12 April 2008

Jewels of the Sun by Nora Roberts

Determined to reevaluate her life, Jude Murray flees her complicated life in Chicago to take refuge in a beautiful cottage in the picturesque village of Ardmore in Ireland. Surrounded by the beautiful scenery and refreshed by the more relaxed lifestyle, Jude finds herself fascinated by the local folklore. Even her cottage seems to have a resident ghost and Jude decides to embark on a personal research project to find out more.

Finally back home in Ireland after years of travelling, Aidan Gallagher is also something of an expert when it comes to his country's haunting myths. He's returned to devote himself to managing the family business. But in Jude Murray he sees a woman who can soothe his heart and stir his blood. And he begins to share the legends of the land with her -- while they create a passionate history of their own... - Synopsis from the back cover of the novel.

My Thoughts

I picked this book up at the airport thinking it would be a good light read for my long flight south. What I got was an exceptional story of love; exploration and self-discovery that made me laugh, nod my head in agreement and cry. Jewels of the Sun has touched me like no other romance novel has, and to this day, nothing I have read can even compare. It is not just another romance novel, but a story of learning to live your life to it’s fullest, to take chances and follow your dreams. After having just been through a recent relationship break-up (and a bad one at that), this could not have come at a better time.

Our heroine is Jude, a onetime university professor who has quit her job, sub-let her condo and moved to Ireland to ‘find herself’. After having her marriage break up in less than a year, she is confused, angry, sad and a little bit neurotic. Jude settles in Fairie Cottage and begins work on her academic paper but this soon turns to her writing of Ireland’s legends and stories, and following her life long dream.

Our hero, Aiden, is a resident of Ardmore who, after years of travelling the world, has come home to take over the family business – the local pub. Intelligent, sexy, compassionate & strong, he is everything a woman could want. He sets his sights on Jude and pursues her, eventually convincing her that she is a warm, smart, beautiful woman with much to offer the world.


Their love story is wonderful, the characters rich and very real. From the tomboy Brenna to the the vain and adorable Darcy to Sean the very talented and angry artist they pull us in, making us wish that we could be lucky enough to find friends like them. Added to this is a secondary plot with a touch of supernatural. It is the story of Prince Carrick and Lady Gwen. Separated by a three hundred year old curse, they wait for the spell to be broken so that they can finally be together.

Maybe it’s my fascination with everything Irish, I don’t know. But every time I read something of Ms. Robert’s that is set in Ireland, I am never disappointed. Her writing style is always engaging, the scenery vivid and beautiful. In this book you can feel the essence of Ireland through the people, the ambiance and the music. In all, this is a fantastic book, one that I could not put down and have read again and again. It’s a ‘feel-good’ story, teaching us that love is something that should never be given up on, no matter how bumpy the road may be.

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