Tom supported both of his daughters and paid for Maggie to go to Venice to follow her dream of becoming a glass blower. Maggie barely tolerates her mother, but it’s Bri who has the care of her. She’s never let them forget that she threw away all of her hopes and dreams due to the religious beliefs that “forced” her to remain married to Tom, a man who was always cooking up another money-making scheme and generally losing money in the process. Tom’s loss is devastating and leaves behind Maggie and Bri’s mother, Maeve, a bitter, cold woman who was always very clear with her daughters that one was born of sin (she was pregnant with Maggie when she got married) and one of duty. At the beginning of the book, Tom suddenly dies while with Maggie on the cliffs looking over the sea. Fiery and passionate, moody and difficult, Maggie spends her days in her glass house working the glass, and her evenings with her sister, Brianna, who owns a small B&B nearby.

Maggie is an artist, a Venice trained glass blower who creates quite literally from sand beautiful work that is gaining a small bit of traction beyond County Clare in Ireland where she lives. In Born in Fir e, we meet Margaret Mary Concannon, daughter of perpetual dreamer, Tom Concannon. This weekend, I was casting about for something to read and happened upon an omnibus version of your Born In trilogy and decided, why the heck not? These mini-reviews are intended to entice readers who perhaps haven’t given this trilogy a shot to try them. And the heroines in this trilogy epitomize what Sarah from SmartBitches calls “competence porn”. Not to mention your Irish heroes are among my favorites. Your Irish set novels are some of my favorites, as I think you have such an amazing hand at creating a sense of place. But time and again, when I’m jonesing for a re-read, I go back to your “Born In Trilogy”. So much so, that it’s difficult for me to choose a favorite series or work.

In the mid-90’s, I began buying every single book I could put my hands on that you’d written. Your book Irish Thoroughbred began my deep and abiding love of romance.

Nora roberts born in fire series