find out more about the Irish myths about Deidre which this novel was based on, and both of these things happened with this book,

I was completely immersed in the world that Watson has created, and with the characters. There were a couple of times maybe where the book dragged a little, but by the end of the book I closed the book with a huge sigh of satisfaction.

Irish Girls About Town Anthology

New York Times bestselling authors Maeve Binchy and Marian Keyes top an impressive roster of the Emerald Isle's most popular women writers and prove that when it comes to spinning a good yarn, the Irish are the best in the business. Showcasing dazzling wit and remarkable insight in short stories that run the gamut from provocative to poignant, these Irish women will tug at your heartstrings and have you crying with laughter in no time. In these stories, and throughout this fabulous collection, Ireland's finest women authors celebrate the joys and perils of love, the adventure and constancy of female friendships, and their own irresistible band of Irish charm.

I originally picked this book up from the library as part of my quest to read everything that has been published in book form by Marian Keyes. Imagine my disappointment when I open the book to read the Marian Keyes contribution, only to find that it is a story that I have already read in one of the two short story collections I have read not too long ago!

Having said that there were stories from 15 other Irish authors including Maeve Binchy, who I last read about 15 years ago if not longer, and Cathy Kelly, who I have never read but I have heard good things about! In fact, in reading this book, which features 14 new to me authors, I have upped my total number of new authors to me so far this year to 21 - which is more than the number of books I have read!

Interestingly enough, quite a few of the stories featured older characters - middle aged women

Here's a brief glimpse of the stories in the anthology:

Soulmates by Marian Keyes - Fun story about a super couple who do everything with style, much to their friends amazement, or perhaps it should be called jealousy!

Destress by Joan O'Neill - When Alex is expecting a marriage proposal, what she gets a break-up. Suddenly single she takes up exercise and finds that maybe she didn't really need that marriage proposal after all.

The Twenty-Eighth Day by Catherine Barry - PMS gone crazy!

Thelma, Louise and the Lurve Gods by Cathy Kelly - Another fun story, this time about two girls who decide to do a driving tour across America, only to find that they have to share their trip with two guys.

Your Place or Mine? by Gemma O'Connor - An Irish family by a French cottage. Luckily they find some friendly locals willing to maintain it while they are away...or is it!

A Good Catch by Mary Ryan- A kind of strange story about an older woman who moves into a flat, and befriends the girl across the way, only to be caught up in a scandal.

About That Night by Sarah Webb - I liked this one for the most part, although I hated the best friend! Fortunately, I think I was supposed to. A group of friends go to Cowes to go to their mate's society wedding. One of them has a secret though. The question is can her friend keep it to herself?

The Cup Runneth Over by Julie Parsons - an attractive middle aged woman sets her sights on a married man. The main character in this one was a bit of a bunny boiler!

Carissima by Maeve Binchy - a friend tries to convince Nora that her family is using her. Quite a nice story really, about the value of strong friendships.

The Ring Cycle by Martina Devlin - How does a divorced woman finally rid herself of her wedding ring? Especially one that doesn't seem to want to go away!

The Unlovable Woman by Annie Sparrow - A lonely and little bit past her prime woman meets a clairvoyant who tries to help her find love. The question is, 'Will she recognise it when she knocks on the door?'

Moving by Colette Caddle - After many years of living in London Sara, a somewhat bored housewife, and her family are returning to Ireland. She is dreading being inundated with family, and also with the prospect of running into her ex again.

Playing Games by Catherine Dunne - This story was well written, but pretty gloomy in its outlook. Norah has been visiting her aunt regularly for many years, and playing her role in the many games of manipulation, and guilt. Suddenly though, she finds out that she doesn't actually know all the games.

Girls Weekend by Marisa Mackle - Emma's partner is a bit of a lad about town - going off for weekends with the boys etc etc. What happens when it is her turn?

The Union Man by Tina Reilly - My goodness, if I was married to this bloke I would have kicked him to the curve many years ago! Peter is a man who promises much, but delivers little. What does his wife have to do to get some action anytime before the tomorrow that never actually comes?

An Independent Woman by Morag Prunty - Bridie takes pride in having maintained herself quite nicely, but she's been lonely for quite a long time, especially seeing as she seems to be losing touch with her daughter as well. When she answers a lonely hearts column she meets someone very different than she expected. Bridie to me was a very harsh character - not one that I found easy to like at all!

In summary, a few good short stories, a few not so good. If I had of known that I had already read the Keyes contribution I probably wouldn't have read it at all, but once I had it here, I figured it wouldn't hurt to read it!

Angels by Marian Keyes

Marian Keyes's sixth novel is a truly captivating story about a marriage that's gone wrong and a sensible woman who suddenly just wants to let her hair down.

"We will shortly be landing at Los Angeles International Airport. Please ensure your seat is in the upright position, that you weigh less than a hundred pounds and that you have excellent teeth."

Unlike the rest of her family, Maggie Walsh has always done everything right. Sensibly. By the book. Until the day she leaves her husband and runs away to Hollywood, that is.

In LA the primping, preening and partying are non-stop and even the palm trees are skinny. Staying with her best friend, Emily, a struggling screenwriter, Maggie starts doing things she's never done before. Like wearing tights on her head, mixing with film stars - even pitching scripts to studios - and much, much more. Including meeting the mysterious Troy, a man so non-stick he's known as Human Teflon.

Follow Maggie on a journey of discovery, from suburbia to a suntan, taking in some heartache and lots of Martinis along the way, as she discovers what she really wants in life and why she really walked out on her marriage....

This is the third book in the series focussing on the Walsh sisters, following on from Rachel's Holiday.

This really is a trademark Marian Keyes. Her ability to take a situation that is neither entertaining or funny, and turn it into an extremely poignant story that is very entertaining.

Maggie and her husband Garv have had a couple of "setbacks" over the last couple of years, and have gradually drifted apart and stopped really talking to each other. When Maggie finds out that he may have been cheating she leaves him immediately, going to stay with her parents until her best friend Emily calls her and asks her to come and stay with her in LA. Emily is a writer, trying to sell her movie script and make ends meet in a town where appearance is everything. Suddenly Maggie is masquerading as Emily's assistant, accompanying Troy to showbiz parties, attending premieres, being regroomed from head to foot and generally just trying to forget about her real life.

Maggie is thrown into a world of parties and grooming, along the way starting to loosen up a bit and take the kind of risks that she would never have usually taken. When it turns out that one of her old boyfriend's is going to be in town, it brings up many memories for Maggie, including a huge plot twist that I never saw coming! I love it when an author can surprise me so completely!

As Maggie is spending her time with a variety of characters, she gradually comes to some realisations about why her marriage faltered, and to accept some of the responsibility, as distinct from taking the blame for things beyond her control.

One of the highlights of the book was when the Walsh family descended on LA en masse - Mum and Dad, Helen and Anna....very entertaining! The next book in the series is Anybody Out There? about Anna. I already have it sitting on my shelf ready to read!

Rating 4/5

Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes

The second of the books following the ups and downs of life for the Walsh sisters, following on from Watermelon. Coincidentally it is also the Bitches Book Selection for this month over at The Book Bitches.

'How did it end up like this? Twenty-seven, unemployed, mistaken for a drug addict, in a treatment centre in the back arse of nowhere with an empty Valium bottle in my knickers...'

Meet Rachel Walsh. She has a pair of size 8 feet and such a fondness for recreational drugs that her family has forked out the cash for a spell in Cloisters, Dublin's answer to the Betty Ford Clinic. She's only agreed to her incarceration because she's heard that rehab is wall-to-wall jacuzzis, gymnasiums and rock stars going tepid turkey - and it's about time she had a holiday.

But what Rachel doesn't count on are the toe-curling embarrassments heaped on her by family and group therapy, the dearth of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll - and missing Luke, her ex. What kind of a new start in life is this?

Marian Keyes writes books about subjects that aren't very funny (and shouldn't be treated lightly) but manages to inject the books with charm, humour, and meaning without making the books seem preachy or condescending...not an easy task I am sure!

Rachel Walsh is a good time party girl....who unfortunately doesn't seem to have a very good idea of self. When her family and friends decide that drastic action is required because her drug taking has gotten out of hand, Rachel seems genuinely bemused. There's no way she's an addict - no way known, especially once she gets to Cloisters and sees some of the other patients there. It is only Rachel gets to know her fellow patients and here's there stories, that she begins to see that there are still some aspects of her behaviour that she shares with them.

It is not until she is confronted by some of the people that she has been closest to that it really becomes clear to her just how much of a problem she really does have.

Sounds gloomy huh? But it really isn't. The Walsh sisters are an eclectic bunch of young ladies, and it is interesting as Rachel dwells on what role her family have played in her issues that have led to her addiction. Rachel is not always likeable...which is particularly evident when we look at the origins of her relationship with her ex Luke, and the ways that she treated him and the others around her. Her time in New York is told in a series of flashbacks as Rachel contemplates the choices that she made.

As her self awareness increases, Rachel needs to start looking forward to the future, and a life without drugs and alcohol, but that may still mean that she needs to face some of her old demons.

In closing I'd just like to say........I want a Luke!!! He was so lovely!!!

Rating 4.5/5

Watermelon by Marian Keyes

February the fifteenth is a very special day for me. It is the day I gave birth to my first child. It is also the day my husband left me...I can only assume the two events weren't entirely unrelated.

Claire has everything she ever wanted: a husband she adores, a great apartment, a good job. Then, on the day she gives birth to their first baby, James informs her that he's leaving her. Claire is left with a newborn daughter, a broken heart, and a postpartum body that she can hardly bear to look at.

She decides to go home to Dublin. And there, sheltered by the love of a quirky family, she gets better. So much so, in fact, that when James slithers back into her life, he's in for a bit of a surprise.

Having read several Marian Keyes books and enjoyed them, with Last Chance Saloon being my favourite, I wanted to go back to the beginning and read the Walsh sisters books in order, starting with Watermelon.

It is interesting to read this book after some of the others because I think it is possible to see the development of Keyes through the different styles. Marian Keyes excels at writing chicklit novels that aren't afraid to deal with hard issues, whether it be infidelity as in here, or depression, rejection or whatever the issues is, and she manages to do it with style and humour. It has to be said though that in this book the humour and the tone are much darker than in some of the other books that I have read, with maybe a hint of desperation. My personal opinion is that Keyes has learnt over time to write a better balanced book, and better paced between the highs and lows of the storyline.

In this book, Claire Webster gives birth to her beautiful baby daughter, only to be told shortly afterwards that her husband James is leaving her for another woman. Claire had no clue that this was coming and falls completely to pieces, ending up going home to her parents house in Dublin. After completely losing the plot for a while, she gradually begins to rebuild her life and her self esteem. But the question is...will James come back into her life and destroy her fragile self esteem, or will Claire managed to hold on to what she has built around her.

It has to be said that James is a complete bastard. Absolutely, completely manipulative and horrible - maybe even to the point of being a caricature. Claire seems lovely, and lets just say there is a too good to be true character that is just scrummy.

If I have any major criticism of this novel it is the time frame. Unfortunately I can't explain this without spoiling so .....

********Spoiler Alert On*********

Claire gives birth, goes back to Ireland, collapses in an alcohol induced stupor
(all pretty much understandable), but within the space of six weeks she has met a really nice guy and has sex with him. Within another couple of weeks she has contemplated a reunion with James, decided that she doesn't love him at all anymore. All of this happens at a completely breakneck pace. Of course, I could just be jealous that I couldn't done it, and still haven't met anyone new after, well let's just say a long time, but this isn't really supposed to be about me!

*********Spoiler Alert Off*********

During the last few chapters the closing events of the books cover a longer time span, but crammed into only a few pages, leaving it feeling rushed.

Overall, this was an entertaining read, although personally I think there was some problems with pacing. I will be reading more of the Walsh sisters though, as this was a promising start to their stories, with kookie and interesting characters, as well as an interesting family dynamic that will come into play in future books I am sure!

Rating 3.5/5

My Dream of You by Nuala O'Faolain

From the Back Cover:

When Kathleen de Burca, her life in crisis, returns to her native Ireland, she is in search of the truth behind the story of a love so passionate it burnt its way through barriers of class and culture. In so doing, she not only travels back to the Ireland of the 1850s and into the heart of a tragic love story, but also starts to examine her own troubled past. Then, finding a love of her own, Kathleen faces a choice which could changer her life profoundly, and discovers just how powerful the human heart is...


I was reading this book for a group read and thought it sounded quite good, and in the end it was, but it wasn't an easy read for me. In fact, if I hadn't been reading with the group I probably would have put it down and not picked it up again. It's not that it was a Did Not Finish book really. I would have intended to pick it up again but not really ever got around to it! But then, about 140 pages in suddenly I was hooked and I had to know what happened next! It could be that I just wasn't in the mood for it before that day, but I am not sure.

The main characters is an Irish woman by the name of Kathleen de Burca who has lived in London for over 20 years, makes her living as a travel writer. She has never married, and her closest friends are her work colleagues Jimmy and Alex. Jimmy is a gay travel writer and Alex is her boss who has plenty of surprising secrets of his own. When Jimmy drops dead of a heart attack, Kathleen's life is plunged into crisis, and she decides that it is time for her to change her current lifestyle which involves travelling around the world and sleeping with strangers somewhat indiscriminately.

She decides that she might write a book about the events surrounding a divorce that happened in Ireland in the 1850's and so goes back to Ireland to research what she can about the people involved in the case. She had not been back to Ireland since she left, not even for the funerals of her parents. Whilst there she reconnects with the remaining members of her family, realising along the way that she really doesn't know them at all, as well as making new friends as she researches her story.

There are several different strands to this story. There is the story of Richard and Marianne Talbot, the couple obtaining a divorce in sensational circumstances. Marianne is supposed to have been having a long standing and passionate affair with the head groom, and was being divorced because of that. Another aspect is the effect of the potato famine on the people of Ireland, both during and in the aftermath.

The other strands of the novel focus on Kathleen, as she tries to gain understanding of her life, and why she has acted the way she has, including her failed or difficult relationships: filial, romantic and in her friendships. In her first passionate relationship as a young woman, Kathleen makes poor decisions that end up leading to the relationship failing, and after that point it is almost as though Kathleen has closed herself off from love, rather accepting sex as a shabby substitute.

So when she meets a man named Shay one afternoon, there is passion, there is love, but is she prepared to accept what it is that he has to offer, or is she now strong enough to move forward with her life and to find fulfillment from other avenues.

Apart from the fact that it took me a long time to get into the early parts of this book, it was an entertaining, well written and engrossing read. However, I will have to mark down for that beginning!

Rating 3.5/5

Born in Shame by Nora Roberts

The third and final book in the Born in trilogy after Born in Fire and Born in Ice, Born in Shame is the story of Shannon Bodine who is the half sister of Maggie and Brianna Concannon, and Murphy Muldoon, Brianna's neighbour.

The book opens with Shannon by her sick mother's bedside. Her mother is telling her that she is not who she thinks she is. She has been bought up to believe that she is Colin Bodine's natural daughter, when in fact she is the product of a short liaison between her mother, and Tom Concannon.

On the day of her mother's funeral, the private investigator that the Concannon sisters had hired to track down Shannon's mother finds Shannon. She shuts him off completely, making it very clear that she is not interested in any way in meeting her newly discovered sisters. However, after receiving a letter from Brianna, Shannon and changes her mind, not because she consciously wants to meet the family that she didn't know that she had, but just because she had always wanted to go to Ireland, and she needs a break from her high flying job as a commercial artist in an advertising firm.

When Shannon arrives at Blackthorne Cottage, she and Maggie are instantly resentful and wary of each other, whilst Brianna does her best to meet Shannon's every need and to smooth the path between the two sisters. Not long after she arrives Shannon meets Murphy Muldoon, long time family friend to the Concannons. Later in the book, Murphy's mother tells us that at various times she thought her son was going to end up with either Maggie or Brianna, although both make it clear that nothing ever happens, so it seems somehow fated that he would end up with another of the Concannon sisters. As soon as Murphy sees her, he knows that she is the one, as he has been seeing her in his dreams. As soon as she had arrived in Ireland, Shannon too had started to have dreams about a horseman who appears to be giving a woman a brooch and riding off. Shannon is attracted to Murphy but wary of him as well, especially seeing as she has to return to New York eventually. Murphy is so convinced that Shannon is the one for him that invites his whole family down to meet Shannon before she even starts to admit his feelings for her.

Shannon shares an artists temperament with Maggie, and whilst the two of them initially bang heads, in due course they start to have a really strong bond, especially once Rogan becomes interested Shannon's paintings. The other turning point for Maggie and Shannon, was when Shannon stood up to Maggie's mother when she tried to make Brianna feel guilty for having the nerve to have the product of her husband's adultery staying with her.

The funny thing is, as I write this review several days after finishing the book, it is really the storyline that has stayed with me for this book as opposed to the characters. I really did like Murphy, even though the fact that he was constantly lighting up a cigarette jarred me out of the story on several occasions. I am not really sure why it did, maybe because it was a little surprising that a book set in the late 1990's would still feature a cigarette smoking hero. I am sure it wouldn't bother me if a character in a historical lit a pipe or whatever! I also really liked Shannon, but it is the story which has stayed more in my mind. There was just a touch of the supernatural in this book. Not having read many other Nora Roberts, I know that that is not anything unusual for her, but it is the first time I have come across it, and I quite liked it. A couple of the things that happened were downright spooky, like in relation to the brooch.

I still think I liked the Chesapeake series a bit more than this one, but the Born In trilogy was definitely entertaining and well worth reading.

The question is though...which of Nora's books should I read next?

Rating 4/5

Born in Ice by Nora Roberts

The second book in the Born In trilogy by Nora Roberts, Born in Ice is Brianna's story.

When her father died, Brianna ended up with the family home which she has turned into a successful inn, although it sounds more like a Bed and Breakfast. As you go through the books you find out that Brianna is just about the ultimate domestic goddess - she bakes, she cleans, she wears an apron. Whilst I respect people who are like that, I am not, so it was actually a little put offish to me!!

Grayson Thane is a very successful American author who has travelled to Ireland to write his next book. His specialty is gruesome murder mysteries, and Ireland seems to have the perfect sites to base his murders, from the castle ruins to the stone circle that is in the fields near Brianna's house.

Like Maggie from Born in Fire, Brianna too has issues to do with her parents, but the two sisters deal with them in completely different ways. Brianna is her mother's crutch, and heel. Whilst Brianna does everything and more for her mother, Maeve is sure to let her know that it is never enough. She also very kindly shares the information that whilst Maggie had been born of a short lived passion that ruined her life, Brianna had been born of the coldness of a duty that must not be shirked, and it was a duty to the church, more than to her husband. Fortunately Maggie does everything she can to protect Brianna. In the previous book she had bought a house for Maeve, and hired a companion to stop Brianna from needing to look after her 24/7. She also has to deal with her feelings regarding her father after she finds three letters, wrapped in ribbon, in a box in the attic, which attest to the fact that her father had an affair with a woman named Amanda, and that Amanda had broke off contact when she found out she was pregnant. The other thing that happened in relation to her father was that she found a stock certificate, which brings a few events into her life that were a bit out of the ordinary. Actually I found some of these events, which carry forward into the next book, a bit out of place to be honest.

When Grayson first arrives at the inn, he is immediately attracted to Brianna, especially when she is wearing her apron or hanging out the washing (huh???), but Brianna is determined not to let him know that he is affecting her at first, and then how deeply at the end. Grayson is a man who has created himself, from his name up, despite his early life with a terrible mother and in foster care. He has no ties, doesn't even own a car so that he doesn't have to be tied to any one place and he believes that he is quiet happy there! I really liked Grayson. He sounds like a loner but he really wasn't. When he was being sociable he was a really nice guy. It was also interesting to read some of the writing process that he went through - the sleepless nights when he was feeling inspired, the temper that came with the words not flowing.

Brianna didn't quite do enough for me to be a heroine. She wasn't prepared to fight for anything. When Grayson was about to leave she even offered to make sandwiches for him for goodness sake, and was not prepared to let him know even once how much he really meant to her!! Sure, she told him that she loved him, but she remained cool and calm, acting resigned to his departure. Part of that relates to something her mother had done to her only previous serious boyfriend, but still, I wanted to yell at her to at least act like she at least cared!

I really liked the story, but because I felt little connection to Brianna I rated this a 3.5/5.

Born in Fire by Nora Roberts

When Maggie Concannon, a young lady who is a glass sculptor, sells her first piece of glass, she meets her beloved father, Tom Concannon, for a drink and then they head out to the cliffs looking across the ocean towards America. When Tom suddenly dies there with only Maggie by his side, his last word was Amanda, which meant absolutely nothing to Maggie.

Fast forward a couple of years and Maggie is a moderately successful artist, but she has just caught the attention of Rogan Sweeney who is a big time art dealer, manager, connoisseur.

Maggie has a very temperamental and volatile personality that is usually ascribed to artists. She might have caught the attention of Rogan Sweeney, but it doesn't mean to say that she wants to keep it. She doesn't answer her telephone, won't respond to messages, so the suave and sophisticated Rogan decides to head to County Clare and speak with her face to face. Sparks fly almost immediately, and they are both interested, but business comes first, until finally Maggie is the one who takes the bull by the horns and starts things. Maggie is a great heroine - earthy, passionate, fiery, artistic...real. Rogan is a great catch - rich, good looking, determined, and he knows when to take what Maggie dishes out to him, and when to fight her for her own good.

Rogan realises pretty quickly that he wants more, but Maggie has never wanted the normal things in life - marriage, kids, domesticity. She leaves the domesticity to her sister Brianna, and attributes her fears about marriage to her own parents marriage. Her father loved her, but her mother Maeve, is a complete bitch who has made both of her children's lives a misery in different ways. For Maggie, she was conceived outside the bounds of marriage, of a long dead passion, and Maeve never lets her forget it! It doesn't matter that the sin was Maeve's, Maggie is the one who is blamed for Maeve's loss of her life as she wanted it.

Once Rogan has managed to get her to sign on the dotted line as far as her art goes, he starts down the path on trying to keep her interest in him, realising that he needs to play it cool before she will come to him. I really loved that there was no huge misunderstanding in this book. Yes, our hero and heroine spent time apart, but it was time apart for Maggie to realise how much she loved Rogan, time apart for her to become as comfortable as she was ever going to be with the idea of commitment to Rogan, and he was willing to wait as long as it took, but as soon as she took the first step towards him, he was there to show just how much he wanted her!

The only other Nora Roberts books I have read are the Chesapeake Bay books featuring the Quinn brothers, which I absolutely loved. The first book of the Born In series is right up there with them. I think I feel another glom coming on!!

Rating 4.5/5

Family Baggage by Monica McInerney

Harriet Turner knows all about journeys. After all, she’s arranged hundreds of them for the travel agency her family runs in the Australian coastal town of Merryn Bay. But when her work colleague and foster sister Lara disappears on the eve of a big overseas trip, Harriet finds herself in uncharted territory.

Left alone in England with a coachload of eccentric tourists on a themed tour of locations from the Willoughby TV detective series, Harriet has her hands full. But as the bus trundles through the picturesque Cornwall countryside, the tour becomes another kind of journey for her. She finds herself facing big questions about her family and her childhood; about her feelings for the guest of honour on the tour, star of Willoughby, Patrick Shawcross – and the biggest puzzle of all: what has happened to Lara?

Monica McInerney is probably Australia's version of Maeve Binchy. The fact that she is an Irish-Australian author makes that a very easy comparison to make, however, she writes stories that are full of charm and wit, without being too sickly sentimental, although occasionally it is a very fine line! This book was nominated as an A Great Read by one of the women's magazines here, and it was easy to see why. Whilst the book was over 500 pages long, it didn't actually feel that long once you got past the first 100 or so pages.

For those first 100 pages or so though, I actually didn't think that I was going to like this book. There were so many loose threads that were going to need to be tied together. This tour of England that Harriet had been called in to do at the last minute is her first tour since the last disastrous tour where Harriet had had a nervous breakdown, bought on by the deaths of both of her parents, separately, not too long before. Her foster sister Lara was supposed to meet her at the airport but hadn't shown up, the guest of honour thought he was doing an interview not a four day tour with a group of elderly but very enthusiastic fans. Meanwhile back in Australia, her brother James was in hospital, his wife Melissa was busy upsetting everyone, her 16 year old niece Molly was contemplating having sex with her much older swimming coach, and friend of the family Gloria had kept a huge secret for 24 years and had had just about enough.

There were points where I wondered how there would be any kind of congruency within the various threads to tie them tegether neatly, but the author managed it quite nicely in the end. I will say that there were not really many surprises - most of the events in the book were signposted from pages away, but overall it was a satisfying and emotionally involving read.

I read The Alphabet Sisters by the same author last year and probably enjoyed that more, but this was certainly an entertaining enough read. Family Baggage will be released in the US in July of this year.

Rating 4/5