DAUGHTER OF IRELAND
Sonya Massie
Jove "Irish Eyes" Book
June 2000
ISBN# 0-515-12835-X
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Sonja Massie's "Daughter of Ireland"
is the 3rd release from Jove in their "Irish Eyes"
series, romances set with Ireland as the
backdrop.
This story is set in a small Kerry village where the great tourism
trade of the county has left these residents behind.
Moya Mahoney is a no-nonsense Irish woman
with a head on her shoulders for what's right in her corner
of the world, a deep sense of responsibility for tradition
and culture, and an opinion on the goings on in her village
of Gormloch, County Kerry. Moya runs a bed and breakfast full
time but her real love is storytelling in the old style in
the neighboring pub. This tradition has been passed down by
the recently departed seanachai (storyteller), Angus O'Brien,
who was like family to her. With Angus's passing it's common
expectation in the village that Moya will inherit Angus's
pub, as he had no family in Gormloch to leave it to. Moya
expected the same thing, until she found a letter going through
Angus's things. In the true nature of an Irish woman with
her ire up, Moya goes on the defensive when she finds that
the pub has actually been left to a nephew of Angus's that
no one knew existed.
Rory O'Brien is the son of immigrant Irish
parents. He's made a name for himself in New York City with
his computer company. He's a suave, modern city boy right
to his roots. He grew up with the stories of the "auld
sod" but never took much notice of them until he receives
a call from the local priest in Gormloch saying that his late
father's twin brother had just passed away and Rory's asked
to come to the funeral. By the time he arrives he's too late
for the funeral but it seems he's just in time to see just
what his parents had been trying to tell him all those years.
When he meets up with Moya sparks fly instantly, his with
attraction and hers with disgust. When he learns that he's
inherited the pub that she and the village expected would
be Moya's they are instantly pitted against each other, especially
when Rory's ideas to improve the land and bring much needed
employment mean destroying the pub, Moya's only true joy.
"Daughter of Ireland" was a joy to
read. Massie's ability to tell an Irish tale is evident with
each turn of the page. There is a real sense of the culture
in this village as well as tradition and superstition. The characters
are so well developed that their accents nearly jump off the
page. This story is a real page-turner. The deeper you get into
the story the harder it is to put down. This book is definitely
recommended to anyone with a love of laughter, culture and tradition,
and Ireland herself.
