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The Last Bride in Ballymuir (Ballymuir Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Dorien Kelly (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 3,484 ratings
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A Romance Writers of America RITA Award finalist!

When Michael Kilbride, a handsome man with a dark past, arrives in the Irish village of Ballymuir, rumors begin to fly. While many turn against him, one woman steps forward--the village's beloved schoolteacher, Kylie O'Shea. Kylie's friends have long believed that proper Kylie is bound to fulfill the local legend of being the last bride in Ballymuir. But sparks soon ignite between Michael and Kylie. Will Kylie, who also hides secrets, find the courage to confront her past and claim passion as her own?

Praise for The Last Bride in Ballymuir:

"A strong plot, entertaining secondary characters, and an enjoyable small-town setting... . Lovers of Irish romance will definitely look forward to the next installment." Romantic Times Magazine

"The Last Bride in Ballymuir is filled with equal parts warmth, humor, and angst. For a story that will tug at your heartstrings, bring tears to your eyes, and leave you smiling with happiness, I recommend The Last Bride in Ballymuir." AOL's Romance Fiction Forum
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  1. Book 1 of 3
    Ballymuir Series
  2. Print length
    280 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    August 17, 2012
  6. File size
    643 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dorien Kelly is the award-winning author of The Last Bride in Ballymuir, the first novel in her captivating trilogy set in Ireland from Pocket Books. She is the recipient of both the Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart Award and the Georgia Romance Writers' coveted Maggie Award. A frequent visitor to Ireland, Dorien has followed the coast from Dublin to Dingle and north to Dungloe, and tracked the River Shannon from beginning to end. When not traveling the Irish byways with her family, Dorien can be found in Michigan. For a bit of flavor from her journeys, visit her website at www.dorienkelly.com.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008ZHSN2W
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Koa'e Press (August 17, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 17, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 643 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 280 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 3,484 ratings

About the author

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Dorien Kelly

Dorien Kelly

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New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Dorien Kelly has published over fifteen novels and novellas with St. Martin's Press, Harlequin and Pocket Books. She has also taken a leap into the world of indie publishing and is loving every minute of it! Her Ballymuir novels (Irish contemporary romance) have found new readers and the series continues to grow. Coming in summer 2013 is the start of a new series: The Divorcee Chronicles. Dorien also recently contributed to The Naked Truth About Self-Publishing, a non-fiction book by ten New York Times bestselling authors that addresses not only the nuts-and-bolts of self-publishing but shares the authors' journeys, too.

Recipient of the Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart award and finalist for their coveted RITA award, Dorien lives in Michigan with dogs, children, and various other forms of insanity. Visit Dorien's website at www.dorienkelly.com. You can also visit Ballymuir at www.ballymuir.com.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
3,484 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Marva
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, amazing - a jewel!
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2013
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I had read the next book in this fine series before this one, and I also liked that. However The Last Bride in Ballymuir is an astoundingly moving work of character development, of soaring emotion, hope, despair, of redemption. What an uplifting story - poetic, real, gripping. I loved it and couldn't put it down! The picture the author paints of this small village, of the damaged Michael coming home to find himself, of Kylie, finding the steel and the reason inside herself, of the colorful Vi.. Lovable and amazing characters all, riveting story. And so very real. There is very genuine and deep heat and connection between Michael and Kylie, and a depth of feeling that is rare to find in a romance novel. A rare treat and very deserving of five stars. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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Tabby1249
4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read MINOR SPOILERS!
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2014
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I appreciate an author who, within the first five pages, is able to give a strong sense of character through description that isn't a catalog listing of physical and personality traits. Ms. Kelly's powers of description are very good and woven seamlessly into the narrative of the story. I got this book for free through Book Bub and as with all 'free' books, quality is a crap shoot. In this case, I got a book that was engrossing, at times very tense and deeply romantic. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Michael, our protagonist, is a man who has just been released after spending 14 years in prison for terrorism in the bitter feud between Catholics and Protestants in Ireland. He comes home, spies Kylie in a field building a rock fence, goes to help her and falls in love. Given the circumstances of Michael's long imprisonment, in at 18 and out at 32, I expected and needed him to be a bit more bitter than he was characterized. He was entirely too philosophical through most of the novel. I also would have liked it had Kylie be required to work a little harder to gain Michael's trust and love, but given that she has been struggling to expiate her father's sins against the community, she just might not have had time. In short, these are two damaged people who found swift solace in each other making their connection a bit too pat and too easily acquired.

The secondary characters are pretty stock characters, but they are described with a little more detail than is typical for romance novels. The antagonists are not quite as well drawn, but good enough that they do carry a sense of menace. The plot is interesting and, at times, left this reader very tense.

Bottom line: This isn't just a good book because it was free, it was a good book because it was a well written and entertaining story. Even if I'd had to pay $3.99, which is the going price for the other two books in the Ballymuir series, it would have been worth it. I will be buying those books.
2 people found this helpful
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Sheiglagh
5.0 out of 5 stars With Love Comes Redemption
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2012
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If there are two people who deserve a HEA, they are Michael Kilbride and Kylie O'Shea, the hero and heroine of "The Last Bride in Ballymuir." Thanks to Dorien Kelly's great writing, readers were made aware of that from Chapter 1. The moment we meet Michael Kilbride and Kylie O'Shea, they tug at our heartstrings as individuals first, and then later as a couple.

(There will be ***SPOILERS*** below)

Recently released from prison, Michael Kilbride went to Ballymuir because his sister Vi was the only one among his family who welcomed him home and gave him a place to stay. Kylie O'Shea is from Ballymuir but her father's ponzi scheme left her destitute and forced to live in abject poverty. And the rest, as everyone says is history, or in this case, the story.

Although the plot can easily be classified as a romantic suspense, "The Last Bride in Ballymuir" is not typical of the genre. Written in lyrical prose that sometimes wax philosophical, the story carried several subplots that were cleverly woven by author Dorien Kelly into the main story of Michael and Kylie.

And central to the story is the act of contrition and then redemption, which by the way is as important as the love story between the two main characters.

A great read and definitely worth 5 stars. This book is rated PG 15 due to violence and sex.
2 people found this helpful
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LisaC
3.0 out of 5 stars Culturalistic
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2014
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The descriptions of these places are very well described whether they were real or made up locations. I enjoyed the flavor this book presents. Good story although unclear at times to the decade. At first I thought this time took place within this century but at times I thought another older century based on the customs and beliefs. Either way good story. Happy ending and a bit long in some bits. Falsely accused of murder and sentenced to Si. Years of prison, Michael cones to start over in Ballymuir with his sister, Violet, better known as Vi. Vi is a well established artist. As the two get along as if there were no imprisonment to separate them, Michael finds himself meeting the school teacher Kylie who becomes good friends with Vi. Soon Kylie and Michael are in love but they must fight several battles to get their love to remain unchallenged . With Kylie's dad coming home from prison for fraud and theft, Brian Rourke as one of Michaels foes, Gerry Flynn the towns Gardi (police) who keeps his eye on Michael and Kylie, and Evie Nolen the town harlot and biggest gossip. There's more to journey through as our author, Dorien, takes us into book two then book three.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Mrs Jean Blackwood
5.0 out of 5 stars Dorien kelly book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 3, 2023
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Great read
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Joan McDermott
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on July 26, 2016
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great read
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Smita P
4.0 out of 5 stars A lovely Story
Reviewed in India on January 21, 2016
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It is a story set up in Ireland at fictional village called Ballymuir. It is a very beautiful romantic tale bringing out quirks of living in a small town. It is story of love, hope, redemption, being good and all things human. Both Kylie and Michael will make you fall in love with them with their strengths, and flaws. There are bits and pieces about visions, luck and predictions but nothing much to drop the book....
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cristina contilli
3.0 out of 5 stars Quando l'amore del presente deve confrontarsi con i segreti del passato...
Reviewed in Italy on March 8, 2013
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Ho scaricato questo ebook perché era in download gratuito e mi piace leggere rosa in lingua originale sia per vedere come sono in partenza (senza gli adattamenti che a volte vengono fatti per le edizioni in italiano) sia per tenermi allenata con l'inglese... nel complesso questo romanzo mi è piaciuto anche se i due protagonisti hanno un bel po' di cose da nascondere non solo agli abitanti del paesino irlandese dove vivono, ma anche tra di loro...
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Kindle Junkie
5.0 out of 5 stars Irish storytelling
Reviewed in Germany on December 31, 2012
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A story set in a small Irish village, where everyone is a busybody and rumors rapidly spread. If you like Maeve Binchy's sagas, you ought to like this. The story is well written. Through the relationship between the two main characters their self-esteem increases.
Michael and Kylie are both misfits, living on the edge of village society. Michael McBride is not only an outcast in the village, but also in his family with only his sister Violet remaining faithful. Upon his arrival in Ballymuir he is somewhat awkward, having spent the past 14 years in prison. He can, however, fend for himself and openly confronts the hostility of the shopkeepers, shaming them.
Kylie has led a rather reclusive life, having to live down the shame she carries caused by her father, who had embezzled funds provided by some villagers for his real estate development scheme.
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