Ireland during the English invasion was a place wrought with danger, and the Irish lived in the unknown – who knew when the English would arrive at the next town, or who would be the next to lose their lands, or their lives. Áine Callaghan is the only person who remained after the English attacked the estate she was working on, and when Niall O’Coneill arrives, looking for his sister, he finds Áine instead.
Niall and Áine’s love story isn’t one full of passion and an insatiable desire for each other, but rather a shy romance. Áine has lived through horrific circumstances, and suffered at the hands of those who should’ve protected her, and so when she meets Niall, she is more than cautious. She has built up her defences, and she dares not to let anyone in. But, Niall is patient and kind. He listens to her, and, on occasion, even acts on her advice. Áine has never before met a man who not only listens to her when she speaks, but hears what she says, and who is willing to let her move at her own pace, and to wait for her to be ready to get to know him.
The difficulty that the Irish faced is depicted masterfully. Irish landowners lost their possessions, towns full of people were uprooted, and the soldiers barely had enough supplies left to continue standing up to the increasing English forces. But still, they battled on, for they all knew deep within themselves that to give up, to let Ireland fall into the hands of the English, was something they simply could not sit by and let happen.
This book is utterly captivating and will grip your attention from beginning to end. It is the type of book that will have you returning to it, time and time again, just to lose yourself in the words.
Ireland 1652: In the desperate, final days of the English invasion of Ireland . . .
A fey young woman, Áine Callaghan, is the sole survivor of an attack by English marauders. When Irish soldier Niall O'Coneill discovers his own kin slaughtered in the same massacre, he vows to hunt down the men responsible. He takes Áine under his protection and together they reach the safety of an encampment held by the Irish forces in Tipperary.
Hardly a safe haven, the camp is rife with danger and intrigue. Áine is a stranger with the old stories stirring on her tongue and rumours follow her everywhere. The English cut off support to the brigade, and a traitor undermines the Irish cause, turning Niall from hunter to hunted.
When someone from Áine's past arrives, her secrets boil to the surface—and she must slay her demons once and for all.
As the web of violence and treachery grows, Áine and Niall find solace in each other's arms—but can their love survive long-buried secrets and the darkness of vengeance?
Trigger Warnings:
Violence, references to sexual/physical abuse.
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