Irish Lady by Jeanette Baker

Meghann McCarthy was orphaned in 1968 during riots in Belfast, and was taken in and raised by the Devlin family. Meghann had always loved Michael Devlin (and boy, did he love her), but she didn’t love his sympathies with the Irish Republican Army. Meghann got herself out of Belfast, obtained a law degree and a job in a prestigious London firm, and eventually married one of the older partners. Now widowed and at the height of her career, she receives a call from her foster-mother Annie Devlin – Michael has been accused of collaborating with the IRA and murdering a candidate for public office. It looks like he’s on the fast track for a conviction without much of a trial, but Meghann just might have the legal clout to do a few things about that – or can she? And what about those long-buried feelings the two have for each other? And what of these dreams and visitations Meghann is having from Nuala O’Donnell? Can Meghann reconnect with her Irish heritage by reliving Nuala’s history in 16C Ireland?

Sorry, but you will just have to read it for yourself to find out. I really enjoyed this a lot, and while I did find the 16C history interesting (had never heard of the Flight of the Earls), I was more interested in the 1994 storyline and the political situation in Belfast (not a pleasant one). There are some disturbing things that happen in both the past and the present story, as well as the…ahem…heated feelings between the Catholics, the Protestants and the British government, and might not appeal to those looking for a lighter read. Thumbs up to the author note’s at the end letting us know what really happened, who was real, etc. There is also a glossary of sorts at the end for those not familiar with the slang of Northern Ireland. It would have been helpful to have known about while I was reading instead of finding it at the end…

Review copy obtained via Net Galley, and another big thumbs up to Sourcebooks for finding these older books and breathing new life into them. Could you please consider Zemindar by Valerie Fitzgerald? Pretty please?

Skye O’Malley by Bertrice Small

On the verge of marrying a man she loathes (the betrothal had been made when they were children), Skye O’Malley meets Niall Burke and it’s love at first sight – but the betrothal can’t be broken and Niall must make a better match than Skye. On her wedding night, Niall claims the right of droit du seigneur and gets first shot at the young virgin, enraging her husband Dom. Skye suffers mightily at the hands of her abusive husband, but by the time she’s free Niall is married (unhappily) and what then follows are plentiful ups and downs from capture by pirates on the high seas, being sold into slavery (don’t you worry, our heroine can charm anyone even the “whoremaster of Algiers”), and eventually ending in England in a marriage that brings her to the court of Elizabeth Tudor, but a twist in fate makes the two women enemies in the end. Can Skye win her battle of wits with the formidable Queen of England? Will she and Niall ever have a happy ending?Somehow I missed reading Small’s books back in the 80’s and when I spotted this at a free-book sale I decided to give her a whirl. Yes, I was warned that the purple prose was plentiful, rapes abounded and that the sex was OTT and I was prepared for it, but still –

As his seed thundered into her hidden valley he shook fiercely with the intensity of his passion.”

“Ahh…Skye, your little honey-oven is made for me.

Remember that honey-oven bit. Three (count ’em) three different men use this very same term when referring to Skye.

Let me play the great desert stallion tonight, my Skye. Roll over, and be my little wild mare.

Forgot to mention, Small seems to have a horse fixation…

A moment before his climax, he touched one hand beneath her to tweak at the little button of her sensuality and they shuddered their satisfaction in union.

*rolls eyes*

Your little honey-oven burns my lance with the fiery flow of the passion you would like to deny me, but can’t.

There’s that honey-oven again. Add all this up, toss in some very abrupt POV switches from one paragraph to the next, mix with some annoying info dumps containing waaaaay more background information on secondary characters than necessary (I really didn’t need to know about Geoffrey’s family history all the way back to the Norman Conquest) and what is left was just not the book for me. As for the rapes? Yes, they are pretty much standard for these older books and I can live with a forced seduction or two, but what I can’t live with is when the heroine is raped by the meanest, baddest, most irredeemable man on earth and we get this,

“And though she hated him, her body treacherously yielded itself.”

I won’t spoil, but the reader should also be warned that there is a scene towards the end involving a twelve-year-old girl and an aroused dog. If you’re a die-hard fan of the old school bodice rippers with a strong stomach this might be the book for you – and it’s a series so you can keep on readin’ more. Any one else, I’d recommend steering clear – this is my first and last Bertrice Small book.

So Many Partings ~ Cathy Cash Spellman

Tags

ireland, new york, North America

(3.5) A “wee” bit of a rags to riches family saga

So Many Partings is the story of Tom Dalton, illegitimate child of the younger son of the manor Drumgillan and Irish peasant Mary Dalton. When Tom comes to New York as a young man fresh out of college and fresh off the boat, he finds friends and obtains work among the other Irishmen at the docks. Eventually Tom is mentored by ruthless businessman Diamond Jim Mulvaney and as he proves his mettle he quickly moves up in the ranks and hopes to one day earn enough to be able to court Diamond Jim’s daughter Dierdra (much to DJ’s consternation).

The rest of the book details early 1900’s New York as Tom’s work in Diamond Jim’s empire involves him with the Tammany gang, dirty politics, and a labor strike at the docks between the Irish and the Italians that leads to tragic consequences for Tom and his new family, and finally culminates in the story of Tom’s beloved granddaughter Megan and the treacherous betrayals by Tom’s two sons.

While I enjoyed this book, at the same time I found something missing. It’s not quite BIG enough in scope to be an “epic novel”, nor is there enough romance to keep me on the edge of the seat waiting for two lovers to finally get together. Additionally, most of the characters were a bit clichéd and unoriginal – the madam with the heart of gold, the big Irish dockworker with the soft side no one knows, the ruthless business man who lets no one in his way (well almost), a few Mafioso types – that as much as I enjoyed the book I felt like I just left the table after a full meal and I’m still needing something more. It’s a good book, not a great one, although it did quite well for this housebound reader on a snowy winter afternoon. Not too light and not too heavy, and definitely no where near as good as the author’s fabulous Paint the Wind. 3.5/5 stars.

 

Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly

Tags

historical fiction, ireland

 

“A nation….Can a country of unmarked graves ever be a nation?”.  

Galway Bay begins in 1839 and covers the life of Honora Keeley, first bound for the church, until she by chance meets Michael Kelly as he’s rising from the bay after a swim and it’s love at first site for both. Despite the odds against them, they manage to marry and find a place to live and farm and do as well as can be expected under the British oppression – that is until the potato blight hits. With the British government insensitive to the needs of the starving, many begin to emigrate to America and the Kellys finally decide to go as well and join Michael’s brother Patrick in Chicago.

Once in America Honora and her family first arrive in New Orleans and then make their way to Chicago, able to rise above the bigotry and ignorance against the Irish and build a new life. The family’s story then takes them through the Civil War, the Fenian Rising of 1867, the great fire and Chicago’s World’s Fair (Columbian Exposition).

While it’s not a five star book IMO, I really enjoyed this one, especially the first parts in Ireland – the accounts of the Great Famine were horrendous, as well the ignorance and bigotry of the English government as they sat on their hands and watched so many die such horrible deaths. I also enjoyed their early days in Chicago as they struggled to find employment and keep a roof over their heads. My only complaint is the last 75 or so pages tended to drop off and things got pretty slow as the author wrapped it up. I know that the Irish had large families with lots of kids and grandkids, but finally my head was spinning trying to keep track of them all. Perhaps a family tree for the paperback edition would help readers keep them straight? Lastly, there is a lovely glossary in the back listing many of the Irish expressions used in the book and how to pronounce them. Wish I’d known about it when I started the book. 4/5 stars.