Nancy Richards-Akers
Richards-Akers, Nancy - SO WILD A KISS (Avon - 1998) (5)
Nancy Richards-Akers gives us a brilliant history lesson about
Ireland in the 1600s, when Cromwell's Puritan Army burned and
destroyed everything in its path. Cromwell gave his men
in power an edict. It allowed for 30,000 soldiers to be
granted land in lieu of salaries, and stated that the
homeless, destitute, poor, and rebels were to be shipped
off to the Americas.
The story opens as Sir Garrett Neville listens to a "cradle tale" told by his guardian, Lady Olivia Turbeville. This Irish tale had been handed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years, repeatedly told from early childhood on until every word was memorized. Although Garrett was born in England, because of his guardian's teachings, his heart and soul belonged to the Irish half of his ancestry. The day comes when he must leave home to claim his rightful inheritance in Ireland. When Garrett arrives in Dublin, he begins buying soldier's debentures, including Laragh in the Wiclow Mountains, in order to build a large holding. The men of Laragh and the surrounding lands have gone into hiding to avoid capture by the raiding English soldiers. They are the Irish rebels who are determined to regain rightful possession of their lands and drive the English away through acts of terrorism.
Eleanor Archebold, the young mistress left in charge of Laragh, has traveled to Dublin with a plan to gain enough money to buy debentures of anyone gaining title to Laragh. Eleanor sells two of her father's original manuscripts of poetry, but she is cheated and later mistaken as an Irish prostitute by Garrett. He is immediately struck by her beauty and look of innocence and propositions her. Knowing she must save Laragh at any cost, Eleanor accepts his money bag; and the giving of her innocence ignites a storm of passion neither will forget. Unbeknownst to both of them, this is not the end, but the beginning of an adventure they will share together. Circumstances will later reunite them as they join in a marriage of convenience to save Laragh. Eleanor, unaware of Garrett's secret ancestry, believes him to be her enemy. She is determined to keep the marriage in name only, but Garrett has plans to bring her to him completely in mind, body, and soul.
The author blends Irish history with folklore, mixing in a lot of adventure and some very sensual scenes in this beautiful love story. She writes in such a descriptive way that you feel you are there, and you also understand the fierce, determined Irish and their need to regain what the English have taken from them. SO WILD A KISS is a fast moving, stimulating tale that you will want to add to your reading list. ~Carol Carter for Bookbug on the Web
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