What do you think?
Rate this book
Irish Eyes #4
Midsummer Lightning
Falling in love was never supposed to be part of the plan...
American hotel executive Kelly Sullivan is one move away from a promotion by coordinating the sale of Whitlock Castle in the village of County Cork, Ireland. With its lavish banquet halls, minstrel galleries, dungeons, and rich Celtic tradition, it could be converted into more than a luxury hotel—it could be moneymaking magic. Unfortunately the nineteenth-century Gothic treasure has been entrusted to Conor O'Meara, an Irishman as stubborn as he is handsome. And for Kelly, as much of a challenge as he is a temptation...
Conor is not about to let four generations of history be sold to the highest bidder, even one as lovely as Kelly. His job is to charm the lovely lass into preserving the past by promising her a future beyond her wldest dreams...
It's a war of wills between an independent businesswoman and a stubborn Irishman, with only a Gothic treasure, an imposing castle, Celtic tradition, a dungeon, and a multi-million dollar real estate deal between them.
American hotel executive Kelly Sullivan is one move away from a promotion by coordinating the sale of Whitlock Castle in the village of County Cork, Ireland. With its lavish banquet halls, minstrel galleries, dungeons, and rich Celtic tradition, it could be converted into more than a luxury hotel—it could be moneymaking magic. Unfortunately the nineteenth-century Gothic treasure has been entrusted to Conor O'Meara, an Irishman as stubborn as he is handsome. And for Kelly, as much of a challenge as he is a temptation...
Conor is not about to let four generations of history be sold to the highest bidder, even one as lovely as Kelly. His job is to charm the lovely lass into preserving the past by promising her a future beyond her wldest dreams...
It's a war of wills between an independent businesswoman and a stubborn Irishman, with only a Gothic treasure, an imposing castle, Celtic tradition, a dungeon, and a multi-million dollar real estate deal between them.
293 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 2000
62 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 27, 2024
American Kelly Sullivan works for a high-powered hotel conglomerate, and she's on track to be named VP. If she can clinch the sale of Whitlock Castle in County Cork, Ireland, the promotion is as good as hers. Kelly arrives in Ireland, intent on her job. However, the more time she spends at Whitlock Castle, the more she falls in love with the enchanting old edifice. There's also the handsome owner, Conor, to contend with. Soon, Kelly is remembering how she used to enjoy the more hands-on job of running a hotel and wishing she didn't have to return to her stressful job in Chicago. When she learns her boss wants to gut the castle and turn it and the grounds into a medieval theme park, Kelly will have her work cut out for her to save Whitlock, her job, and her sanity.
I seldom read contemporary romance any longer, but this was a delightful story. Characters were portrayed well, from Kelly and Conor to Conor's aunts, his father, and even his ex-girlfriend. There were several odious characters introduced, from Kelly's smarmy boss to her chief rival, and even her snooty parents. The plot was a tad on the choppy side; it would have benefitted from smoother transitions between chapters. What I found most disappointing is that all along you could see that Kelly was going to give up her high-powered job in Chicago to be with her love in Ireland. Very romantic and Hallmark-y, yeah? But, it seems that the plots of far too many books (and Hallmark movies!) employ that same trope: career-oriented city girl comes to small village, falls in love with a local, and gives up everything for him--her career, her life in the city, her dreams. Can't the country boy give up his life and join her in the city, instead? Meh. One other thing that disappointed me was the slapdash ending. It came across as if the author was tired of the story and just rushed the last part. The final line in the book was utterly inane.
What to score this? I'd like to give it 3.5 stars. It was better than average, but the ending really soured me. I'll be generous and bump the score up to a four.
I seldom read contemporary romance any longer, but this was a delightful story. Characters were portrayed well, from Kelly and Conor to Conor's aunts, his father, and even his ex-girlfriend. There were several odious characters introduced, from Kelly's smarmy boss to her chief rival, and even her snooty parents. The plot was a tad on the choppy side; it would have benefitted from smoother transitions between chapters. What I found most disappointing is that all along you could see that Kelly was going to give up her high-powered job in Chicago to be with her love in Ireland. Very romantic and Hallmark-y, yeah? But, it seems that the plots of far too many books (and Hallmark movies!) employ that same trope: career-oriented city girl comes to small village, falls in love with a local, and gives up everything for him--her career, her life in the city, her dreams. Can't the country boy give up his life and join her in the city, instead? Meh. One other thing that disappointed me was the slapdash ending. It came across as if the author was tired of the story and just rushed the last part. The final line in the book was utterly inane.
What to score this? I'd like to give it 3.5 stars. It was better than average, but the ending really soured me. I'll be generous and bump the score up to a four.
November 29, 2012
Lush blonde Kelly Sullivan, on "the shady side of thirty" and "fast track" to Lawrence Hotel Corporate, falls for Conor O'Meara of "long long legs" p45. The Whitlock Castle heir manages the Irish architectural wonder because his father Sean fell into a coma after a handshake agreement with sneaky superior Matthew, who intends to cannabalize the gorgeous interior for his Chicago condo and other sites. Adult language - "Damn straight!" p40 she fears he'll drop her in the mud, and disbelieves "New Age crap" p91, together in bed "Oh, God. Oh, God" by p99, with and without protection (surprisingly no baby epilogue), and he offers "to make an honest woman out of you" by p105. His aunts, after the initial shock over the city woman's lacy scraps of red underwear, feed her up with full breakfasts and hugs; her parents, especially mother, are snobs that try to hide their Irish origin. Neither is the rich savior of the other, both will have to work hard for material success, but "happy ever after" is guaranteed. I like the setting more than predictability.
October 19, 2009
I seem to recall buying this book in large part because of the cover and the name of the series, "Irish Eyes." I also picked up another book in the same series, presumably for the same reasons. Considering the rather dubious provenance (what was I thinking??), I ended up being pleasantly surprised by this book. It had the requisite spice but it also had flavor-- a lovely setting in the Irish countryside (in a castle, no less!) and some fun characters. I'm actually kind of thinking I should pick up the other book and give it a shot now.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews