The Invasion of Falgannon Isle (The Sisters of Colford Hall, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Deborah MacGillivray (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2006

213 SINGLE SCOTSMEN


There was something about the Brigadoon-like Falgannon, something that kept most of its male inhabitants unwed. From Michael the Story to Callum the Bicycle--and we mustn't forget The Cat Dudley, the slyest poker-playing moggie in the Outer Hebrides--every male of the Isle had happiness dependent upon that of its Lady. So things had been since Pictish times, and so they would be long after the present day.

Despite her machinations, to this point B.A. Montgomerie had been unable to make her men happy. Her first marriage had been against their advice; her husband had been an Irishman, true, but he had failed to meet other necessary requirements...and things had ended badly. Now, another Irishman had come--and was making the natives restless. Yes, the men of Falgannon could sense Desmond Mershan's conquering Viking spirit and his desire for B.A.--which B.A. could sense herself. And while her men would never let anything happen that she didn't want, this Irishman had come to pillage and loot, and nothing was going to stop him. Staring into his vibrant green eyes, B.A. anticipated the battles to come.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Although the book is set in the present, Falgannon Isle, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, seems timeless. B. A. Montgomerie is the Lady of the Isle, making sure that everyone is employed. Her current plan is to use her Web site to import prospective wives for the men on the island, since, thanks to an ancient curse, the population remains primarily male. The men are all for it, and when Desmond Mershan shows up, he seems the answer to their troubles. Although Desmond is there to talk about building a resort, he has a hidden agenda, which involves ruining the Montgomeries, as B. A.'s grandfather ruined his family. But all the islanders perceive is that Desmond is Irish, with black hair and green eyes, just like the man fabled to come and end the island's curse by marrying the Lady of the Isle. What makes MacGillivray's romance so special are the eccentric characters, right down to the cat, and Desmond and B.A.'s growing relationship. Maria Hatton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Publisher

BOOKLIST Although set in the present, Falgannon Isle in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland seems timeless. B. A. Montgomerie is the Lady of the Isle, making sure that everyone is employed. Her current plan is use her website to import prospective wives for the men on the island, since, thanks to an ancient curse the population remains primarily male. The men are all for it, and when Desmond Mershan shows up, he seems the answer to their troubles. While Desmond is there to talk about building a resort, he has a hidden agenda, which involves ruining the Montgomeries as B. A.'s grandfather ruined his family. But all the islanders perceive is that Desmond is Irish with black hair and green eyes, just like the man fabled to come and end the island's curse by marrying the Lady of the Isle. What makes MacGillivary's romance so special are the eccentric characters, right down to the cat, and Desmond and B.A.'s growing relationship. ----Maria Hatton Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Romantic Times

This is an entertaining, humorous and heartwarming tale of love, friendship and a bit of magic. The hero's struggle to make peace with his past and the heroine's determination to help him are nicely depicted. The secondary characters are great fun, especially The Cat Dudley, and the peek into the lives of the main character's siblings whets the appetite for their stories. ----Susan Mobley

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 341 pages
• Publisher: Love Spell (December 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0505526913
• ISBN-13: 978-0505526915
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,221,170 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Author with Kensington Zebra Historicals; Dorchester LoveSpell; Highland Press; Droemer Knaur; Random House Kodansha Ltd

~The Best Reviews ~ Sensual Romance ~ Paranormal Romance ~ Rambles.net ~ member of: RWA - Romance Writers of America Historical Novel Society; Medieval Society Member at The Mystic Castle; Single Titles.com; Coffee Time Romance

Slainte maith, h-uile latha, na chi 'snach fhaic!
(Good health, every day, whether I see you or not!)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This deserves 0 stars!, April 14, 2008

By 

Rena Ruadh - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Invasion of Falgannon Isle (The Sisters of Colford Hall, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

I bought this book full of anticipation but was sorely disappointed. The author tries to be especially cute in her writing style, with all the capital letters, 'The Cat Dudley' - the result is just simply annoying. Besides this, the style is very clumsy and the book is not well written at all.

My greatest problem with this book, however, is the author's completely wrong and inappropriate use of Gaelic words. As a Gaelic speaker myself, this is grating. Such sloppy research is not necessary when there are plenty of Gaelic scholars around. What the author seems to have done is pick the first available word out of a dictionary - and how wrong that can be I don't need to tell you.

Then, there are the Pictish references. Again, incredibly annoying. I don't mind fantasy books, but this book is obviously not meant to be fantasy with the creation of a new world/race. All we know of the Picts is what they have engraved on a few stones - pictures that nobody has yet been able to interpret. Mind you, having looked at the author's website, it becomes clear that she has a very strange understanding of Scottish history. According to her, the Picts were on Lewis! Oh dear!

Hmm, to the discerning Celtic scholar, drawing certain vague parallels to Miss Goodrich-Freer may not be entirely out of the question... How do I back this up? I am friends with the archivist of Canna House; and all those who are able to state that Ms MacGillivray is such an expert on all things Scottish and Gaelic will of course be aware of the importance of Canna House... or not???

Altogether - if I could have given this book 0 stars, I would have.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Wasted read and series, August 1, 2010

By 

Birty53 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Invasion of Falgannon Isle (The Sisters of Colford Hall, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book, along with the other 2 in the series, A Wolf in Wolf's Clothing and Riding the Thunder, make women look stupid and gullible. The "heros" are liers, lacking morals and scrupples in their personal lives and business dealings. That the sisters forgive them with little or no argument or concern, having the "I don't care what he does-I love him" attitude, reinforces the idea that women are just ruled by their emotions and whatever the men they love do or say is ok as long as "I love you" is somewhere in the mix. Women are too dumb to know better anyway. I will not read anymore books by this author.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Weak plot development. Mostly about everyday activities and conversations among people on the island., December 23, 2009

By 

Jane (Chicago, IL, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Invasion of Falgannon Isle (The Sisters of Colford Hall, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

STORY BRIEF:
Long ago, a curse was put on Falgannon Isle. (1) No females would be born to the females of the island and (2) the males of the island would not find love until the Lady of the Isle mated with an Irish man with black hair and green eyes. The curse even applies to men and women who leave the island. BA (BarbaraAnne) is the current Lady of the Isle. She is a descendant of Maeve (the woman who was cursed). She inherited wealth created by her grandfather Sean. She uses her wealth to improve the lives of the men on the island. Recently she set up a matchmaking website inviting single women to come to the island. She pays their expenses to come meet potential husbands. Desmond is of Irish descent and has black hair and green eyes. He comes to the island with plans to build a resort. He also has other motives which could hurt BA. He and BA are lustfully drawn to each other.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
The plot was weak. It seemed most of the story consisted of everyday activities and conversations among the people living on the island. The author used a lot of cute names and references to celebrities and movies which is fine, but I would have preferred more interesting actions, motivations and events. I lost interest and wanted it to be over. I found myself skimming some parts in the middle of the book. The main plot about Desmond's business plan which could hurt BA was not developed. And at the end, details about what happened with the business issues were never explained. I wanted the details. The sex scenes were ok but could have used a little more emotional draw.

The best parts of the story (which surprised me) were BA's actions after she learned about Desmond's plans.

DATA:
Story length: 341 pages. Swearing language: mild. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 8. Total number of sex scene pages: 18. Setting: current day Falgannon Isle, off the coast of Scotland and Ireland. Copyright; 2006. Genre: contemporary fantasy romance.