In Love and War [Paperback]

Suzanne Barrett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 6, 2011

In Love and War Embittered war correspondent Quinn Lawlor returns to his ancestral home in Ireland where he finds solace in the arms of Waterford dairy farmer Meaghann Power. Meaghann must separate her daytime life as farmer and daughter of Irish rebels from nights of blazing desire for the one man she shouldn't love. Will their passion prove strong enough to overcome a decades-old bitter struggle?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Suzanne Barrett combines her love for writing with her love for creating artisan jewelry. A former facility engineer and Kensington author, Suzanne believes in sharing stories of romance and adventure spiced with a bit of mystery and intrigue. Favorite settings are England, Ireland and her own Northern California. Married, with grown children, Suzanne and her husband live in the Santa Cruz Mountains where they share their acreage with an elderly cat, several chickens and an assortment of wildlife that includes a trio of wild turkeys. Suzanne is an avid gardener with a penchant for digging in the dirt. She loves to cook and read, and she’s a certified water fitness instructor and teaches at area swimming pools and gyms. When she’s not devouring British mysteries, most evenings find Suzanne at her computer or jewelry bench, a cup of Earl Grey within easy reach, a sleeping cat at her feet, doing what she loves best—creating stories of warmth and passion and designing pendants, earrings and bracelets. Her motto is "Don't wait for something; make it happen." Visit Suzanne's web sites at: www.suzannebarrett.com and www.bellerustique.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press (January 6, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1935817418
• ISBN-13: 978-1935817413
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,175,142 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've been writing more than twenty years. In 1999 I sold my first book, followed by two more and a novella.

Since 2010 I've been with Turquoise Morning Press and have three books and two anthology stories published. In October a novella, Gift of the Heart, comes out, followed by an historical, Sierra Bride. An Irish Rogue will be a November release with four more books scheduled for 2012.

Taming Rowan, my May release is set in the north of England and involves a feisty structural engineer and the sexy Brit project officer who wants no females on site. Sparks are bound to fly when these two get together, and it's only a matter of time before readers decide who is taming who.

In Love and War came out in January and is the book of my heart. I spent part of a winter in Ireland researching this story of a wounded war correspondent and the Irish dairy farmer who captures his heart. This book was twice a RWA Golden Heart finalist.

Late Harvest, a California wine-country story and another RWA Golden Heart Finalist, came out last November. The heroine, Glenna is a winemaker with a dark secret. Returning to the winery where she grew up is the hardest thing she's had to do, and working for German vintner Kurt von Daniken may prove even more difficult, especially when she's never stopped loving him.

In addition to writing, I create designer jewelry (www.bellerustique.com). I'm also a water fitness instructor. Recreational hobbies include gardening and gourmet cookery. Additionally, I'm on Facebook and I have a blog (http://bellerustique/blogspot.com)and finally, for articles and information on Ireland, visit my travel website Ireland for Visitors. (www.irelandforvisitors.com)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yummy Old-Fashioned Love Story, January 21, 2011

By 

Carolyn Woolston (Felton, California USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In Love and War (Paperback)

It's been a long time since a book so caught my heart that I skip doing my taxes, practicing my harp, and doing the dishes just to read another chapter. It's one of those great, old-fashioned love stories, delicious but not overdone, and very, very real, with interesting characters and lots of "sparks."

The setting is a small village in beautiful, green Ireland, complete with unique people, church, pub, and Meaghann's dairy farm. And injured journalist Quinn Lawlor, who is heart-wrenching and gorgeous.

This novel is a fine example of the "wish-they-still-published-books-like this" variety: unput-downable and unforgettable.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This novel delivers everything romance fans love and so much more!, January 30, 2011

By 

Margaret - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Love and War (Paperback)

Set in the early 1990's in a tiny village near Waterford, In Love and War tells the story of, Meaghann Power, an unmarried Irishwoman fast approaching forty and struggling to hold onto her family's dairy farm. Her parents are deceased, her younger brother, Declan, has taken a job as a teacher in the city, and Meaghann's only prospect appears to be a widower with five children and his eye on her farm.

Former television war correspondent, Quinn Lawlor carries the physical, mental, and emotional scars inflicted by a lifetime of watching his fellow man sacrifice all in the name of nationalism. While covering the civil war in Bosnia, Quinn finds himself caught in the crossfire with disastrous results. Embittered by the loss of his television career, Quinn retreats to Ireland, determined to write a novel that will expose the dark side of fanatical patriotism.

There were several things I enjoyed about this book. Ms. Barrett's prose is beautifully descriptive. In the opening scenes at the farm, Meaghann's overwhelming exhaustion is palpable and Quinn's bitterness practically oozes from his pores.

This novel is a classic romance, but the setting is what sets this story apart from so many others.

Meaghann's reluctance to act on her physical attraction to Quinn is more than a matter of our heroine playing coy or shielding her heart. An inherently practical woman, Meaghann is keenly aware of the impact an affair would have on her life in a tiny village where social life revolves around the pub and the church. She knows all too well that what's whispered in the pub will surely make it to the pulpit.

Quinn's experiences have blinded him to the nuances that shade every aspect of life in Ireland. His stubborn refusal to see the shades of gray nearly costs him everything.

Ms. Barrett skillfully navigates the tangled web of Irish Republicanism, the questionable tactics employed by the Provisional IRA, and the mixture of pride, fear, and ambivalence her characters wrestle.

In Love and War takes place in a country where legend is based in reality, and reality is often romanticized in prose, poetry, and song. I am an Irish-American woman who was raised on stirring songs of rebellion. In Love and War made me set aside my own romantic ideas and reexamine those shades of gray we so often overlook.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A well-written and thought-provoking story, with complex characters and powerful emotions, January 29, 2011

By 

Carole "The Romance Reviews" - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Love and War (Paperback)

Occasionally, a romantic novel will catch my attention because it sounds refreshingly different. Set in 1993, against the background of a troubled Ireland, with a disillusioned war correspondent as the hero and a dairy farmer as the heroine, IN LOVE AND WAR by Suzanne Barrett is one such book.

Meaghann Power has run her dairy farm in the small village of Tinmagh, County Waterford for the past nine years with some part-time help from the young Foley twins. Realising that she can no longer manage unless she has full-time assistance, Meaghann has decided to rent out the old keep on her property. With the additional money, she can employ the Foley twins full-time and the tenant would provide an extra pair of hands around the farm.

Her uncle, Tom O'Donnell, suggests an American, Quinn Lawlor, as a suitable tenant. His father, Pat Lawlor, was born in Tinmagh but had moved to the United States many years ago. Apparently, Quinn wants somewhere quiet where he can concentrate on the book he is writing.
However, Meaghann is shocked when she meets her new tenant. Not only is he rude and aggressive towards her but he also has a crippled leg. She can forget the idea of any assistance from her tenant with jobs around the farm!

Meaghann is also worried about the possible consequences of her brother, Declan's friendship with the radical Republican activist, Fergus Burke.

Although Meaghann and Quinn's initial encounters are confrontational, a mutual attraction simmers below the surface. As their relationship deepens, it is threatened by Quinn's anti-violence stance, shameful family secrets that Meaghann has kept hidden for so many years and a series of dramatic events. Will their love be strong enough to survive?

I love Quinn because he is such complex character. Despite his initial rudeness and belligerent attitude, I found myself warming to him straightaway. I think he adopts this attitude as a form of defence mechanism to avoid having to interact with people. Having been physically and emotionally hurt, he needs `to fight his own battles' in order to rebuild his life. However, he has not counted on meeting Meaghann and having `this hungering need' for her.

Quinn's experiences as a war correspondent have had a profound effect on him. They have left him with a deep hatred of violence - `Each assignment was even more gut-wrenching than the last. And the warring factions never learned.' He believes that the Irish are no different from the Bosnians and Serbs. `Ancient hatreds overwhelmed all human decency. They were all fanatics, the lot of them.' I sense that this prejudiced view of the Irish has its roots in his own father's deep commitment to Irish Republicanism and the detrimental effect it had on the relationship with his own family, particularly Quinn.

For the last nine years, Meaghann's life has centred on running the dairy farm until Quinn's arrival awakens her dormant sensuality:

`She had known of the strong passion within her, and had done her best to harness those feelings into honest, hard work.'

I fully appreciate her initial reluctance to fully explore her relationship with Quinn. Tinmagh is a small village community where any scandal will make Meaghann's position untenable. However, Quinn shows her a `world of feeling outside her safe, pristine cottage', one which she is prepared to risk her reputation for.

Just as Quinn is haunted by events in his past, similarly Meaghann is haunted by closely guarded family secrets. She is afraid that if the truth is ever revealed, Quinn will hate her and the people of Tinmagh will despise her family. I felt that both needed to trust each other enough to be completely honest about their pasts.

Ms Barrett creates a wonderful chemistry between Quinn and Meaghann, their initial wariness of each other developing into a growing attraction culminating in the consummation of their relationship. The love scenes are both tender and sensual.

The political subplot involving Meaghann's brother, Declan, provides a real awareness of the turmoil and danger inherent in Ireland at that time. However, it doesn't overshadow the love story.

Ms Barrett has a wonderful creative writing style and I found it so easy to visualize the settings and characters in my mind. She also has the ability to convey the characters' emotions with such raw intensity.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a well-written and thought-provoking story, complex characters and powerful emotions.

Reviewed by CarolAnn
for The Romance Reviews