They crossed centuries to find each other. Their love will shatter worlds. Miss Ada Quicksilver, a student of London’s Lovelace Academy for Promising Young Women, is spending her holiday in Ireland to pursue her anthropological study of fairies. She visits Dublin’s absinthe bars to investigate a supposed association between the bittersweet spirit and fairy sightings.
One night a handsome Irishman … and fairy sightings.
One night a handsome Irishman approaches her, introducing himself as Edward Donoghue. Edward takes absinthe to relieve his sleepwalking, and she is eager to hear whether he has experience with fairies. Instead, she discovers that he’s the earl of Meath, and that he will soon visit a mysterious ruin at Newgrange on the orders of his cousin, the beautiful, half-mad Queen Isolde. On learning about Ada’s area of study, he invites her to accompany him.
Ada is torn between a sensible fear of becoming entangled with the clearly troubled gentleman and her compelling desire to ease his suffering. Finally she accepts his invitation, and they arrive in time for the winter solstice. That night, the secret of Edward’s affliction is revealed: he is, in fact, a lord in two worlds and can no longer suppress his shadow self.
Little does either of them realize that their blossoming friendship and slowly kindling passion will lead to discoveries that wrench open a door sealed for centuries, throwing them into a war that will change Ireland forever.
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Wonderfully written and wonderfully romantic, Sharon Lynn Fisher’s The Absinthe Earl sweeps readers into a powerfully re-imagined Victorian Ireland where a strong queen rules and the world of Faery is just a heartbeat away.
Danger, intrigue, action, and passion u2060— The Absinthe Earl has it all! This bold blend of historical romance, legend, and fantasy takes readers on a thrilling ride through an alternate Ireland that weaves folklore right into the world we know. Original and captivating!
Magical and brilliant! The Absinthe Earl is a fast-paced romp that expertly weaves two different worlds into an adventure not to be missed. Sharon Lynn Fisher crafts clever dialogue and creates characters to fall in love with.
As a scholar of Irish mythology and the anthropological signs of fairies, Miss Ada Quicksilver is spending her Christmas holiday in Ireland hoping to finish her thesis. She begins her research in absinthe bars, hoping to examine a hypothesized connection between the consumption of the spirit and the ability to see fairies. It is in such a bar that she meets the very attractive Irishman Edward Donoghue, more properly the Earl of Meath. She is intrigued to learn that he’s visiting a ruin near Dublin on behalf of his cousin, Queen Isolde, so when he invites Ada to join him, she eagerly accepts in hopes of furthering her research.
Edward relies on nightly doses of absinthe to alleviate his sleepwalking and Ada wants to learn of his own experiences with fairy sightings. She longs to ease his suffering even as she is leery of growing too attached to him. Soon it becomes apparent that Edward is torn between two worlds and can no longer fully suppress this other side of himself. Unbeknownst to either Ada or Edward, their fast-growing friendship and developing passion lead them to a different world and a battle that could change Ireland and its people forever.
This book was very different from anything I’ve read before and I really enjoyed that. I loved the re-imagination of history and the incorporation of so much Irish folklore. It’s left me wanting to learn more about Celtic mythology now. I think this book definitely warrants a second read just because there was so much going on that I feel like I probably missed some things. Either way, this turned out to be a beautiful love story full of lovely, flawed, relatable characters, plus action, adventure, and fantasy. This was way out of my normal comfort zone and I’m glad I decided to give it a try. I’m looking forward to the future installments in this new series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Such an interest interpretation of the classic folk-lore blended with more modern grit. Truly enjoyed the story.
I loved the interweaving of legends of the Faerie !
This book was AWESOME!!!! I LOVED it so much. I couldn’t even pause to skip to the end to see if I was gonna be left hanging til book 2 comes out. LUCKILY I was not left hanging!!! it wrapped up wonderfully but I still can’t wait for the next one. I miss the characters and the SUSPENSE and the STEAMY moments now !!! I may have to read it again IMMEDIATELY, it’s THAT GOOD.
A truly unique story that isn’t a simple beach-read (though there’s nothing wrong with those!), but well worth the effort because the writing is beautiful. The fantasy world-building is a magnificent mixture of real-world history, culture, and mythology. The romance is not your typical one because both characters are in a one of a kind situation, and they’re battling old courting behaviors with fierce emotions and passion. The entire plot is intricately constructed and makes it seem like the author put in a ton of research and work to build this wonderful story.
Charming and filled with intriguing characters, dangerous enemies, and hidden desires, The Absinthe Earl hooked me from the start.
I don’t want to say too much about this story and spoil all the fun (just read the blurb!), but I will say this tale is as lush, richly detailed and mysterious as the cover promises it will be, shot through with Irish legend and history (the author did her research!), flavored with Absinthe—and chock full of twisty surprises! Releasing in October, the mood and tone are perfect for a spectacular Halloween-time read—at times as eerie and spine-tingling as a night in the misty moors. The main characters and their romance are equally original and wonderful and the secondary characters–a few surprises here too!–are well fleshed out.
This book should wow readers of Paranormal Romance, Historical Romance and Fantasy Romance alike—as well as many who read my genre of choice, Science Fiction Romance.
An exciting first book in a brand new series. Looking forward to the next.
It has been some time since I’ve read a novel heavily influenced by mythology and with faeries and I’m glad I had the opportunity to read and review this! In any sort of fantasy world, I require a lot of world-building to feel immersed and Fisher really managed to craft a fascinating setting for Ada and Edward’s story to unfold. Fisher has a talent for gorgeous description, from setting to clothing, I was able to picture everything perfectly.
This is an engaging, fast-paced adventure and romance and yet my interest started to flag around halfway through. I think I would have had an easier time hanging with the story if I had a deeper understanding of Celtic Mythology. Additionally, I struggled with the overly formal language. While I know it makes sense for historical fiction, I couldn’t help wishing for the language to relax as they got to know each other.
I recommend this book, particularly for fans of Celtic Mythology and the more formal historical romances. The descriptions alone are gorgeous and the Irish setting was particularly enchanting. I’m looking forward to seeing where Fisher takes the story in the next book!
**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.