Passion and Principle

by Patricia McLaine

This is the story of Mary Margaret Kathleen Kelly O’Reilly, a young Pagan Catholic born with a veil (second sight) in Dingle, Ireland in 1798. This romantic historical tale begins in an Ireland still under British rule, with the oppression of Roman Catholics, and great bitterness among the Irish people, who desire most of all freedom from the British Crown. Our heroine’s life has many twists and turns, numerous triumphs and tragedies. At a young age, Maggie finds herself torn between her passion for her young smuggler and a handsome soldier of the Crown. The story is rich in the history and drama of the 1800s in Ireland, Europe and America between 1798 and 1871. "The Irish hold a special place in the formation of America. They crossed the Atlantic with a passion for living to make a difference in their new world. Such is story of Mary Margaret Kathleen Kelly O'Reilly, born with special powers to see beyond what others might see. She lived her life fully with conviction and knowledge of what wonders lay ahead. Her story evolves from immigrant struggles, to seeking justice for slaves and women, while raising a family full of tragedy, love, laughter and humility. It's the story of America and the people who made this country great." Maggie Linton Program DirectorSiriusXM Book Radio

Genres: Historical Romance

511 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 20, 2012

Reviews

[Lisa C. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story didn't do anything for me. The story itself was unrealistic and I could find few redeeming qualities in Garn, the hero. He took advantage of a young girl, repeatedly tried to compromise her and had questionable morals. Not my kind of hero.

It had a lot of unbelievable adventure and quite a few bad guys. Garn's plan for the water wasn't really fully explained and the ending was very abrupt. No cliffhanger, just abrupt. On her trip west, Em was torn between the two men, really having no idea what she was getting herself into. You have to admire her independence but she was clueless and went into the trip blind.

There were many spelling errors probably attributed to digital translation, but it could have used a proofreader to fix things. I have to comment on the names of some of the characters. I realize back in the day had different names than we do now, but Lambert Strep or Vestor Tell? Very weird indeed.

[Jo-Anne Vandermeulen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Intriguing Masterpiece!