'Ireland holds a special place in my heart,' the very first line of the novel itself gave an idea to the readers what the plot is about. This is the second novel of Nora Roberts 'born in' trilogy. Born in Ice was the first work of Nora Roberts, I read. As Nora Roberts was a feminist writer, she clearly brought up the theme of feminism as well as Romanticism throughout this novel. She conveys her message to her readers mostly through the eyes of innocent and ordinary women Brianna. This novel speaks about the rustic and country side life of Irish people.

Brianna who is the main character of this novel runs a Blackthorne Cottage, a bed and breakfast restaurant. She had a sister named Maggie who lived near Blackthorne cottage.

This story gives us a clear look about the life and unexpressed longings and sufferings of a common woman. The age of Brianna is not mentioned in the novel, but from the line, 'She longs for a family and home,' we may assume that she is a woman in middle age. Brianna had a sister named Maggie was married to a man named Rogan. Brianna usually likes to work in garden and lead a simple life. Her life was without many dreams, till an American writer Grayson Thane visits her.

Grayson, after being neglected by his mother, began to write mystery stories. Without knowing his fate, he traveled to Ireland to write a story. He likes Brianna and her hospitality and spends several months in her cottage. Later he revealed Brianna about his tragic life. Grayson was born as a bastard and never knew his dad, brothers or anyone. Grayson invited Brianna to travel with him to America. After traveling to America with Grayson, Brianna falls in love with Grayson. Although Grayson loved Brianna, he never told about his love to her.

With a little twist in the end, the author concludes the story as comical one. Brianna and Grayson finally got married and settled in Ireland, a place where blossoms bloom every day and spread its fragrance. Most of the incidents in this novel were from the common life.

One of the notable things in this novel is the usage of various writing technique by the author. Nora Roberts’s specialty lies in her skill of using of stream-of-consciousness technique. She used stream-of-consciousness technique as a weapon to convey the inner feelings of a character clearly to the readers. 'My favorite quotation from this novel is, when Brianna felt sorry for Gary about having no family or friend, Gray smiled and told, 'Believe me, I like this life. No ties, no strings, no guilt.'

This is the first novel, I read written by Nora Roberts. I was totally impressed by her unique style of writing. I believe after James Joyce, Nora Roberts was one of the best writers of Ireland. When I finished reading this novel, I feel a deep peace in my heart. After I read this novel, I did not wonder, why Nora Roberts was a New York's best-selling author.