Jewels of the Sun: Gallaghers of Ardmore Trilogy, Book 1

Great read for summer vacation.

The story is very interesting and I feel I need more of the same. I look forward to the next installment of the Gallaghers of Ardmore.

I will always enjoy the perfect pictures Nora paints in her Ireland love stories. You can hear the accents, smell the flowers and ocean and see the characters all so clearly.

(4.5 stars) Jewels of the Sun was an absolutely fantastic read. This is the first Nora Roberts book I've read, since I've always preferred historical romance over contemporary and have tended to avoid Nora Roberts and Danielle Steel like the plague. I'm so glad I decided to read this book - I had actually been in the library about to return it unread, when I started reading it and decided to give it a try.A definite reread for me with absolutely wonderful main characters (give me an Irishman like Aidan any day! lol) and a great supporting cast. I've already requested from the library the second book in the series, which features Aidan's brother Shawn as the hero and Jude's friend Brenna as the heroine (can't wait!).This book was a solid 4.5 stars up until about the last 3-4 pages ... my rating at this point seriously wavered and I almost lowered it to a 4, because the corniness of that last scene was almost nauseating for me and after not having encountered any of that mushiness that I so detest in the rest of the book, it took me completely by surprise and kind of soured the ending a little for me.Also note: this does have a light paranormal aspect and though I'm not a paranormal romance fan, don't be turned off by this, since the book is definitely a jewel (no pun intended) and not to be missed.

I love Nora Roberts books, she's such a great storyteller. This book is based in Ireland and it's magic, ghosts, and Irish legends, passed onto generation to generation. I really liked the main characters, as stubborn as they were, and the other supporting characters as well. The Irish are passionate people and that comes out in this story. I've just started book 2 so I could read about them. I loved how I could visualize the Irish landscape by the descriptions Mrs. Roberts provided, not too much detail, but enough to make me want to go visit Ireland. The main characters are very relatable, each flawed in their own way, and they have issues they need to work out in themselves to be truly happy. Jude's been raised to be ladylike, uptight and repressed by her proper mother and thinks fulfilling her dreams is foolishness. It's better to have a good supporting job than to do something you love, doubting her ability to succeed. I enjoyed seeing her blossom and come into her own during the book. Aidan is the typically handsome, charming, yet rough around the edges type of guy. He's taken on the responsibility of running the family pub that has been in the family for generations and enjoys it, he's very hard working, and has a way of reading people as bartenders tend to do over time, but yet can be clueless as men can sometimes be about relationships. I don't want to give anything away so I won't go into further detail. I will say while there is sexual content in the book, it's not all through the book and it's not explicit. You know what's happening without them describing every little detail. There is mild cursing (no F bombs), but it was appropriate considering the personalities of the people cursing.

Nora Roberts has written more than the typical romance novel; she has woven a love story that reminds you of all the sweetness of falling in love. An astonishing storyteller, Roberts is equally capable of rendering a captivating plot as she is of painting a village so peaceful and charming it makes you want to sell your house and move to Ireland.Having spent time living in Ireland, I have to say that Roberts's depiction of the people and the place are nothing short of amazing. The way that she recreates the feeling of the land, of the people that inhabit it, made me love the story for its ability to take me back there as much as for the story itself. One might scoff at her liberal use of spirits and fairies, but if you have ever been to Ireland, you know that the place radiates a feeling that makes anything seem possible. There is a quality unique to the lush green landscape that makes believing much more logical and natural than disbelieving, and Roberts has captured that perfectly. Likewise, the Irish are very much as she describes in her book: kind to strangers, amiable and full of laughter, witty and clever to distraction. The dialogue in the book just rolls off the pages with an Irish lilt, and to read her characters's words was like finding myself back on the jeweled isle once more. Although you may not find an Aidan or have a wild love affair if you should go visit Ireland, rest assured that the people and the place are exactly as Roberts tells it.Nora Roberts is a wonderful storyteller and I loved the story as much as I loved her choice of settings. Jude is a very real character with so many doubts and hesitations that are in each of us, and I was startled more than once by Roberts's ability to hit it right on the nail. Jude's character develops very nicely and believably, and I was pleased that love is not used as a convenient device to solve all problems. Jude and Aidan come together (of course), but not without Jude first coming to the truth of who she is as an individual. Aidan is a wonderful character, and his words made me laugh as often as they made my heart melt away. The other characters in the book are equally intriguing and interesting in their own right, and I loved how Roberts incorporated the Irish folktales into the story. This is a blissfully sweet love story, a fairytale to read and treasure.

I have read another of Nora Roberts' trilogies (three sisters island) and loved that. Reading Jewels of the Sun, I started to recognise the formulae. There's nothing wrong with that--I'm very happy with a well-written romance-with-a-bit-of-magic set-up. It's just that in this case I wasn't entranced by the setting or the characters. They were all perfectly lovely and readable, but not truly engaging. And any tension there was seemed ... not tense.This is nothing to do with Ms Roberts as a writer, but I must also say that the standard of layout and editing in the Kindle version I bought was appalling. The publisher needs to get its act together, because this is not a cheap Kindle buy.

I love this author and I have very nearly read all the books not just in this series but all series written.She is an excellent author, I love the story lines, and I love that everything is in 3's I love a series of books and with a triology you have that without having to many books to read to finish off a series.Perfect thing to take away with you and read by the pool!

If you like Nora Roberts books you will like these. Such an easy read along with the 2nd and 3rd book the series.

Another great story with the usual unexpected "happenings" that I always expect usually popping out of nowhere to give a great finish. I could easily read this one again, but perhaps not tonite as Book 2 awaits.

Good story and believable characters. I enjoyed reading this book.