Dark Witch (The Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy)

by Nora Roberts

Paperback, 2017

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Collection

Publication

Berkley (2017), Edition: Reissue, 352 pages

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

LibraryThing member SunnySD
American Iona Sheehan has grown up on tales of Ireland. Now she's here, and a bit overwhelmed. But fully prepared to throw herself into exploring, job-hunting, and tracking down distant relatives with her usual headlong enthusiasm. But with her arrival, an ancient evil stirs...

I wanted to like the
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story, or at least the characters, but somehow the whole book pretty much left me cold. For whatever reason it doesn't feel like Roberts cared very much about this particular set of characters. The plot feels recycled, and all the way through I kept dropping it to pick up something else. Like laundry. Finished it, but overall? Meh...
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LibraryThing member bookofsecrets
Why was this book momentous? Because it was the first one by Nora Roberts I’ve read! *woots* It took long enough, didn’t it? Unfortunately, it turned out to be just an okay read. Not bad, but not great. Admittedly, I set the bar pretty high. Magic, witches, Ireland, a romance with a sexy
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Irishman. This story had all my favorite things, and there were parts I enjoyed, and parts that could have been better.

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!
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LibraryThing member rhonda1111
5 STARS

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
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would happen next.
I bought the book on amazon and will read the next two books of the series.
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LibraryThing member busyreadin
This one was so predictable that I had it all figured out in the first chapter.

Even the magic and danger couldn't keep this one from being a bore for me.
LibraryThing member phyllis2779
Started very slow but it picked up. Not among my faborite Nora Roberts books -- I'm not into the paranormal/witchcraft stuff that much or even the wonderful Ireland stuff but the writing was excellent, as always.
LibraryThing member ethel55
This was a strong beginning to Roberts' new Irish based trilogy. The story is well grounded in her staples of family legends and magical realism. The character of Iona takes center stage as she leaves behind everything she knows in America to move to Ireland, find her cousins and complete the
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circle of three.
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LibraryThing member debrarbell
I received this book thru Goodreads first reads program. This was another great read from Nora Roberts. Although this story line reminded of past storylines, Nora Roberts fans will be captivated with magic, strong characters and suspense. I would recommend this book it is a quick read, I could not
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put it down!
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LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
It does have moments of twee but mostly succeeds in being not too Oirish for this reader.

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,
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it's a place where an ancestor was hounded to death by an evil practitioner of magic, looking to take her power for himself. She meets with two cousins and their friends and works on learning how to control her magical abilities and to deal with the all-too-attractive co-owner of a local riding school where she finds work, Boyle McGrath. She learns about life and love and about herself and the end leaves a lot of openings for the next story. It's pretty clearly flagged who is going to end up with who over the next two books but it's the trip that matters.

It's nothing earth-shattering but I enjoyed the read.
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LibraryThing member scoutmomskf
I loved this book. It had it all - location, family, friends, romance, magick, and a fight against evil. The story is set up in the first two chapters, where we have Sorcha, the original Dark Witch, and her three children. Her husband is off fighting and Sorcha is fighting illness. She is also
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fighting against an evil sorcerer, Cabhan, who wants her and her powers and is willing to do anything to get them. As the chapter ends she has split her powers among her three children and sent them away to protect them. She lies in wait for the sorcerer, to finish him off before she dies.

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.
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LibraryThing member kmartin802
As always, Nora Roberts has written a powerful and engaging romance. Iona Sheehan has sold everything she owned and come to Ireland to look for a place where she can really belong and where she can be loved. She finds her cousins Branna and Connor O'Dwyer and she find that she is the third who has
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been long awaited. The three of them - along with their friends Meara, Fin and Boyle - have come together to destroy the black power who has wanted their magick since the 1200s.

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.
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LibraryThing member Bodagirl
Nothing special. The relationships are transparent and rushed with no addition to the boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back story line. I can already predict that book two in this trilogy will have Connor and Meara getting together, while book three will feature Fin and Branna and the
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actual defeat of Cabhan.
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LibraryThing member Berly
I kept thinking I had read this one before. I even checked the publication date and searched my records to make sure, but I hadn't. It just feels so familiar. The plot is predictable and the characters are somewhat thin. But, heh! It was a quick, enjoyable, light read. Ireland, romance and magic.
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Not all bad.
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LibraryThing member BookDivasReads
A decidedly been there, read that feel to this book. Read like an amalgamation of previous paranormal books by this author. The only things changed were the names and the location.
LibraryThing member jkgrage
A well written book but much more of a paranormal story than I'm used to from Nora Roberts. I don't know if I loved that being the focus of the story but I will still be interested to see how the story progresses in the next two books in the series.
LibraryThing member ladypembroke
Another wonderful novel from Nora Roberts, although I loved the romance more than the supernatural/magic story line. For some reason, the "ancient evil" plot just is not working for me this time around. I love Iona and Boyle, and I completely get all the feelings of pre-destiny and that sense of
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"fernweh" (look it up... great word). I love the magic side of the story, with the cousins and the family and the history. The bad guy, however, does nothing for me. I've still become attached to the other four characters, and I look forward to watching their relationships blossom in the midst of all the battle preparations.

Also... horses. And Ireland. And magic. How can you not love this book for those reasons alone?
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LibraryThing member AMKee
Loved listening to this one! I am not sure that I would have liked it as well just reading it myself as the Irish accents added to the telling of it. It had a few lulls in it middle, but picked up again quickly. Looking forward to finishing this series.
LibraryThing member AngZ84
I have a soft spot for books about witches and though I normal don't care for Nora Roberts overly emotional writing style, I do generally enjoy her paranormal,Ireland based books.

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
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other "witch" books/series but I just did not get pulled in to the story.

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.
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LibraryThing member midkid88
I was really surprised to find myself so enthralled with this one. It was suppose to be a filler read while brushing my teeth or eating but it kept drawing me back to it. I just had to find out what was going to happen next. I also found myself laughing out loud and tensing up when something
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exciting was happening. I could really relate to the main character and loved the closeness everybody felt to one another. I can't wait to dive into book two.
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LibraryThing member darcy36
Not up to Nora's usual standards. I could not connect with nor care about the characters. The romance itself seemed like a secondary story line to the main conflict, which is okay, but even a secondary plot should be interesting. This one wasn't. Both of the main characters were pretty blah,
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especially the hero. It was impossible to be interested in such a flat character. Some of the other characters seemed more interesting than these two, but we'll see if that pans out when they get their own book. The whole thing just seems like she phoned it in. I thought her other witchcraft series, The Three Sisters Island trilogy, was more entertaining than this. Well, maybe it gets better. It would take more than this to make me give up on Nora! P.S. From the preview at the end of the book, looks like she's tackling the burgeoning field of Young Adult lit. Good luck, Nora!
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LibraryThing member aliterarylion
Dark Witch is the first book in Nora Robert's exciting new Cousins O'Dwyer trilogy. Branna, Connor, and Iona come from a powerful witch who sacrificed herself in the 13th century to defeat an evil sorcerer. They each have an amulet with an animal: hound, hawk, and horse. They are their animal
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personified and must unite to defeat the evil sorcerer who has come back. Dark Witch focuses on American Iona Sheehan who sells her possessions and moves to Ireland for a new start. I never liked new start stories, but I love when Roberts has her books set in Ireland. I liked the surly, brooding love interest named Boyle who owned the stables. Iona's amulet is the horse and it was pretty obvious who her match would. I didn't like Iona because she displayed character traits that I have myself. I didn't like seeing my worries and concerns in written form. Other than the personal similarities, I enjoyed this series and will definitely enjoy Branna and Connor's books much more.
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LibraryThing member ariel.kirst
I liked this book. Let's start with that. Nora Roberts is an amazing writer, probably the best in her genre, and this book is no exception. I always love when she starts a new trilogy because it means a new adventure, new characters.

I came across the term Para-Nora from Smart Bitches Trashy Books,
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and this definitely falls into that category. Roberts has been realy into witches lately, which I enjoy, since I adore the practice of magic, but I do wish she'd branch out a bit.

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.
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LibraryThing member JudithDCollins
I am not a fan of fantasy fiction; however, gave Dark Witch (new Cousins O’Dwyer Trilogy) a chance since I am a Nora Roberts fan. An engaging read of romance, castles, horses, Irish-American Iona Sheehan and her Irish roots where she discovers magic – her two cousins (Branna and Connor). Iona
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lands a job at the stables and meets the owner Boyle—cowboy. As many of Roberts’ books --evil spirits, history, an intriguing family tree, and romance along the way.
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LibraryThing member millett23
Nora Roberts is one of my favorite authors. I just can't get enough of her books! Yes this is a lot like other books she has written, but she just doesn't do it wrong.
LibraryThing member Lauren2013
Dark Witch
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,
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friends and love in County Mayo but will her new life survive the malicious intent of a powerful dark force that once destroyed her ancestor...

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.
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LibraryThing member KVHardy
I started reading the preview, and I quite like this! I won't start yet though, as I'm making time for a different book first.

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2013-01-29

Physical description

352 p.; 6.75 inches

ISBN

0515152897 / 9780515152890

UPC

000425259854

Local notes

GMJ
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