Status
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. Romance. Suspense. HTML:From #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts comes a trilogy about the land we�??re drawn to, the family we learn to cherish, and the people we long to love�?� Book One of The Cousins O�??Dwyer Trilogy Dark Witch 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 horsemen, 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�?� Don�??t miss the other books in the Cousins O�??Dwyer Trilogy Sh… (more)
User reviews
I wanted to like the
I loved the first couple of chapters that gave readers the history of the Dark Witch, a woman named Sorcha. Sorcha’s story took place in the 13th century, and we learn that an evil sorcerer is pursuing her and threatening her three children. Fast-forward to present day County Mayo. Three of Sorcha’s descendants are preparing to do battle with the sorcerer, who has returned to seek revenge for what happened to him 700 years ago.
I definitely enjoyed the secondary characters in this book more than the hero and heroine. The heroine is Iona, and she’s come to Ireland to find her cousins, find a home, find love, be loved… She was kind of desperate and needy. I felt like I was missing a big chunk of her back story to understand her. Unfortunately there wasn’t much remarkable about the hero, Boyle, and I couldn’t feel much chemistry between him and Iona. Now, the secondary characters I loved, in particular Cousin Branna and Fin. Branna is a talented witch and one of Sorcha’s descendants, and Finn has his own connection to the Dark Witch, too. They were once a couple until something went horribly wrong, but the passion between them is still there.
The setting was gorgeous, the magic was intriguing, and even though the romance fizzled between Iona and Boyle, I plan to read the rest of the trilogy. Branna and Fin!
I love the characters. Lots of drama, action and romance. The story is gripping for the most part.
The problems with the book is too many sex scenes and have to wait for the next book to come out.
The setting is Ireland the past and now.
The pace is good and keeps you reading to find out what
I bought the book on amazon and will read the next two books of the series.
Even the magic and danger couldn't keep this one from being a bore for me.
Iona Sheehan has gambled on moving from Baltimore, Maryland (not Baltimore, Co Cork) to her ancestral home in Cong, Co Mayo, where Ashford Castle and the Quiet Man cast a long shadow. To her family, however,
It's nothing earth-shattering but I enjoyed the read.
Moving ahead to the present, we have Connor and Branna who are brother and sister descended from Sorcha. They sense the coming storm but know it will take three of them to form the bond that will defeat it. Enter Iona, their American cousin, who makes the circle complete. She is in search of a place where she feels she belongs, and finds it with her cousins. She also finds a job doing what she loves - working with horses. She feels an immediate connection with her boss, Boyle. But before they can think about a future together, they must deal with the return of the sorcerer.
I loved the way that the idea of family and friends is so important. Besides Connor, Branna and Iona, there are also their friends Boyle, Fin and Meara. Each has a distinct personality that is important in the scheme of things. Branna is the leader, the one doing most of Iona's training. She is a bit of a loner, keeping a lot to herself. She has a history with Fin. They were childhood sweethearts, deeply in love, until they discovered that Fin is a descendent of Cabhan. Now she has trouble trusting him, even though she knows they need him in the coming troubles. Fin has never stopped loving Branna. He knows she doesn't trust him but he'll be there for her just the same. Connor is the easy going, social one of the group. He's friends with everyone and loves the ladies. He's sometimes caught in the middle of all the drama affecting the others. Meara has also been friends with them all her life. She and Branna are like sisters and she will be there to help however she is needed also. She has feelings for Connor, but he's oblivious.
Then we have Iona and Boyle, the focus of this book. Iona has been searching for her place in the world and finally finds it in Ireland. In spite of a miserable upbringing with parents who just didn't seem to care, she has a sunny personality. I loved seeing the effect of that personality on Boyle, who is pretty serious. Her actions tend to keep him pretty off balance. There's an intense attraction between the two of them that has him pretty freaked out. It moves along quickly until it runs up against his fears and causes an emotional slowdown in their relationship. The whole scene with him, and later her girls' night with Branna and Meara to deal with it was very emotional. On the other side, I loved the way that Connor and Fin dealt with Boyle and made fun of his idiocy as only guys can do.
I really enjoyed seeing Iona come into her own as Branna and the others trained her in the magick she needed to know. She went from very tentative and nervous at the beginning, to a growing confidence in her abilities through the rest of the book. I loved seeing the way that Boyle was there to support and protect her. Their connection was a huge part of the final confrontation in this book.
One of my favorite things about this book was the setting. Nora Roberts always does anything Irish well and this was no exception. She spent time in this part of Ireland doing research for the books and it shows. Having visited County Mayo several years ago I was thrilled to recognize the places she described. Ashford Castle is located next to the village of Cong, just as described. I loved her mention of the filming of "The Quiet Man" there and the parade for Maureen O'Hara just a few years ago. I also loved her description of Ballintubber Abbey as it brought back my memories of walking those grounds myself.
I have read some reviews that complain that this is simply a mashup of several of her previous series. While I can see the similarities, there is enough of a difference that I have not been disappointed in the book at all. I can't wait to read the next one.
Iona is quickly immersed in learning the magick and falling in love with Boyle McGrath. He is just perfect for her with his loyalty and his strong love of horses. Except, he has never fallen in love and mucks it up a bit when it finally happens for him. Iona fears that he is just settling and she wants someone who is as willing to jump in feet first and with no reservations as she is. It takes time and effort for them to work out their differences.
One of the great strengths of Roberts' books for me is the friendship thread. The three women - though Iona just arrived - quickly form a very strong friendship. The men - having grown up together - already have their friendship in place. It is deep and tested and strong.
It is easy to see the romances that will be featured in the next two books of this trilogy. Branna and Fin have a past that split them apart but the love in each of them has never gone away. Despite Branna's fears, I can't help but believe that the two will work things out. Connor and Meara should be the third couple. Connor has been the love 'em and leave 'em type though never with the intent to cause harm and Meara is an Amazon - strong and determined - and not ready to open her heart to Connor only to be loved and left herself.
I can't wait to read the other books in this trilogy. While I know that they will defeat the dark power that threatens them through magick and the power of love and friendship, I am eager to go along on the journey.
Also... horses. And Ireland. And magic. How can you not love this book for those reasons alone?
BUT, I did not get into this one. The general plot was ok. It certainly had the potential to be as enjoyable as all her
I did not much care for the any of the characters involved. They all just felt like carbon copies of the characters from her other Ireland based books(both the Irish and American characters in them). I guess I've grown bored of them all.
I came across the term Para-Nora from Smart Bitches Trashy Books,
So I liked this book. There were times when I felt that it was going to be the same old, same old. Characters are a bit dramatic, everyone has a lovely sense of community, insta-family. There are certain things about it that grabbed me though. The character of Maera. Is she going to end up with Cooper? If so, okay, it would be sort of cute, if not, why? Personally, I hope she turns out to be gay and gets a super hot girlfriend before the end.
I may just skip Branna and Finn's book because their brooding love story is aleady boring to me.
Still, I liked it. I'm glad I bought it. I will enjoy the next one in teh series. Over all, it got four stars.
3 Stars
Iona Sheehan travels to Ireland not only to find her roots but the place where she belongs. Together with her cousins, Branna and Connor O’Dwyer, Iona must battle an ancient evil using the magical abilities inherited from the first Dark Witch. In time, Iona comes to find family,
The Irish setting and paranormal elements are charming although the descriptions of the magical spells, tools and incantations become repetitive and excessive. Moreover, the characters’ internal dialogue is overly sentimental.
Iona is a sweet and engaging heroine and her hero, Boyle McGrath, is the gruff and sexy silent type who is surprised when love hits him over the head. Unfortunately, their romance isn’t that appealing mainly because their chemistry is virtually non-existent and their emotional connection feels forced.
The secondary cast comprised of Iona’s cousins and their love interests has definite potential, especially Branna and Fin who share an intriguing past that will make for compelling reading when their book comes.
All in all, not one of Nora’s best works but entertaining enough to continue with the series.
ETA: I've lost interest in continuing with the series as book #2 is virtually a repeat of book #1 and I simply don't have the patience.