After being introduced to a delightful cast of characters in the Irish village of Ardmore in Jewels of the Sun, it was only natural to pick up the second part of the Gallagher trilogy, Tears of the Moon. Unlike the first, this one pulls the reader in faster and holds her in until the final resolution. The heroine has goals and the reversal of sexual stereotypes give this plotline compelling components.

Brenna O'Toole goes in hot pursuit of middle child, Shawn Gallagher. They both grew up in Ardmore and have known each other all of Brenna's life, since she is four or five years younger than him. The idea of redirecting their relationship proves awkward at first, after thinking of each other as honorary siblings, but they soon find the arrangement agreeable. The real challenges come when they have to readjust to each other and those close to them accepting the change.

Brenna is a doer. Even as an adult, she is a tomboy at heart. She has a mechanical mind, always liking to take things apart to see how they were put together. When she's not repairing cars or appliances, she likes building and decorating. She and her father are partners, working as handypeople for Ardmore. She has little patience for dawdling and absolute admiration for Shawn’s musical talents.

Shawn is an easy-going fellow, who derives a lot of satisfaction from his life. After his elder brother, Aiden, married Jude Murray, he moved out of the family home to the little house, Faerie Hill Cottage, his sister-in-law was given as a wedding present by her grandmother. He not only enjoys working as cook at Gallagher's Pub, the family business, but he excels at it. In his free time he plays music and composes beautiful songs. Aside from occupying his free time, he has no burning desire to go elsewhere or do anything, except maybe marry and have a family of his own.

It's fun to see the reversal in gender roles in this novel. Brenna realizes her growing attraction for Shawn needs some relief, so she makes the first move. She tells him he can skip the romance and foreplay, yet he insists he needs it. Both humor and tears flow as their respective siblings learn of the shift in their relationship. Last but not least is the sense of urgency Brenna feels to share Shawn's lovely music with the world and her frustration with him for not pursuing it. Of the Gallagher siblings, his talent is the most overwhelming.

Ireland has traditionally been a land of superstition or mysticism. Banshees and leprechauns are skipped in this story, but Author Norah Roberts weaves the legend of Carrick, Prince of Faeries, and his beloved Gwen, a mortal woman he fell in love with 300 years before. Their romance went bust during Gwen's lifetime, but they have a chance of recovering it if they can bring together three other mortal couples first. Jude and Aiden were the first, so they keep an eye on Brenna and Shawn as the second. When Shawn leaves Brenna alone briefly at Faerie Cottage, she is taken back when Gwen appears to pass on a message. Carrick's patience is pushed as well when Shawn is so slow to move. However, it is never made clear why the Gallagher siblings are the ones chosen to fulfill Carrick and Gwen's destiny.

One of the more attractive aspects of this 2000 novel is that it allows readers to see what happens next between Jude and Aiden. While their alliance obviously works out well, readers frequently grow to love characters in a romance novel, then never see the aftermath. It's a treat to see how they live happily ever after. Roberts also paves the way for third novel in this trilogy, Heart of the Sea, when the Gallaghers are approached by an American developer, Trevor Magee, who wants to build a music hall/theater adjacent to their pub. Brenna wants to help design and build it, giving her yet another strong goal to pursue.

Tears of the Moon does a great job of capturing Irish culture for an American audience. Between the ups and downs Roberts does a brilliant job entertaining her readers. Like the first in the trilogy, this is a good novel for anyone who likes romance and Irish culture. It's highly recommended for anyone looking for something to set the mood for St. Paddy's Day, but fun to read regardless.


Recommended: Yes