Irish Thoroughbred and Irish RoseNora Roberts has always gravitated toward the Emerald Isle for both characters and settings, and chose a displaced Irishwoman as the heroine of her very first novel, Irish Hearts. Adelia "Dee" Cunnane was orphaned in Ireland at a young age. Her aunt came to take care of her and help work the family farm, but after the aunt has a stroke, Dee takes on all the work herself. When the aunt finally dies, Dee must resign herself to the fact that there is no way she can keep the farm, and writes to her closest remaining relative, Paddy Cunnane, an uncle training horses for Travis Grant, the owner of Royal Meadows horse farm. Dee moves in with her Uncle Paddy and manages to get herself a job as a groom at Royal Meadows, assigned to one of the most promising horses Grant owns, Majesty. Travis and Dee both find themselves attracted to each other, but in that combative, awkward way so popular in romance novels. When Paddy has a heart attack, he asks Grant to marry Dee so that she won't be left alone in America, and Grant complies. Where their relationship goes from this rushed and arranged marriage, is of course, the heart of the novel. In Irish Rose, Travis and Dee Grant and their children make a trip back to Dee's homeland, along with a friend, Burke Logan, owner of neighboring farm Three Aces. Logan meets Dee's distant cousin Erin McKinnon when they stay with her family on the trip, and recognizes her as someone who wants to make an escape. He offers her a position as bookkeeper at his horse farm in America, and Erin jumps at the chance, even though she's a bit wary of her attraction to the brash American. Erin is still traditional, and when she refuses to live with Logan, he decides to marry her, quickly drawing her into society, where she feels out of place, as well as danger, as someone is drugging their horses to disqualify them. When Erin finds out more than she should have about the crime, she is suddenly in a great deal of danger, and Logan realizes how much he loves his wife.
I know that romance novels are all, to a point, formulaic. I know that the plot isn't the reason why one reads such books, but instead the books are read because they are character driven and the reader sees something of herself in the female protagonist. I generally enjoy books by Nora Roberts because she puts a lot of extra effort in to developing good, solid characters and a well described environment that teaches me something while at the same time remaining entertaining, but this compendium (Irish Hearts (Irish Hearts #1 & 2)) merely ranked an "it was ok" because it had none of these aspects.Both of these are tales of rich men who own horse farms and the poor Irish women they end up marrying and then impregnating. If it weren't set in modern day, the formula found in these novels would be exactly that of a bodice-ripper where the tension in the plot is driven by a lack of communication between two individuals who are desperately in love with each other but don't bother to ever mention it due to their own insecurities. They even marry without ever having communicated on any but the most superficial of levels. Yawn.And the world of horse racing and horse breeding and horse farm ownership? Hardly discussed. One learns a bit about odds (a three to one shot means that you triple your money if the horse wins) and a bit about how to turn a foal in a breached birth, but other than that ... well ... had I not been a horse crazed gal when I was a wee one, I wouldn't know a paddock from an exercise ring even after reading two books set in the world of thoroughbred racing.This is not Nora Roberts's best writing, though given that these are the first two books she ever penned (or should it be "typed"?) I am glad that she matured into the style I enjoy so much.
What do You think about Irish Hearts (2007)?
I found both stories in the book to be entertaining and different in an unexpected way. In Irish Thoroughbred I loved that Adelia is a tiny spitfire and how she loves Travis unconditionally, although they are at odds for the majority of the story because of a lack of communication, very common in Nora Roberts' novels. I did love the fact that it wasn't the traditional proposal at the end novel, like the majority of Nora Roberts' stories, and how Adelia went into willingly and determined to make it work, but because of a lack of communication, to both Travis and Adelia it seems the other does not agree with the marriage. The best part of their marriage that we see is the night of the thunderstorm, when I think their marriage really started. I really liked Irish Rose as well because it was different. It started out in Ireland, and Erin is given a chance for a life of adventure in America. I loved how Burke offered her the accoutanting job just to somehow get her to leave with him, and then I loved how they got married mid thru, and then she falls pregnant. There was a little danger at the end and it reinforced their relationship. An added bonus was seeing Adelia and Travis's life together with their adorable kids! I loved the power and Irish fiercness in both Adelia and Erin. Definitly a good, entertaining read.
—Maria
Irish Hearts encompasses Nora Robert's first? novel Irish Thoroughbred about Adelia "Dee" Cunnane winning the heart and love of Travis Grant (Royal Meadows horse and horse racing farm owner). She immigrates from Ireland to be with her uncle who is her closest remaining relative. Her love and knowledge of horses earns her a spot as an excercise boy. Her Irish accent and looks intrigue her employer and soon engages his heart. Enjoyable read about encountering a new culture and falling in love.
—Jan
Please people, don't think irish people are like this. The "heroine" came across as being from the back end of beyond not having a clue about anything. Don't mind her being a virgin - we all were at some stage and me, being Irish, was probably one a lot longer than most, especially as I am Catholic along with that. I never read another Nora Roberts after this. Nobody in Ireland says "aye" or calls someone Mistress Bowers or whoever it was ... read the first story and could not finish it. Pains me to give it even one star. "A curse on you, Travis Grant" ... she is not Maureen O'Hara in The Quiet Man (a film I love by the way) ... c'mon, any self-respecting Irish woman would turn around and say "Travis, go f**k yourself, you assh**e".
—Mo
