Book Title: Under the Emerald Sky
Series: The Irish Fortune Series, Book 1
Author: Juliane Weber
Publication Date: 23rd October 2020
Publisher: Independently Published
Page Length: 468 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction/Historical Romance
Under the Emerald Sky
(The Irish Fortune Series, Book 1)
By Juliane Weber
He’s come to Ireland to escape his past. She’s trying to run from her future.
It's 1843 and the English nobleman Quinton Williams has come to Ireland to oversee the running of his father’s ailing estate and escape his painful past. Here he meets the alluring Alannah O’Neill, whose Irish family is one of few to have retained ownership of their land, the rest having been supplanted by the English over the course of the country's bloody histo-ry. Finding herself drawn to the handsome Englishman, Alannah offers to help Quin com-municate with the estate’s Gaelic-speaking tenants, as much to assist him as to counter her own ennui. Aware of her controlling brother’s hostility towards the English, she keeps her growing relationship with Quin a secret – a secret that cannot, however, be kept for long from those who dream of ridding Ireland of her English oppressors.
Among the stark contrasts that separate the rich few from the plentiful poor, Under the Emerald Sky is a tale of love and betrayal in a land teetering on the brink of disaster - the Great Famine that would forever change the course of Ireland's history.
Trigger Warnings: Violence, sexual content.
An excerpt from Under the Emerald Sky
“Good night, sir,” said the youth Quin had addressed as Mr O’Reilly, shooting me a quick glance while the others echoed the send-off. They turned away jovially, and we continued along the path back to the house.
“Oh,” Quin exclaimed suddenly and stopped, “I’ve forgotten my jacket.—Wait here while I fetch it quickly.” He gave my hand a brief squeeze and was off, loping towards the barn before I’d uttered a word. I laughed as I watched him go, coming to stand next to one of the torches at the edge of the path. The flame flickered in the breeze and I shivered. Outside the warmth of the barn the night was getting cold.
“Winter is on its way,” I murmured to myself, rubbing my upper arms briskly as the wind picked up. While I had been sweating with the exertion of dancing only a short time before, the thin fabric of my dress was doing little to keep out the growing chill now, long-sleeved though it was, and I was feeling the absence of my shawl, which I had left inside the house—not to mention the absence of Quin, who always seemed to be warm, no matter the weather.
I looked up at the sky, where a sheet of clouds was billowing, hiding the stars. It was a new moon, and the night was dark, the grounds lit only by the torches that had been placed at regular intervals around the estate. A good night for ghosts, I thought with a shudder, my mind flitting briefly to Martin Doyle. Despite what I had told Quin about the benevolent nature of the night’s visitors, there were also plenty of tales of evil spirits coming to Earth on the night of Samhain to exact their revenge, and fairies looking for offerings and sacrifices to appease them and ward off their wrath. A sudden gust of wind blasted into my face, snuffing out the torch that stood beside me. I hugged myself in the cold air. Looking at the tendril of smoke rising from the extinguished flame, an overwhelming feeling of premonition came over me, making my scalp prickle and a cold shiver run down my spine. I shook myself, trying to shrug off the sense of evil that had come over me so abruptly.
“On we go.”
I jumped at Quin’s voice. I hadn’t heard him come up behind me and turned towards him, holding a hand over my pounding heart.
“Are you alright?” he asked with a look of concern, reaching out to stroke my arm. Noticing me shivering, he placed the jacket he was carrying around my shoulders.
“Yes, of course,” I said with a slight nod. “You just startled me.” I gave him a small smile. “On we go,” I repeated his statement, making an effort to sound cheerful.
With Quin’s solid presence by my side, my unease soon abated. By the time we had reached the welcoming lights of the house I was once more thoroughly composed, laughing under my breath at my ridiculous fancies.
This novel is available to read for free with #KindleUnlimited subscription.
Juliane lives with her husband and two sons in Hamelin, Germany, the town made famous by the story of the Pied Piper.
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Thank you so much for hosting the blog tour for Under the Emerald Sky.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Mary Anne
The Coffee Pot Book Club
It is my absolute pleasure, as always. Good luck with the rest of your tour, Juliane
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