Review of WILD IRISH HEART: Tricia O'Malley

Oh, What a Wonderful Book!

If you’re a romance lover, have I got a book for you! WILD IRISH HEART by Tricia O’Malley is wonderful … just wonderful! I loved every second of it—even the em dashes and commas. And why shouldn’t I? Ms. O’Malley had the good grace to cram it chockful of things that are guaranteed to whisk you into a world of enchantment, folklore, and magic! 

The setting of Ireland is the backdrop for this charming story. A mysterious book full of potions and spells arrives in Boston and is delivered to a beautiful, young girl named Keelin O’Brien. Keelin’s always yearned to learn more about her roots and about the dormant healing powers that she possesses, and the book her grandmother sent seems to hold the key to unlocking all the secrets. It’s not long before she makes the decision to leave her graduate studies in Boston and spend the summer in Ireland. But there’s more in store for her than proving whether old myths are true. Visions of a man with wild dark hair and blue, blue eyes keep cropping up and putting lascivious thoughts into her “scientific” mind. But little does she know that the man of her dreams is having the same sort of fantasies about her!

The premise is ooey-gooey with opportunities for suspense and thrills, and Ms. O’Malley’s writing lives up to that promise. The words she uses capture all the drama, sensuality, and mysticism of what takes place in the small coastal village that houses Grace’s Cove. Oh, that cove! It came alive on the pages and I wanted to visit so badly, but then the author has done this numerous times. It’s because she’s tapped into our imaginations and pulled out settings, images, and characters that are so evocative. Take Grace O’Malley for example. She’s the Pirate Queen, whose ashes are buried in a chalice hidden deep beneath the waters of the enchanted cove. I mean, can you beat having a Pirate Queen whose heart beat only for love? Then there’s Keelin’s grandmother Fiona. Wise and knowing, she teaches Keelin the art of healing using herbs and intuitive psychic powers. She also does her best to push the slightly daft Keelin towards Flynn! FLYNN! OMG, FLYNN! There were so many times when characters in the book would ask Keelin if she'd slept with him yet. When Keelin answered, “No,” they’d ask, “Why not?” I gotta say that I was asking the same question because if she wasn’t interested, I was! In fact, I was foaming at the mouth! Flynn was crafted so beautifully, that I’m sure every woman that reads the book will be swept off her feet! And isn’t that why we read romance novels? It’s not to say, “Oh, he’s sorta, kinda cute.” No! It’s to be wrapped in big strong arms and carried away by some dreamy hunkapoo that makes us drool all over our kindle and pray that Keelin succumbs to his charms so we can live vicariously! And thank you to Ms. O’Malley for finally getting them together, but it took long enough!

I can’t say enough good things about this altogether winning combination of elements. Think of the best chocolate you’ve ever tasted. WILD IRISH HEART will match that lush feeling of sensual goodness of when you take your first bite . Fantastic read, Ms. O’Malley! Thank you for thoroughly entertaining me. P.S. Send FLYNN! Now!!! Five stars for this one!!!