A Woman's Heart

Rating:
Summary: A Woman's Heart is a place of magic -
Review: and a place where magical things happen. Nora and Quinn find something special in the mystical land of druids and celts, they find a treasure that can only be found in the heart. They find love.

JoAnn Ross has been one of my favorite authors for a very long time, the amount of her books on my shelf will attest to that, but with A Woman's Heart she's brought her writing to a new level, one that touched the very core of this woman's heart.

Rating:
Summary: A Woman's Heart is a place of magic -
Review: and a place where magical things happen. Nora and Quinn find something special in the mystical land of druids and celts, they find a treasure that can only be found in the heart. They find love.

JoAnn Ross has been one of my favorite authors for a very long time, the amount of her books on my shelf will attest to that, but with A Woman's Heart she's brought her writing to a new level, one that touched the very core of this woman's heart.

Rating:
Summary: Nice story, but...
Review: Copyright 1998 All Rights reserved CompuServe Romance Reviews ( 75150,1665)

A WOMAN'S HEART by JoAnn Ross MIRA July 98 release

Take a trip to fascinating Ireland, courtesy of JoAnn Ross. See this beautiful country with its rolling green hills and sparkling blue lakes. Smell the fresh sea air and peat bogs. Meet the charming people, feel their pride and anguish, and hear their lilting brogues as they recount exciting myths and adventures passed on for generations. Writer Quinn Gallagher rents a room from Nora Fitzpatrick to be near the shooting location of a film from his book about the local sea creature. He moves into her home, her family and especially, her heart. But Quinn is a man who embraces the monsters that are as much a part of him as The Lady of The Lake is a part of Castlelough - alcoholic, abusive parents - and fears it's too dangerous for him to get close to any woman. Just as the legendary _lough beastie_ hides beneath the dark waters of Castle Lough, Quinn hides his emotions in the dark depths of his heart. But Nora, having grown up with the lake serpent as a part of her life, has learned to look inside all monsters without fear and see them for what they really are. If only she can convince Quinn to live with his demons and not fear them, they can embrace the future together. JoAnn Ross's writing is as fresh as sea mist. Whether she is the voice of a lonely five year old boy, an ancient sea creature, a selfless, independent heroine, a troubled, haunted hero, or a charming leprechaun-like storyteller, she speaks directly to our hearts. A WOMAN'S HEART is a story of miracles, monsters, and magic that will make you laugh, cry, cheer, and long to be held. The little bit of Irish in all of us makes us feel right at home - and you'll hate to leave. --Kat Bragg, CompuServe Romance Reviews

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book!
Review: Copyright 1998 All Rights reserved CompuServe Romance Reviews ( 75150,1665)

A WOMAN'S HEART by JoAnn Ross MIRA July 98 release

Take a trip to fascinating Ireland, courtesy of JoAnn Ross. See this beautiful country with its rolling green hills and sparkling blue lakes. Smell the fresh sea air and peat bogs. Meet the charming people, feel their pride and anguish, and hear their lilting brogues as they recount exciting myths and adventures passed on for generations. Writer Quinn Gallagher rents a room from Nora Fitzpatrick to be near the shooting location of a film from his book about the local sea creature. He moves into her home, her family and especially, her heart. But Quinn is a man who embraces the monsters that are as much a part of him as The Lady of The Lake is a part of Castlelough - alcoholic, abusive parents - and fears it's too dangerous for him to get close to any woman. Just as the legendary _lough beastie_ hides beneath the dark waters of Castle Lough, Quinn hides his emotions in the dark depths of his heart. But Nora, having grown up with the lake serpent as a part of her life, has learned to look inside all monsters without fear and see them for what they really are. If only she can convince Quinn to live with his demons and not fear them, they can embrace the future together. JoAnn Ross's writing is as fresh as sea mist. Whether she is the voice of a lonely five year old boy, an ancient sea creature, a selfless, independent heroine, a troubled, haunted hero, or a charming leprechaun-like storyteller, she speaks directly to our hearts. A WOMAN'S HEART is a story of miracles, monsters, and magic that will make you laugh, cry, cheer, and long to be held. The little bit of Irish in all of us makes us feel right at home - and you'll hate to leave. --Kat Bragg, CompuServe Romance Reviews

Rating:
Summary: Familiar but enjoyable Irish tale
Review: Fans of Nora Robert's Irish trilogys will find this a familiar tale. Jaded American with Irish roots goes to Ireland and finds love with charming Irish woman. I'm not sure if this a complaint. Sometimes all I want out of a romance novel is a new spin on a favorite plot line, which is the case with this novel.

That concern aside, this is a solidly written and entertaining title. Romantic Times has awarded it a Reviewer's Choice award and named it one of the top 200 novels in the last 20 years.

I particularly liked the pacing of the romance which unfolded gradually through the book with plenty of hints.

Rating:
Summary: Familiar but enjoyable Irish tale
Review: Fans of Nora Robert's Irish trilogys will find this a familiar tale. Jaded American with Irish roots goes to Ireland and finds love with charming Irish woman. I'm not sure if this a complaint. Sometimes all I want out of a romance novel is a new spin on a favorite plot line, which is the case with this novel.

That concern aside, this is a solidly written and entertaining title. Romantic Times has awarded it a Reviewer's Choice award and named it one of the top 200 novels in the last 20 years.

I particularly liked the pacing of the romance which unfolded gradually through the book with plenty of hints.

Rating:
Summary: Nice story, but...
Review: I truly liked the story. Romance, humor and Irish ambiance in quite a balanced mix. However, I could not help noticing the similarities of the plot to Nora Robert's "Born in Ice": a bestselling American novelist with a histoy of abuse as a child rents a room on a farm in rural Ireland, near Galway. The landlady is shy at the beginning but manages to secure the skeptic novelist's heart by the time he is supposed to leave for home. I repeat, I liked Ross's story fine, but would have appreciated a more "original" storyline better. By the way, Robert's books is superb.

Rating:
Summary: A Woman's Heart is a book of my own heart
Review: Ireland is a land of unbridled spirit, ancient legends, whitewashed cottages and storybook castles. A place where anything can happen and there are no strangers - until now.

Inspired by the haunting beauty of the west Irish countryside, A Woman's Heart is a love story about land, community, family, and the very special bond between a man who doesn't believe in anything and the woman who believes in him.

This is a very special story to me - a book of my own heart, so to speak. My family is from Ireland - McLaughlins and Kavanaghs mostly - and A Woman's Heart includes the story of my grandmother's kidnapping (by my grandfather), a tale of rash and romantic derring-do that's become part of our family lore.

Researching this book on the Emerald Isle was certainly no hardship. It was, thanks to all those warm-hearted folks who welcomed me, like coming home.

Slainte,

JoAnn Ross

Rating:
Summary: A heartwarming love story.....
Review: Joann Ross brings the reader to the Ireland countryside in this story of magic and love. Bringing together a jaded author and a woman who has known too much loss in her life, Ross will hold the reader enthralled in this tale of love.

Quinn Gallager has come to Ireland where he hopes to bring his book about an ancient Ireland legend, The Lady, to the big screen. He never expects to meet a character he created in the flesh. Ever since writing about the widowed mother, he has not been able to forget her, even though he knows she is pure fantasy. When he meets Nora Fitzpatrick, he realizes that she is his fantasy come to life. As Quinn finds himself falling for Nora, he reminds himself of his roots, which include an alcholic mother and a drunk and violent father. He convinces himself that he is not good enough for Nora and her family and nor will he ever be. What he doesn't count on is the goodness and magic of Nora and her family.

Nora Fitzpatrick is a widow who has convinced herself in the five years since her husband was killed that she had a picture perfect marriage. Meeting Quinn Gallager makes her take a second look at her life and her marriage and what she finds is less than perfect. Always the caretaker of her family, Nora decides that it is time to take care of herself and gives herself up to the love she feels for Quinn.

The story of Quinn and Nora is truly magical, reminding the reader of Nora Roberts Irish trilogy. I truly enjoyed this book and believe that if you like love stories, this one is a definite book to pick up.

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful work by one of romance's best
Review: Nora Fitzpatrick worries about the future of her family. She is the widowed mother of one child while raising her three siblings. Her widowed father is a noted storyteller gifted with a touch of the blarney, but he is useless when it comes to helping with the four children. Nora hopes that renting rooms to tourists will supplement her income so that the family can continue to live in the Castleough, Ireland, the home of the legendary Lady of the Lake.

American Horror writer Quinn Gallagher is the first paying guest of the Fitzpatrick family. He is visiting Ireland for the first time, a screen writer insuring that a horror film based on his current bestseller is properly adapted to the screen. When Quinn meets Nora, the attraction is felt throughout the Emerald Isle, but neither one wants to encourage it. However, with her family and the Lady in the Lake pushing it, love blossoms between the pair. Now, if both of them can overcome their past, a longtime relationship is theirs for the taking.

A WOMAN'S HEART is an exciting romance that blends elements from legends within a contemporary story line to produce a brilliant novel. The lead protagonists are charming and the support cast adds much depth to a moving and interesting book. Jo Ann Ross presents her readers with a bouquet of four leaf clovers.

Harriet Klausner