Putnam hardcover reprint 1998
the 'Born in' Trilogy
This trilogy, set in the green and fertile land of Ireland, features the three Concannon sisters. The hot spirited Maggie, the cool rose Brianna, and the all American Shannon all come to learn about the love shared between men and women as well as the love between sisters.
Born in Fire
Born in Ice
Born in Shame
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Born In Fire
Margaret Concannon is a reclusive artist - she neither wants nor needs the intrusion of Dubliner Rogan Sweeney into her life. Rogan Sweeney owns WorldWide Galleries and is determined that MM Concanon will be under his management and the first of his featured artists from Ireland. These two strong wills clash vividly as Maggie fights for her independance even as she falls in love with Sweeney.
Murialisa's Review - *****
Born in Fire is one of my all time favorite Nora books. Maggie is a strong willed heroine who is a little afraid of surrendering herself, afraid that she will lose herself and that her marriage will turn out as her parents' did. Nora vividly shows the relationship between Maggie and her mother and her sister Brianna, setting the stage for this relationship to evolve throughout the trilogy. This trilogy is not just a series of love stories - it is ultimately about family, and the acceptance of family. Born in Fire sets the stage for the later books, all the while telling a fabulous tale of two passionate people with strong wills who refuse to bend to each other.
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Born In Ice
Brianna Concannon is a woman of hearth and home. Though she has yet to marry, she runs a bed and breakfast. Grayson Thane is a Yank writer who has come to stay in Ireland while he writes his latest suspense novel. Brianna differs from Maggie - Maggie had a temperment of fire, Brianna is more calm and collected. As she falls in love with Gray it is more gradual - he becomes a part of her life. A part that she always acknowledges will leave when the book is done. However, along the way Gray woos her with menus from exclusive restaurants and a car that works. The story is not just about Brianna, but about Gray's fear of commitment and love. Abandoned at an early age, will he learn to trust Brianna with his heart?
Murialisa's Review = ****
Born in Ice is a fabulous book! The book furthers the relationships between the Concannon women - the source of conflict in this book being more between Brianna and her mother. However, the conflict between Maggie and Maeve is continued as well. Grayson makes a fabulous hero - a writer who doesn't know how to give of himself, and makes do with lavish presents - cars and diamond pins, trips to New York and FAO Shwartchz, movie premieres and parties with Tom Cruise. Brianna is a woman who opens her heart even though she recognizes that when the book is done, Gray will leave, and she refuses to beg for him to stay. She and Maggie have the same pride. The subplot with the stock certificate and Mr. Carstairs and his wife is brilliant - it's woven into the fabric of the story so that it's one of the most memorable points, while not integral to the story. This is one of Nora's talents - the ability to make the subplots seem as vivid and important as the main plot. And behind it all the thread that ties these three book together, family, is being woven as relationships develop that will culminate in the third book.
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Born In Shame
Shannon is the third Concannon sister, born the same year as Brianna, the result of Tom Concannon's liason with a visitor from America. Brianna has searched for her and her mother, Amanda, and despite Maggie's doubts is determined to welcome Shannon into her heart and her life. When Shannon arrives in Ireland, she meets Murphy Muldoon, long time neighbor of the Concannons, and Murphy falls in love at first sight. While Murphy is driving Shannon mad courting her, Rogan decides that she should paint for a living as a part of Worldwide Galleries and abandon her successful career as a graphic artist. Overwhelmed, Shannon must decide if she is willing to compromise to meet her true desires.
Murialisa's Review - *****
This book is a fabulous conclusion to the Concannon trilogy. Watching Shannon build a relationship with her sisters, and ultimately with Maeve is amazing. This book is truly about becoming a family - threads that were started in Maggie's book are now showing what they were truly heading for, and as the trilogy comes to a close, the relationships in this family are depicted vividly. Shannon is also an interesting character - she comes to Ireland with no intention of staying, with no intention of falling in love or becoming a part of a family, a community. She is satisfied with her life in New York and wants no other. However, the life that she discovers in Ireland is vastly different - she discovers family, two sisters, one who opens her heart and one who is wary and very like Shannon herself. She discovers a man who is oldfashioned in many ways, like the land that he tils, who is insistant on courting her, who insists that they were lovers in another life. The subplot of the witch and the warrior is well woven into the story, bringing the superstition of Ireland, of a land with unexplained stone circles and magic, to life, a facet of Ireland that wasn't depicted in the previous two books. It is also intriguing to see where Brianna and Maggie have come - to see Liam and Kayla, their children, and to see the evolution of Maeve's character. In all three books she is set up as a type of villain, she has wronged both her daughters time and again and has no love for the living proof that her husband broke their vows - however even Maeve is not all evil - even Maeve's character grows. The common theme throughout the books is family and the growth of family bonds - at the end of the trilogy the Concannons are closer than they have ever been before. I highly reccomend not only this book, though it certainly stands alone, but the entire trilogy.
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