Quinn Donovan needs a change to get over a broken heart, so when he finds out his father wants some new horses from Ireland, he jumps at the opportunity. He has always dreamed of going abroad. But when he gets there, his first meeting with breeder Cian O’Reilly is a disaster—on both sides. Ever since his parents abandoned him, Cian has lived with his grandfather, raising horses. He has no expectation of ever being happy and believes family has to come first. Then his second meeting with Quinn turns hisfirst impression on its head, and they discover they have a lot in common. But their time together has an expiry they live on different continents, and Cian can’t leave any more than Quinn can stay.
Cindy Sutherland is a first-time author in her early forties who never thought that getting involved in a fandom would lead to being published. She is an avid reader who would take in anything she could get her hands on, having inherited a love of books from both her parents.
She wrote in secret as a young adult, with only her family for an audience, and now is over the moon at the thought of sharing her love of writing with a few more people. Her favorite stress-busting activity besides writing is singing karaoke at her hometown bar, and she is passing on her love of reading to her daughter.
Cindy thanks God every day for an errant Youtube recommendation that led to her having the best group of friends she's ever had in her life, and she is looking forward to seeing where the rest of this journey will take her; and, hopefully, more stories to tell.
A feel good on the road story about two hot guys finding love. I didn't get any real sense of angst even though the men feel it. Fast with an easy chemistry but not a book where the characters or story stayed with me past the last page.
I actually loved this book. I didn't think I would. Especially when it is based in Ireland and has Irish characters. But I have to say I was impressed. It was more or less perfect. Something that really impressed me was there was nothing in this book that offended me and that has happened in books/movies before.
I just loved Cian and Quinn. They were just really sweet together. I know this couple will make some people want to throw up. But I am kind of a sap when it comes to gay romances. So this was just perfect for me. I really loved Cian. He was a sweetheart.
I laughed a few times during this book (hopefully it was not just me). But I will admit I laughed. Especially when Quinn first met Cian. I could not stop laughing (still don't know why). I just could not of written it better myself.
The story itself was really nice too. I would love to have gone on that trip with them to watch. The one thing I wish would happen more is the acceptance of gay people. The part of the country I live in I have never met an openly gay couple. But I do know gay people.
So overall I was extremely happy with this book. I will read it again and I have a feeling I will be just as happy second time around. Highly recommend it :)
I wanted to give it a 3 star, because well, everything was just so perfect.
But then I realized that everything was JUST SO PERFECT. Everything works out magically, as if the author just didn't want to think out some realistic answer to the conflict.
A nice sweet story, but it's a little to convenient for me.
This was sweet, but it was a bit *too* sweet for my liking. Also, I think things were a bit easy for everyone at the end of the story to get their HEA. Still, a sweet read so I recommend for when you are in the mood for a sweet, angst free story.
First, I have to say that I have an obsession with all things Ireland – the country, the food, the pubs, the ale, and the sexy accent (yum!) So when this book was presented to me it was kind of a given that I wanted to read it. Now, looking first at this book in a purely geographical, historical, touristy stand point, it did not disappoint. I could hear the accent spoken by the many Irish characters as I was reading. I could picture the beautiful countryside, the quaint historical towns, and the exciting musical festivals. I could hear the Gaelic music; almost smell the food at the pub. The physical description was, in a word, beautiful.
Okay that said, this story is more than the country Ireland, but that’s where my disappointment starts. The two main characters, Quinn and Cian, are so very one dimensional. They have so much in common. Take away Quinn’s insecurity and they’d almost be the same person. I would have liked more variety in their backgrounds. I also would have liked a little conflict. Quinn and Cian’s story was too easy. They meet. They fall in love. They are forced to go their separate ways. The mention of Quinn’s ex-boyfriend made me hope for some sort of conflict in the story, but sadly there was not. Unfortunately, it made for a pretty bland, almost boring, but very predictable story. I say almost boring because there were a couple parts that were rather good, but there weren’t enough of those parts.
Another problem I had was with the quick POV changes. At first the separation of the character’s POVs was clear, but as the story progressed the POVs randomly changed back and forth without any physical separation in the writing. It was a confusing and frustrating distraction.
What saved the story, besides the beautiful setting descriptions, was the epilogue. After the predictable final chapter, a glimpse into the future helped this story end on a high note. It was a wonderfully believable ever after.
So, in the end, Luck of the Irish was simply okay. The characters could have been better. The story could have been better. The editing could have been better. On the upside, it made me want to visit Ireland again, and the epilogue left me smiling. I had higher hopes for this one, and like I said it was okay, but it won’t be one that I plan on reading again.
Cover: What first attracted me to this book was the wonderful cover by Brian R. Williams that focuses on the Irish countryside and the ancient castle. Yes, the models are gorgeous, as they should be, but the setting captured my attention first and foremost drawing me to this book. Well done.
Summer weeks spent touring Ireland and looking at horses - an American lad sets off to find his heritage... and his heart. Quinn Donavan visits Athlone in the centre of the country, where he takes a room and explores the rural heartland. He's just left a bad relationship and Ireland is a very traditional country, so it's probably best to stay in the closet.
A handsome local lad catches Quinn's eye in a pub. Later Quinn meets this man again - Cian O'Reilly is in a family who has Irish Sport Horses for Quinn's father to buy. The horses, a mix of Irish Draught and Thoroughbred, are agile riding animals, good for showjumping, eventing and other sports, being larger than Quarter Horses and with a calm temperament. Cian and Quinn end up arranging to tour from Limerick, where an arts festival is in full swing, to Cork, where there are more horses for Quinn to inspect. While they just intend companionship, soon it's clear that they could be better friends. But with Quinn returning to North Carolina, is there any point in starting a relationship?
This is a fun tale. Ireland comes across as green, pleasant, filled with good food, culture and activity but relaxed. In Ireland's recent Presidential elections one candidate, a Senator, was gay. Cindy Sutherland has brought her characters to life and shown a charming side of modern gay romance. LUCK OF THE IRISH is a very readable adult romantic tale and will be enjoyed by many, while gay people may get more out of it than I did.
This novella was my first venture into Cindy Sutherland’s writing. I was intrigued by the concept of this book because I am a sucker for all things Irish and just from reading the blurb alone, I knew that I would enjoy this book.
Quinn Donovan is twenty-one years old and after having a bad round on the relationship ride, he has decided to take a month-long break. His father wishes to buy some new horses from Ireland so Quinn takes this opportunity to get over his broken heart.
It is in Ireland that he meets Cian O’Reilly aka resident wet dream. At first, they start off on the wrong foot, but it doesn’t take either of them long to know that they complement each other well. Their love for horses soon develops into an everlasting love for each other.
LUCK OF THE IRISH is an enjoyable, very sweet read. I thought Sutherland captured the essence of Ireland very well and it definitely felt as if you were transported there for the time being as you read the book. Though the pacing isn’t quite perfect, it was still a very fun, sweet read. As a new-to-me author, I’m glad to have tried out Sutherland’s work!
After being dumped by his manipulative boyfriend, Quinn agreed to represent his father to buy horses in Ireland. There, he met Cian, the grandson of the horse owner. Cian accompanied Quinn to sightseeing and going to other farms. During that time, they started to fall for each other, even as they knew that they lived in different countries.
A family emergency even made Quinn to go back to North Carolina earlier that he planned. Would there be a future for them?
Ms. Shuterland writes m/m romance that would be considered too sweet for some readers. I enjoy reading them and this book is not an exception. However, there are several things that niggled me.
It's quite sweet, with a bit of angst from the inevitable separation.
This book is a very sweet romance with very little else. Quinn and Cian are two young men with a lot in common from their love of animals to supportive families. The Irish setting was a nice backdrop to their few days of romance. Their relationship didn't just have good chemistry but felt believable in the time span they had. What I really liked about this book is that despite the fact they have an instant attraction to each other they aren't instantly professing their love for each other. Although they are both sad when Quinn goes back home there isn't tons of angst running all over, and neither one of them is trying to get back to each other like crazy. The ending was a little too easy and convenient and there are some details like the changing of Cian's relationship with his uncle/grandda but over all these is a very nice light romance.
Quinn agrees to go to Ireland to look at some horses for his father, he hopes that getting out North Carolina will help him get over his broken heart. Cian has lived with his grandparents, raising horses. When the two have a chance meeting in a pub, everything that can go wrong does go wrong. Then they meet again, and they realize they might have more in common than they think.
This book just pulls you in from the beginning, you feel for Quinn as he tries to get over his broken heart but you also get frustrated with him at turns. Of the two though Cian frustrated me more with his “I have to pay it back” attitude towards his grandparents. Overall, it was a quick and cute read.
The biggest problem I have with this book is the reference to the horses as breeding pairs. The author doesn't seem to understand the basics of horse breeding even though it plays a big role in the plot of the book. As long as you are not a major horse addict like I am, you might not catch the discrepancy, but for horse people you might be a little dissapointed.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Ireland has always been on my bucket list of places see and I guess I was just captivated by the character of Cian that Quinn met there and the romance that developed. It was probably kind of sappy but it still stole my heart and tears to my eyes.