Besides my birthday month (September), I think March is one of my most favorite months of the year. I adore St. Patrick’s Day: the green, the food, the celebration. I am an Irish girl through and through, embracing the whole of my heritage and even favoring Ireland as a country above all others. I don’t know what about it truly speaks to me; I just know that in every way, it endears me.
So for March, I’m stepping into the new theme of Irish Fantasies and Romances! (This also includes Celtic-inspired, not just Ireland-based). From mysterious Fae novels like the Fever series to magical Celtic settings in a Nora Roberts romance, Irish-based stories are among my (surprise!) favorite kinds of books of all time.
I simply adore the bridging of magic, mystery, folklore, and epic love into one beautiful woven tale.
I love these tales so much, that I even wrote my own: Call of the Celts! Okay, so that is more empowered romance and mystery than magic and fantasy, but it’s intriguing, and not-so-humbly-said, worth the read if you are a fan of the genre 😊
This month, I’ll be asking my social media followers some questions about Irish and Celtic inspired novels as part of my monthly theme. Feel free to comment with your own thoughts and insights below!
1. What Irish/Celtic mystical series has been your favorite to read?
See, now for me, that is super unfair and hard to decide!! Do I go with one of the many fantabulous Nora Roberts’ collections? Do I choose Tricia O’Malley and her Mystic Cove series, or the darker, more intense urban Fever fantasies?
2. Ireland isn’t the only setting for a great fantasy. What other fantasy book settings have you enjoyed?
Personally, I think when it comes to the magical fantasy, fae, etc. types of novels, it’s not really about Ireland for me, but of the whole Celtic-like feel, and that does include England and Scotland. I love novels set in those majestic places as well.
3. When reading an Irish-based story, are you more drawn to a countryside or big city setting?
I am a country-loving girl, hands down. The imagery that’s conjured up from the lands, the livestock, the sea, the wind—all of it is just so fantastical and breathtaking to witness in real life, that it draws me in every time it’s represented in a book’s scenery.
4. Has there been a book you loved that was set in Ireland but didn’t play a major part in the plot?
Last year, I read The Guest List by Lucy Foley, and although it was set off the shore of Ireland and gave the book a certain charm, it didn’t overpower the plot at all. It did add to the mysterious setting, but it complemented it rather than overshadowed the story.
5. Has there been a fantasy book or series that surprised you (good or bad)?
I came upon this book, Fae Song, by Deonne Williams, and I absolutely adored it. It wasn’t the same old Irish roots and magic-type book I typically read, and it didn’t disappoint by being its unique brand of storytelling. In fact, I adored this endearing fantasy that took you on a mystical journey of two strangers meeting, forming a bond and strong friendship and accepting each other exactly as they were. And I’m still waiting for its sequel (ahem, Miss Deonne! 😉 )
What would your responses be? I’ll be reviewing all kinds of stories based on the Emerald Isle and invite you to share in the fun. Have any Irish or Celtic tales inspired you?
If you’d like to check out my own Irish adventure, click on the link below!
Call of the Celts, by Jenny Dee: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09M8C6NWW
Eldest granddaughter Megan Rossi was born to be an international mogul in the advertising world-or so she convinced herself. A shattered heart in her youth cured her of whimsical fantasies of being a writer and finding true love. Now tasked with traveling to the western shores of Ireland to claim an old family ring bequeathed by an unknown grandfather, Meg is forced to relive the decisions of her past when the sexy Kieran MacGovern walks into her life. Faced with an unexpected affair, an epiphany on the Cliffs of Moher and the frightening realization that someone is after the family's legacy, she must make the choice between using her head or following her heart. Will she fall victim to her own ambitious drive and abandon her promise to herself, or give in to the whispers that call her to risk it all for love and destiny?