The Irish Tempest

LOCAL AUTHOR

Author Elizabeth Sparrow brings us a new novel called The Irish Tempest. It takes you on an epic journey of romance between Courtland O’Rourke and Lacey de la Roche in Ireland from 1912 to 1922. Even though there are ten years between them and Court has known Lacey since she was five, you can tell they were always destined to be together. Many things get in the way of their relationship, but those same things also allow time to pass and for Lacey to come of age. Because of some indiscretions, Court is sent away in the army to Delhi. Lacey is heartbroken, but she fills her time with new companions and horse racing, which is very scandalous for a young lady of her social standing. Court returns to Ireland after three years, finding Lacey has become quite the young woman. But it’s not their time yet. World War I breaks out, and Court is called away. He barely makes it out alive. Then comes the Irish rebelling against Britain and being Irish through and through. Court becomes entangled with his compatriots, and Lacey almost becomes a casualty. Even more happens to keep them apart and bring them together, but I’ll let you read that for yourself.

Ms. Sparrow does a wonderful job of drawing you into this epic tapestry. It’s a perfect example of its genre. She adds historical details, but instead of making it about those details, she focuses on how they affect the people involved. This book is definitely sad, as most of history is. There are many characters in this book, and all of them suffer differently and sacrifice in different ways. Some are poor while others are rich. Some suffer great tragedies from war and others from Spanish Influenza. There is betrayal and heartache, especially from loving someone you can’t have.

The only reason I didn’t give it five stars is because of the amount and intensity of the sex scenes. If you’ve read any of my other reviews, you will know that I am pretty much Victorian in my sensibilities. However, I know that some people specifically desire that in a book, and I know you won’t be disappointed with what you find. I read this book more as historical fiction than as a romance, but it could very easily go either way. So fans of both genres would enjoy this book. In the “about the author” section, it states that Ms. Sparrow is working on a sequel to this book, which I look forward to reading. I look forward to seeing where life takes Court and Lacey and those they love.