Straight Up (Wild Hart)

Deirdre Martin a delightful story in Straight Up. Liam O'Brien takes off to Ireland to wait out the danger back in NY City from the Irish Mob. He trusted the wrong friend and got in trouble with the criminals. He is taken in by friends and relatives in Ballycraig. Working at the local pub helps him not miss home so much. He meets a local girl Aislinn McCafferty who was scorned badly and no one in town can get close to her. Liam makes a bet that he can be the one to break through Aislinn's stone wall. Aislinn McCafferty loves her life in Ballycraig. Running the families sheep farm brings her the only joy in her life. Years ago her fiancée embarrassed her at the altar and Aislinn built a high wall around her heart. She knows the locals give her a wide berth and for the most part is ok with it. Meeting Liam O'Brien starts to change Aislinn's whole world. Aislinn slowly lets Liam into her heart and starts to trust again. Once the bet is common knowledge can she forgive Liam too? Liam realizes what he did was wrong and he has strong feelings for Aislinn. He pulls out all the stops to get her back into his arms. But there is someone asking a lot of questions around town. Has the mob found Liam? Or is it something worse? Straight up is witty and charming. The characters are not perfect but their flaws make them more real and enjoyable watching them get things right. Deirdre Martin's stories are always once to hold onto and treasure.

It seems to Aislinn McCafferty that, of late, all anyone in the small Irish town of Ballycraig can talk about is The Yank. Evidently Liam O'Brien, the new bartender at the Royal Oak, got on the bad side of New York's Irish mob and is hiding out in his parents' hometown until it's safe for him to return to the States. Not that Aislinn cares. Ever since she was humiliated and abandoned at the altar, she's turned inward and good luck to any man who tries to talk to her. Yet something about Liam interests her. Maybe it's his devilishly good looks. Or perhaps it's that he won't leave her alone. Can Aislinn take a chance on love and open her heart once more? Or will a secret Liam's keeping destroy her faith in him before their relationship ever has a chance to blossom? Take a trip to the Emerald Isle to see opposites attract in the charming Straight Up. It might sound odd, but what interested me most about Aislinn was that she was a woman in a profession that's unusual for a romance heroine. She's a sheep farmer, and a hard-working one at that. Aislinn's not a girly-girl by any stretch of the imagination and I loved that Liam adored her for who she really is. Liam himself is an extremely sexy hero, one whose mistakes keep him from being cardboard perfect. He and Aislinn work well together and I enjoyed watching them fall in love. If there was one thing I could wish for in Straight Up, it'd be that it was a bit longer. The book moves at a leisurely pace for most of the story, but the ending felt a bit rushed and patched together. Considering that the issues that needed to be resolved were done so at the end, this seemed a bit odd to me. Straight Up is the third story in Deirdre Martin's Wild Hearts Saga. When I picked up Straight Up, I wasn't aware it was part of a series and thus I can safely say it reads perfectly fine as a standalone. Liam is close to his siblings (the protagonists of the other Wild Hearts books) and thus they are mentioned frequently in Straight Up and I admit I am intrigued enough to want to go back and read the previous two stories ("Luck of the Irish" in the Double the Pleasure anthology and With a Twist). All in all I found Straight Up to be an entertaining read and I look forward to reading more of Ms. Martin's work. Shayna Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I have read every one of this author's books and novellas. I have yet to be disappointed. The story is always fresh, the characters the same. Liam's story is no different. Though I at first had a tough time believing that Ireland was going to be a safe haven, I quickly got over it when I saw he was in a little poedunk backwater burb. Aislann is the perfect match for showing him that one can be satisfied with leaving NY behind for the peace of the country. Love her grit and spirit, and love the realities of their relationship. Yes, the hockey books were great, and I, too, wish for more. But, I love that the minor characters from previous books are getting their own stories. That's not something every author that tries can do successfully, but DM has. I anxiously await her next installment(s). If you, too, have a hard time waiting, also try Rachel Gibson's hockey romances while you are waiting. I do not always keep books that I've read. Some get passed on to friends and family, some go to the local nursing home library, some get sold to used book stores for $. But DM's have a special place in my library room -- they are all keepers! I won't even loan them out! I tell all my hockey galpals about them, but they have to go get their own :-).

Deirdre Martin returns with her best book to date! The Wild Hart saga continues as we follow brother Liam O'Brien on the lam and running to "the old sod" to the village of Ballycraig. Aislinn McCafferty is the strongest, funniest, most independent and interesting heroine to come from the mind of Ms. Martin. STRAIGHT UP is populated by a village of fantastically quirky people, a heartwarming (yet heartbreaking) sub-plot with Aislinn and her farm hand and much more. You will not want to put this book down! I already know I want to read it again and again and then buy a ticket to visit Ireland. Bravo for romance, family and fun!

Bartender Liam O'Brian is forced to hide in Ireland because of a threat by the New York Irish Mob and thinks that it's going to be absolutly boring. His new home is small and sleepy Ballycraig where life is totally different from New York City. When he meets feisty and harsh sheep farmer Aislinn, things finally start to look better. He sees right through her hard facade and realizes that she's not really harsh but only afraid to get hurt again. Aislinn hesitates to start something with Liam because the last man she trusted humiliated her. But she can't say no to Liam's charm for long and soon develops deep feelings for him. When Liam starts to fall in love with Aislinn, a stupid and mean bet (about "conquering"Aislinn) he made with his boss could destroy everything. After reading the synopsis for "Straight Up" I was a bit sceptical about the story but as soon as I started reading the book all my doubts were forgotten. I enjoyed reading about Aislinn and Liam right from the first page and couldn't wait to see how their relationship developed. The love story between them is very believable and I love that Liam had to work hard to make Aislinn give him a second chance. Aislinn is a great heroine. She combines strength and sweetness and I enjoyed that she is happy with her simple life and doesn't shy away from hard work. Liam is a great and very interesting hero. He is suprised by his love for Aislinn and even though I hated that he took part in the bet, I forgave him (after a lot of crawling) just as Aislinn did. I also enjoyed reading about life in Ballycraig and how nothing in the book is overly dramatic and that the bet and it's effect on Aislinn aren't sugarcoated. The only thing I don't like about "Straight up" is the cover. IMO it looks cheap and doesn't fit the story at all. But that doesn't change the fact that I enjoyed reading the book a lot and can't wait for the next novel by Deirdre Martin.