Call Home The Heart

By Sorcha MacMurrough and Shannon Farrell

With nothing but their love for each other to keep them going, one man and one woman must try to hold their family estate together during the Irish Potato Famine. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0843954752
• ISBN13: 9780843954753
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Leisure Books
• Length: 326 Pages
• Weight: 0.37 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.3" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Outstanding romance set in Ireland

This was a great romance between the hero and heroine, and the hero and heroine for Ireland. Lochlainn loves his country, so much so that he has gone away to Australia to try to become prosperous so that he could help family and friends once he comes home again. His old job beckons him all too soon, however, as the landlord of the estate where he and his sister grew up has fallen on hard times as the specter of Famine looms. He gets back in time to meet his employer and his lovely new wife Muireann, before tragedy strikes one cold, snowy night in Dublin. Lochlainn pinned all his hopes on Augustine being able to make a successful marriage to this rich heiress work. But all the money is gone, she is a seemingly hysterical devastated widow, and she is a stranger from Scotland who knows nothing about the horrors of Barnakilla..... As much as he knows he should just let Muireann go back to her family, there is something about the gorgeous young woman he simply can't let go. And once her initial shock over Augustine's death wears off, she starts to prove that she is not a mere fluff brain, but a resourceful woman determined to help the handsome young steward and her new found friends at the nearly bankrupt estate. This is a hot romance in which the couple go through hell to be together. They face every obstacle head on, and Lochlainn's only flaw is he can be too negative about his own abilities and possibilities, and too protective of Muireann the more he loves her. Muireann knows what she wants, and is determined to get it. But can she win Lochlainn's love, or will the shadow of his treacherous former fiancee haunt them forever? This was a wonderful epic romance with terrific hot love scenes and a couple meant to be together. Beautiful descriptions of Ireland and an incredibly intimate couple make this book a certain keeper.

Moving and passionate

Historical Romance Ireland, January 1845 Muireann Graham Caldwell and Augustine, her husband of two weeks, are on a journey to Barnakilla, his estate in northwest Ireland. However, Augustine goes no farther than a Dublin grave, after putting a gun to his head and pulling the trigger. After living with constant criticism from her mother and sister for not being a proper lady, and defying her strict father by learning all sorts of masculine things, Muireann Graham Caldwell is not about to run home to Scotland now. With the help of Lochlainn Roche, Barnakilla's estate manager, Muireann is determined to travel on to her new home. When Lochlainn met the ship carrying the newlyweds, he was taken by the ethereal beauty of Augustine's wife, but the next months prove the lady possesses strength...and a will of iron...that belie her fragile looks. She needs that toughness, for her "wealthy" husband bankrupted a once prosperous estate in the three years since he inherited, and he'd already gambled away the thousands of pounds from Muireann's father. The last few years have been hard ones, and the hundred tenants who depend on Barnakilla are in arrears with their rents and have no means to pay in the foreseeable future. Muireann always wanted adventure; she's wanted to prove to herself and her family that she's capable of more than tea parties and dancing. Here is her chance. CALL HOME THE HEART is very much Muireann's story. She has an almost impossible task ahead of her -- already the portents hint at the disastrous potato famine to come -- but she rallies and leads the people in rebuilding Barnakilla. Lochlainn grew up on the land, and he's there to help her, but she's the dynamic one. He's an interesting character, who was betrayed in the past and loath to risk his heart again. He's torn between wanting to be Muireann's partner, and believing he's not good enough for her. The tenants and landed neighbors play important roles in CALL HOME THE HEART, for they add warmth on the one hand and conflict on the other. While the relationship between Muireann and Lochlainn waxes and wanes, the plot revolving around the fight to feed the people and save the estate takes off at a run and turns CALL HOME THE HEART into an all-nighter. And a nail-biter. CALL HOME THE HEART is a moving and passionate novel fans of history and romance will enjoy. Jane Bowers Romance Reviews Today

Romantic Times Review

Widowed by a shooting accident on her honeymoon, Muireann Caldwell discovers that her wastrel husband has left her penniless, and almost homeless. She now faces returning to a smothering family or charting her own course with the crumbling Caldwell estate. Deciding to tackle Barnakilla and its mountain of debt, Muireann turns to the handsome, capable Lochlainn Roche, her late husbands estate manager, for support. Lochlainn worries that with Augustine dead, his lifelong home will be forfeitedespecially if the young widow decides to run home to Scotland. But hes surprised by the strength Muireann displays and grows to admire her courage and determination. She grows to love Barnakilla as much as he does. Dare he hope she returns the love he has found for her? Ms. MacMurrough weaves a wonderful tale of survival and love that defeats seemingly insurmountable odds. It is refreshing to see a heroine with such strength and common sense, and a strong hero who actually believes she can have it! CALL HOME THE HEART is a story you wont want to put down. -April Redmon Trade paper version Top Pick Sept, Review's Choice Award nominee

engaging historical romance

In the early 1840s in Ireland, Lochlan loves his home Barnakilla but fears that he will have to confront the abusive owner Augustine Caldwell eventually though he knows altercation means losing. However, his anticipated quarrel will wait as Augustine has left on his honeymoon in Dublin with his new wife Muirecann. Lochlan prays that Muirecann somehow mellows her spouse into caring more for the well-being of his tenants, but expects she will end up another abused victim. Instead, Augustine commits suicide leaving a stunned Muirecann to return home in scandal. Muirecann tries to do the right thing with the people working the land though she has pressure from Augustine's family who question why he took his life when he seemed to have everything to live for. Needing an ally, she turns to Lochlan for help as they share a love for the land. As the potato famine spreads, Lochlan and Muirecann fall in love, but now he falls under suspicion of killing Augustine as he has several publicly known motives. This is an engaging historical romance with a touch of a who-done-it that emphasizes the setting during a period when people are in trouble. Shannon Farrell provides a powerful picture of a not so enchanted Ireland that in spite of the food shortage still paints quite a magical land especially seen through the hero's eyes. Readers will agree the lead couple belongs together although the odds of achieving that seem astronomical; in spite of their solid believable duet and a strong supportive cast inside a deep historical, 1840s Eire is the soul of CALL HOME THE HEART. Harriet Klausner