#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts begins a new trilogy of adventure, romance, and magick in The Awakening.In the realm of Talamh, a teenage warrior named Keegan emerges from a lake holding a sword—representing both power and the terrifying responsibility to protect the Fey. In another realm known as Philadelphia, a young woman has just discovered she possesses a treasure of her … discovered she possesses a treasure of her own…
When Breen Kelly was a girl, her father would tell her stories of magical places. Now she’s an anxious twentysomething mired in student debt and working a job she hates. But one day she stumbles upon a shocking discovery: her mother has been hiding an investment account in her name. It has been funded by her long-lost father—and it’s worth nearly four million dollars.
This newfound fortune would be life-changing for anyone. But little does Breen know that when she uses some of the money to journey to Ireland, it will unlock mysteries she couldn’t have imagined. Here, she will begin to understand why she kept seeing that silver-haired, elusive man, why she imagined his voice in her head saying Come home, Breen Siobhan. It’s time you came home. Why she dreamed of dragons. And where her true destiny lies—through a portal in Galway that takes her to a land of faeries and mermaids, to a man named Keegan, and to the courage in her own heart that will guide her through a powerful, dangerous destiny…
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Nora creates a great character in Breen and we can’t wait to see how she fits into this fantastical world. I was glad we finally met the hero though it took a while for the two to get together. Great surprise ending. Can’t wait for book 2.
I feel you can never go wrong with a Nora Roberts novel. Once she starts a new series, I can’t wait for the first one, finish in like 2 days then hate to have to wait until the next book. Then the next book is released & I go thru the cycle all over again. Worth it every time!
I loved this book and can’t wait for the next one! Endearing characters and great world building draw you in and keep you invested in the story. I didn’t want it to end.
I can not wait for the next book In the series.
I hate cliffhangers! And as I knew this was Book 1 of what would most likely be a trilogy I knew that this book would end in a cliffhanger. But I had to read it anyway. I love this book! Nora Roberts has a way with world building that makes the magical seem real. I read of Bree’s apartment in the gayborhood in Philadelphia, Sally’s club, and all her friends there and I found myself swept away to a part of Philadelphia I had never seen but wanted to find! Her Descriptions of Ireland had me wishing for a father who secretly put away millions for me so I could fly first class to Ireland, to see and experience all that Breen did. Through Nora’s words I could picture the Welcome Tree, the farms, the cottage Breen’s grandmother lived. It is vivid as a photograph from a tour brochure. And the feelings I had while I read! I laughed with the children as they frollicked with the dogs and ran in the woods. I loved as Breen and Keegan found love in each other. I cried as Breen said goodbye to everyone in Ireland and returned to Philadelphia. I rode a roller coaster of emotions from the first word to the last. It was a glorious ride! I really did not want this book to end. And even though it ends in a cliffhanger and I hate cliffhangers, I would read this book again and again. It is that good. So hurry up and release book 2 of The Dragon Heart Legacy because I am dying to see what happens next.
So thrilled to have found the next series I love reading and hate having to wait for the next installment. I’ll just have to go back and read the other, earlier series!
I always enjoy Nora Roberts magical book series, this book was no exception. I can’t wait for the next book to continue the adventure.
Nora Roberts is a one-click author for me. I love her trilogies the best. I was thrilled to discover this new one! She combines all my favorite elements–paranormal, Ireland, romance, and self-discovery. I absolutely loved Breen’s story and cannot wait for the next two books.
I can’t wait for the next book in the series!!
The Awakening is the first book in The Dragon Heart Legacy series by romance writer legend Nora Roberts. As I really started getting into the story I began to realize we were just being introduced to this magical land and a host of wonderful characters and this book was going to end on a cliffhanger. Nooooooooo! I HATE cliffhangers! But by that time it was too late for me…I was hooked. No quitting; I was already deeply invested in these people. Damn.
Breen Kelly is a young woman stuck in a job she couldn’t stand. She wanted to be a writer, not a teacher, but her mother insisted she wasn’t good enough. Her mother always insisted she wasn’t good enough, no matter what Breen wanted to try or enjoyed doing. While taking care of her mother’s home while she was out of town, Breen discovers by accident that her long-missing father left her investments worth close to $4 million. WHAT?! Breen is angry for being kept in the dark and decides to change her life with the help of her gay BFF Marco. They travel to Ireland, her father’s homeland, intending to find out more about him. Staying in a charming cottage, Breen begins to have odd dreams that are so real as to appear to be memories. When Marco must return home, she decides to stay a while longer. When an adorable pup appears and seems to want Breen to follow him, she does…straight through a portal to the magickal world of Talamh, where she meets her grandmother, other people who seem somehow familiar, and the mysterious leader Keegan. She wanted change, but she never imagined this!
This book was a fun journey to faraway lands and ended up being really quite touching. I found myself tearing up quite a bit throughout the story. Breen was an incredible heroine! She was led to believe she was mediocre by her mother her entire life. (Not Marco, though….he totally knew Breen was all that and a bag of chips. I really, really want a Marco of my own!) She thought she was going crazy when she crossed over to Talamh, but she soon began to feel at home there and that she truly belonged. Breen found out there was a dark side coming over into this beautiful place; though it was hard for her, she did her best to learn how to fight under the tutelage of Keegan. It was beautiful when she learned just how strong a woman she truly was. Keegan was a bit hard to like and it took me quite a while to warm up to him. He was a hard and demanding task master and often criticized Breen. The more I learned about him, however, the more I understood his behavior – he truly had the weight of the world on his shoulders and was charged with protecting it all. Besides dear Marco, the other supporting characters were also greatly drawn, especially Breen’s evil grandfather who was bent on destroying Talamh, her grandmother Nan and her friend Sally, who was the mother of Breen’s heart. Of course, I can’t forget adorable pup Bollocks! This was a fascinating world and one I can’t wait to revisit!
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.
The Awakening by Nora Roberts is the 1st book in her new Dragon Heart Legacy trilogy. I am a huge fan of Nora Roberts books, especially her fabulous trilogies; I absolutely love each and everyone of them. I was thrilled to find out about the first book in this new trilogy and am happy to say I loved it…another winner for Nora Roberts.
Breen Kelly, our heroine, is 26 years old and lives in Philadelphia; she hates her job, and is deep in debt. Breen has strange dreams that keep her up many nights, with one message “Come Home, Breen Siobhan”. With her mother away, she is cleaning up and discovers some papers that has an account with her name and a balance of close to 4 million dollars. Breen decides she wants to learn more about her father, and travels to Ireland with her friend Marco. For two weeks they travel and enjoy Ireland, and when Marco goes home, Breen is determined to stay for a few months. She comes across a cute puppy (Bollocks), who leads her through a portal where she meets her grandmother, and learns her father is dead.
Breen will learn everything about the realm of Talamh, filled with magic, fairies, witches, dragons, elves, weres, falcons, as well as the beautiful incredible land and family/friends she knew when she was a young child, only to be taken away by her mother. Roberts not only created a wonderful heroine, but I loved those family and friends in Talameh; Keegan (the young leader and love interest), Marg, Morena, Aisling, Mahon, Harken, Sedric, and her friend Marco, etc. In the midst of all these wonderful people, there is of course an evil villain, Odran, her grandfather, who is determined to kidnap her and take away her powers, which needs to be awakened.
I do not want to give spoilers, as you need to read this from start to finish. What follows is a wonderful story that kept my attention throughout, unable to put the book down. I loved watching Breen learn how to use her powers from her grandmother, as well as Keegan training her on how to fight with a sword or her own abilities such as fire. I also loved how Breen wrote a children’s book about her puppy, and also starts to write a novel.
The slow build romance between Breen and Keegan was nicely done, as they belong together, which I expect to see more in the next book. I loved loved Bollocks, who was such an adorable puppy. Breen needs to make a choice; does she go back home, or does she stay and help Talameh fight the oncoming evil. What will Breen do? I loved everything about this book, as I devoured it from start to finish, and look forward to the next book.
Excellent first book in a new trilogy. Really interesting characters and an intriguing storyline kept me engaged throughout the whole book.i didn’t want to put it down. Highly Recommend.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor.
Nora Roberts has written a modern fairytale. It is glorious. And The Awakening is only the beginning. Breen comes to find out that her estranged father has secretly been sending her money every month for years that has been deposited into an account and amassed into millions. She decides to quit her job and spend the summer in her father’s home country of Ireland to learn more about where her family comes from. She brings her best friend, Marco, with her for the initial few weeks. Once Marco returns home to Philadelphia, Breen is on her own for the first time in her life and ends up discovering, quite literally, a whole new part of her that she never knew existed as she finds her grandmother in an all-together other world.
This story is so beautifully told. The setting of Ireland is always fantastic but in Roberts’s hands becomes magical and wonderful in all new ways. In re-discovering her past, Breen finds friendship and love and a strength in herself she didn’t know she had. There are hints of a battle to come, sword play, witches and faeries and all the magical things that let you escape to another time and place. There is a gorgeous Irish warrior, Keegan, who is all strength and goodness and has a freaking dragon.
I’m normally not one for a cliffhanger but there isn’t so much a cliffhanger as a stepping off point for a larger story to come. I cannot wait to read more. I found this book to be a quick, easy read and slightly less heavy than her most recent trilogy. It has both the feel of the original Nora Roberts writing style mixed in with some of the newer elements found her more recent books and the blend is perfection. I highly recommend!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for an ARC of this book. The opinions here are my own.
I’ve been a fan of this author, both under this name and her pseudonym, for a lot of years. I like it when she delves into the paranormal as that’s my favorite genre. I was excited to pick up this latest, and I dived right in. I am going to say upfront that it took waaaaaay too long to get to the actual meat of the story. I think about half of the first part could have been pared down to make a tighter first part. It wasn’t boring by any stretch of the imagination, but I knew as a reader that this was just a set-up part of the story. Once we actually got to the heart of the story, it just flew by really quickly, and at the end even though I gasped, I actually cheered about what happened. Just stick with the first part of the story; it’s worth it in the end. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.
This book is a masterpiece! I’m in awe of how many times I had to reread whole chapters because I wanted to savour every single action and moment.
It’s magical and beautiful written, the characters are so interesting and let’s not forget about the settings, whimsical lands with so much history that helps to let your imagination go wild.
It’s The Awakening of a woman that has lived her life in a cocoon, so sheltered from the authentic life and her inheritance.
Her journey to discover her meaning and powers in this new life she discovered, it’s full of magical moments and unbelievable stories but they all become her reality as soon she accepted it and I’m so looking forward to the next books in this trilogy because NR has opened a can of out of this world story.
I’m not even going to say how much I’m looking forward to the romance story, that’s going to be an interesting ride.
One of my favourite authors in the world is back and this book will be a favourite for every reader.
The Awakening is a wonderful introduction to Robert’s new fantasy world. Breen Kelly lives an ordinary life, working at a job she doesn’t love, drowning in student loan debt, shopping in thrift stores, and barely making ends meet, Breen is shocked when she finds out that she has an account with almost four million dollars in it. Breen uses the money to pay off her debt and then takes a trip with her best friend to Ireland in the hopes of learning more about her estranged father. It is in Ireland where she discovers a portal that takes her to Talamh, the place of her birth and a magical land of fairies, weres, dragons, and more.
Breen meets a dynamic group of people, including a grandmother she doesn’t remember, and she finds out that she is the key to saving this world from an evil, power-hungry villain who also happens to be her grandfather. She “awakens” and realizes her power. As she learns to master her abilities and hone her craft, Breen must also decide if she wants to return to her safe and monotonous world or stay in this new world where danger lurks in every corner.
Breen Kelly. What a protagonist! Breen spent much of her life feeling rejected by her father and less than by her mother. Working in an unfulfilling career to pay off her student debt and barely making ends meet, she lives a mundane life. Luckily, Breen has a strong group of friends who show her more love and support than her own mother. I love Breen’s friends – her old friends from Philadelphia and the new friends she gains in Ireland! Smart and kind people who encourage Breen to reach toward happiness, they are what Breen’s mother should be.
Breen has a toxic relationship with her controlling and negative mother. Though I can understand her mother’s desire to move and stay away from the supernatural world, especially after what happened to Breen when she was younger, I don’t understand why her mother is so critical. It is almost as if she resents and fears Breen.
Breen’s mom always makes her feel less than and didn’t encourage her to achieve her goals. I think, in a weird, warped way, Breen’s mother was trying to keep her safe, but in doing so, squelched her individuality and sense of self. This is quite different from Breen’s friends and, my favorite character in the novel, her grandmother.
Marg waited over twenty years to reunite with Breen, and watching their relationship redevelop is lovely. Kind, generous, and loving, she is the antithesis of Breen’s mother.
I love the way that Marg supports and encourages Breen. Her love is unconditional and true. From her advice to her gestures to her actions (or inactions), Marg exemplifies the mother that Breen always wished she had. She gives Breen the confidence to step out of her comfort zone and embrace her newly awakened abilities. She also helps her acclimate to the incredible supernatural world of Talamh – the powers, supernatural beings, lore, and more. (Oh, and did I mention the dragons?! You know I love a story with dragons! And Breen’s love interest on a dragon? Sa-woon!)
The name of Breen’s blog is “Finding Me,” which is fitting since she spends the majority of the story “finding” and redefining herself. This is one of the highlights of the story as Breen goes from being a person who prefers to blend into the background to a powerful, self-assured woman. I love her growth throughout the story. I mean, I don’t know how I would react if I fell through a portal, reconnected with family I never knew I had, realized they are not entirely human (nor am I), and then found out that I was the key to protecting the world (and other worlds) from the evil intentions of my villainous grandfather. Breen has a lot of heavy decisions to make, but before she can make any decisions, she needs to find herself.
I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the love story. Breen and her love interest have an interesting dynamic. Keegan is the sexy leader of Talamh and has sworn to protect her. However, he refuses to let her depend on others for protection, as do the other amazing friends she makes in Talamh. Keegan teaches her how to fight and control her power.
He makes her learn to defend herself, and though his ways are often hard and punishing, his motives are clear and honorable. He takes his role as leader and protector very seriously, and I have a feeling that, as the story evolves, so will the relationship between Breen and Keegan. Their connection is strong, and their chemistry is palpable.
The Awakening is a fantastic start to what promises to be an exciting new series from Nora Roberts. With dynamically developed characters, both human and supernatural, skillfully woven and immersive worlds, interesting lore, a fabulous romance, and themes of friendship, family, female empowerment, and the healing power of love, The Awakening is Nora Roberts at her best. Thanks so much to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
Like fathers everywhere, when Breen Kelly was a wee bit of a lass, her father would tell her stories of Ireland, the land of his birth, and of magical places with dragons and faeries. Many years later, after she has spent years mired beneath a mountain of student loan debt and in a job she hates, she unexpectedly learns she is a wealthy woman thanks to her father who had returned to Ireland leaving Breen and her mother behind. She decides to go to Ireland and find her father. Once there, though, there are strange happenings.
If you can get past the opening chapter with its unpronounceable and hard to remember character names, this book becomes unputdownable. It is very well-written with a multi-faceted main character in Breen. Her best friend, Marco, is every woman’s ideal best friend.
The book races along and you’ll undoubtedly be up well past your bed time reading it and you’ll be lucky if, when you wake up, you find the book on a near-by table and not splayed open laying on your chest.
This book was pleasantly surprising and so unexpected from Nora Roberts. Even if you know you don’t like fantasy books, you should give this one a chance because it is nothing short of magical.
My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Edelweiss for an eARC.
I received this book in an uncorrected proof from Goodreads at no cost to me, which does not affect my honest review
The Awakening may bring Ms. Roberts scores of new fans seeking out a fantasy trilogy with all the elements her long-time fans have come to love: a protagonist discovering her true self, an emphasis on family-both found family and birth family–a potential love interest, great animal companions, and an Irish setting where Ireland practically is its own character. These are the foundation stones on which she’s built an illustrious career satisfying millions of fans around the world.
It’s a classic tale, told with zest and it creates the setting for a trilogy that many will love. I enjoyed it and would have given it a higher rating but for some writing quirks that yanked me out of the story. Ms. Roberts writes with sudden POV shifts in the middle of the scene, and it’s difficult to go with the flow of the story when you have to pause to figure out whose head you’re in.
One character tells another they can be their “wailing wall” and that also yanked me out of the narrative. The term Wailing Wall for the Western Wall (ha-Kotel) in Jerusalem is considered derogatory by many Jews. It may seem like a small thing, but sometimes it’s the little things that can take a reader aback. In addition, one character who runs a drag club is referred to by the protagonist as “her real mother”, but the character is referenced throughout with male pronouns. It may be that character’s preferred form of address–we’re not told, but since we only see that character in drag and they’re considered the protagonist’s “mother”, it’s again, jarring.
But overall it’s a rollicking good read and one hopes that with dragons in the title we’ll see even more of them in the books to come. They were interesting characters in their own right!
What a wonderful way to start a new series! There’s always more going on than what one sees or feels, as Breen finds out. When she unexpectedly finds that how she sees herself and how she’s been living so frugally isn’t real, she makes some major changes. She stops putting a brown rinse to dull her red hair, goes on her first overseas trip with her best friend, Marco to Ireland, the land of her father. Once there, she feels an immediate connection. After Marco returns home, she really finds her connections. The memories and her hidden skills are starting to appear which help her overcome her sense of just barely being adequate. When meeting Keegan, she feels his disdain with her. He knows that she is capable of so much and with the troubles to come, she really needs to find her confidence in her skills and love for her new found world.