by Shaun Herron
First published 1987
Alisdar Garrett carries the weight of being the final MacDonnell of Ulster, but the gossips of Carrickfergus find him lacking. They remember his ancestor Old Carrach and his notorious affairs with multiple women. Alisdar proves far more reserved and modest than his forebears. When Sara, whose father works as the town blacksmith, rejects his love, Alisdar's world collapses. The pain drives him to flee Ireland entirely. He sets his sights on Spain, where civil war rages, hoping to find the heroic death that has eluded his quiet life. The last heir of a once-proud lineage now faces a choice between extinction through despair or transformation through conflict.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, historical-fiction, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Carrickfergus, Ireland, Spain
Period: 19th-century
224 pages · Hardcover · Collins