I guess I need to make a trip to Ireland..

Perhaps then I’ll have a whirlwind romance of my own!

As a friendly heads up, there are some *SPOILERS* in this post. 

Born in Ice is the second in the Born In trilogy, by Nora Roberts.  This book follows the events that occurred in Born in Fire, which I reviewed last week.  While Fire focused on Maggie Concannon, Ice focuses on Brianna, the younger sister who operates a bed-and-breakfast called Blackthorn Cottage.  While exploring the attic, Brianna discovers her father, Tom, got another woman pregnant who lived in New York and had his child.  Brianna goes to tell her sister, Maggie, who is now pregnant herself with her and Rogan’s first child.  Brianna and Maggie decide to send a private investigator to find out if their half-sibling is out somewhere in the U.S.

Brianna’s latest guest is the American mystery writer, Grayson (Gray) Thane, who is visiting County Clare to write his latest novel.  He is curious about his hostess and tries to learn more about her by asking questions, which Brianna won’t answer.  They soon adjust to each other at the house, getting used to the daily routine.  However, Gray does convince Brianna to go out with him to a nice restaurant in town.  They both enjoy the evening a lot, but Gray soon locks himself away in his room writing only to come out after a few days to kiss Brianna.

Soon another guest comes to the cottage, a British man named Herbert Smythe-White.  While adjusting to the new guest an invitation comes for Brianna to go to her Uncle Niall’s wedding to Rogan’s grandmother, Christine.  Brianna doesn’t want to leave her business, but Gray convinces her to go and let a neighbor take care of the business.  They kiss again, and they both enjoy it but Brianna doesn’t want to be rushed.  She is unsure of this relationship, since her last one with Rory didn’t end well and she is also a virgin. They go to Gray’s room to realize money has been stolen.  They go to Dublin and have a great time.

Next Maggie and Brianna decide to send their mother, Maeve, to Rogan and Maggie’s villa on the Mediterranean, but she doesn’t want to go.  She reminds her daughters that Maggie was conceived in sin (since Maggie was conceived out of wedlock) and Brianna was a child of duty because Maeve didn’t love their father.  Maeve even admits she didn’t share a bed with their father after Brianna was born.  The girls decide to send her anyway and she does enjoy it.

Meanwhile, Maggie gives Brianna a nephew, Liam.

Brianna and Gray go on with life at the cottage.  After asking about Rory, Brianna tells Gray all about her past, including how her father has another child with a different woman.  Gray offers to help as well.  Brianna soon learns that Rory was forced away by Brianna’s mother when Maeve told Rory Brianna slept with Murphy, the farmer who lives next door.  She is in tears when she returns home, but Gray comforts her and they make love for the first time.  Brianna tells Gray she loves him.  They travel to New York and enjoy it there, but then have to return to Ireland.  There they learn that Maggie and Brianna have a half-sister somewhere in the United States.

Gray’s time runs out and he has to return to give his publisher his latest novel.  He leaves Brianna, and she is upset after he’s gone.  Gray soon realizes the ending to his novel isn’t right – his main character left his woman but Gray didn’t want to leave Brianna.  He returns to Brianna and asks her to marry him, and she says yes.

I like this book just as much as the first.  I was happy that it continued with characters from the previous books, even seeing Maggie with her own child – something I thought would never have happened unless she had met Rogan in Fire.  Maggie and Brianna are two completely different women yet they both experience love unexpectedly, which is something I really liked.

This book is just another great example of Nora Roberts’s great talent as an author.  If you’d like to learn more about this book or any others by Nora visit Roberts’s website at noraroberts.com.

Next week I’ll continue with the next book in the trilogy – Born in Shame.  From what I’ve learned online it is about Shannon, Maggie and Brianna’s half sister.  Hopefully it will be just as good as the others!

Thanks for reading and I hope you’ll be reading next week!