The Carousel by Cynthia Owens 💕 Guest Post, Book Tour & Gift Card Giveaway 💕 (Historical Romance)

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..Like the Wild Geese of Old Ireland, five boys grew to manhood despite hunger, war, and the mean streets of New York...
The War had left him blind to beauty…
Kieran Donnelly is a gifted artist who has sworn never to paint again. He saw and did too many things during the war to extinguish the ugliness that lies in his heart. But a chance to work with some of the most magnificent paintings brings him close to the world he still loves…and an extraordinary woman who sees his true heart.

Darkness couldn’t extinguish the light in her heart.
Blind from the age of four, Emily Lawrence yearns to experience the outside world. When she hires Kieran Donnelly to catalogue her father’s paintings, he offers her a glimpse at life outside her exquisite home…and a chance for a future.

Can Kieran and Emily emerge from the darkness to find happiness and love?

A Heroine to Be Proud Of

As a romance novelists, I’ve created many a fictional hero and heroine. And I’ve been lucky enough to have real ones in my own family. But The Carousel, Book 7 of my Wild Geese Series, is dedicated to the memory of my paternal grandmother, Emma Laflamme. She was a heroine any girl would be proud of.

“There are many different ways to see, Mr. Donnelly.” She tilted her head toward the fire and drew in a breath that swelled her soft breasts. Kieran’s throat went dry. “I can hear the crackling of those flames, smell the wood smoke as it chases away the early morning damp.” Her fingers reached out unerringly to stroke the mantel. “I can touch this stone, feel it warm and smooth under my hands.” Kieran’s gut clenched. Dear God, how would those hands feel stroking him into a flame of desire? “And I can sense emotions, Mr. Donnelly. It’s…an atmosphere, I suppose. A mood. I can tell when someone is happy…or sorrowful…angry…or in pain.” A sudden mischievous smile lit her face. “I can see things in my own way.”

“What way is that?” He heard his own voice, hoarse with mounting desire.

She hesitated only a split second before extending one hand. “Let me show you.”

Kieran moved forward until he stood mere inches from her. Her hair smelled sweet, like apple blossoms. Her skin glowed like new milk. Her eyes were darker than he’d expected, like sapphires they were. Deep, gem-like.

Unfocused.

She reached out a tentative hand, and her fingers landed lightly upon a statue of an eagle in flight. She stroked the bird’s head, and Kieran’s skin prickled.

“My father told me this is an eagle.” Her voice poured soft and liquid through him. “He has a strong, proud head”—her hands slid down—“and sharp eyes.” Her lips quirked into a wry smile. “The better to spot his dinner.”

Kieran’s throat tightened. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from those long, elegant fingers, the shell-pink perfection of her nails.

“His beak has a tiny hook at the very tip of it. Makes it easier to tear at his prey. Yet his throat and breast are vulnerable.” A gentle, almost tender sweep downward. She stopped at the bird’s feet. “His claws are lethally sharp.”

Like the Wild Geese of Old Ireland, five boys grew to manhood despite hunger, war, and the mean streets of New York... He survived war, and returned to devastation... A hero of the Irish Brigade, Shane MacDermott returned home to New York to find his family decimated and his world shattered. He'd vowed to protect those he loved-but can he protect the woman who came to mean everything to him? She risks her life to save the people she loves... Lydia Daniels will risk anything to protect the women she shelters beneath the roof of her elegant Gramercy Park mansion-even if she has to trust the one man who can destroy her. Shane and Lydia both hide secrets that could destroy them-and put their lives in jeopardy. Can their love overcome their carefully guarded deceptive hearts?

…Like the Wild Geese of Old Ireland, five boys grew to manhood despite hunger, war, and the mean streets of New York…

She was everything he despised…but he didn’t know it…

Cathal Donnelly washes up on the shores of an Atlantic island one stormy night, with no memory of who he is or why he is there. But is his lovely rescuer his salvation…or his doom?

She dreamed of a very different life…

Laura Bainbridge has spent her entire life on tiny Turtle Island, but she dreams of a Season in London and a presentation to Queen Victoria. Can a handsome Irish stranger with a golden tongue and a disturbing past change her heart and convince her to stay?

As Cathal’s memory slowly returns, both he and Laura must come to grips with his painful past…and fight for a future free of hatred and loss.

…Like the Wild Geese of Old Ireland, five boys grew to manhood despite hunger, war, and the mean streets of New York…

He was the lucky one…

Dary Greely is the only one of his brothers and sisters to survive the hunger in Ireland and the coffin ship to America. He was the one whose parents made a bit of money, the one who emerged from the war virtually unscathed. He was the lucky one…but when the war ended, his luck ran out.

She was burdened by too many responsibilities…

Róisín Donavan is an Irish girl who lives in a Five Points tenement room. She dreams of a future as a great diva and sings Irish songs at Paddy Ryan's Pub. But her stubborn Irish pride won't allow her to abandon her family, even if it means sacrificing everything for them.

Can Dary make Róisín see her true worth? Can Róisín heal the festering wounds that tear at Dary’s soul? And can love truly mend their grieving hearts?

…Like the Wild Geese of Old Ireland, five boys grew to manhood despite hunger, war, and the mean streets of New York…

An army doctor, Declan Morrissey fought for the survival of every wounded soldier, rejoicing when they recovered, mourning bitterly when they died.

Valerie Stanton was his beautiful battlefield nurse, strong, courageous, and dedicated.

He never dreamed she was an heiress, or that she’d break his heart in a desperate gamble to save the life of another man.

Now that they’ve found each other again, can they overcome past deception and claim the happily ever after they dreamed of?

Look into Kathleen’s mirror…
Brought up in poverty, Nuala Donavan dreamed of finding a wealthy man to take her away from her ordinary life and shower her with luxury. Love was definitely not part of her plan.

…and take a chance on love…
Braden MacGuire has been crushed by the knowledge that most of his family died because of him. His only goal has been to find the little sister who disappeared into the mean streets of New York…until he falls desperately in love with a beautiful, vulnerable red-haired lass.

Can an enchanted mirror, an ancient carved brooch, and the magic of Christmas bring these two together?

Kathleen’s Mirror, Book 5 of the Wild Geese Series.

Christmas. A time of joy and celebration, when dreams come true, and angels walk the earth.

The Old Claddagh Ring ~ A Wild Geese Story of Christmas, Irish-style! - Book Six
Anna Clare Wycliffe has spent seventeen years longing for the twin sister torn from her arms when they were little more than babies. A surprise letter from California spurs a secret plan to visit her sister…but with no money of her own, and about to make her entrance into New York society, how can she carry it out?
Joe Donavan grew up on the mean streets of New York. He owes everything to the brother-in-law who gave him a job and a chance to become a man. He’s determined not to let him down. But what happens when a golden-haired, violet-eyed girl steals his heart and asks his help in fleeing her unhappy home? Will Joe sacrifice his most prized possession to give Anna Clare her heart’s desire?

I believe I was destined to be interested in history. One of my distant ancestors, Thomas Aubert, reportedly sailed up the St. Lawrence River to discover Canada some 26 years before Jacques Cartier’s 1534 voyage. Another relative was a 17thCentury “King’s Girl,” one of a group of young unmarried girls sent to New France (now the province of Quebec) as brides for the habitants (settlers) there.
My passion for reading made me long to write books like the ones I enjoyed, and I tried penning sequels to my favorite Nancy Drew mysteries. Later, fancying myself a female version of Andrew Lloyd Weber, I drafted a musical set in Paris during WWII.

A former journalist and lifelong Celtophile, I enjoyed a previous career as a reporter/editor for a small chain of community newspapers before returning to my first love, romantic fiction. My stories usually include an Irish setting, hero or heroine, and sometimes all three.

I’m the author of The Claddagh Series, historical romances set in Ireland and beyond, and The Wild Geese Series, in which five Irish heroes return from the American Civil War to find love and adventure.

I’m a member of the Romance Writers of America and Hearts Through History Romance Writers. A lifelong resident of Montreal, Canada, I still live there with my own Celtic hero. I have two adult children.