The Maiden of Ireland audiobook

Originally published in 1993 as, "The Mist and the Magic" this is a newly revised version by the author.I chose to listen to the audio version as a St. Patrick's Day treat ☘️ The narrator spoke in a beautiful and lyrical Irish accent that was music to my ears! 🇮🇪I enjoy Historical Romances from time to time. The era and setting was riveting. In 1658 during Oliver Cromwell's reign in England a certain, John "Wesley" Hawkins is sentenced to hang. He is given an out by Cromwell that if he sails to Ireland and finds out who is the leader of a certain gang of outlaws his life will be spared and his young daughter's too.Caitlin McBride is a fierce and strong woman who lives in Clonmuir Castle in Ireland. She is gazing out to sea and wishes to find her true love and suddenly Wesley walks upon the shores.The writing was flowery and magical. In order to feel the place and time effectively I think this one is best to be listened to on audio. The story is good but I think the romance was more of a 3 1/2 stars for me. The narrator really added to my enjoyment. It was perfect for St. Patrick's Day. ☘️🌈🎩

All of this authors books are powerful. This one delivered. I loved the ending.

A richly detailed, enjoyable historical romance, The Maiden of Ireland was a lovely read. I liked this book. I haven't read many romances set in Cromwell's era, especially not in Ireland, so it was new for me and I'm happy to say that I thought it was wonderful.Caitlin was a great heroine. She was very strong and fiercely loyal to her people. Even under the difficult circumstances she found herself in, she didn't falter. She was frustratingly stubborn a couple of times, but nothing too bad. Overall, I really liked her.Wesley was also wonderful. Like Caitlin, he was very loyal and the poor man had his loyalties torn between his daughter and the woman he loved. Lots of mental conflict there. He was very clever and crafty enough to get himself out of any situation. And, he was also a kind man who, despite the circumstances, was honorable. My only complaint was that, though I understood his reasons for keeping quiet, I wished that he would have told Caitlin about his daughter sooner. It would have saved a lot of heartache. But, otherwise, I really liked him as well.The romance was very sweet. Caitlin and Wesley were so great together. Despite all the challenges in their way, they fell for each other and I thought it was sweet. And, they definitely had some sensuous heat between them. I thought they were a lovely couple.The plot was okay. It went by rather slow. I never got disinterested, but, because of the pace, I was never fully hooked. Nonetheless, I was still kept interested the entire way through. I really enjoyed the story and the ending was great.The Maiden of Ireland was a wonderful historical romance. I really liked it and enjoyed reading it. Romance lovers, this is a book you might want to check out.*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

I had a difficult time getting into this book and I still think the way Caitlin and Wesley first meet is a bit silly and unrealistic. I kept on turning the pages, though, waiting for something to change - and then it did. I got hooked into the story and couldn't wait to discover how Wesley was going to get himself out of all his predicaments and manage to be reunited with his daughter.I found the romance between Caitlin and Wesley a bit secondary, given everything else that is happening at the same time, but the rest of the plot, once you finally get into it, is intriguing enough to keep you trying to guess what might come next.Very well written and historically interesting, even though a few of the dialogs seemed slightly too modern. Four stars.

This was VERRRRY SLOW to start. The only 2 things that kept me reading was that it was Susan Wiggs and hope it would get better. I'm not sure exactly when it finally turned around for me, but once the tides turned, I couldn't stop. I usually need 2-3 days to read a book...this took me a week. I'm so glad I persevered.

I really did like this book. There were however a few things that disturbed me. I did not like the deceitfulness and how long it continued. He should have come clean once relationships had been formed. There is a sex scene.

What a wonderful book and an even better ending! I would absolutely recommend this book!

The historical romance was pretty good but the author spends far to much time explaining every detail of the scene. There should be scene setting but not multiple pages.

3 1/2 Star Read Desperate to save his baby daughter from Cromwell's clutches, the condemned, John Wesley Hawkins, agrees to seek out and bring to heel the leader of the Irish rebel faction, the Fianna. His only problem is, when he finds out the infamous rebel is an Irish beauty named Caitlin MacBride, and she is a strong woman with the weight of an entire clan of people on her shoulders. Wesley arrives with the intentions of capturing the rebel and freeing his daughter from Cromwell, but all those intentions get sidetracked when he sees the injustices happening all around the MacBride and finds his attraction to their leader, Caitlin, distracting. Caitlin MacBride is like no other female of her time. She knows her clan leader father has good intentions but is apparently scatterbrained, so she takes up the mantle of her people in making sure they are fed and clothed and safe from the invading English. Caitlin holds little regard and no trust in the English, but when she meets Wesley, he feelings begin to soften, until she finds he is a traitor and a liar. What happens in this epic tale will surprise you as it takes us from Ireland to England and back again.THE MAIDEN OF IRELAND by Susan Wiggs is a action-packed tale of desire and deceit. Wesley and Caitlin are two strong characters fighting for their very lives and two character, unafraid of doing what it takes to get the results they need. I have not read many tales set in this time-period or in Ireland, but I found it to be a delightful and insightful story. It was a bit tedious at times, and I did set the book aside a few times and then go back to it later, and I am I did, because it truly has a great outcome. ~KIMBERLY~

I rarely read historical romances, but this was from one of my favorite authors and I gave it a try. THE MAIDEN OF IRELAND was originally released in 1993 as The Mist and the Magic. The revolves around an Irish lass, Caitlin MacBride, who is desperate to save castle Clonmuir and her people from the ravages of the British Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell. He is just as desperate to put down the Irish rebellion and the people refusing to accede to his will. He sends John Wesley Hawkins, who has been condemned to hang for treason and heresy, and uses his own little daughter to force Wesley to bring him the head of the rebels' commander, who happens to be beautiful and strong-willed Caitlin.Too bad for Cromwell, Wesley falls in love with her and decides to trick Cromwell into releasing his daughter and ceasing his attempts to crush the Irish. To do so, however, he has to keep his real intent from Caitlin and still protect her from Cromwell. How he does so makes for a swashbuckling action-packed story that finally (though not without mayhem first) ends well for all but a few. I won't name the ones who fail or lose THEIR lives so as not to ruin the story.

Available August 26: The Maiden of Ireland*****4/5 starsThis Irish-English tale has the makings of a saga.Recommended readers: If you like characters from opposing sides. if you prefer a little more history in your typical romance. Here's my Rankings: 4/5 for characters 4/5 for plot 4/5 overall Note: 2/5 some steaminess READ THE FULL REVIEW FROM BOOKS FOR HER:

One rule of thumb for writers is to tell the story mostly from the POV of the character who has the most to lose. I might agree with Wiggs that the primary pov character should be the hero here, but I felt like the same story told from the heroine's pov might've been far more emotionally powerful. Even so, I enjoyed the story enough to give it 4 stars.

The beginning did not grab me right away, but I eventually could not put it down. Could not give it a 5 due to the slow start and the fact that I found one of the secrets being kept, was not quite plausible. Couldn't believe it was such a difficult secret to tell.

Excellent details -- made me feel like I was in Ireland. Great sense of place. Enjoyed the characters, but plot movement went fairly slowly as did character development. Liked the intrigue and the splash of magic thrown in. I'd read something else by this author.