A Dance in Donegal is a historical fiction novel set in a small town in Ireland and filled with its culture and traditions.

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

A Dance in Donegal is a historical fiction novel set in a small town in Ireland and filled with its culture and traditions. It's well-written and lovers of "the auld Irish ways and language" will delight with the details of town life in 1920s Donegal. 

When Moira decides to travel from Boston to Ireland after accepting the post as the new schoolteacher, she encounters a frosty welcome from most villagers which immediately has the reader wondering what happened with her mother in this village. Moira makes friends with some God-fearing neighbors and eventually comes to discover the mystery surrounding her mother and what it means to be a true Christian.

For the most part, I enjoyed this story which has a good pace and a great setting. Moira has a good heart and she is compassionate and empathetic, however, I did find her quite clueless for a schoolteacher. She looked confused when people whispered about her behind her back and did not take the initiative to ask her friends what people were speculating about until more than halfway into the story. It wasn't clear to me why her mother never disclosed to her what happened to her, and why in heaven's name she would want her daughter to go to a village she herself fled from. I felt that there were missing details to the story. I had so many questions that were never answered by the end of the book. 

There was an incident with a dirt-poor student that had me wondering about his parents, and how could Moira and even her God-fearing friends wait to see what she decided to do when he was deathly ill before helping him. That whole episode had me somewhat shocked. As a parent, it really upset me. And there was another grave incident with a gentleman that I felt was unnecessary and did not add much to the story except to make me see how gullible Moira was. 

This book is heavy on scripture, which felt preachy at times coming from a character who did not attend church and practiced Irish traditions clearly based on superstition and pagan origins. Apart from these foibles, I enjoyed being transported to an Irish village to follow the journey of a young woman searching for answers.

Jennifer Deibel is a middle school teacher whose work has appeared on (in)courage, on The Better Mom, in Missions Mosaic magazine, and other publications. With firsthand immersive experience abroad, Jennifer writes stories that help redefine home through the lens of culture, history, and family. After nearly a decade of living in Ireland and Austria, she now lives in Arizona with her husband and their three children.

Book Title: A Rush of White Wings: An Irish Historical Love Story by Pamela Ford
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 382 pages
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Aine Press
Release dates: October 2020
Tour dates: Jan 6 to Feb 2, 2021
Content Rating: PG-13: There are two pretty mild love scenes, short and not explicit. Virtually no swearing except the more common Irish versions: "Jaysus" or "Jesus, Mary and Joseph."

Book Description:

The best journey brings you home

Boston, 1849. Shattered by the devastating loss of his wife and children during the Irish famine, Sean Deacey has given up on love and happiness. So when he rescues an infant from an immigrant shipwreck, he gives the orphaned babe to his sister Kathleen and her husband. They raise the boy as their own – until Ailish Sullivan arrives two years later claiming the child is her last living relative and demanding his return. 

A legal fight ensues, and Sean befriends Ailish, determined to change her mind and keep her from destroying his sister’s family. But when friendship leads to understanding, he is torn between the desires of both families. And as his feelings grow for a woman he knows he should not want and can never have, he faces an agonizing choice – stand with his sister or follow his heart. 

Award-winning author Pamela Ford explores the bonds of family as she takes readers on an uplifting emotional journey through grief, sacrifice, and the power of forgiveness.

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

A Rush of White Wings is the sequel of To Ride a White Horse, however it can be read as a stand alone. Once again, talented Pamela Ford took me on an emotional journey with this well-written Irish-themed love story. A novel that explores not only romantic love, but familial love between a child and its parents.

Kathleen and Jack Montgomery (characters from the first book) adopt Will, a child that was miraculously rescued from a shipwreck. Two and a half years later his aunt Ailish (I love that name) finds him and wants to raise him as her own as she promised her sister she would do if anything happened to her. The question is, does she have the right to take the child after he has been with his new parents for over two years? And what happens when you adopt an orphan during a time when adoption laws were at its beginning stages? 

I was fascinated as the author explored issues of legal rights, grief, sacrifice, mother-and-child bond, the meaning of family, and following one's dreams. The court case that ensued and how the judge handled the case were so interesting to me. And of course, there is the story of Sean and Ailish, with overtones of Romeo and Juliet. The couple who are each on opposite sides of the dilemma. The characters are realistic, as was the setting and the plot.

I loved this historical fiction story that touched me deeply, bringing tears to my eyes on several occasions. The last quarter of the book had me racing through the pages eager to see how it would all finally be resolved. Emotional and heartfelt, this novel will please fans of historical fiction and women's fiction. A good satisfying and touching book.

Pamela Ford is the award-winning author of historical and contemporary romance. She grew up watching old movies, blissfully sighing over the romance; and reading sci-fi and adventure novels, vicariously living the action. The combination probably explains why the books she writes are romantic, happily-ever-afters with plenty of plot. After graduating from college with a degree in Advertising, Pam spent many years as a copywriter and freelance writer before inserting a plot twist in her career path and writing her first book. Pam has won numerous awards including the Booksellers Best, the Laurel Wreath, and a gold medal IPPY in the Independent Book Publisher Awards. She is a National Readers' Choice Awards finalist, a Kindle Book Awards finalist, a Maggie Awards for Excellence finalist, and a two-time Golden Heart Finalist.

Connect with the author: website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads

Ends Feb 9, 2021

Book Details:a Rafflecopter giveaway

Title: Kitty Hawk and the Tragedy of the R.M.S. Titanic (Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series Book 4) by Iain Reading
ISBN: 9781502598205
Published: February 16, 2014
Published by: CreateSpace
Trade paperback, 234 pages
Content rating: G

Book Description:

Kitty Hawk and the Tragedy of the RMS Titanic is the thrillingly cryptic fourth installment of the exciting Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series featuring the intrepid teenage seaplane pilot Kitty Hawk and her various adventures of mystery and intrigue as she follows in the footsteps of Amelia Earhart on an epic flight around the world.

This fourth book in the series brings Kitty to the emerald hills of Ireland where she meets a handsome stranger and is quickly swept up in a perplexing hundred-year-old family treasure hunt involving secret codes and puzzling clues that lead her on a fast-paced adventure that carries her from Dublin to London - from the decks of the ill-fated ocean liner Titanic to the temples of ancient Egypt and the streets of Jack the Ripper - until she finally unlocks the mystery and discovers the long-hidden treasure.

Buy the Book:  Amazon



Reading a Kitty Hawk book has quickly become one of my favourite pastimes. "And then there was silence. A silence so complete that not a single one of us dared to breathe. For a moment, I was a lost soul again, set adrift in the universe, and floating on the memory of the adventures that had led me to this place so many months before."

In this book, Kitty is continuing her round-the-world flight, following in the footsteps of her heroine Amelia Earhart. Kitty is in Ireland on a publicity gig, when she is approached by a tall, dark, handsome young man who wants to hire her to solve a mystery involving his family and the ill-fated Titanic. The clues include an old newspaper clipping, a crossword puzzle and a postcard with strange markings. Kitty is off to London to the British Museum to learn about hieroglyphics, and includes a trip to Abbey Lane of the Beatles fame, as well as taking a tour of Jack the Ripper's domain.

Kitty continues to be an independent, smart young woman, but I was somewhat disappointed in her this time around. Stealing, Kitty? Really? And, I think the author didn’t need to go into details about Jack the Ripper's escapades. This is, after all, a YA novel – too much unnecessary, gory information.

The 100-year-old story of the Titanic never seems to lose its appeal. As usual, the author has deftly created an intriguing mystery surrounding it and 2 real-life people who were on that voyage so long ago. Mr. Reading's books are always educational. I loved the slew of information about the Titanic. For example, I didn't know that it was a royal mail ship, hence the letters R.M.S. attached to the name. I'm impressed with Mr. Reading's erudition regarding the Titanic, the Rosetta stone and hieroglyphics. He is able to convey this to the reader in a simple, understandable way.

The novel is a page-turner. The chapters are short and there is a lovely section "Some Further Reading (if you're interested)" - the author's words - following the 2 epilogues!

History buffs will enjoy the references to the Beatles, Sherlock Holmes, Marconi, Jack the Ripper, and much more. People of all ages will like the hidden treasure incorporated in the mystery.

Congratulations, once again, Mr. Reading!

Sandra Olshaski's disclaimer: Thanks to the author for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

About the Author:

Roseanne has spent 60-odd years in this institution, 30 years of which under the care of Dr. Grene. A rapport has developed between them that transcends a doctor-patient relationship. As the time approaches to decide her future, Dr. Grene reads documents about Roseanne from other sources and discovers that her history, with all its tragedy, may not be quite what it seems. 

Two different narratives are used to tell the story, that of Roseanne and of Dr. Grene. The shifting viewpoint gives an entirely different perspective to things. 

The author is a master at haunting, lyrical prose. For example, Roseanne describes herself as “an old, old woman now, though I may be as much as a hundred, though I do not know, and no one knows. I am only a thing left over, a remnant woman, and I do not even look like a human being no more, but a scratchy stretch of skin and bone….and I sit here in my niche like a songless robin- no, like a mouse that died under the hearthstone where it was warm, and lies now like a mummy in the pyramids.” “Panic in me now, blacker than old tea.” Regarding the local priest, “he carried a highly ecclesiastical umbrella, like something real and austere, that said its prayers at night in the hatstand.” Plus, and perhaps most amazing of all is that the author is writing in the voice of an old woman. How can he write so convincingly? 

Many themes are explored: the haziness of history and memory, the power of the clergy in the day-to-day life of the Irish, the effectiveness of incarceration in an asylum, religious intolerance, ignorance, superstition, and the resilience of the human spirit. 

Laura's thoughts:

I also very much enjoyed this novel and was taken in my Barry's unique turn of phrases and the way he built up the mystery surrounding Roseanne, especially as she writes her life history and reveals her memories of some of the tragedies she lived through. The story has a slow start, but only once I got into it did I realize that the author takes the time to build the foundation of his story and drops a lot of clues that make sense as we race toward a bittersweet ending.

As Dr. Grene delves into Roseanne's history, he discovers a very different story from the one she has penned on paper, making the reader question the real reason she ended up in the asylum and why her telling is different. It makes us question our memories and how we remember events from our past especially if they are steeped in tragic circumstances. This fascinated me since I work with seniors who have dementia.

I learned a few things about Irish history and had not realized just how much hatred among the religious groups caused local bloody wars and took away youngster's innocence. Although this book contains tragedies, Roseanne is a positive character, humourous sometimes too and her telling is so interesting that I wanted to continue reading despite the heavy themes.

If you like Irish stories, this one is a good one. Do not be put off by the slow start. I went back and reread some of the earlier passages, just to see how it all fit in again. And Barry's writing is certainly thought-provoking and beautiful.

Note: This book is rated P = Profanity for religious expletives(many) and f-bombs (about 6 in all).

Reviewed by Laura and Sandra 

Disclosure:  We borrowed this book from the library and were not told how to rate or review this product.