For March, where can we look to for inspiring historical
fiction but Ireland? And as might be expected in a land of poets, leprechauns,
fairies and
tragic history, Ireland's story lends itself to passionate sagas. The first of
the two series we
'll
look at in honor of this St. Patrick's Day is a three-book historical fiction
epic featuring real
Irish revolutionaries Robert Emmet and Michael Dwyer.
In TREAD SOFTLY ON MY DREAMS, the first volume of the Liberty
Trilogy, Gretta Curran
Browne introduces Robert Emmet, born of the Protestant elite
who rule Ireland. But though, as the son of the State Physician of Ireland, his
place is among
the privileged, he also grows up imbued with a deep love of the land and a
strong commitment
to justice. Troubled by the inequities and repression he sees around him, he
sacrifices his
brilliant scientific future and his standing among the elite by joining the
United Irishman, a
society which advocates the union of Catholic and Protestant. Deemed a traitor
to his class
and religion, he is forced to flee to France, leaving behind Sarah Curran, the
girl with whom
he's fallen in love. He returns five years later to begin his rebellion, aided
by passionate
Catholic Anne Devlin, who becomes his companion and courier. Full of lush
descriptions of
the land, Brown's first volume takes us through the early days of the revolution.
In the second volume of the Liberty Trilogy, FIRE ON THE HILL,
Browne's
focus shifts to Michael Dwyer. A son of the Wicklow
Hills, his destiny is to be a farmer, but reacting to rumors of rebellion, in
1798, the hated militia
forces him off his land and into hiding. He becomes a rebel captain, a guerilla
leader always
on the run, his only allegiance to Irish freedom and Mary Doyle, the woman he loves.
In the final book of the trilogy, A WORLD APART, the
stories
of Michael and Robert Emmit merge, as they become
friends and try from their respective places—the Protestant aristocrat turned
rebel, and the
farmer turned guerilla—to move toward the free, independent Ireland of which
they dream.
But the powerful forces of the Castle are still ranged against them, willing to
use any
means
informants, turncoats, and traitors to the cause—to bring them down. Ireland
will not gain her
independence until many years after their maiden efforts, but Browne's trilogy
creates a
stirring tribute to their bravery, commitment, and love of freedom.
The second series we'll look at is Santa
Montefiore's Deverill
Chronicles. The
saga opens
with THE GIRL IN THE
CASTLE, which introduces us to Castle Deverill, for
three hundred years the home of the Deverill family. But legend claims the
Deverills stole
this
lush land on the West Cork hills from the O'Learys, who placed a curse on the
family, saying
the Castle would ultimately be destroyed. But there isn't a hint of tragedy
during Kitty
Deverill's growing up years, when she mingles with the local families,
befriending Bridie Doyle,
daughter of their cook, and falling in love with Jack O'Leary. But when Irish
freedom fighters
clash with the British overlords and Jack enlists to fight, Kitty is trapped in
a dangerous gap
between two worlds.
The story continues in Book 2, THE DAUGHTERS OF IRELAND. Castle Deverill was burned to the ground, but Celia
Deverill, Kitty's cousin, is determined to restore it for its former glory.
Though she misses
her
life at the Castle, Kitty herself is busy raising a family with husband
Robert—but has never
forgotten her first love, Jack O'Leary. Meanwhile, Bridie has emigrated to
America and found
wealth and success. Enough wealth and success that she is tempted to return to
Ireland and
reclaim a love—and a child.
The trilogy concludes with THE SECRET OF THE IRISH CASTLE.
When Martha Wallace leaves America to search
for her birth mother in Dublin, she meets and falls in love with JP Deverill—who
happens to
come from the same town as her mother. When she travels there, she meets Kitty
Deverill,
former mistress of Castle Deverill, who has contented herself with her life with
husband
Robert and her children. Martha also meets Kitty's childhood friend Bridie
Doyle, who is now
Countess di Marcantonio and the new owner of the home in which she used to work.
The
three women build a bond that helps them withstand the tests that come when Jack
O'Leary
returns and old secrets and betrayals finally come to light.
Love, bravery, passion, commitment, jealousy, lust, betrayal,
revenge—these stories of Ireland have them all! So wear yourself some green, grab a
Guinness, and get ready to be transported to the magical Emerald Isle.
After twelve years as a vagabond Navy wife, an adventure that took her from
Virginia Beach,
VA, to Monterrey, CA, to Tunis, Tunisia to Oslo, Norway and back, Julia
Justiss
followed her husband to his family's East Texas homeland. On a hill above a pond
with a view
of pasture land, they built an English Georgian-style home. Sitting at her desk
there, if she
ignores the summer heat, she can almost imagine herself in Jane Austen's Regency
England.
In between teaching high school French and making jaunts to visit her three
children (a
Seabee in Gulfport, MS, a clothing buyer in Houston and a mechanical engineer in
Austin, TX)
she pursues her first love—writing historical fiction.
Part of Sisters of Scandal: Temperance Lattimar is too scandalous for a Season,
until finally
she's sponsored by Lady Sayleford. The whole charade feels wrong when she
doesn't want a
husband, but Temper feels awful when MP and aristocrat Gifford Newell is
appointed to
“protect her at society events. With her past, she knows she's not an ideal
wifebut then a
marriage of convenience to Giff becomes the only option!
Romance Historical [Harlequin Historical
Romance, On Sale: February 19, 2019, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781335635006 /
eISBN:
9781488047152]
International sensation Santa Montefiore presents the first book in a trilogy
that follows three
Irish women through the decades of the twentieth century—perfect for fans of
Kate Morton
and Hazel Gaynor.
Born on the ninth day of the ninth month in the year 1900, Kitty Deverill is
special as her
grandmother has always told her. Built on the stunning green hills of West Cork,
Ireland, Castle
Deverill is Kitty's beloved home, where many generations of Deverills have also
resided.
Although she's Anglo-Irish, Kitty's heart completely belongs to the
wildcountryside of the
Emerald Isle, and her devotion to her Irish-Catholic friends Bridie Doyle, the
daughter of the
castle's cook, and Jack O'Leary, the vet's son, is unmatched—even if Jack is
always reminding
her that she isn't fully Irish. Still, Jack and Kitty can't help falling in love
although they both
know their union faces the greatest obstacles since they are from different worlds.
Bridie cherishes her friendship with Kitty, who makes her feel more like her
equal than a
servant. Yet she can't help dreaming of someday having all the wealth and
glamour Kitty's
station in life affords her. But when she discovers a secret that Kitty has been
keeping from
her, Bridie finds herself growing resentful toward the girl in the castle who
seems to have it all.
When the Irish revolt to throw over British rule in Southern Ireland, Jack
enlists to fight.
Worried for her safety, Jack warns Kitty to keep her distance, but she refuses
and throws
herself into the cause for Irish liberty, running messages and ammunition
between the rebels.
But as Kitty soon discovers, her allegiance to her family and her friends will
be tested—and
when Castle Deverill comes under attack, the only home and life she's ever known
are
threatened.
A powerful story of love, loyalty, and friendship, The Girl in the
Castle is an
exquisitely written novel set against the magical, captivating landscape of Ireland.
Historical |
Saga [William
Morrow, On Sale: September 27, 2016, Trade Size / e-Book,
ISBN: 9780062456854 / eISBN: 9780062456878]
The war is over. But life will never be the same...
"Everything Santa Montefiore writes, she writes from the heart, says
JOJO MOYES.
See why in this unforgettable story of love, loss, and life, perfect for fans of
DOWNTON
ABBEY and KATE MORTON.
In the green hills of West Cork, Ireland, Castle Deverill has burned to the
ground. But young
Celia Deverill is determined to see her ruined ancestral homerestoredto its
former glory
to
the years when Celia ran through its vast halls with her cousin Kitty and their
childhood friend
Bridie Doyle.
Kittyherself is raising a young family, but she longs forJack O'Leary— the long-ago
sweetheartshe cannot have. And soon Kitty must make aheartbreaking decision, one
that
could destroy everything she holds dear.
Bridie, once a cook's daugher in Castle Deverill, is now a well-heeled New York
City socialite.
Yet her celebrity can't erase a past act that haunts her still.Nor can it keep
her from seeking
revenge upon the woman who wronged her all those years ago.
As these three daughters of Ireland seek to make their way in a world once again
beset by
dark forces, Santa Montefiore shows us once more why she is one of the best-loved
storytellers at work today.
Historical [William Morrow, On Sale: August 1, 2017, Trade
Size / e-Book, ISBN: 9780062456885 / eISBN: 9780062456892]
1939: Peace has flourished since the Great War ended, but much has changed for
the Deverill
family as now a new generation is waiting in the wings to make their mark.
When Martha Wallace leaves her home in America to search for her birth mother in
Dublin, she
never imagines that she will completely lose her heart to the impossibly
charming JP Deverill.
But more surprises are in store for her after she discovers that her mother
comes from the
same place as JP, sealing her fate.
Bridie Doyle, now Countess di Marcantonio and mistress of Castle Deverill, is
determined to
make the castle she used to work in her home. But just as she begins to feel
things are finally
going her way, her flamboyant husband Cesare has other ideas. As his eye strays
away from
his wife, those close to the couple wonder if he really is who he says he is.
Kitty Deverill has come to accept her life with her husband Robert, and their
two children. But
then Jack O'Leary, the love of her life, returns to Ballinakelly. And this time
his heart belongs
elsewhere.
As long-held secrets come to light, the Deverills will have to heal old wounds
and come to
terms with the past if they hope to ensure their legacy for the future.
AN EPIC NOVEL FROM IRELAND'S PAST (BOOK #1 in THE LIBERTY TRILOGY)
Set against the background of a country in turmoil, Tread Softly On My Dreams is
the
passionate and powerful true story of Robert Emmet, a young Protestant who
became one of
Ireland's most famous rebels.
Robert's devotion to his dream will change the lives of all those who love him.
Sacrifice and
tragedy await the courageous Anne Devlin, while romance blossoms between Robert and
Sarah Curran. But can love survive amid the turbulent fight for freedom?
Historical [Gcb Publication, On Sale: November 13, 2016,
Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781912598205 / ]
Michael Dwyer was born, cradled and then grew from boy to man under the shade of
the
Wicklow Hills. He knows every inch of them - the secret streams to quench a
man's thirst, the
wild game to keep away hunger, the wood in excess to burn, and the sheltering
caves. And
then, in the historic year of 1798 he comes to know love.
When Michael Dwyer first dances with Mary Doyle on the night of the Spring Fair,
many of the
locals see their love story unfold before their eyes, a story so unique they
will later tell it to
their grandchildren.
Destined to be a farmer like his father before him, Michael loves the land, and
is content to
work in the fields and live of the yield, but in thatsame year of 1798 the
militia, hated pawns
of
the rulers in Dublin Castle, force him to leave the land and take to his beloved
mountains,
where he becomes what every Wicklow youth dreams of being - a man who owns no
master, a
man who refuses to bend a servile knee.
And always, standing somewhere amidst the green glens and beautifullandscape of
Wicklow,
is Mary, watching and waiting, caring nothing for patriotism and heroism, only
for her love of
the rebel captain, but love on the run cannot last forever.
Historical [Gcb Publication, On Sale: November 13, 2016,
Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780995558267 / ]
They thought they had killed him on the same winter night his friend Sam
McAllister had
been shot dead on the hillside of Derrynamuck they had chased Michael and seen
a trail of
his blood in the snow. Oh yes, the young rebel captain was dead and gone, and
would cause
no further trouble to them the hated militia who raped and burned houses at
will and
treated
the people of Wicklow like some dirt that kept getting under their boots.
Desperate for his protection from the militia's brutality, only the people
refused to believe that
Michael Dwyer was dead. To them he was like a prince `aye, a prince, same as a
king's
son
and if Michael had been killed, all his friends would have been in mourning, but
they were not.
Too many times they had seen the small, secret smiles of Michael's friends when
the militia
gloated over his death.
And then there was Mary his beautiful Mary who had adored him why was she not
looking
in any way heart-broken? Why was she just carrying on with her life as normal?
No, the people concluded, Michael was not dead injured maybe, a whole lot of
bullets had
flown towards him that night at Derrynamuck but he had been dodging bullets for
years and
not one had ever reached him. No, only the stupid militia would believe that
Michael had been
defeated the whole dumb pack of them.
Historical [Gcb Publication, On Sale: November 20, 2016,
Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780995558274 / ]
Will their
friendships survive as political tensions rise?
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