On Photojournalism: A Review of Fair Haven by JoAnn Ross

I originally read this book years ago, when i was thirteen or fourteen and just discovering romance novels. I remembered a few things about it--that it talked a bit about The Troubles in Ireland, that it involved the hero taking in a daughter that he never knew he had, and that the heroine was a doctor. If that seems like a good set up, you can imagine why I wanted to reread it.

 Michael was a photojournalist who traveled to some seriously rough areas to document war and human suffering. He's hung up his camera to return to a quiet life of farming, when an old woman arrives on his doorstep with an eight year old girl that she claims is Michael's daughter. Michael takes her in fairly willingly, and is soon charmed by her bright imagination. Erin, our heroine, comes to town to take over as the local doctor for a friend who is dying.

One of the things that I forgot about this book, and this author's work in general, is her willingness to include the possibility of a little supernatural, a few quiet miracles, in her otherwise purely contemporary work. Nora Roberts often does something very similar. She has ghosts that show up and talk to people, and no one really makes a fuss about it. The children talk of guardian angels and magical creatures with a conviction that they must be real. I find it an interesting way to add depth to the story.

I had also forgotten how emotional this book is. The dying doctor, for example, I had forgotten entirely. Then there's a conflict in which Shea, Michael's daughter, appears to be suffering from seizures with unknown causes. Michael's attachment to Shae is probably the sweetest part of the book. He's a wonderfully loyal and caring father.

The romance itself is passable. It's sweet and hot when it needs to be, but it gets pushed aside for the other conflicts fairly often. I found their individual character development more engaging than their relationship development, so it sort of fails that way.

In any case, I liked many aspects of this book, the second time around as well as the first. It's worth reading if you like contemporary books with an Irish country setting. 4 stars.

On Movie Making: A Review of A Woman's Heart by JoAnn Ross

Today seems like a good day to visit Ireland. Here we meet Nora Fitzpatrick, a widow who runs a farm and a large family. She somewhat reluctantly rents a room in her own out to Quinn, a writer who has come to help work on a film that's being made in the town. Quinn is a loner, and normally resistant to all things hearth and home, but he finds himself drawn into involvement with the lives of the family, and very attracted to Nora herself.

The town and the characters are charming enough. I really liked Nora's family, although some of the children stray into plot moppet territory a time or two. I thought Quinn was very sweet with them. So sweet, in fact, that I had trouble buying the idea that he's a loner who has never experienced or wanted love.

Nora and Quinn work well as a couple, though I found nothing particularly remarkable or memorable about there dialogue, sexual chemistry, or the story of how they end up together. The book is held back by a bland safeness and predictability. It's a comfortable romance, but not one that's likely to stick with me

One thing I did really enjoy was the casual acceptance of the possibility of magic and fantastical creatures. Not so much as to make this a PNR, but enough to lend the setting a mysterious kind of quality. I'd be willing to read more of the trilogy because of the setting alone.

Overall, I wasn't overly impressed by this novel, but I also wasn't terribly annoyed or disappointed in it. If you like quiet contemporary romance in an Irish setting, you could do worse. 3 stars.