MY IRISH LOVE AFFAIR

By Caroline Clemmons

The title might be slightly misleading. Ha. Actually, Hero and I love Ireland, but the only affair I had there is with Hero. Although, I admit I fell in love with Ireland even before I fell in love with Hero. 

When I was a child, I loved the movies in which Barry Fitzgerald appeared. His Irish accent fascinated me (and still does). Recently, Hero and I re-watched The Quiet Man for the umpteenth time. We’ve seen it so many times we know most of the dialogue. I never tire of it, even though Ireland has changed since the film was made in 1952.

Barry Fitzgerald

When Hero and I were on our first tour of Ireland, we ate lunch at the inn where Maureen O’Hara stayed when filming The Quiet Man. She is one of my favorite actresses, plus I always wanted to look like her when she was young. We loved that tour that only increased my love of Ireland. Hero says he had to drag me onto the plane home. I did hate to leave but I deny that my heels left scuff marks in the air terminal as he dragged me to the plane. Several years later, we took a second tour for a longer time. We had planned to go back and rent a cottage for a month. Alas, the best of plans go awry. Between Hero’s Parkinson’s and my “parting gifts” from Covid, we won’t be able to rent that cottage. We have wonderful, wonderful memories of all our travels, though.

Maureen O'Hara

Several of the heroines in books I’ve written are Irish. The first was Cenora Rose O’Neill in THE TEXAN’S IRISH BRIDE, which is a sensual historial western romance. I did so much research for that book, but I loved it. Other Irish heroines in sweet, clean historical western romances are Gormlaith (pronounced Gorm lee and is Gaelic for Barbara) McGowan in THE RANCHER AND THE SHEPHERDESS and Betsie Galloway in MONK’S BRIDE. The hero is Irish in O’NEILL'S TEXAS BRIDE.

Maeve Kelly is my latest Irish heroine in LEVI AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE. Unlike most Irish women her age, Maeve is well educated because her uncle—a retired university professor—taught her and others. As his star pupil, he told her  he would send her to attend the university in Heidelberg where he had taught. Unfortunately, her uncle's death derailed that dream.

Maeve Kelly

Her father died about this time, and her mother developed cancer. A devoted daughter, Maeve nursed her mother until the lovely woman passed. Maeve is not afraid of hard work. During this time, she took care of the garden and the household chores. and the sheep. A cousin helped with the sheep. When her mother passed, Maeve sold everything she could and traveled to New York City to stay with her sister, Aine Sullivan. Maeve and Aine were best friends and Aine encouraged Maeve to come to stay with them. However, Aine and her husband and two children live in a tenement in a two room flat. In spite of so many signs that say "No Irish Need Apply," Maeve knows she has to do something different to accomplish her dreams of a family.

Maeve is determined to marry a good man. Encouraged by a coworker, she answers an advertisement for a mail order bride. When she gets to Harrigan Springs, Texas, she refuses to marry the man who has sent for her—as well she should. He’s a scoundrel but he insists she either comes with him or repay him for her fare. She has no money.. Oh, but that leads her to her story...

If you haven’t read LEVI AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE, I hope you’ll get a copy of this sweet, clean historical western romance and learn the rest of Maeve’s story. The link to purchase the book from Amazon is below. Of course, it’s free in Kindle Unlimited.

https://www.amazon.com/Order-Bride-Texas-Country-Brides-ebook/dp/B0BZDT6Q1J/

Stay safe and keep reading!

Claiming Annie's Heart by Judythe Morgan

Claiming Annie's Heart

Judythe Morgan

Romance

 

Blurb 

 

Annie Foster stays in Ireland after boarding school to nanny a widower’s infant daughter. Five years later, the widower proposes. 

 

Weeks before the wedding, Chad Jones, her first love, arrives in Belfast on an undercover assignment probing her fiancé’s connection with IRA terrorists. Chad’s determined to change Annie’s mind because he’s never stopped loving her.  

 

But Annie still believes he deserted her. She’s moved on without him. Can he reclaim her heart before it's too late? 

 

CLAIMING ANNIE’S HEART excerpt 

 

Annie Foster glanced toward the flash of light when the door into Murphy’s Pub in Belfast, Northern Ireland, opened and the dark shadow of a man moved to a stool at the bar. She shivered at the rush of cold air from the unusually chilly July night, but her attention remained focused between the dark oak bar and the seisiún table. Seated with the musicians, four-year-old Emma lip-synced along with her. Behind the bar, her fiancé Pearce Murphy pulled the Guinness tap to build a pint.  

Her fingers glided over the upright piano keys. Her voice echoed through the still, quiet pub with the final chorus of the ancient ballad, “For she lived to hope and pray, For her love in Botany Bay, It's so lonely round the fields of Athenry.”  

Annie rose slowly. Her body weighted by emotions stirred from the words she sang. She’d been lonely once - waiting, hoping, praying. Not anymore. With a smile at Pearce, she headed to Emma.  

She’d only taken two steps when the man who had entered swept her off her feet. She struggled against his arms, pinning her loosely but firmly to a body hard as a slab at Stonehenge. His lips sealed over her startled scream. As the kiss softened, a mist of familiarity fogged her brain.  

Before she could sort through the haziness, a familiar Irish brogue called out, “Get your hands off me lass.”  

Pearce yanked her from the man’s arms. The unmistakable crack of fist meeting flesh shot through the air, and the stranger tumbled backward, knocking over a chair as he fell. Blood spurted down his chin and splattered onto his shirt.  

Pearce reached down to haul the man to his feet for another go. Annie clutched at his forearm. “Pearce, stop it! I’m fine.” 

Emma appeared beside her father. Her hazel eyes saucer-like on her pudgy face. She tugged on his other arm. “Da, you broke his nose.” 

Pearce twisted from their joint restraint, showing no remorse. “He’s touching you again, I’ll kill him.”  

The stranger pulled himself up and swiped at the blood running down his chin. “She’s my fiancée. Annie, it’s me. Tell him.” 

The deep baritone voice saying her name carried a familiar cadence. Its resonance danced a jig in her ear, and her heart skipped a beat. Annie swayed. “Chad?”  

Pearce reached to steady her, but she braced herself against Chad’s chest.  

Chad lifted her hand to his lips, kissed her fingers. “I’d given up on finding you, my Annie.” 

“Too late, you are,” Pearce said.  

Annie shot her friend Molly a frantic help me glance.  

Nodding, Molly linked her arm through Pearce’s. “We’ll be needing you. Liam wants another of your special Murphy’s.”  

Pearce jerked from Molly’s grip and motioned the crowd away. “Enough already. Everyone back to your places,” he said and stomped to the bar. 

Emma scooted closer, hugging Annie’s waist. Her eyes glistened with tears. Her lips puckered in a pout. “She’s not yours. She’s mine and Da’s.” 

Annie slipped her hand from Chad’s, gave Molly a grateful nod and crouched to hug Emma. “That’s right, sweetie. I’ll always be yours.”  

Chad’s gaze flickered from Annie to Emma. “She yours?”  

Aware of every eye in the pub watching them, she tipped Emma’s chin upward. “Sweetie, you go help Molly and your Da.”  

Emma’s shoulders straightened as though she might protest, then dropped with a weighty sigh. Her posture and stride mimicked her father’s as she walked away. 

Annie motioned to Chad. “Come with me. Let’s put some ice on your nose.” Pearce’s hazel eyes, shadowed by angry disbelief, tracked them as Annie led the way behind the floor-to-ceiling, age-darkened, oak bar. She kept her back stiff, her pace steady down the narrow hallway to an iron spiral staircase and up the steps to her apartment above the bar. Inside, her body shivered, trembled, quaked with questions. How had Chad found her and where had he been? 

 

 

CLAIMING ANNIE’S HEART buy links: 

 

KINDLE: https://amzn.to/3HfVjuD 

NOOK: https://bit.ly/3BMPrrC  

 

AUTHOR BIO: 

An Army brat then an Army wife, Judythe Morgan has seen a lot of this wonderful world. Her crazy life as a mother to three, teacher, an antique dealer, former mayor’s wife, and sometimes church pianist have given her plenty of story material. Add an Old English sheepdog named Finnegan MacCool and the possibilities are endless.  

That’s why she decided to write fiction. You’ll find her characters are vivid. Her settings authentic. Her stories award-winning.  

Sign up for her free newsletter at https://judythemorgan.com/ to keep up with her latest release news and subscriber-only sneak peeks.