Once Upon An Irish Summer By Lisa T. Bergren & Instagram Giveaway!

Once Upon An Irish Summer
by Lisa T. Bergren
Publisher: Stonewater Books
ISBN: 978-0988547667

I was excited to be invited to participate in the blog tour for Lisa's newest book! Thankfully you don't have to read the other books in the series to jump right into this one!

Summary:

You Can’t Embrace Your Future Until You Deal With Your Past…

Fiona Burke has long been obsessed with Ireland’s famed, sixteenth-century pirate queen, Grace O’Malley. Now that she’s on the final stretch of earning her PhD in history, all she needs to do is finish her dissertation—with Grace O’Malley as her subject—then return home to Boston to defend it. Once that’s done she can compete for a highly coveted history professor position.

Fiona arrives in western Ireland aiming to interview the locals and find additional folklore to flesh out her work. But when she encounters Grace’s distant relative—the handsome, commanding Rory O’Malley—she gets seriously distracted. Rory shares her passion for history and Ireland, and cares for his grandfather and great-uncle in a winsome way. Unfortunately he also carries wounds beyond his injured leg…wounds that threaten to dismantle every little bit of a relationship that he and Fiona begin to build.

As a famed TV host becomes intrigued with Fiona—as well as convinced she should do guest appearances on his show—Rory starts to figure out that he might be as interested in his own personal romantic future as he is in Ireland’s epic past. But can he take the steps toward the healing he needs before it’s too late? It all remains to be seen…Once Upon an Irish Summer.

PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | CHRISTIANBOOK | INDIEBOUND

My Review:

This was a really fun story to read! I didn't realize how ready I was to travel to Ireland until I read Once Upon An Irish Summer. Also, it helps to have recently realized that my DNA is 69% Irish! I feel like after reading this story I'm going to need to brush up on my Irish brogue.

I really enjoyed Fiona's character. I actually felt like the way she carried herself was much more than your "average" 24 yr old. On the other hand, she did seem to act her age in that she  seemed to think she could handle anything or anyone who came her way. Ah, don't we all remember how "smart" we were in our early 20s? lol I loved her passion for Grace O'Malley and now I have an itch to learn more about the bonney lass. Ok, Grace probably would NOT care to be called that seeing how she was a pirate, but again, working on my Irish.

Then there's Rory. His character was very interesting to me. It's a strange thing, but for some reason I only ever think about American soldiers having PTSD, not others from other countries. His entire storyline, along with his grandda and great uncle, was a great addition. And I mean that aside from the romance side of things!

And hello, yes there's some romance. You can understand that neither of them wants to have any feelings towards the other because Fiona is only there for the summer and Rory as well. Of course that's what makes the whole process of them getting to know each other more fun!

There are a lot of twists and turns, which I wasn't expecting, throughout the story! Fiona's hunt to learn more from the locals was incredibly intriguing. Adding in the tv host added an extra element that made me wonder if this was going to become more of a suspense novel than a romance one.

Now, I do want to mention that there's an instance of "language" used that came as rather a surprise considering this is Christian fiction. I do think a different turn of phrase could've been used in place of what the author used, so I felt it important to let you know. The word is slang for "tough guy".

I have a GIVEAWAY happening on my Instagram! Please head there to win a book of your choice from Lisa!

ADVANCE PRAISE:

"Lisa Bergen has penned an immersive read laced with intelligence and

steeped in the myths of Ireland. Transportive and warm, Once Upon an Irish

Summer is a thoughtful escapist romance featuring a clever, relatable heroine,

an unforgettable hero and intercepted by the history of legendary pirate queen

Grace O’Malley. With just enough vulnerability to loan it a deft human touch

and backed by impressive research, this is a treatise on quiet heroism and finding

home in lush, new places."—Rachel McMillan, author of Dream, Plan, Go and The London Restoration

"Lisa Bergren took me on a glorious trip to Ireland...and I didn’t want to come

home! Wonderful characters, a beautifully painted setting, and an intriguing

mystery were only the beginning. But it was the romance simmering between

Fiona and Rory that truly stole my heart and made me turn the last page with a

contented sigh. Highly recommended."

—Deborah Raney, author of the Chandler Sisters Novels and A Nest of Sparrows

“Ireland comes alive – the history, the scenery, the people – in this delightful contemporary romance from Lisa T. Bergren. Rory’s vulnerability and Fiona’s tenacity had me celebrating every gentle step and stumble in their blossoming love story, all while enjoying the historical mystery they hope to solve.” --Rel Mollet, RelzReviewz.com

About the Author:

Lisa T. Bergren is Tim's wife, Olivia, Emma and Jack's mom, and an explorer of people, places and stories in many genres. She's written over 60 books and sold over 3 million of them, with the help of some good publishing people and readers like you. You can find more about her at www.LisaTawnBergren.com.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS

Don't miss Lisa's Facebook LIVE party on Friday, July 17th!

ONCE UPON AN IRISH SUMMER REVIEW BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE:

June 15 All of a Kind Mom
June 17 Relz Reviewz
June 19 Among the Reads
June 22 Fiction Aficionado
June 24 Woven by Words
June 26 The Green Mockingbird
June 29 Books, Life, and Christ
July 1 Hallie Reads
July 3 Christian Chick’s Thoughts
July 6 Bringing Up Books
July 8 Christian Bookshelf Reviews
July 10 The Writer’s Soul