.jpg)
Set in 1810, this is the first in
Harrison’s “Heart” trilogy of Regencies and tells the story of the English
aristocracy in Ireland, beginning with Lady Anne Wadsworth, an earl’s daughter who
lives with her sister and parents on their estate in Ireland. Anne is well
aware of her English ancestors’ role in persecuting the Irish, in her words, “…they
overlooked the displaced Irish folk with placid arrogance.”
Early in the story Anne encounters
Diarmaid MacGuinness, a red-haired Irishman who is working for Ireland’s
freedom and tells her of the Irish living reduced to being starving tenants living
on land that was once theirs. Meanwhile, she has a new English neighbor, Hugh,
Marquess of Ashbourne, whose mother is counseling him to take a wife. Though Anne
has no affection for the marquess, and he admits he does not love her, she
agrees to marry him to stay in Ireland and avoid a Season in London. A marriage
of convenience soon becomes one of love.
Harrison writes well and has delivered
a solid story that depicts the fate of the Irish in the early 20th
century (before they gained their independence). There are some good action
scenes when Anne makes some foolish decisions while trying to help them and the
marquess rides to the rescue. (One could not help feeling sorry for Diarmaid
who only wanted to see his country rid of the English. His tale was left
unfinished so presumably it continues in the rest of the series.)
The trilogy:
The Divided Heart
The Broken Heart
The Rebellious Heart
No comments:
Post a Comment