Review: The Gallaghers of Ardmore Trilogy by Nora Roberts

   

Believe it or not, in all my years of reading, this was my first taste of Nora Roberts, and I come from a family of Nora Roberts junkies. This excerpt is from the preface of the first book, Jewels of the Sun, that sets up the premise of the series:

     I'd like you to meet the Gallaghers of Ardmore: Aidan, Shawn, and Darcy, who run the local pub in this pretty seaside village in the county of Waterford. Not far from the village is a cottage, a place of magic where a lonely American woman comes to explore her roots and her heart.
     She won't be alone in the house, for there is another lonely woman in residence. She just happens to be a ghost.
     With the help of a faerie prince who loved well if not wise, Aidan Gallagher of Ardmore and Jude Frances Murray from Chicago will find their place, and take the first step toward breaking a hundred-year spell.

The series begins with disillusioned American Jude Murray escaping to an enchanting little cottage her family owns in Ireland, where she stumbles into a warm pub on a rainy night and meets Aidan Gallagher. Aidan soon proves to be a good source for information for the research Jude is conducting on Irish legends and myths, and the more time she spends listening to Aidan tell the tales, the more she begins to believe in their magic, in herself and in her dreams. Helping to push these two together are a couple of star-crossed lovers of legend who believe Jude and Aidan are the first of three couples they need to break the three-hundred year old spell that separates them. Over the course of the next two books, the magic of the faerie cottage draws Shawn and Darcy into the legend, too, as they each find true love where they least expect it and play their own roles in breaking the spell.

As far as romances go I thought these were pretty average. No surprises, no deviations from the standard outline, but they're sweet stories, and tastefully sexy, too, which I like. And though I really liked how Ms. Roberts weaves Irish legends and folk tales throughout the story, I thought the legend at the center of the trilogy that the Gallaghers find themselves unwitting participants in came off as rather childlike and hokey.

What I really enjoyed about these books was the setting. I loved escaping into the sleepy little village of Ardmore. I could see it so clearly in my mind, hear the sounds of the waves crashing on the rocks, smell the food being served in the pub and hear the laughter and music and even the Irish accents of the residents. By the time I was halfway through the second book I was downloading Irish music and dreaming of an Irish vacation. All in all, not a bad way to spend a weekend. When I get the chance I plan to read Roberts' Three Sisters trilogy, which has been highly recommended. by several friends, and I have her Blood Brothers trilogy, too.

Rating:  3.5 Stars out of 5