The Shamrock and The Rose
A historical romance with a political twist set in late 19th century Ireland - By Roisin Moriarty
“We must have government by law, else we have tyranny, and that only breeds rebellion.” So asserts the Protestant Earl of Wiltshire to Irish Catholic, tenant-farmer’s daughter Caitlin Donovan in 1892 Ireland. Cursing God and the English, she’s come to demand justice for her brother, a once promising medical student who has been wrongfully charged with sedition against the Crown and thrown into prison. She has nothing to lose. The boy she’d hope to marry is missing at sea. Her brother, denied habeas corpus, faces indefinite internment. When her father dies, she and her mother lose the farm to an unscrupulous land agent, and Caitlin is forced to take residence with her prickly, socially ambitious aunt. But Caitlin is like Ireland herself. Despite being brought to her knees time and time again, she keeps struggling to her feet and fighting on. Following a chance encounter, Caitlin and the Earl form an unlikely friendship. Sheuncovers a plot by his conniving housekeeper to keep him drugged and sickly. She reveals the illegal actions of his land agent, whichundermine the progressive traditions of the Earl’s family. Together, they devise a daring scheme to break her brother out of prison, at the risk of their lives and his fortune. THE SHAMROCK AND THE ROSE is a story of regret and redemption, of the willingness of the human heart to love despite shattered dreams, and of the yearning of the human spirit for justice and freedom. This is Irish history with a twist, where an Englishman fights to save an Irish rebel, and an Irish land agent preys on already impoverished tenant farmers. Readers of historical fiction, fans of Ireland and the Irish, those who like feisty heroines, and those who relish a good love story will enjoy this novel. THE SHAMROCK AND THE ROSE, BOOK ONE, is complete at 105,000 words, with the invaluable assistance of editor, Nancy Stohlman, and I am currently working on BOOK TWO.