Eireann is the last survivor of her family after the Civil War. The war has been over for almost two years, and there has been no word of her fiancé, Callen McKeegan. Anxious, she writes to his family in Montana and is promptly sent the means for her to travel to them. They, too, have been waiting for news about Callen.
The McKeegans embrace Eireann, but her heart cracks a little more each day, while Callen is missing.
Aiden McKeegan is the eldest sibling. He seems distant until an orphan girl, Christy, plops down on his lap and calls him Papa.
Several mysterious misfortunes occur while they wait for Callen.
When he ultimately appears, he’s furious when Christy calls Eireann Mama and Aiden Papa. Callen blatantly refuses to claim Eireann as his bride.
Regret and heartbreak are unearthed in this sweeping love story of two people who are destined to be together but deny it to themselves and each other.
Best-Selling, Award Winning Author of Contemporary Western Romance and Sweet Historical Western Romance.
Writing is my bliss and I try to write every day. I started with two publishers who I learned a lot from. Now I self publish. I like the control it gives me over release dates and book covers.
Thus, this book is a sweet romance, with minor action and Christian threads, and a happy ending with little depth or development making it a simple and light read.
This book is a wonderful start to a new series. It is full of twists and turns and has just the right amount of suspense to keep you turning the pages. This book is a heartwarming emotional read that you hate to see end.. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout in exchange for an honest review.
The McKeegans is a new series that is an Irish family that immigrated from Ireland and has settled in Montana. The matriarch, Rosemary, has passed away, but her husband, Eion, and their sons, Aiden, Brayden, and Miles, own one of the most significant spreads. Their cousin, Callen, came to live with them after his father and mother died. Callen served with the Union Army like his cousins, but it has been two years since the end of the war, and he still hasn't returned.
The story takes place several years after the end of the Civil War. Eireann met him in Pennsylvania, and after a short courtship, he proposed marriage. The war is over, and Eireann has been alone for some time, she contacts his family, who sends money to bring her to Montana. So many inquiries into the whereabouts of Callen have gone unanswered—possible sightings, but no proof. It is decided that Eireann is family and should stay with them until Callen returns. What a shock to learn that several things Callen told her and her family were far from the truth—surely, it is all a misunderstanding.
"Don't borrow trouble," her mother used to say, and she was correct, but it was hard."
The story is a fast-paced, page-turning tale with the good, the bad, and the ugly. The McKeegan ranch and cattle have been targeted for some reason, but even the neighbor's ranch has issues. Fences were cut and removed, cattle poisoned, and a barn fire could have destroyed the house. The family is left with so many questions and no real answers. When Callen shows up, he is belligerent and cruel to Eireann. War is brutal, men change, and now Eireann feels foolish, uncertain, and burdened. But she won't be the only one, an abandoned child, Christy, has become essential to both Aiden and Eireann, and Christy needs them. When two women show up and claim rights, what will happen to Christy and Eireann?
The story has mystery, suspense, deceit, and danger, along with a slow-building romance. Not everyone is as they seem—some spinning lies, others claiming rights. I love how Eireann turns to God in prayer, acknowledging that God is her guide and she trusts Him during all the turmoil. I enjoyed how Christy felt close to Aiden and Eireann and didn't accept anything different. While the story has prayers, it is never preachy. I laughed out loud and had moments when I wanted to cry with emotions.
Really enjoyed this highly entertaining journey from beginning to end. An emotionally thrilling, heart-breaking and action packed adventure filled with engaging charters, witty dialog, heart racing twists and undeniable passion.
The civil war had been over for nearly two years and soldiers were still making their way home. Eireann had lost her home and family in a house fire a year after the war, and she had no place else to go, so she contacted the family of her intended, Callen McKeegan. They sent her money to travel from Pennsylvania to Montana to their ranch until which time Callen showed up. When she got to the ranch, she was treated like family. The oldest son, Aiden was greatly attracted to Eireann, but he kept it respectful, because he knew she belonged to his cousin, Callen. There were several mysterious things happening on the ranch which no one could figure out the reason behind them. While waiting for Callen to come home Aiden and Eireann adopted a daughter, Christy together. She was a homeless child from town around four years old that her parents left behind when they moved on. Aiden thought it would make Eireann happy, but Christy was a demanding child requiring a lot of attention from both of them drawing them ever closer together. I loved the two house staff, they had the men of the house well trained, but they were sweet and efficient at their jobs. An exciting way to start a new series with lots of mystery and intrigue to keep you turning the pages. You will not be able to put it down until you finish.. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout in exchange for an honest review.
This is a story of a young woman who lost everything when her home was burned by soldiers and her family was killed. A young union soldier had wooed her and proposed marriage before the war ended. When she has no where to go, she contacts his family and is sent the funds to travel to Montana where he told her he owned a large ranch. When she arrives at the ranch, she finds out he never returned from the war, but his family welcomes her and gives her shelter and a home. Things are not as they seemed, and she finds out that he doesn't own the ranch, but his uncle does and he just lived there. When he finally does return, after having been a prisoner in Andersonville prison, he is not interested in marriage and even tells her that she is not the only woman he proposed to. There is danger and suspense and a surprise challenge from the past, but her trust in God sustains her through it all. This is the first in the series and I look forward to Braydon's story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
After the death of her family during the American Civil War Eireann travels to be with the family of her missing fiancé Callen. When she arrives, however, things are not as she expected,although she is welcomed into the family. The eldest son Aiden takes her under his wing and things become more complicated when they somehow become parents to a young orphan girl. The story hints at how bad the war was at that time, with atrocities carried out on both soldiers and civilians. Eireann comes across as quite a strong person, but with some issues, whilst Aiden is strong and friendly but with some reservation in developing feelings towards any prospective partner. Callen, when he appears, is a complex character and not what she expected from when they were originally courting. In summary another good story and showing promise for the next book in the series. I received an advance copy of this book through Booksprout, however this did not influence my review of the book.
He saw the true Erieann. The author really put the heroine of this book through some really horrible events and challenges my heart went out to her. Aiden was awesome for the most part I really liked him. Now on the other hand Aiden’s father was okay but really did he have to do what he did? The story is very twisty and the questions about Callen were never ending. You have mystery, danger, a nasty mom and daughter, and a rather wild little girl and all this was woven into this tale. I enjoyed it and I am happy how it ended. I did receive a free copy of this book from Booksprout and voluntarily chose to review it.
This was a strong start to a new series by this wonderful author. I love her family sagas. I adored the dual POV format. Getting that glimpse into a character's thoughts really help me to better understand and connect with that character.
Eireann leaves her war torn home to seek a place with her intended's family. It has been 2 years since the Civil War tore the country apart. Callen's uncle owns the largest ranch in Montana. Since losing her own family in a house fire, Eireann has no one to protect her and look after her.
Aiden is sent to town to retrieve his cousin's intended upon her arrival by stagecoach. Aiden is the oldest of the McKeegan sons. He has no intention of marrying that is until he lays eyes on Eireann.
The author cooks up some mighty fine hurdles for these two to get over on their way to their HEA. There is mainly where is Callen her fiancé, Aiden's cousin? Who and why are their cattle being killed? Also does Aiden himself have a fiancee that no one knows about?
You will just have to read this story for yourself to find out. This is a wonderful historical romance set in the America frontier shortly after the Civil War. This is a clean romance with just a few kissing scenes (even some of those are on the forehead or cheek!)
I understand that Kathleen has changed her genre, but I was hesitant to trust this since I have read a few of her books in the past and contacted her about her idea of a sweet romance. But, I got a copy of this free audiobook and thought I'd give her another chance! I'm glad I did! This book was more than sweet! Although we all have different criteria for a book being Christian, I believe this one is. Several characters say things like, "My prayers were answered!" and the whole family attends church, but I believe the depth of the prayers show a growth in Eireann's (Erin) faith and her desire for more gratitude and trust in the Father! This story had all the emotions and I was truly touched by it! I hope the rest of the series is just as good! The narration was pretty good. A few times when changing from the Irish brogue characters to the American accented characters it seemed like the narrator forgot how that character sounded. But, overall, I enjoyed it!
This is a different kind of story. Eireann Graham has lost everything in the Civil War, including her home and family. During the war, she met and became engaged to Callen McKeegan, a Union soldier. The conflict is two years past, and people are still filtering home from the war. Callen's family was searching for him, and when Eireann found out, she contacted them, telling them of her status as betrothed to Callen. The McKeegans immediately sent money for Eireann to come to their ranch to wait for him. She is living with the McKeegans, hoping Callen will arrive soon.
However, strange things are happening at the McKeegan ranch. Cattle are poisoned and the barn is burned to the ground. There is always something happening. However, I thought the last hurdle to happily-ever-after was a bit contrived. Otherwise, this was an interesting story.
This book was interesting. Since I felt like I read more about Eireann, the title could've been different. There was also a good bit of anachronistic dialog which bothers me. The ending felt rushed and the epilogue, unnecessary. On the good side, I was interested enough in the plot and MCs to keep reading through to the end. It was a clean story and the heroine is seen praying several times. The family attends church regularly. They seem to try to follow biblical principles, but are still human and make mistakes. So while there were a few things which bothered me about this book, and some of it seemed unbelievable, it was a story I might actually read again. If none of what bothered me is a problem for you, and you enjoy clean, historical, inspirational romance, then why not give "Aiden" a chance?
This is a very nice book to read. Kathleen Ball has written it a high degree. Eireann has been invited to her future husbands ranch, only to find out her missing future husband is not the owner of the ranch. The missing man never came back from the war and Eireann just did not know what to do as her parents were now gone. Aiden is the oldest son of the ranch owner. She as been welcomed with open arms as she is going to marry there cousin when he shows up. A small child is found and accepts Eireann and Aiden as her parents and love for the child begins. Will the cousin show up for his bride? Or will another bride show up for Aiden and Eireann have to leave her daughter. Who is killing the cattle? Well need to read the book. It’s very good and enjoyable.
The McKeegans are an immigrant Irish family who run a prosperous Montana spread. The setting is post civil war and a lass who lost her family to marauding troops in Pennsylvania has just come to live with the relatives of a sweet talking soldier she met in passing. That cousin of the owners gilded the lily with lies and last she knew was imprisoned in one of the North’s worst detention centres for Rebel Soldiers. Aiden of the title happens to be the oldest son of the clan.
This being a romance the tale follows the usual formula with challenges and misunderstandings but ends with the inevitable HEA. Aiden has two younger brothers, Myles is the impulsive one and Brayden, the planner. We can expect at least two more in this series.
Erin was a lost soul after she lost her family in a fire set by renegades. She was scarred and thought she would never be loved by a man because of them. She went to a dance and met Callen McKeegan who claimed he loved her and wanted to marry her. She lived with her friend but food was scarce during the war. She didn’t hear from Callen so she wrote to his home (ranch) of which he claimed he owned. She was invited to come and live with the McKeegans. Eventually Callen showed up but he had become an outlaw and wanted the family ranch. There is a lot of riveting pages during this story that one must read to truly enjoy.
Aiden is the oldest of the McKeegan sons and when Eireann writes to find his cousin Callan who has proposed to her back east but she can not get in touch with him but she knew he told her that he owned a ranch in Montana. Aiden's father sends money to her to come to Montana but Callan is not there and he has never owned the ranch. While troubles come to the ranch Aiden and Eireann began to have feelings for each other but no one expected who would be behind the troubles.
A tale of love lost and found again in a new place. One young woman who is searching for her lost love finds a new start after being invited to live on a ranch in Montana with his family only to discover that all his promises were false and he has all but abandoned her. She soon discovers that his cousin is kind and loving. Lots of twists and turns to this story but a sweet romance that your sure to love.
I listened to the audiobook of this story. Great narrator. Good start to a new series. Elreann travels to Montana after a fire. She contacted her fiance family and they welcome her with open arms. None of them have heard from Callen, so until they do, Elreann will wait and so will the oldest McKeegan brother, Aiden. This story has it all, love mystery, suspense and more. I was given a copy of this book by the author for an honest review.
I really liked this story. The McKeegans took in Arryn after she had written to Kion about Callen. Callen had told her when he was out of the military, he would marry her. Time passed on, no Callen. Aiden and Arryn had taken in this little girl, who had been abandoned by her parents., named Christy. This story is really great, a nd I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have.
This is a roller coaster ride of emotions. Though she is engaged, her fiancé never returned from the Civil War. She writes to his ranch to see if they have heard from him. She is invited to come live with them til her fiancé returns. But this is when things get strange. It turns out the ranch isn’t really her fiancés. Living through the ups and downs becomes taxing on the emotions. But the story is interesting.
I liked the way the book used the main characters weaknesses as her strong points, as the things that made her who she is and how her faith is what helped her through it. Then the things she again has to go through once she arrives at her destination. The future she thought was hers is not all as clear as she thought and she has to trust others to help set things right again. I enjoyed this book.
This is the first story in this series and Aiden is the eldest brother na young woman that met his cousin during the war and thought herself engaged travels to the ranch and things get topsy turvy The characters are determined and strong and courageous A good and well written. Story as this author always writes enjoyable read
Need’s editing bad. The beginning doesn’t flow well. There are sentence structure issues in the middle. Then a second conflict pops up out of nowhere for seemingly just a reason to pull at your heart strings.
The premise of the story is sound. And is entertaining. And yes I teared up. The end does leave you with a smile.
Aiden and Eireann's journey of love is filled with unexpected twists and a beautiful love story. Eireann is engaged to Callen but he hasn't returned from war. She heads to his family ranch and ends up having feelings for his cousin Aiden. These two go through drama, angst, heartbreak, and more before finally getting their happily ever after. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.
After the war; the War between the states, she writes to he betrothed's family and they send for her. But the groom is missing having never returned. She's alone in this world, an orphan of sorts, but what transpires in the book is a bit mysterious adventure with a lot of romance.
Thin to non-existent plot. Two dimensional characters. Sickly sweet treacle. Deus ex machina every time the plot switches to some kind of conflict. Simple minded writing style. The list goes on, but you probably catch my drift. A 'sweet'/Christian romance doesn't need to be hamstrung to be moral. I won't be reading anything else this author writes.
Not my normal read however read the blurb and thought I would try it. This book was written very well. You read and feel a lot of contrast Tragedies to love, loyalty to disloyalty I read in one sitting because each chapter had me wanting more. Enjoy the read
He had told her that they would be married and live on his ranch In Montana. The war is over he still hasn't returned. When she heard his family was looking for him she wrote them. His Uncle wrote and sent money for her to come to Montana. Ms Ball weaves a wonderful story with Characters you grow to love.
I enjoyed reading this book and watching the female character develop. The conversations were interesting and could be understood how people hold back when they feel the don’t deserve love. I still am confused on actions by the brother. I would like to read more from this author.
I found this story so unemotional in its writing. I never felt any real feelings from the characters. The feelings were "written" down in the story, but not expressed by any of the characters. The book was like reading dry information from the most boring textbook. I had to quit at the 59% mark. This book was free and I definitely got what I paid for. I do not recommend this book.