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Title: Born in Shame (Born In Trilogy) (Born In Trilogy)
ISBN: 1423331982
Author:
Nora Roberts
Publicate Date: 2007-05-28
Publish: 2007-05-28
List Price: $24.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Audio CD
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $15.16
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $13.99
Amazon Merchant Price: $18.21
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| Customer Review: |
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1: 3.5 stars
The third in this trilogy. I really wasn't sure whether to give it 3.5 or 4 stars.
Shannon Bodine is the 3rd daughter of Thomas Concannon, born "in shame" as the title says--the result of an affair while Maeve was pregnant with Brianna. Brianna finds Shannon's mother's letters to her father, that tell of her pregnancy, and she feels compelled to find the woman her father loved and their unknown sibling.
Meanwhile, when Shannon's mother is dying, she tells her about Thomas Concannon. So when Brianna contacts her, it's not a complete shock. She's not eager to become part of a family she never knew she had, but Brianna's open, friendly lack of pressure and the need to get away convince her to travel to Ireland for a visit.
There she meets Murphy Muldoon, farmer and lifelong friend of Maggie & Brianna. And they're apparently reincarnated lovers or something.
I have to tell you, I don't think there was any need for that. Shannon and Murphy could have fallen in love just fine without being compelled to by some long-dead lovers who'd screwed up and want another chance, thanks. I'm just really not a fan of that sort of plot, usually, because it makes me feel like they don't really fall in love--they're just following a preordained script.
I'm also unconvinced by the idea that blood relationships are all-important. To my mind, that's meaningless--what matters is the people you love, whether they're related to you or not. What saved this story is that both Shannon and Maggie agree with me.
Then there was Murphy. I'm not sure if Shannon should marry him or get a restraining order. He was definitely one of those heroes who will not take no for an answer. What kept him from being too alarming was that the other characters all trusted him and that Shannon herself seemed just exasperated with him, with its connotation of a hint of amusement, rather than angry or frightened.
And yet I got frustrated with Shannon's insistence on returning to a life that had nothing left in it that she wanted.
What saved the story was the growing family relationship and how the presence of Shannon interrupted the pattern formed by Maeve, Maggie, and Brianna. Instead of splitting them further apart, Shannon, in her unique position as an involved outsider, found the happy medium between conciliation and anger and facilitated the development of a healthier relationship for all of them.
It's worth reading for that, I think, after becoming invested in the other two books in the trilogy, but I wouldn't pick it up on its own--mostly because it hit 3 of my pet peeves. Definitely a case of your-mileage-may-vary.
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2: Shannon...
After finishing the last book in the "Born In.." series I felt like I was saying goodbye to long lost friends. This rarely happens for me because I read so much, but Nora introduced me to the best of people and the best of traditions. I may not read for a couple of days and those who know me will be shocked because I am rarely seen without a book in my hand or a book on the fireplace calling my name. I feel I should mourn the loss of never again getting to read for the first time this "Born In..." series. If you have never read any of Nora's books please just pick one up. Yes as we all know there are a number of wonderful authors out in the big ole' world of books, but there are only a few who can ever dream of being as good as Nora! Bravo for this series!
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3: 3.5 stars. The plot was a little weak, but on balance, I enjoyed the story.
Shannon is a commercial artist in New York City. Her mother Amanda had a brief love affair with Tom, 28 years earlier. Tom lived in Ireland and was married at the time. He could not leave his wife and two daughters, Maggie and Brianna. Amanda returned to America, found out she was pregnant and met and married Colin. Shannon thought Colin was her father. Just before Amanda dies, she tells Shannon that Tom was her biological father. Brianna and Maggie also recently learned that Shannon existed when they found some old love letters. Brianna asks Shannon to come visit. Shannon does. While visiting Brianna and Maggie, Shannon meets Murphy, they fall in love.
The plot for Shannon and Murphy follows. Murphy owns the family farm in Ireland. There are some stones in a circle on his land that have a mystical quality. When Murphy was a boy, he had a dream of a knight and a woman meeting at the stones. The woman was Shannon. He continued to have dreams/visions of Shannon throughout his life. When Shannon arrives in Ireland, she begins having the same dreams. Murphy is the knight in the dream. Murphy knows immediately that she is the love of his life. He courts her and pursues her and wants to marry her. Most of the story is about her reluctance to give up her career in New York and be with him in Ireland.
The best part of this story was Murphy's love and total commitment to her. I kept wanting her to choose him. The main conflict in the story was her delay and hesitation. That was ok but not the best kind of plot for me. The group of characters were pleasant to read about.
Maggie's and Brianna's stories are told in books 1 and 2 in the series. I gave 5 stars to "Born in Fire" and 2 stars to "Born in Ice."
Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: six. Setting: current day Columbus, Ohio, the village of Kilmihil, County Clare, west coast of Ireland, and Dublin. Copyright: 1996. Genre: contemporary romance.
For a listing of my reviews of other Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb books, see my 4 star review of "Angels Fall" posted on 6/30/08.
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4: Born in Shame by Nora Roberts
This was the final book in the Born In Trilogy and it lived up to the excellence of the first two books. As with the first two books in this series, this one kept me as involved with the characters. You feel like you know them and became involved with their lives; laughing and crying with them as the story unfolds.
I enjoyed the audio version of all three books and will share them with friends. As with the second book, I loved revisiting the first two sisters and taking a look at what was happening with their lives. A great series, do not miss them!
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5: Born in Shame CD
This is a very good story. It is the last of a trilogy, so you should listen to the first two before this one.
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