Customer Reviews

Fair Haven

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3 star:		(2)
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After years of work as a relief doctor, Erin O'Halloran is burned out. When her best friend and fellow doctor who is dying requests she come help him out in his surgury in Ireland, she goes with no questions asked. Never did she realize the draw that Ireland had for her, nor what was in store.

Michael Joyce has seen his share of war also. After leaving his life as a photographer behind, he's happy to live the quiet life tending his farm. When an unexpected daughter is dropped on his doorstep he is surprised by the strong feelings he has for this little eight year old girl. But upon meeting Erin both are surprised and reluctant to act on the strong feelings they have for eachother.

Eventually the American doctor and the Irish farmer fall in love, but have they loved years before? The sequel to A WOMAN'S HEART will have the reader wishing for the lush landscape of Ireland and the mysteries that surround it. Highly recommended.

This was my 1st JoAnn Ross to read- and it won't be my last! After arriving home to spend some time with her family, Dr. Erin O'Halloran receives a request from a dear friend to travel to Western Ireland. After years of working on the front lines of war, Dr. Tom Flanner is now dying at a young age from the effects of gas warfare. He says that his reason for requesting her to come is for her to help with his medical practice as he slowly loses his strength and becomes bedridden but there's a hidden agenda.

Michael Joyce has come home after spending years as a Pulitzer Prize Award photographer from the front lines of war needing to recover physically and emotionally from the effects of war. He has escaped to his family farm but the ghosts are even there. His childhood friend Dr. Tom Flannery is dying. While Michael is having to face the future loss of his best friend Tom, he is approached by his old girlfriend's mother accompanied by a little girl. He discovers that the past girlfriend/lover was killed in a bombing at her wedding and has left a daughter who she claimed was Michael's by blood. Michael who never wanted to marry, much less have kids, now finds himself with a daughter he did not know existed to raise.

After leaving Coldwater Cove, Washington, Erin travels across the world to Castlelough, Ireland. She is introduced to Michael at the airport by Tom and her first impression of Michael is one of his being a cold- hard man. But as time goes by she learns that he does have a warm heart and they have a lot in common from what they both experienced with war. As time goes by Erin feels she has come home and known Michael forever, which can not be since they just met- and there is a little mystery there that I will leave for the reader.

It is a story of the love between friends, father-daughter, lovers, family, etc. The setting being in Ireland is delightful. I really enjoyed this story! and highly recommend it to the reader. I will go back and get the prequel A Woman's Heart- I enjoyed the story that much.

This book was wonderful! All the characters - Michael,Erin, Tom, Shea, - were "real" and the whole story was believable. Even the Irish magic that was woven in. Michael and Erin's love story was sweet and passionate. My special favourite was Shea: what a litle charmer! She had all the insecurities 8 year olds have, though. Sometimes kids that age act so mature and grownup that you forget they need to be constantly reassured about family security and love. Ross' style reminded me of Nora Roberts and Maeve Binchy. She's an excellent writer and this is truly an exceptional novel. Bravo!

From the start readers will feel as if they have been taken on vacation to western Ireland when they meet Michael and Erin who share the friendship of their dying friend. His last gift to them is their discovery of an incredible love for each other through the tears of saying goodbye. A love reflected in those around them, espeically the children. This is an exceptionally well plotted ensemble piece but the romance is never lost to the reader and will certainly leave a well satisfied sigh along with a few tears. With FAIR HAVEN, JoAnn Ross returns readers to her magical Ireland; an Ireland she knows so well readers are sure to feel the sweet mist on their faces as their hearts are warmed by the lyrical sound of an Irish brogue. FAIR HAVEN is easily the best book published this year.

After working in some rough spots around the world for six years, Dr. Erin O'Halloran settles in Coldwater Cove near Seattle. However, when close friend Tom Flannery is dying, Erin immediately crosses the continent and the ocean to try to save his life.

After spending years photographing and reporting some of the worst atrocities in the world, Michael Joyce returns to his family's remote farm to escape. Michael's psyche is so battered he has vowed to never sire a child into this ugly, cruel world.

When Erin and Michael meet, the instant attraction is so great, a magic enchantment surrounds the pair. However Neither one wants a lasting relationship because they know first hand the horrors of humanity. When they fall in love they wonder if that emotion is enough to surmount the cruelty that each one has witnessed in their lifetime?

FAIR HAVEN is a remarkable contemporary romance starring two battered souls. Though love heals much of their mental wounds, both realize that they will never forget. That extra measure is what makes a JoAnn Ross novel so good. Her characters are real, filled with angst, and earn the audience empathy. Michael and Erin are a joy to behold because even when love proves stronger than hate, the memories of the evil events shaped them into beautiful people the reader cares about.

Harriet Klausner

Michael Joyce has seen the world through the lens of his camera . . . seen the horrors of war firsthand. He's put that life away and come home to Ireland to forget. But some memories can't be erased. The ghosts of the dead haunt him, each day stealing a little more of his soul until he wonders if there's anything left of the man he used to be. He's ready to give up, but fate isn't. A daughter he never knew he possessed is his first gift from heaven -- a woman he never knew he was missing is the second.

Erin O'Halloran has seen the what war does to people first hand, but nothing has prepared her for what a fatal illness is doing to her friend. She travels to Ireland hoping to save his life and while she searches for a cure, she finds her heart and soul in Michael Joyce.

Two world-weary, lonely souls find each other and through their love find salvation in this breathtaking novel by JoAnn Ross. Fans of Ross's Coldwater Cove books (Far Harbor and Homeplace) will enjoy seeing another O'Halloran find true love, this time in the Irish setting of Ross's A Woman's Heart. Magic and passion ignite on the Emerald Isle, weaving a tale as gentle as an Irish rain as Ross joins two of her most enduring families, the Joyce's and O'Hallorans, in a story that will make you believe that magic does exist.

Erin O'Halloran is off to try and save one of her best friends in Ireland. She is called by her friend Tom to help with his medical practice as he is dying. As a fellow member of "Dr.'s without Borders" she immediately is off to not only help him but to find a cure for him also.

Michael is a boyhood friend of Tom's and trying to shut out the world. He has returned to Ireland after leading a dangerous life as an award winning photojournalist. As a matter of fact, one of his last assignments almost got him killed in the same area where Tom and Erin were working. He now has a simple life of farming and sheep herding. Suddenly things change for him. The mother of an ex-girlfriend drops by with a child. She says not only has her daughter died but the child is his, and is 6 years old. Michael is stunned but instantly mesmerized by the child and takes her in.

While neither Erin nor Michael is looking for a relationship they are instantly drawn together. In fact circumstances seem to make them closer than either intended. As Tom gets sicker and it looks like Erin can't figure out how to save him she finds herself wanting to take over his practice permanently. She has fallen in love with the land and the people.

Suddenly Michael's daughter is having issues with behavior and memory. She seems to have things happen or act out in ways that don't seem consistent with her personality. When she falls unconscious Erin is able to help determine that she has a brain tumor. Erin calls in a specialist she knows from DWOB and they manage to save the little girl Erin and Michael finally face the fact they are better together as a family than apart.

I was a bit surprised by the amount of magical interaction in this story as I had started reading JR with her more recent romantic suspense's (Blaze and Impulse) so I was taken aback. But, the book was still very well written and caused me to be concerned along with the characters as to the tragedy and human spirit that was portrayed in the book. I think it is another good one by JR.

As a relief doctor, Erin O'Halloran has seen things that most people only see in their nightmares. When her best friend and mentor calls from Ireland and tells her that he is ill, Erin flies over to find something to save him. She is ill prepared for the magic of Ireland, nor for Michael Joyce, whom she is drawn to like she has been drawn to no other man.

Michael Joyce has gone into seclusion at his home. Away from prying eyes and gossipy mouths, Michael is content with his solitary life. When the mother of one of his ex-lovers shows up with an eight year old girl in tow, Michael sees is solitary exsistance dissolving as if it never exsisted. When he first sees the lovely Dr. O'Halloran, Michael vows to stay away from her, as his life has enough complications.

Ross brings the reader to the magic of Ireland, again, where anything is possible, from having guardian angels to talking with people that have passed away. She brings together Erin and Michael in an unbelieveable story that she makes the reader believe. The reader will also love Shea, Michael's daughter, from the first page she graces. I can't wait until Ross's next book about Ireland comes out!

This is the first time I've felt compelled to write a review of a book. I just finished Ross' Fair Haven. I picked it up on a whim since I'd read nd enjoyed her earlier works.

This book made me cry and made me tingle. Michael and Erin's acceptance of their feelings and the way in which the cope together with the challenges that they face seems a much more mature response to the world than many other characters. Life isn't perfect and neither are they - except in each others eyes.

JoAnn Ross continues her adventures of the people of Coldwater Cove (FAR HARBOR, HOMEPLACE) with her newest book FAIR HAVEN. It is a remarkable story of love. Not just the romantic love, but love of a father, love for a friend, love for mankind, and a love that transcends time. Deeply moving!

Michael Joyce has spent most of his career looking through the camera lens at the horrible suffering of those caught up in a world at war. Wounded and burned out, Michael returns to his family's farm in the small Irish village of Castlelough. He is only looking for peace. Michael can't escape his ghosts that easily. He finds that the atrocities of war have not left his hometown unscathed. His childhood friend, Dr. Tom Flannery is dying of the effects of being gassed years earlier while working as a medical relief doctor. Then Michael 's ex-lover is gunned down in Belfast leaving him with an eight-year-old daughter he never knew existed. Shea's presence changes Michael forever. He is surprised to learn that his heart was not left with most of his blood in Sarevjo. Especially when he meets Erin O'Halloran.

Dr. Erin O'Halloran leaves the small Washington town of Coldwater Cove to travel across the country and an ocean to help her best friend and colleague, Tom Flannery. Erin has lived and worked among the emaciated bodies of refugees the world over, but is unprepared for Tom's thin haggard appearance. She is determined to save him and his surgery. Only after a few hours in Ireland, Erin feels like she has come home to Castlelough and to the brooding Michael Joyce.

In the magical village of Castlelough, Erin's and Michael's nightmares of war have a chance to turn into the centuries old dreams that they both mysteriously share.

Mere words of praise cannot express the myriad of emotions I felt while reading this book. The heartrending images JoAnn Ross' words conjured in my mind will stay with me for sometime. I applaud her style of storytelling. She never lets the reader rest. The next page must be read .....and the next.....and the next. Husband, laundry, and dishes are forgotten until the last page is turned. The sights, sounds, and fragrances of Ireland waft from the pages of this wonderful tale. The author's blending of ghosts, fairies, and Irish legend with the stark reality of today's world only adds to the intense effect of this story.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Riveting emotional and spiritual turmoil!