Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful romance
Review: After working in some rough spots around the world for six years, Dr. Erin O'Halloran settles in Coldwater Cove near Seattle. However, when close friend Tom Flannery is dying, Erin immediately crosses the continent and the ocean to try to save his life.After spending years photographing and reporting some of the worst atrocities in the world, Michael Joyce returns to his family's remote farm to escape. Michael's psyche is so battered he has vowed to never sire a child into this ugly, cruel world. When Erin and Michael meet, the instant attraction is so great, a magic enchantment surrounds the pair. However Neither one wants a lasting relationship because they know first hand the horrors of humanity. When they fall in love they wonder if that emotion is enough to surmount the cruelty that each one has witnessed in their lifetime? FAIR HAVEN is a remarkable contemporary romance starring two battered souls. Though love heals much of their mental wounds, both realize that they will never forget. That extra measure is what makes a JoAnn Ross novel so good. Her characters are real, filled with angst, and earn the audience empathy. Michael and Erin are a joy to behold because even when love proves stronger than hate, the memories of the evil events shaped them into beautiful people the reader cares about. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful romance
Review: After years of work as a relief doctor, Erin O'Halloran is burned out. When her best friend and fellow doctor who is dying requests she come help him out in his surgury in Ireland, she goes with no questions asked. Never did she realize the draw that Ireland had for her, nor what was in store. Michael Joyce has seen his share of war also. After leaving his life as a photographer behind, he's happy to live the quiet life tending his farm. When an unexpected daughter is dropped on his doorstep he is surprised by the strong feelings he has for this little eight year old girl. But upon meeting Erin both are surprised and reluctant to act on the strong feelings they have for eachother. Eventually the American doctor and the Irish farmer fall in love, but have they loved years before? The sequel to A WOMAN'S HEART will have the reader wishing for the lush landscape of Ireland and the mysteries that surround it. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A romantic tale....
Review: As a relief doctor, Erin O'Halloran has seen things that most people only see in their nightmares. When her best friend and mentor calls from Ireland and tells her that he is ill, Erin flies over to find something to save him. She is ill prepared for the magic of Ireland, nor for Michael Joyce, whom she is drawn to like she has been drawn to no other man. Michael Joyce has gone into seclusion at his home. Away from prying eyes and gossipy mouths, Michael is content with his solitary life. When the mother of one of his ex-lovers shows up with an eight year old girl in tow, Michael sees is solitary exsistance dissolving as if it never exsisted. When he first sees the lovely Dr. O'Halloran, Michael vows to stay away from her, as his life has enough complications. Ross brings the reader to the magic of Ireland, again, where anything is possible, from having guardian angels to talking with people that have passed away. She brings together Erin and Michael in an unbelieveable story that she makes the reader believe. The reader will also love Shea, Michael's daughter, from the first page she graces. I can't wait until Ross's next book about Ireland comes out!
Rating:
Summary: A romantic tale....
Review: As a relief doctor, Erin O'Halloran has seen things that most people only see in their nightmares. When her best friend and mentor calls from Ireland and tells her that he is ill, Erin flies over to find something to save him. She is ill prepared for the magic of Ireland, nor for Michael Joyce, whom she is drawn to like she has been drawn to no other man. Michael Joyce has gone into seclusion at his home. Away from prying eyes and gossipy mouths, Michael is content with his solitary life. When the mother of one of his ex-lovers shows up with an eight year old girl in tow, Michael sees is solitary exsistance dissolving as if it never exsisted. When he first sees the lovely Dr. O'Halloran, Michael vows to stay away from her, as his life has enough complications. Ross brings the reader to the magic of Ireland, again, where anything is possible, from having guardian angels to talking with people that have passed away. She brings together Erin and Michael in an unbelieveable story that she makes the reader believe. The reader will also love Shea, Michael's daughter, from the first page she graces. I can't wait until Ross's next book about Ireland comes out!
Rating:
Summary: Next best thing to a trip to Ireland
Review: From the start readers will feel as if they have been taken on vacation to western Ireland when they meet Michael and Erin who share the friendship of their dying friend. His last gift to them is their discovery of an incredible love for each other through the tears of saying goodbye. A love reflected in those around them, espeically the children. This is an exceptionally well plotted ensemble piece but the romance is never lost to the reader and will certainly leave a well satisfied sigh along with a few tears. With FAIR HAVEN, JoAnn Ross returns readers to her magical Ireland; an Ireland she knows so well readers are sure to feel the sweet mist on their faces as their hearts are warmed by the lyrical sound of an Irish brogue. FAIR HAVEN is easily the best book published this year.
Rating: 
Summary: Pulitzer photojounalist hero & relief aid physician heroine
Review: I have been branching out to a wide variety of new authors. I had only read one of Ross's books prior to Fair Haven. It is the prequel to this book, A Woman's Heart. A Woman's Heart earned a five star rating when I reviewed it on Amazon. Fair Haven, however, will not rate as high. Joann Ross is a very good author and writes charming, personable stories full of Irish history and fables. But Fair Haven was a fairly boring book. The Irish history was interesting but I admit that I am not drawn to ancient Irish myths, fairies, guardian angels, and ghosts of relatives. There are many very old Irish tales told in this book by my more than one character. I know it is to draw me into this slightly magical world of Ireland in present day. But the tales were lackluster and the appearance of the dead or the reliving of lives through reincarnation was wearisome rather than intriguing. I state all this upfront for you to understand my reasons for rating this book three stars. This is a story of family, recovery, death, love, and magic. It reads like a novel rather than a romance novel. The romance is only a portion of this book (probably a third) and the remainder of the book concentrates on secondary characters, characters from the previous book in this series, and - as mentioned before - the telling of many, many Irish legends. Michael Joyce, the brother of Nora from A Woman's Heart, is the hero of Fair Haven. He is a celebrated photographer who has covered the wars across the world and has become cynical and withdrawn in the process. Although he has won a Pulitzer Prize for his work and published books, he no longer wants to be associated with the dredges of war and ethnic cleansing. He has returned to his farm in Ireland and spends all of this time alone attempting to find a life again after becoming a shell of a man. Erin O'Halloran is a physician who has worked the hospitals on the warfronts of the world in relief aid. She too has seen the atrocities that Michael has seen and is burning out. Her best friend and former relief worker, Tom Flannery, also a physician, is dying in his home country of Ireland. Erin goes to Ireland to assist Tom in his medical practice and to find a cure for Tom. She is a rather stubborn, single-minded lady who has known little but school and medicine in her life. She first meets Michael when Tom picks her up at the airport. Michael is a best friend of Tom's as well and he has accompanied Tom to assist in the driving. Erin recognizes Michael immediately although they have never meet. He is quite a celebrity as a photojournalist and she casts him in the same mold as all journalists - only out to record the horrors of the world on film and make themselves famous in the process. Michael and Erin clash almost immediately. It is difficult for them both to recognize any attraction between them. I found the first half of the book to be very slow and somewhat tedious. I made a few notes as a read and read, hoping to finally find the story moving forward.
Page 181 - I must consider Ross's books as more fiction than romance. It's page 181 and the leads don't even really think they are attracted to one another yet. At this point, this book would be no more than a three star review.
Page 230 - I still don't like Erin, the heroine. She has just made such an immature, bratty, and unfeeling remark to the hero that I feel like giving up reading anymore of this book. I continued reading however, and thank goodness I did because the last one-quarter of the book was tender and intriguing reading. Erin makes a sudden and almost unbelievable shift in her attitude towards Michael and life in general. But it allows the romance to develop and Michael's daughter gradually assumes a larger role in the story. If Fair Haven had been my first Ross book, it would have been difficult for me to read another. However, A Woman's Heart was my first Ross book and so precious that I will still seek more of her books for reading.
Rating:
Summary: Pulitzer photojounalist hero & relief aid physician heroine
Review: I have been branching out to a wide variety of new authors. I had only read one of Ross's books prior to Fair Haven. It is the prequel to this book, A Woman's Heart. A Woman's Heart earned a five star rating when I reviewed it on Amazon. Fair Haven, however, will not rate as high. Joann Ross is a very good author and writes charming, personable stories full of Irish history and fables. But Fair Haven was a fairly boring book. The Irish history was interesting but I admit that I am not drawn to ancient Irish myths, fairies, guardian angels, and ghosts of relatives. There are many very old Irish tales told in this book by my more than one character. I know it is to draw me into this slightly magical world of Ireland in present day. But the tales were lackluster and the appearance of the dead or the reliving of lives through reincarnation was wearisome rather than intriguing. I state all this upfront for you to understand my reasons for rating this book three stars. This is a story of family, recovery, death, love, and magic. It reads like a novel rather than a romance novel. The romance is only a portion of this book (probably a third) and the remainder of the book concentrates on secondary characters, characters from the previous book in this series, and - as mentioned before - the telling of many, many Irish legends. Michael Joyce, the brother of Nora from A Woman's Heart, is the hero of Fair Haven. He is a celebrated photographer who has covered the wars across the world and has become cynical and withdrawn in the process. Although he has won a Pulitzer Prize for his work and published books, he no longer wants to be associated with the dredges of war and ethnic cleansing. He has returned to his farm in Ireland and spends all of this time alone attempting to find a life again after becoming a shell of a man. Erin O'Halloran is a physician who has worked the hospitals on the warfronts of the world in relief aid. She too has seen the atrocities that Michael has seen and is burning out. Her best friend and former relief worker, Tom Flannery, also a physician, is dying in his home country of Ireland. Erin goes to Ireland to assist Tom in his medical practice and to find a cure for Tom. She is a rather stubborn, single-minded lady who has known little but school and medicine in her life. She first meets Michael when Tom picks her up at the airport. Michael is a best friend of Tom's as well and he has accompanied Tom to assist in the driving. Erin recognizes Michael immediately although they have never meet. He is quite a celebrity as a photojournalist and she casts him in the same mold as all journalists - only out to record the horrors of the world on film and make themselves famous in the process. Michael and Erin clash almost immediately. It is difficult for them both to recognize any attraction between them. I found the first half of the book to be very slow and somewhat tedious. I made a few notes as a read and read, hoping to finally find the story moving forward.
Page 181 - I must consider Ross's books as more fiction than romance. It's page 181 and the leads don't even really think they are attracted to one another yet. At this point, this book would be no more than a three star review.
Page 230 - I still don't like Erin, the heroine. She has just made such an immature, bratty, and unfeeling remark to the hero that I feel like giving up reading anymore of this book. I continued reading however, and thank goodness I did because the last one-quarter of the book was tender and intriguing reading. Erin makes a sudden and almost unbelievable shift in her attitude towards Michael and life in general. But it allows the romance to develop and Michael's daughter gradually assumes a larger role in the story. If Fair Haven had been my first Ross book, it would have been difficult for me to read another. However, A Woman's Heart was my first Ross book and so precious that I will still seek more of her books for reading.
Rating:
Summary: Fair Haven
Review: I laughed and cried......what can I say!!! It was a very good book!!! The characters were all wonderfully written!!!! I'd love to see a sequel to this!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Fair Haven
Review: I laughed and cried......what can I say!!! It was a very good book!!! The characters were all wonderfully written!!!! I'd love to see a sequel to this!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: A True Delight!
Review: I thought that A WOMAN'S HEART was JoAnn Ross's best book, until I picked up FAIR HAVEN. Her newest story actually manages to transcend the romance genre, grab you by your heart in the first chapter and never let go. It is about more than just boy meets girl, or the power of love, it speaks about the power and majesty of life. Erin & Michael are both scarred and weary souls, who meet in this place because a good friend of thiers is dying. Michael has become a hermit to avoid all of the painful things in the world he has seen, while Erin, arrives determined to work tirelessly to save their mutual friend. She has found relief from her demons in work. The sparks they generate between them are as much about thier diffrent reactions to the troubles they have seen, as to sexual tension. If these two characters were not enough, Ms. Ross has set this book back in Ireland. Besides being part of the HOME PLACE triology, it is also a sequal to A WOMAN'S HEART. The best thing I can say about this book is that the minute I finished it, I was ready to start reading it again!
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