Nicely done story. Hero is an Irish immigrant who used to be a freedom fighter in Ireland. I appreciated the little used historical background of the potato famine and the Irish Republican Brotherhood. As one other reviewer stated, it was odd that the older girl called the heroine Mama and was so quick to call the hero Daddy. It was easier to believe that the younger girls did so. Well written and fast moving. ( )

Conor is a traveling prizefighter with a tortured past. Olivia is a woman tending to a farm and fighting off the locals on her own, in need of a farmhand. When she finds a broken Conor in the road in Louisiana in the years post-civil war, she wonders if her prayers are answered and thinks probably not, but does the good Christian thing and takes him in.

I mean, that's kind of the set up anyway. But this book is about two people's journey to together. And it's not an easy one. There's no miraculous personality change due to realizing one or the other is in love. It's hard work. And neither lead wants to compromise on their ideas of their future.

So.

Conor clearly initially falls for the kindred spirit he sees in a 9 year old girl. So much of the book centers around family, and the culture of family, that you know the end is going to reach it's inevitable conclusion not just because he's fallen in love with the heroine, maybe more becauss he's also in love with her daughters.

Conor never stops being hard or tortured. He doesn't become a fountain of emotion. He continually shows the heroine how he cares. And it convinced him too.

I've left Olivia out of this, although she's a wonderful heroine who is uncompromising,strong, and together.

This is a really great, character-driven read with compelling leads and just enough external tension. It's straightforward, and includes a setting that is different. It's on KU, and completely worth checking out. ( )

This re-issue is available in ebook for a whopping $.99. I'm not going to review it, I'm gonna tell your cheap ass to just go and freaking buy it already. Spinster heroine raising three orphan girls in Reconstruction Louisiana Irish prizefighter hero who's an epic tortured soul = WHY HAVEN'T YOU BOUGHT THE DAMN THING YET? ( )

Story of tortured Irishman, Conor Branigan who finds love in Northern Louisiana helping a shy widow keep her plantation afloat and out of the hands of the local scalawag who wants to build a railroad right through it. Not bad, not great either.

http://ktleyed.blogspot.com/2012/05/conors-way-by-laura-lee-guhrke.html ( )

It’s been some time since I read a book I hated putting down. It wasn’t so much the plot, although it was an interesting plot and perfectly paced, nor the writting, although it is beautifully written. It was the characters I hated to leave.

Conor, an Irish immigrant with a tortured past, has plenty of flaws, but his capacity for love and family are never far from the surface. Plus he’s strong, quick, handsome and competent! Never hurts.

The heroine, Olivia, was compelling as well. In spite of her dislike of swearing, gambling, drinking and so forth, she never came off as sanctimonious, ever. I think that’s where Ms. Guhrke’s talent really shines. That and the light hand portraying the children’s personalities and how each of them played a significant part in reeling Conor in.

He eventually capitulates, of course, but the ending has plenty of punch. And all for 99 cents! Wow. ( )