Irish Thoroughbred
3 Stars

Cute but too short and too rushed. Nevertheless, the kernels of Nora's brilliance are there to see. ( )

When Adelia Cunnane's aunt dies, there is nothing left for her in Ireland, so she goes to America to live with her Uncle Paddy on the Maryland horse ranch owned by Travis Grant. Dee immediately makes her presence known when she manages to calm and ride Grant's prize stallion, Majesty. Her help on the ranch becomes invaluable, and her feelings for grumpy owner Travis turn to love, but she doesn't believe that she is right for him. Little does she know that his feelings for her have been growing also, but it takes a tragedy to bring them together.

In this first novel by Nora Roberts, Irish Thoroughbred already shows her ability to create a heroine who is extremely competent at her chosen career. However, the flow, dialogue, and plot demonstrate the social mores of the 1980s, dating this novel in more ways than one. Travis is a very alpha hero who manhandles Dee and orders her around even after their relationship becomes personal, but Dee does stand up for herself even when she believes she isn't good enough for Travis. The short length of the novel doesn't allow for much character development and creates an insta-love situation. Overall, however, Irish Thoroughbred includes a cute romance with a satisfying conclusion. ( )

Nice story of a rich racehorse ranch and their wealthy ways. The male in this book was just a hard, selfish man which we did not get much background information about. His attitude that he could grab her, kiss her when he wanted, make her marry him just because he was the owner of the ranch bothered me and the fact that Paddy, her uncle, could be unaware or else accepting of it. Did enjoy the Irish humor, temperament of a red headed Irish girl. ( )

An oldie but goodie, this was Nora Roberts' first book published. I loved the story as much as I did the first time I read it. I was also reminded of how much romance writing has changed in forty years.

Dee grew up in Ireland on a small farm. After her parents' deaths when she was ten, she was raised by her aunt, who never quite understood her. Dee was twenty-three when her aunt Lettie died, leaving her alone again, except for her Uncle Paddy, who lives in America. When she contacts him to let him know about Lettie's death, Paddy immediately invites her to come to live with him.

Dee is the stereotypical Irishwoman, red-headed, with a kind heart and a fierce temper (think a young Maureen O'Hara). She has a way with animals and makes her mark almost as soon as she arrives when she calms a feisty horse. Not one to sit around doing nothing, she convinces her uncle to hire her as a groom. While visiting the horse late that first night, Dee meets the farm's owner, Travis Grant, and the sparks fly.

I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Dee and Travis. Travis seems to get a kick out of riling her up, just to hear her lay into him with her Irish accent and Gaelic curses. He can't deny how good she is with their up and coming racehorse Majesty, and Dee soon finds herself accompanying Travis to races around the country. This opens a whole new world for the country girl from Ireland. The sparks continue to fly between them, and passion flares. It takes a while for Dee to identify what she feels for Travis, which she keeps to herself. After all, a poor groom and a rich horse farm owner would be an unlikely match. But when her Uncle Paddy has a heart attack, he pleads with Travis to make sure Dee is looked after. Rather than just keeping an eye on her, Travis decides to propose a marriage of convenience, at least until Paddy is healthy again. I ached for Dee, who wanted nothing more than for Travis to love her the way she loves him. I enjoyed seeing Dee tackle the job of being the wife to a man like Travis. I loved watching her win over Travis's friends and business contacts with her charm. I also loved seeing her stand up to an ex-girlfriend of his. Then an overheard conversation sent her running. The ending was wild as they faced off in a passionate argument. ( )

Irish Thoroughbred
3 Stars

Cute but too short and too rushed. Nevertheless, the kernels of Nora's brilliance are there to see. ( )