The Cause

by Lilian Monroe

It’s not her place. It’s not her time. It’s not her fight.
When American tourist Chloe Walsh lands in the middle of the Irish struggle for independence in 1916, the last thing on her mind is love. With the rebellion only two days away, she has to figure out how to get herself back to the twenty-first century before she’s killed in the crossfire. But when she meets Ciaran, she’s thrust into the heart of the battle and has no choice but to stand and fight.

Irish rebel Ciaran Byrne is reeling from heartbreak after heartbreak. He’s ready to leave it all on the battlefield, including his life…until he meets Chloe. She’s stunning and fearless, and she awakens something that Ciaran thought was long dead: his heart.
Suddenly, Irish independence becomes a cause he wants to live for, not die for. As the war is waged in the streets of Dublin, will he fight–and die–for his country, or will he open himself up once more to love?

If you enjoy action-packed time travel romance, high-heat and high-stakes storylines, you’ll love The Cause. Embark on the journey of a lifetime (or two) and grab your copy of The Cause today.

Genres: Time Travel, Romance, Historical

296 pages, ebook

Published June 28, 2018

About the author

Lilian Monroe lives in a luxurious jungle treehouse surrounded by lush greenery, with an army of scantily-clad men with rippling abdominal muscles ready to attend to her every need.

No, wait. That's not true.

Lilian Monroe spends her days dangling her feet into her pool, while a scantily-clad pool boy with rippling abdominal muscles feeds her chocolate-covered strawberries and massages her back.

Okay, okay. You got me. That's not true, either. Let's try again.

Lilian Monroe lives at home with her two children, three dogs, and twelve chickens. Her husband likes to work shirtless in the back yard. His sweaty, gleaming abdominal muscles ripple with every movement and he—

I'm sorry. I have to stop. Fine, I'll admit it. That one isn't true either.

How about this: Lilian Monroe loves thinking about men with rippling abdominal muscles serving her hand and foot, and she wants you to think about them too! She is an avid reader, writer, and lover of all things romance.

She loves everything from bad boys to billionaires. Her books are packed with sizzling-hot heat, action, suspense, and everything from second chances to single dads. She hates cheating and loves a good happily ever after (and rippling abs).

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an exciting time travel book. The story was intriguing. The characters were alive and interesting. There were twists and turns in the plot and subplots. There were feelings of fear, confusion, elements of danger, betrayal, pride, loyalty, and romance. I could not put the book down. I read straight through to the end. From page one you jump right into the action and it stays that way. I found the book was at a medium pace in places and a quick pace in others. It took me about five hours to read. It centers around Chloe. A young woman of Irish decent. Both of her grandparents were from immigrants from Ireland. When her Irish grandmother passed away, she felt compelled to visit Ireland and learn about her heritage. At the same time she was having vivid dreams of a place and time not of her own. She dreamt of a handsome, mysterious man who dressed differently than present day men. She deduced she must be dreaming about the past. She would awaken startled from the dreams but decided that they could not be real no matter what she really thought. She arrives in Dublin and settles into her hotel. When sightseeing one day, she sees the spitting image of the mysterious man from her dreams. She follows him but loses him in the fray. Determined more than ever to discover what her dreams are about, she looks for a landmark from a photo of her grandparents when they were young and before they moved to the states. She stumbles upon a bookstore. She is immediate drawn to an old book. Cailleach: Witches of Eire. She glances upon a section called "the gift". She recalls that her grandmother told her she was one of the gifted. What that meant she did not know. The store owner Mrs. Booth found Chloe interested. Chloe was sure she heard Mrs. Booth greet her by name but that was impossible. She spoke about how she wanted to learn about her ancestors and about her grandmother. Mrs. Booth saw the book in Chloe's hand and told her to take it. She said the book wants to belong to her. Chloe thought that was strange but she took the book back to the hotel and began to read it. She especially zeroed in on the chapter called "The Gift". She remembered that her grandmother had told her she had the gift. But she wanted to learn what that meant. She continued to read. After a while she fell asleep and had another vivid dream. She awoke shaking but hungry. She went out to dinner at a pub and sat at the bar. When the man she had seen before plopped himself down next to her she could not believe her luck. She thought it must be fate. His name was Sean. They became acquainted and she felt drawn to him. He was definately attracted to her. Over the next several days they spent time together, got to know each other and became romantically involved. One day he was walking her back to the hotel when he was accosted by a bully named Sweeney. Sweeney was with his minions and struck Sean in the head. Sean told Chloe to run. As she was running she became worried about Sean. She decided to turn back to find him. She saw Sweeney and his guys coming after her. Right then she was struck by a car. She was tossed into the air and fell to the ground. She was coming around when a couple who were dressed differently tried to attend her. That's when she realized she was thrusted into the past. But she did not know what the day was or the year was. All she knew was that she was not in her time. She desperately wanted to believe what she was experiencing was a dream that she wished to wake up from. Paul and Mary O'Connor introduced themselves to Chloe. It was then decided for Chloe to go to their home to recover. After she had a bath, some food and then she slept. The next day she met the man from her dreams. His name was Ciaran. Sean from her time looked just like Ciaran. But at the same time they were different. Ciaran and Chloe looked at each other as if they knew each other. But that was impossible. They had never met. Ciaran and Chloe were attracted to each other. Drawn to each other. Chloe sat in the kitchen while Mary spoke to Ciaran and James Connolly in her parlor for privacy. Chloe saw the newspaper on the table, read it and realized the date and year. She was back in time in Dublin 1916. Two days before the rebellion for Ireland's independence. Confused not knowing why she was there she fell into a trance and saw her grandmother. Her grandmother explained she was in the infinity, a dreamlike state and that both of them were Cailleach, the gifted ones, witches. Chloe listened as her grandmother explain that she was there for a reason and that she should ask for the Countess. When Chloe came out of her dreamlike state, she struggled with the fact that she knew the rebellion would fail but she decided to keep all that to herself. She decided to join the rebellion. Still not sure why but it felt right. She still did not know the part she was to play in history. She approached Mary, James and Ciaran in the parlor and told them she was joining. They were suspicious of her, thinking how strange she should appear at the time around the rebellion. When Chloe asked to see the Countess, they felt less skeptical. If she knew the Countess then she may be legitimate. They could always use another volunteer. They decided that Ciaran would take Chloe to the Countess. Ciaran and Chloe got to know each other as they drove. The laughed told each other about themselves. Chloe had to chose her words wisely not to give away what she knew and that she was from the future. They would think her mad. When she got to the Countess, Ciaran was surprised that the Countess was expecting her, so was Chloe. The Countess put Chloe to work. Before Ciaran left, he knew he would miss her. He had become very protective of her. Chloe said her goodbyes and kissed his cheek. Thus was the beginnings of the rebellion to free Ireland and the relationship between Chloe and Ciaran. The book describes how they got to know each other, the parts they played in the rebellion and how they fell in love. This is a great story of danger and romance. It is about the brave men and women who fought for the cause: for the freedom and independence of Ireland against the British. Will Chloe die in the rebellion? Will she find her purpose? Will she fall in love with Ciaran? What of Ciaran, will he survive the rebellion to fall in love with Chloe? When all is said and done, will Chloe want to go back to her time? Will Chloe reveal to Ciaran what she is and where she is from? Will Chloe jeopardize her relationship with Ciaran with the truth? Will Ciaran believe her or think her insane? I highly recommend this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book via Hidden Gems and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[P Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one elses*

3.5-4 stars

Chloe’s dreams leave her feeling restless, on edge and confused. A trip to Dublin to feel closer to her Gran turns into something so much more. She finds herself in 1916, but why has she been sent to the past?

Chloe and Ciaran had a beautiful connection. These two were drawn together like two halves of the same soul.

Chloe’s gift was interesting but it wasn’t developed as far as I would have liked. I was left with several unanswered questions and sometimes I felt like detailed explanations were needed to make things clearer.

This was a time travel romance where two people find themselves fighting for the chance to live and love each other.

[Kim F · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome book. Extremely entertaining, captivating, and interesting read. I could not put it down. Wonderfully written with strong characters. I want to read more from this author. I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read of 148 pages that I enjoyed reading I will be looking for the next book. I received a copy of this book and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an arc of this book for a review. While I enjoyed the story of Chloe and Ciaran it ended a little abruptly for me. I hope their story is continued in future books.

[Destiny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this but, I need the rest of the story. Please!

[Destiny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book . Right when I was sucked in with the amazing storyline and interesting characters.... it was over . I really just need some more. Please?
Looking forward to reading what’s next.