Author: Nora Roberts
Publisher: Piatkus
Release Date: October 2nd 2014
Series: The Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy #1
Source: Publisher
Synopsis:
With indifferent parents, Iona Sheehan grew up craving devotion and acceptance. From her maternal grandmother, she learned where to find both: a land of lush forests, dazzling lakes, and centuries-old legends.
Ireland.
County Mayo, to be exact. Where her ancestors’ blood and magic have flowed through generations—and where her destiny awaits.
Iona arrives in Ireland with nothing but her Nan’s directions, an unfailingly optimistic attitude, and an innate talent with horses. Not far from the luxurious castle where she is spending a week, she finds her cousins, Branna and Connor O’Dwyer. And since family is family, they invite her into their home and their lives.
When Iona lands a job at the local stables, she meets the owner, Boyle McGrath. Cowboy, pirate, wild tribal horseman, he’s three of her biggest fantasy weaknesses all in one big, bold package.
Iona realizes that here she can make a home for herself—and live her life as she wants, even if that means falling head over heels for Boyle. But nothing is as it seems. An ancient evil has wound its way around Iona’s family tree and must be defeated. Family and friends will fight with each other and for each other to keep the promise of hope—and love—alive…
Publisher: Piatkus
Release Date: October 2nd 2014
Series: The Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy #1
Source: Publisher
Synopsis:
With indifferent parents, Iona Sheehan grew up craving devotion and acceptance. From her maternal grandmother, she learned where to find both: a land of lush forests, dazzling lakes, and centuries-old legends.
Ireland.
County Mayo, to be exact. Where her ancestors’ blood and magic have flowed through generations—and where her destiny awaits.
Iona arrives in Ireland with nothing but her Nan’s directions, an unfailingly optimistic attitude, and an innate talent with horses. Not far from the luxurious castle where she is spending a week, she finds her cousins, Branna and Connor O’Dwyer. And since family is family, they invite her into their home and their lives.
When Iona lands a job at the local stables, she meets the owner, Boyle McGrath. Cowboy, pirate, wild tribal horseman, he’s three of her biggest fantasy weaknesses all in one big, bold package.
Iona realizes that here she can make a home for herself—and live her life as she wants, even if that means falling head over heels for Boyle. But nothing is as it seems. An ancient evil has wound its way around Iona’s family tree and must be defeated. Family and friends will fight with each other and for each other to keep the promise of hope—and love—alive…
Review: Dark Witch - Nora Roberts
Nora Roberts is an author who's books I've read and loved over the years. She is one of those authors I associate with high school along with James Patterson, Danielle Steel, Jeffery Archer, John Grisham and Agatha Christie. Ah, good times.
Dark Witch is set in Ireland and I instantly fell in love with the beautiful setting. Roberts painted a spell binding picture and her writing bought this lush countryside to life. Iona, the protagonist relocates from America to Ireland to reconnect with her ancestors. She finally feels at home but everything is not as simple as it seems. Iona learns that the evil sorcerer who pursued her ancestor the dark witch, Sorcha is back. And this time the evil Cabhan has his sights set on Iona. Iona's destiny is interwined with her that of her cousins, Branna and Connor. The Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy follows the journey of these three cousins as they band together to fight this great evil.
Dark Witch is centered around Iona although the O'Dwyer cousins play important secondary roles. Iona is smart, fiercely loyal, and her love for horses makes her very easy to like. It was a pleasure watching her grow from a character who's constantly apologizing to a self aware and confident woman. Another character that I adored was Branna. She helps Iona control and harness her magical powers. She is also a bit of a mother hen, worrying over Iona and that sort of thing. Iona's other cousin, sweet and easy going Connor's character is a complete contrast to Branna. Despite their differences both cousins are loyal and they always looked out for their own.
Iona meets the gruff and awkward Boyle at the stable that she works. Initially, Boyle does not want to pursue his feelings for her because she is his employee. Nora Roberts is known for putting out compelling romances however, I felt that the romance in Dark Witch was below par. The almost insta-love beginning, the lackluster romance, the not-quite-there chemistry was not quite what I expected from a Nora Roberts novel.
I loved the element of intrigue in this paranormal fantasy. The focus on familial bonds grabbed me from the first page. Dark Witch makes a great fall read. I hope to continue reading this trilogy and can't wait to delve deeper into the stories of the other characters.
Some of my favorite moments from Dark Witch:
“You can’t just hope for happy endings. You have to believe in them. Then do the work, take the risks. Slay the dragon—though I really think dragons get a bad rap—kiss the princess, or the frog, defeat the bad witch.”
“What’s an adventure if you know all the steps before you take them?”
Dark Witch is set in Ireland and I instantly fell in love with the beautiful setting. Roberts painted a spell binding picture and her writing bought this lush countryside to life. Iona, the protagonist relocates from America to Ireland to reconnect with her ancestors. She finally feels at home but everything is not as simple as it seems. Iona learns that the evil sorcerer who pursued her ancestor the dark witch, Sorcha is back. And this time the evil Cabhan has his sights set on Iona. Iona's destiny is interwined with her that of her cousins, Branna and Connor. The Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy follows the journey of these three cousins as they band together to fight this great evil.
Dark Witch is centered around Iona although the O'Dwyer cousins play important secondary roles. Iona is smart, fiercely loyal, and her love for horses makes her very easy to like. It was a pleasure watching her grow from a character who's constantly apologizing to a self aware and confident woman. Another character that I adored was Branna. She helps Iona control and harness her magical powers. She is also a bit of a mother hen, worrying over Iona and that sort of thing. Iona's other cousin, sweet and easy going Connor's character is a complete contrast to Branna. Despite their differences both cousins are loyal and they always looked out for their own.
Iona meets the gruff and awkward Boyle at the stable that she works. Initially, Boyle does not want to pursue his feelings for her because she is his employee. Nora Roberts is known for putting out compelling romances however, I felt that the romance in Dark Witch was below par. The almost insta-love beginning, the lackluster romance, the not-quite-there chemistry was not quite what I expected from a Nora Roberts novel.
I loved the element of intrigue in this paranormal fantasy. The focus on familial bonds grabbed me from the first page. Dark Witch makes a great fall read. I hope to continue reading this trilogy and can't wait to delve deeper into the stories of the other characters.
Some of my favorite moments from Dark Witch:
“You can’t just hope for happy endings. You have to believe in them. Then do the work, take the risks. Slay the dragon—though I really think dragons get a bad rap—kiss the princess, or the frog, defeat the bad witch.”
“What’s an adventure if you know all the steps before you take them?”
Nora Roberts! I love her writing.No matter how much I love YA, I can never resist a book by her.
ReplyDeleteIreland is a beautiful place in fiction, right? I've read two NR books set in Ireland before, and I loved how she has envisioned that place.
I haven't read this book, though.It surprises me to hear that the romance was disappointing.
Hi I saw your link on the link exchange of Sab the Book Eater. :)
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HERE'S MY LINK:
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