Rating: 
Summary: Irish Eyes are Smilin' :)
Review: I've had this book on my bookshelves for a couple of months (in the never ending TBR pile). For some reason, it kept getting passed over. Then I finally picked it up one day last week, and once I opened it, I couldn't put it down! This book combines a perfect blend of contemporary romance with old Irish lore, and it's a wonderful mix of both. Jude is wonderfully human with a neurotic tendency (to which I can COMPLETELY relate!) and Aidan, well, Aidan is just a dream come true! More than anything, I love how it hints at no matter how real life can get, you always need a little Irish magic. :) On to the 2nd book!!! :)
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Summary: was unexcited about this book--- BUT FELL IN LOVE w/it!
Review: I was not too happy about the reading selection at the store I visited on my way to the beach with my family last year.... but I saw the cover and thought--- great! light reading- if I hate it= I can just give it away to someone on the beach! Well, I couldn't put the book down!!!! I surprised myself! The BOOK surprised me! I saw tons of women reading the same book on the beach & a few just walking around with it! It was a sweet book. It takes you away for a while from the daily drudging through life... you almost feel like you are there- peering into the character's lives like thru an open window or something... very good book... great for the beach, but really great all year round!
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Summary: The start of another great Irish Trilogy by Roberts
Review: I have found after fighting my tastes I really like Nora Roberts stories. Especially the ones set in Ireland. This is the start of a new trilogy. The stories center around Cerdick the Fairy Prince who has to make things right to be able to spare the ghost of his past love and spend eternity with her. The Gallagher clan (Adian, Shawn and Darcy) must meet their true loves... This is Aiden's story. He meets vacationing Jude who is basically trying to figure out what she really wants to do with her life. She has moved to an Aunts cottage for 6 months to work on a project that she really knows is her way of trying to find herself. As usual there is a bit of unbelievable in any story that also has Fairies but this one also shows the misunderstandings that happen in a lot of relationships. If you are looking for a good romance this one is for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly Entertaining
Review: Jewels of the Sun, while it's not great literature or anything, is a fairly entertaining read. I'm not a big fan of romance novels, but I occasionally read Nora Roberts when I want a break from my usual book repetoire. Some good points of the book are that the descriptions of the landscape, etc, are very vivid and well-done. Also, the character development of the female protagonist, Jude, was surprisingly good, I thought. Of the whole trilogy (Jewels of the Sun) is the first, this was my favorite. It has its faults, of course: it's very much a stereotype on the Irish, and (being a romance novel) it's highly predictable. But that's to be expected. And so if you start this book aware of these things, you should enjoy it!
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Summary: A lovely and enchanting tale!
Review: I just loved this story of the Gallagher family of Ardmore! Nora Roberts has a way of making you feel like a part of her character's lives. It is so easy to get caught up in her stories of love and family and tradition. This is an especially great read that combines a lovely blend of folklore and legend and love, with a little bit of magic tossed in! Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: So-so romance
Review: Jewels of the Sun, while not my favorite Nora Roberts tale, still was a pleasant way to spend some time...the best part of the story was its placement in Ireland...the setting at the cottage on Faerie Hill in the small town of Ardmore along with the weaving in of Irish fairy tales made a hum drum book sing...the main character, Jude Frances, was not believable...she was initially introduced as an insecure, passive, non-confrontational woman who came to Ireland to write a paper to present as a thesis. Jude did as she was told and never made a scene, even after her 7 month marriage ended in a whimper, yet in a span of under 3 months we are to believe that she turns into a passionate, fist fighting, hot blooded Irish woman not caring at all what other people think of her or her actions. It seemed too big of a leap in a very short span of time. Jude was always apologizing for everything she did or said and believed the best she could be was average...of course you may think the fairy prince Carrick helped her find her way in her struggle to find her place...I did like the supporting characters as well as her love interest, Aidan Gallagher...altogether I have read worse but I have also read much better!
Rating: 
Summary: not at her best
Review: I know that most people who read this book and the others that followed really enjoyed the series but I just couldn't get into it....I read about half of this book and had to stop and pick up something else.....I really enjoyed Adian and his character but I just couldn't get into Jude...And the fairie story that underlined everything was just too out there for me....I love Nora Roberts don't get me wrong and the idea of this story....Jude who placed her life on hold to go to Ireland and live in the house where her grandmother lived was a great background to this story but from there it wasn't a good read.....sorry Nora!
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Summary: Charming blend of fairy story and modern day romance.
Review: Having done what the main character does, I could relate to her story. I went to live in Ireland for a few years and was completely captured by it. There is a wonderful sparkle to this land that is well captured by Nora Roberts. It is a feel good read that is relaxing and leaves the reader with that "what if" sense of the possible. I would recommend the entire trilogy heartily.
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Summary: Funny, charming, a great read. Step one of a beautiful trip
Review: Maybe it's my fascination with stories set in Ireland but I don't know what to say except I loved this. Roberts hooked me from the first five words, telling of a psychology teacher dreading her own "mental problems" or what she thought were sure signs that she was either going nuts or was already there. (Yee-hah!)
For those of you who like the allure of mythical legends, fairy stories and tales of eternal love that is present. The couple in question is Carrick the immortal Prince of the Fairies and Gwen Fitzgerald, a simple common woman of noble manners. They were in love and still are, but they let duty and pride get in their way and paid for "turning off" their hearts by spending 300 years apart. So, they need help to break the spell Carrick set so they can be together.
Enter Jude Frances Murray (the uprooted American psychologist) Aidan Gallagher (The owner of the Ardmore's best and finest pub) and the rest of Ardmore's merry citizens. All the spice of Romeo And Juliet without the tragic overtones, told in simple beautiful language with loads of humor.
The writing style was engaging, the scenery very vivid and beautiful. Ms. Roberts for me captured the essence of Ireland here, her heart, her people, her music, and general ambiance very well. I could easily see the countryside with how skillfully Ms. Roberts wrote of it.It made me wish I was there living amongst these people. Warm, compassionate, loving, and at times hard as a rock, but loyal friends for life.
And what a cast this is. These are characters I absolutely loved, from the proud yet soft and heartsick Carrick, gentle loving Gwen, the captivating and very amusing Gallagher trio (Aidan, Shawn and Darcy) to old storyteller Riley, and the kindhearted but fierce O'Toole clan. Ah, to have neighbors like these merry ruffians! :)
Humor abounds in this book from everyone's friendly banter that goes from cussing each other out (playfully) to "kiss-and-make-up" moments. Jude's druken party with Darcy and Brenna was classic. The love scenes here are VERY intense and sensual (I still suffer from dry mouth and increased pulse rate every time I read this book) but they are not too graphic and come across as tender and beautiful rather than lewd and disgusting.
On the whole this was a great book, one I could not put down and often pick up again eagerly. It's a "feel good" story that drives the point home that even though it may take some time and a lot of hardship, true love is a wonderful treasure that is well worth the effort to get and one that you should NEVER turn your back on.
Rating:
Summary: good start to the trilogy
Review: I loved this book. Occasionally, I thought Jude needed to develop a spine a little more quickly, but otherwise I liked her. Aidan was an enjoyable character who had some interesting tales to tell, although I didn't think it was entirely believable that he would think Jude needed all the practical details of what a marriage with him could bring her spelled out. For a while there, it seemed as though his brain had left him, but, for the most part I really like him too. The story that runs through the trilogy of Lady Gwen and Carrick is fascinating, and I think it's better integrated into the story than some of the other things Nora Roberts has done (I thought the Legend of Seraphina storyline running through her Dream trilogy was fairly worthless). There were several really fun parts in the book; one that I really enjoyed was when Brenna and Darcy stayed at Jude's cottage for a while, tried on her clothes, and drank a lot. It was hilarious, although at times Jude did come off as a bit pathetic.
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