This series is the story of 4 sisters who immigrated from Ireland to the New Orleans Irish Channel in the 1870’s. When their parents contract yellow fever and die, the sisters are separated. Ten-year-old Lovie is sold to a brothel, eight-year-old Megan is sold to a street criminal who trains his ‘tribe’ to survive by any available means, and the two youngest girls are left at an orphanage.
Heart of Stone is Lovie’s story. She manages to escape a horrid life in New Orleans, changes her name to Laura Foster, and makes a respectable life for herself in Glory, Texas. This small town where everyone knows everything about everyone else is the worst place to have your past come back to haunt you. That is just what happens when the town preacher finds himself falling for her.
Heart of Lies is Megan’s story. Her name is changed to Maddie when she is taken into the tribe of street criminals and made to forget her past. After the leader of the ‘tribe’ dies, Maddie lives in a Louisiana swamp cabin eking out a meager existence as a muskrat trapper. She gets caught up in a kidnapping scheme orchestrated by twin brothers she lives with who were a part of the ‘tribe’ that held them all captive. This series of events leads to murder, and Maddie finds herself on the run. Using some of the tricks she learned as a street criminal helps her evade the Pinkerton who is searching for Laura’s sister and is also hired to find the kidnapped child.
Heart of Glass continues the sisters’ stories in Reconstruction-era New Orleans and at a sugar plantation outside the city. Katie Keene is the third sister who is adopted by a wealthy family and given all the advantages money can buy. She becomes an architect and returns to Louisiana to lend her skills to restoring the home of a childhood friend hoping to rekindle friendships in the process. Her best friend Ammalie suddenly dies of consumption after Katie promises to raise her two orphaned children as her own.
Talented narration and excellent story telling captivated my attention from beginning to end. Deep character development and careful attention to historical detail adeptly portray the struggles of life in the south during this era. Persistent love and faith and the indomitable human spirit evident in this clean, heartwarming historical romance series deserves a five-star rating.
Availability: Book Rating: ***** Stars (I loved it)
Reviewer: Lynette, Programming Administrator
ARE YOU AND THIS SERIES A GOOD MATCH? DISCOVER MORE WITH NOVELIST APPEALS! The Irish Angel Series
GENRE: Christian Historical Romances
TONE: Heartwarming; Homespun; Moving
LOCATION: Louisiana
TIME PERIOD: 1870s; 19th Century
SUBJECT: Christian Men; Irish in the United States; Kidnapping; Men Recluses; Orphans; Pinkerton's National Detective Agency; Plantation Houses; Secrets; Women Architects
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