In mid-nineteenth-century Ireland, charming Kathleen and dashing Michael harbor secrets and dreams. Imagining a life beyond the kitchen and fields of the wealthy family they both work for, they plot to leave their homeland, marry, and raise the child Kathleen is secretly carrying. The luck of the Irish, however, is not on their side.Soon, they find themselves swept up in circumstances they never … they never could have fathomed. Kathleen is forced to marry against her will and immigrate to New Zealand. Michael is imprisoned for rebellion and exiled to Australia. As time passes and their new lives march on, they long for those stolen moments in the lush green fields of their native land. And they both still dream of escape, with no idea of how close fate will eventually bring them.
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This is the first book in the trilogy by Sara Lark. Continuing with my series reads in the month of October. I think I loved her Long White Cloud Saga better.
This is a very nice story spanning over time. It is set in Ireland and England and is a story of a young girl, Mary Kathleen who is very much a beautiful lass who falls in love with Michael who has all the words that makes her feel good and handsome to boot. Although he has good intentions, unfortunately he gets her pregnant and is arrested trying to make a living the best way he knows..one that would cost him his freedom. He is given a 10-year sentence because of his refusal to participate with officials and the judge. Before going to jail, he leaves Mary Kathleen a some of money and promises to come back for her before he is put aboard a ship and is carted away to an afar off land. Although they will be separated, they both vow to love one another and hopefully one day find each other again. Ashamed of their daughter, her parents find the money given to her by Michael and they use it as a dowry to pay off the first man that would marry her. Unfortunately, due to her circumstances she is forced into a marriage with someone she distrusts and doesn’t love and is taken away to New Zealand to start a new life. He husband is a violent and ends up treating her like a whore and learns all too quickly how to carry herself in the presence of her husband when she is around other men. Mary Kathleen is subjected to verbal and physical abuse at the hands of her new husband.
Later in the story, it introduces Lizzie a young prostitute in England who takes care of two children because their mother is unable to do so. She finds out that her mother’s boyfriend has taken the little bit of morsel that was to be breakfast for the children before she heads out to the docks to work for more money to survive. Her circumstances takes a turn when she is arrested for stealing. When Hannah, the children’s mother comes to court to attest to her story, she lies and Lizzie is sentence to 7 years in Austrailia.
Because they are both incarcerated, Lizzie and Michael are somehow thrown together and escape to New Zealand. Lizzie falls in love with him and hopes for a future, however Michael does not return her affections and is only determined to earn enough money to go back to Ireland to get Mary Kathleen. Although the pace moves a bit quickly, it details a variety of scenes over the spand of 17 years. Unfortunately, the story does not end with a HEA for Michael and Mary Kathleen. I think all the M/Cs have their share of hardships and being stuck somewhere in their lives where they can’t move forward.
The author does a good job detailing the conditions of the times, and the details of Ireland and England. I was very impressed on her research and she managed to pull and tie all the story together. The only drawback I had with this story was that is was too lengthy and could have been shortened, thus my 3-Stars instead of 4.