Enya’s Son

Daughters of Ireland #3

by Cindy Thomson

Is love enough for a mother who must be separated from her son?



Having escaped a violent childhood, Enya is safe living with her husband's powerful clan. When her long-awaited son is born, she must fulfill a vow made in desperation--the boy is dedicated to God and goes to live with the local priest. Still, she clings to the hope that the church's influence will eradicate any trace of her bloodline's temperament. The monks rename him Columcille, which means Dove of the Church.



In a prophetic dream, Enya learns her son will grow in power and influence, and her heart is at peace. But while Enya understands her son's influence will be for the good of the church, others believe the prophecy predicts political influence, and try to prevent Columcille from seeking temporal power--though he does not desire it. As he rises to prominence in the church, Columcille's temper erupts when a king's decision goes against him, and he calls his clan to arms. The consequences are more devastating than anyone could have imagined--and changes his life forever.



This retelling of the early life of St. Columcille and his mother will usher readers on a fateful journey through ancient Ireland's monastic centers, her wild coastline islands, and the land Columcille believed was filled with holy angels, a place where he felt safe ... yet was destined to abandon.

Genres: Historical Fiction

325 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2018

About the author

Cindy Thomson is the author of both fiction and nonfiction, including her newest novel, Enya’s Son, third in the Daughters of Ireland series based on ancient legends. Being a genealogy enthusiast, she has also written articles for Internet Genealogy and Your Genealogy Today magazines, and children’s short stories for Clubhouse Magazine. She has also co-authored a baseball biography. Most everything she writes reflects her belief that history has stories to teach. Cindy and her husband live in central Ohio near their three grown sons and their families.

Reviews

[Susan Peek · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I'm always searching for novels about saints, especially obscure ones, so I was super excited when I discovered this book (quite by accident, actually) on Amazon. Over the years I've read a few children's stories to my kids that mentioned St. Columba (spelled by the author here as Columcille), but I'd never found a book about him written for adults. As soon as I realized his life is the subject of this novel, I knew I had to buy it!

From the very first page, the author swept me back to ancient Ireland. Her research of the times is meticulous, and her prose is both beautiful and authentic. I really felt like I was living in each scene and it was easy to forget I was reading a book. The descriptive details are fantastic! My heart immediately connected with the protagonist, Enya, who at the beginning of the book is married but barren. More than anything in the world she yearns for a child. After a desperate prayer and a promise to God, she conceives and becomes the mother of the future Saint Columcille's. It's from her viewpoint that much of the story unfolds.

Overall, the characters are very well-rounded and realistic. Unfortunately, however, the one character that I feel the author failed to portray well is the villain, and that spoiled some of the book for me. To be honest, I didn't see him as being anywhere near as evil or ominous as he obviously was supposed to be. I think it's because the reader doesn't actually see him doing anything bad; it's just a "feeling" about him that Enya has, making her wary of him. She thinks he's creepy and doesn't want him near her son, yet to me, the reader, he came across as odd, but harmless (at least for the first quarter of the book). All I had to go by, so to speak, was Enya's word for it that he's evil, and her suspicions seemed somewhat unfounded. A little example: at one point she suspects he spooks her husband's horse and tries to kill them, but the reader never finds out if he did in fact do anything to the horse, and if so, how he managed to spook it, and exactly to what purpose. I also found it way too convenient that he ends up being related to other "bad guys" in the story.

Another thing that bugged me was Enya's continual suspicions about her own husband. He was the nicest man anyone could ask for, and loved both Enya and God deeply, yet she keeps thinking he's either unfaithful to her or that he will divorce her. I wanted to grab her and shake her by the shoulders and tell her to just knock it off. I eventually lost sympathy with her, and that made my interest in the story wane somewhat. I thought it was a subplot that could easily have been left out. She was also too pushy with what she thought her son should do. Having said that, I did enjoy Enya as a character for most of the book and appreciated that the author was trying to make her human.

My only other little gripe was that the author, not being a Catholic herself, failed to see things as the Church truly does. At the time of the story, every Christian was a Catholic, since Protestantism hadn't yet been invented. Since the author doesn't actually have the same faith as Saint Columba did, it shows in little ways, no matter how hard she has tried to capture the spirit of the early Church. But this is very common, I've found, with non-Catholics who write saints' lives. Apart from this, which isn't really the author's fault, I was very impressed with the beauty and crispness of the author's style.

This was the first book I've read by Cindy Thomson, but it definitely won't be the last. She's extremely talented and I greatly look forward to her other novels!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Cindy Thomson's Enya's Son. It is the third book from the Daughters of Ireland series. It was interesting to take a glimpse of Irish history.
I give it 4 stars.

[P VanLinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book! It’s a story of good versus evil and kept me thinking about the characters long after I put it down. When an evil man threatens the safety of their son, Enya goes behind her husband’s back despite the dangers of traveling alone. It is a story of faith and forgiveness and love and compassion in a land filled with ancient rituals and superstition. The suspense and danger kept me up late and the rich history of ancient Ireland and the early days of the church make it a very interesting read!

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learn about the life of St. Columcille and his mother Enya’s sacrifices for him in Cindy Thompson’s Enya’s Son. Aoife Burke’s audiobook narration transported me to Ireland to completely immerse me in the story. Not only did the characters come alive for me while hearing their emotions through the variety of voices Burke used, but the story also revealed the power of God’s guiding help through challenging experiences.
Enya’s Son is the third book in the Daughters of Ireland series but can be enjoyed as a standalone novel. If you like it, try the others in the series. Enya’s Son would be great for readers who like Christian historical fiction from a woman’s point of view that includes a journey of self-discovery. I recommend the audiobook. Thank you to the author and the publisher for my review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have liked all the books in this series, but this one was my very favorite. Learned a lot about the life of St. Columba (also known as Colmcille). This book deals a lot with the subject of an uncontrolled anger, both in word and deed. If you are born into a family known for their tempers, does it necessarily mean you are fated to be overcome by your own temper, or can you overcome it with God's help?

[Lilmissmolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enya's Son is the third book in the Daughters of Ireland series by Cindy Thomson. I really enjoyed learning about the early life of St. Columba (Columcille) and his mother, which is set in the sixth century. I listened to the audiobook version of this story narrated by Aoife Burke, who did an admirable job.