Maid Of Killarney [Paperback]

Lily and her daughter tried to ignore the taunts of "witch", keeping to themselves in the small cottage on the edge of Whistler's Woods. But that was not to be. Three young ruffians tried to drown Lily's little girl "swim the witch", but one brave man defied them to save her. John Black.

John Black was the doctor turned rebel from Ana Seymour other Riordan Brothers tales, so fans will be tickled to see he finally gets his own tale.

Both John and Lily were in love once and vow never to love again. John losing his lady to another man, and then having her died in childbirth, while Lily unwisely loved a married Englishman, who did not tell her he was married and left her alone to bear their child. John refuses to leave Lily and her child alone, helping them in any way he can.

It's a gentle warm tale, that will please the fans of Seymour's work in the Irish Eyes Series.

But before he arrives there, he comes across a young girl who has been tossed into a pond by three young boys. He saves her, takes her home and meets her mother. Lily and her daughter are reluctant to have him in their home or to share any information with him about why this may have happened. They seem to just want him to go on his way and leave them alone. He does so and discovers from his friends that she and her daughter are thought of as witches due to the way they live alone in the woods and also because of Daphne's disfigured foot.

Lily was also in love once. As a young woman she fell for a visiting Englishman who neglected to tell her he was already betrothed to another. After he returned to England, Lily discovered she was pregnant and her family threw her out of her home. She and Daphne have had just each other ever since, living in isolation in Whistler's Wood.

But John Black is about to change all that. He refuses to stay away, offers to help correct Daphne's foot problem and generally offers these two lonely souls his support and friendship. And they'll need it, for these are turbulent times with tensions heating up between Irish and English as well as Daphne's growing independence and need for more social contact other than just her mother. John's steadfast support and Lily's appreciation of it slowly turn to affection and love. But when Daphne's father returns, will everything Lily had worked so hard to build be destroyed?

A really terrific story and great characters. John was sweet and strong, Lily was strong yet vulnerable and Daphne, her preteen daughter is eternally optimistic and adorably wise beyond her years. A highly recommended read!

John brings little Daphne safely to her concerned mother Lily, but both quickly leave him with not much beyond a bit of gratitude, wanting him on his way. A bit stunned not just by their attitude, but that Lily is clearly high born, John leaves. However, John cannot forget the two females so he persists on becoming part of their lives even after learning that Daphne's clubfoot make them pariahs at best and witches at worst.

Readers will find Ana Seymour's latest Irish historical romance absorbing due to the pleasing lead couple and the mature Daphne struggling in a world that condemns her. The story line is more character study than the typical sub-genre novel, but the audience will see more of the inner goodness of John and Lily while also observing the reaction of the townsfolk towards the innocent but physically handicapped Daphne. MAID OF KILLARNEY is a charming relationship drama that brings the different sixteenth century classes vividly alive.

Harriet Klausner