Blog Tour: THE IRISH WANDERS by Shannon O'Gorman

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Shannon O'Gorman will be awarding a $40 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Rose Hawthorne: The Irish Wanders follows Rose, a celebrity author in her early seventies, who dislikes the limelight but does like Hermes scarfs, round violet sunglasses, and old colonial hotels. One day, she receives a letter asking her to visit Newgrange, Ireland and discover something that has been hidden there for a thousand years.

She asks her granddaughter Samantha to accompany her, but she hadn’t expected her to continually post photos of their progress on her Instagram account. An encounter with an old love and an unexpected discovery leads Rose deeper into the past, where she finds she must make a hard decision about her future.

Read an Excerpt

Sam glanced at her grandmother’s well-lined face. It was flushed and her green eyes were shining. It was nice to see her so excited and not worrying about books or people following her around Toronto.

Rose turned to her large floral Louis Vuitton bag, snapped it open and reached her hand inside. “Let’s take a look, shall we.”

“This is so exciting!” said Sam peering inside.

“KNOCK. KNOCK.”

Sam gasped involuntarily, turned her gaze away from the bag and looked to her left. The guide from Newgrange was standing under an umbrella and banging on her window. What did she want? Had she realized that her grandmother had taken something?

It was a good thing the windows had fogged up a little; the woman couldn’t see inside very well. Rose snapped her bag shut, and Sam carefully rubbed her hand on the steamy window. A woman’s grim ruddy face and large nose pushed up against the window.

Sam rolled down the window a little. “Um, what can I do for you?” she asked stiffly, feeling the first stirring of panic start to bubble up down in the pit of her stomach.

“I was wondering if I could have a word with you,” the woman said.

Sam gulped and glanced at Rose, who gave her a look that said it wasn’t time to explain anything.

“About what?” Sam said to the woman cautiously.

“It’s about something that was found in Newgrange. I’m glad I caught you before you drove off.” 

 

 ***

Review:Rose Hawthorne was an established author going to Ireland to solve a mystery, hoping that it might make a good story. With her as a traveling companion was her surly 17-year-old granddaughter.

The narrative was easy and compelling. The archeological and landscape scenes were so vivid, so rich with culture and history. I enjoyed the snarky and sarcastic banter between the grandmother and granddaughter. Rose was a smart, crafty, old broad—so deep and knowledgeable, yet so bold and brave, like Indiana Jones. 

We get a surprising twist when they discover a medallion that gives vision. To learn more, Rose reconnects with an old flame, who recounts a legend behind the medallion, fascinating the characters enough to begin a quest to find the other lost medallions.

“Bring the medallions together [so] the sisters will be reunited.” 

The characters run into several unexplained mysteries, and it was interesting to see how it all tied together.

A good read! 

Rating: 4 stars

 

About the Author:

Shannon O’Gorman is a retired ESL teacher who has recently completed her second walk on the Camino de Santiago. She is currently training her dog to accompany her on a Camino one day. She lives in California with her husband and daughter when university is not in session.

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