New Review: Penelope Williamson’s THE PASSIONS OF EMMA – Passionate, Heartbreaking Irish Immigrant Love Story

Get out the Kleenex for this great romance by Williamson! I knew I was in trouble when I was in tears by page 20. But I could not put it down, and neither will you.

This is one of the most moving historical romances I've read; the Romance Writers of America nominated it for the coveted RITA award. If you've ever loved a man who loved a woman before you, or if you've ever loved a man you know you can never have...this is the romance for you! And even if you are not one of those, you will love this story, I promise.

Set in 1890 in Bristol, Rhode Island, it's the story of Emma, daughter of the wild and wealthy Tremayne family. With her father gone to live his own life, her sister in a wheelchair and her brother dead, Emma is her mother's "last hope" for continuation of their line of respectability. And it seems Emma will do her duty when she agrees to wed the staid but prosperous Geoffrey Alcott who has loved her "forever."

But Emma's life is changed forever when a young Irish child dies in one of Geoffrey's mills. She becomes involved in the lives of an Irish family and befriends an Irish woman, Bria, who while pregnant and dying of consumption, is still full of life and love for her man, Shay McKenna, and her two young girls. What Emma sees in their lives inspires her to defy her powerful family to fight for what is right and to become the woman she was meant to be. What she sees in Shay will cause her much heartache.

It's a wonderful story of the friendship between two women from very different backgrounds who become so important to each other they complete each other's lives. It's the story of a young woman of artistic talent and a wild and passionate nature who is confined to a life of meaningless duty and ritual but is moved by love to make a different life. It's the story of two women who love one man—a man of great dreams and great passions who has had great troubles in his life both in Ireland and America. It's the story of men and women who take what life throws at them and still manage to live significant lives full of love. Finally, it's the story of the Irish immigrants who have made America great and the sacrifices they made to build lives here.

This one is a keeper!! Buy it on Amazon.