This is yet another in a collection
of terrific books penned by master storyteller, Jeanette
Baker. "Spellbound" is the story of a
family's coming together after two tragic losses
that have left three children parentless. Set on Inismor, the
larger of the Aran Island in Ireland, this contemporary book
deftly weaves a modern story with the old world traditions which
can only be found on these islands off Ireland's west coast.
Emma left Inismor years ago looking for a better life, taking
Mollie with her but leaving her son Danny behind with his father.
Now, many years later, Emma has received tragic notice that
her son is dead, whose death has come on the heels of his own
wife's death. Much to her anxiety, these children have been
left to Emma, who is now living happily in California. She hasn't
been back to Inismor since her hasty departure and has no desire
to return. It's her hope that she can find a suitable home for
her grandchildren on the island. If she can't she will bring
them back to California and hope for the best. It's Mollie who
jumps in and volunteers to go to the island of her birth to
see to her nieces and nephews welfare.
Mollie has signed on for a teachers exchange
program on Inismor. She moves into a rented house on the island
and starts preparing for classes. Her priority, though, is
to check out Sean O'Malley to see what kind of surrogate parent
he is and whether her brother's children should be left with
him. He is Mollie's late sisters brother and has been caring
for the children since their father's death. Upon first impression,
Mollie believes Sean to be shiftless and careless. She convinces
her mother that she really needs to come to Inismor to decide
for herself where the children should be. Hesitantly Emma
agrees. No matter how Mollie and Sean grate on each other
there's no suppressing the physical attraction they have for
each other. Mollie has also come across another stumbling
block that she didn't think of in the beginning. Her father.
This is her time to discover the man her mother denied her
of for so many years and decide if she can forgive herself
of the horrible feelings she's harbored for so many years.
Sean O'Malley is naturally standoffish. He's
a quiet man, thoughtful, but there's no denying his love for
his nieces and nephew. When Mollie turns up on the island
his life is tilted further askew when she tells him that her
brother left custody of the children to their grandmother,
her mother, and are to be sent to California. Sean must now
search within himself to discover if he's ready to become
a father and if he's willing or able to fight with these rich
Americans. His eventual attraction to Mollie will be his undoing
if he's not careful though because he knows that the struggle
to keep the children could escalate.
"Spellbound" is indeed the perfect
title for this book because I was enthralled from the first
page. Baker's imagery is so incredibly accurate that the island
becomes a reality in the readers mind. The characters are
all well thought out, believable and, most important, likeable.
Island life on the Aran Islands in Ireland is unusual compared
to mainland life, but Baker has brought those realities to
the surface in this story while keeping the story upbeat and
flowing constantly.
It's this reviewers personally feeling that
Jeanette Baker's forte are her Irish set books. I've read
all of her stories and have been most taken with the Irish
ones. They are rich in atmosphere, emotion, and overall appeal.
For anyone interested in Irish set books, stories of family
unions and re-unions, and rich reads then I would recommend
giving "Spellbound", and other Baker books, a try.
