Welcome to my tour stop for Irish Meadows by Susan Anne Mason! I really enjoyed this one! Check out all the book and author info, my full review, and the upcoming Facebook event with a fabulous giveaway below...
Irish Meadows
(Courage to Dream #1)
by Susan Anne Mason
by Susan Anne Mason
Christian Historical Romance
Paperback & ebook, 384 Pages
July 7th 2015 by Bethany House Publisher
Paperback & ebook, 384 Pages
July 7th 2015 by Bethany House Publisher
Summary
Faced with an uncertain future, sometimes all you have left is the courage to dream.
Brianna and Colleen O’Leary know their Irish immigrant father expects them to marry well. Recently he’s put even more pressure on them, insinuating that the very future of their Long Island horse farm, Irish Meadows, rests in their ability to land prosperous husbands. Both girls, however, have different visions for their futures.
Brianna, a quiet girl with a quick mind, dreams of attending college. Vivacious Colleen, meanwhile, is happy to marry—as long as her father’s choice meets her exacting standards of the ideal groom. When former stable hand Gilbert Whelan returns from business school and distant relative Rylan Montgomery visits Long Island during his seminary training, the two men quickly complicate everyone’s plans.
As the farm slips ever closer to ruin, James O’Leary grows more desperate. It will take every ounce of courage for both sisters to avoid being pawns in their father’s machinations and instead follow their hearts. And even if they do, will they inevitably find their dreams too distant to reach?
My Review
Irish Meadows was a book that was beautiful in its cover and inside its pages. I loved the little spitfire we're greeted with in the first few pages when we meet Brianna. I also enjoyed meeting Gilbert as he comes home to the O'Leary family. There was humor, hardship, romance, lots of family, friendships, and a nice inspirational element that didn't overtake the story.
I enjoyed these characters. Smart and sweet Brianna, feisty and beautiful Colleen, hard-working and loyal Gilbert, loving Katherine, and stern James. Bri and Gil were definitely a perfect match, as was Colleen and Rylan. I think Rylan was actually my favorite character from the story. He always acted as he should have, even his slip-up felt right. I also love that he never presented a pretense. What you saw and heard was the truth from him. I also loved that he could see right through Colleen's mask to who she was and her heart and that he was willing to respect her when many, including herself, did not. That to me is a true gentleman.
My only complaints were first, that I did wish that Brianna, Colleen, and Gilbert had all been a little more consistent. There was a lot of wavering back and forth. I also wanted them to struggle a bit more when they finally saw the error in their ways or maybe to have been stronger in not continually making mistakes and not seeing how terrible those mistakes were. Secondly, everything almost wrapped up too nicely. That might sound bad, but sometimes it's okay for a story to still be a work in progress, especially with this being a series and for not almost every single thing to work out.
I'd recommend Irish Meadows to those who enjoy Christian historical romance. It kept at a steady pace with parts that made me laugh, want to cry, and sigh along with the swoon-worthy moments. I'm looking forward to the second book, A Worthy Heart, to be released in January.
Content: Clean
Source: I would like to thank Bethany House through Litfuse Publicity for my complimentary copy as well as an eARC through NetGalley, which did not affect my review in any way.
I enjoyed these characters. Smart and sweet Brianna, feisty and beautiful Colleen, hard-working and loyal Gilbert, loving Katherine, and stern James. Bri and Gil were definitely a perfect match, as was Colleen and Rylan. I think Rylan was actually my favorite character from the story. He always acted as he should have, even his slip-up felt right. I also love that he never presented a pretense. What you saw and heard was the truth from him. I also loved that he could see right through Colleen's mask to who she was and her heart and that he was willing to respect her when many, including herself, did not. That to me is a true gentleman.
My only complaints were first, that I did wish that Brianna, Colleen, and Gilbert had all been a little more consistent. There was a lot of wavering back and forth. I also wanted them to struggle a bit more when they finally saw the error in their ways or maybe to have been stronger in not continually making mistakes and not seeing how terrible those mistakes were. Secondly, everything almost wrapped up too nicely. That might sound bad, but sometimes it's okay for a story to still be a work in progress, especially with this being a series and for not almost every single thing to work out.
I'd recommend Irish Meadows to those who enjoy Christian historical romance. It kept at a steady pace with parts that made me laugh, want to cry, and sigh along with the swoon-worthy moments. I'm looking forward to the second book, A Worthy Heart, to be released in January.
Content: Clean
Source: I would like to thank Bethany House through Litfuse Publicity for my complimentary copy as well as an eARC through NetGalley, which did not affect my review in any way.
About the Author
Will Brianna and Colleen have the courage to stand up to their father's schemes to save their horse farm and instead pursue true love? Don't miss Irish Meadows, the newest book by Susan Anne Mason! As the farm slips ever closer to ruin, their father grows more desperate. It will take every ounce of courage for both sisters to avoid being pawns in their father’s machinations and instead follow their hearts. And even if they do, will they inevitably find their dreams too distant to reach?
Join Susan in celebrating the release of Irish Meadows by entering to win her Kindle Fire giveaway and RSVPing to her September 1st author chat party!
One grand prize winner will receive:
- A Kindle Fire HD 6
- One copy of Irish Meadows
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