Dancing to an Irish Reel by

Twenty five year old Hailey Crossan takes a trip to Ireland during a sabbatical from her job in the LA record business. While there, she’s offered a job too good to turn down, so she stays.

Although Hailey works in Galway, she lives in the countryside of Connemara, a rural area famous for its Irish traditional music.  When Hailey meets local musician, Liam Hennessey, a confusing relationship begins, which Hailey thinks is the result of differing cultures, for Liam is married to the music, and so unbalanced at the prospect of love, he won't come closer nor completely go away.

And so begins the dance of attraction that Hailey struggles to decipher. Thankfully, a handful of vibrant local friends come to her aid, and Hailey learns to love a land and its people, both with more charm than she ever imagined.

Claire Fullerton is an award winning essayist, a magazine contributor, a former newspaper columnist, and a four time contributor to the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book series. She hails from Memphis, Tn. and now lives in Malibu California. “Dancing to an Irish Reel” is her second novel.

Make sure to check out her pages.
www.clairefullerton.com
https://www.facebook.com/clairefullertonauthor
http://about.me/claire.fullerton

Liam and Hailey. Still thinking in about this one. I love novels set in Ireland, especially if I can listen to them as an audiobook, because what story about Ireland isn't enhanced by a lovely Irish brogue? In this case, I read the book with my own eyes and did the brogue in my head, and as it turns out, I have a pretty good mental Irish brogue. I wonder if I can put that on my resume.

Anyway, back to Liam and Hailey. I've said it a hundred times on this blog: for me, what makes a book great is great characters that stay with you. Liam and Hailey were both definitely complex and the entire novel left me thinking. It's been a long time since I read a book written in a really great lyrical style like this and I really enjoyed it.

Liam was exasperating in such a perfect way.

Hailey was less interesting. It was kind of a mystery what Liam found so intriguing about her because she seemed pretty plain. Everything interesting about her happened before the book even started. However, even though Hailey was doing this I think I'll just stay in Ireland crisis thing, she was the normal one in the relationship. She wasn't the one with issues so much as Liam, but I kind of liked them together, so it was a win.

A slew of interesting characters rounded out this story into an enjoyable read. I quite liked the book and would absolutely recommend it. Do yourself a favor and give this lyrical, delightful novel a try.

Also, feel free to enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win prizes associated with the blog tour for Dancing to an Irish Reel.

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Scar of the Bamboo Leaf by Sieni A.M.

"Her heart wept when she realized that the hardest part about loving him was the idea that his love was never meant for her."

Walking with a pronounced limp all her life has never stopped fifteen-year-old Kiva Mau from doing what she loves. While most girls her age are playing sports and perfecting their traditional Samoan dance, Kiva finds serenity in her sketchbook and volunteering at the run-down art center her extended family owns.

When seventeen-year-old Ryler Cade steps into the art center for the first time, Kiva is drawn to the angry and misguided student sent from abroad to reform his violent ways. Scarred and tattooed, an unlikely friendship is formed when the gentle Kiva shows him kindness and beauty through art.

But after a tragic accident leaves Kiva severely disfigured, she struggles to see the beauty she has been brought up to believe. Just when she thinks she’s found her place, Ryler begins to pull away, leaving her heartbroken and confused. The patriarch of the family then takes a turn for the worse and Kiva is forced to give up her dreams to help with familial obligations, until an old family secret surfaces that makes her question everything.

Immersed in the world of traditional art and culture, this is the story of self-sacrifice and discovery, of acceptance and forbearance, of overcoming adversity and finding one’s purpose. Spanning years, it is a story about an intuitive girl and a misunderstood boy and love that becomes real when tested.

Sieni A.M. is a coffee addict, Instagram enthusiast, world traveler, and avid reader turned writer. She graduated as an English and History high school teacher from the University of Canterbury and is currently living in Israel with her husband and two daughters.

First Encounter by Candy O'Donnell

She didn't only touch his heart... she touched his soul.

Twenty-two year old Eric Holtzer didn't know what hit him when he first encountered Vivian DuCrane in the hotel lobby. Being a Prince from another country did have its benefits--awesome benefits, such as booze, fast cars, and women, but Vivian was something special--and she was about to turn his world upside down!

Misty's Review:

Self-destructive. That's what Eric is (Prince Eric? Kind of kept throwing me off). He's spoiled and bored and lost. Vivian knows what she wants and how to get it, and Eric is not on her list. A match made in heaven. Ha!


First Encounter is told from the male perspective, and I'm still thinking about whether that works for me or not. It's nice to know what Eric's thinking, but sometimes it is more intriguing to see the progressive change in male protagonists through someone else's eyes (just my perspective as a woman). Men are more mysterious when we are not inside their heads. Maybe it's what we don't know about the character that is intriguing. I overthink this stuff, I really do. But Eric is flawed, and we women just love us some flawed heroes!

Vivian is curt. That's the only way to describe it, and the only thing Eric sees in her, especially at their first encounter, is how pretty she is. He doesn't even know how to look for other things in a woman. Vivian is nice to him, but she doesn't fall all over him. I think he likes that because he has already shown that he wants something different, more meaningful in his life--he just doesn't know how to stop the way he is and be something else, and I think that's something a lot of us can relate to.

Please note: First Encounter does have some references to sex and adult themes, though it is not overtly descriptive.

Also, if you are someone who is bothered by minor grammatical and word choice issues, this may not be the right read for you. I try not to let errors in the text color my reviews because every story is unique and thought provoking and every author's voice has value. This story was definitely thought provoking for me. However, like it or not, a book is a whole package, and I guess it's worth a mention.

First Encounter is a cute, quick read that will keep you turning the pages because for some reason, you care about Prince Eric, that big screw-up! Overall, a good chick read that most readers of romance would like. 


Candy O'Donnell was born in Carmichael, California. At the age of twelve, she wrote her first mini book.
She earned a Bachelor's degree in History and Culture. After living with her aunt and uncle for over five years she wished to explore her uncle's Native heritage and did so with vigor. She also has 6 Grad units in Criminal Justice.

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