Igniting Ireland

By Virginia Barlow

Fiona Ryan’s firm offers her an all-expense paid trip to Ireland following a brutal year of personal loss. A freak storm ravishes her scenic tour, and Fiona awakens in the seventeenth century. Falling hard for her sinfully attractive rescuer, she tells him of his fate to save him but fails.
Back in the present time, Brendan O’Connor, millionaire finds Fiona adrift and rescues her. Calling him a different name, she speaks as though she knew him in another time and place. Problem is he remembers intimate things about a woman he never met and gets the feeling he’s been with her before….

• Language: Unknown
• Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
• Release date: Dec 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9781509246724

Virginia Barlow

I enjoy knitting, crocheting, and quilting. I love roses and the smell of gardenias. I have two large dogs who like to keep me company while I write. Beethoven is an Aussie/ Great Pyrenees mix and Mozart is a Mastiff/Collie mix. I occasionally bake when the mood strikes me. Mostly I consider cooking and baking necessary evils. My husband of forty years is my greatest fan/critic and I don't know what I would do without him. My family is my greatest support and I love every minute I spend with them. Life is a journey and I can't wait to see where it leads me next!

Book preview

Fiona sat up, sucking in a deep breath, anchoring this moment in her mind. Everything played a part, the warmth of the sun on her face, the scent of the sea mingled with the rich woody notes of sandalwood on his skin, the call of the gulls overhead, and the taste of salt on her lips, as she gazed into his incredible blue eyes.

The sensual attraction between them hit her like a shot of whisky. Warm, strong, and male, he intoxicated her, filling her with sexual curiosity. Going to bed with a man who studied her like a predator eyeing his prey had to be more satisfying than making love with a man who claimed he loved her yet cheated on her when she needed him most.

The man leaned in and focused on her chest as he felt each rib.

The heat in her belly grew. If he moved his hand the slightest bit, he would touch her breasts. She arched backward and lifted her chin, exposing the long line of her neck.

Desire flashed across his face, as his breath blew warm across her cheek. I do not feel any broken ribs.

She panted as his hands slid around her, caressing her back through the thin silk of her top. I’m fine. She lied. Desire zinged through her like a lightning bolt, and she shivered when he pressed the sides of her chest beneath her arms.

Praise for Virginia Barlow

This was a new author for me. The plot and storyline were very well done. Such a wonderful story. I would definitely try another book by this author."

~ Net Galley Review The Wicked Sister

If you’re a historical western romance reader, you’re going to love Wylder Bachelor. If you’re a fan of feisty, independent heroines, pick up Wylder Bachelor. Highly recommend!

~ N. N. Light’s Book Heaven

Fans of both historical romance and paranormal romance will love The Witch of Rathborne Castle. Reminiscent of Jude Deveraux’s historicals, The Witch of Rathborne Castle will sweep the reader away. Highly recommend!

~ N.N. Light’s book Heaven

Igniting Ireland

by

Virginia Barlow

Passport to Pleasure Series

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Igniting Ireland

COPYRIGHT © 2022 by Virginia Barlow

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Contact Information: [e-mail]

Cover Art by Jennifer Greeff

The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

PO Box 708

Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

Publishing History

First Edition, 2022

Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-4672-4

Passport to Pleasure Series

Published in the United States of America

Dedication

For Penny, gone but never forgotten.

Chapter One

Waterford, Ireland

June 15, 1642

The rocking boat lulled her muddled senses keeping panic at bay.

Awaking bruised and alone in the bottom of a tour boat hadn’t been on her list of things to do. In the back of her mind, self-preservation said she should turn to relieve the sun burning through her thin silk top, but every time she got up the energy, her nausea convinced her stay put. Fiona Ryan sucked in a breath of sea air and shifted, digging her fingers into the rough wood beneath her. The sharp ridges and splinters pricked her soft flesh reminding her of her good fortune. She lived. The other passengers were not so lucky. She figured they died in the storm, or they’d be here with her.

A shadow passed overhead, followed by the cry of a Herring Gull. The heat of the sun burned, and waves lapped at the boat, sending a shower of cold mist over her. She shivered in the heat.

Her first vacation in five years, and she chose the top of her bucket list, Ireland. She should have gone the first year she joined the law firm of Hargrove and Little when her fiancé, Daniel, suggested it, but she didn’t. The firm’s case load at the time included a big embezzlement case, and she agreed to represent the accused instead of taking time off to travel.

Swallowing to ease the dry ache in her throat, a low moan escaped the tightness. God, what she’d do for a drink. She licked her dry lips with what little moisture her tongue possessed and thought of Daniel, cold and alone six feet under. In a perfect world, he’d be here with her sharing this experience, but life never went as planned. Exhibit A: her sightseeing tour disaster. Exhibit B: her screwed-up broken heart.

The rocking boat made her groggy, and as she drifted in and out of consciousness, scenes of the past week flittered across her mind.

Gregory Hargrove, one of the firm’s partners, strolled into her office and insisted she take an all-expense paid vacation. He gazed at the telltale circular pattern on her left hand, where an engagement ring no longer adorned her third finger. Daniel didn’t deserve you, and I wouldn’t waste any more energy on him. He tossed a black card onto her desk. Take a two-week vacation on us, Fiona. You’ve been through a lot this past year, and we need you all in. You’re one of our top people, and we can’t afford to lose you.

With the death of her mom in January, followed by Daniel’s infidelity, their subsequent break-up, and his accident in May, a vacation would be just the thing to get her mind back on track, so she agreed.

Her older sister, Sophie, took her shopping the week before she left, encouraging her to buy wispy lace underwear, short shorts, a string bikini, and a next-to-nothing silk negligee.

What for? No one will see them but me. Fiona eyed a red lace thong as Daniel’s voice played in her head. You’re such a prude. You forced me to bang Gloria out of frustration. Maybe if you’d loosen up and learn how to please a man, I’d come back. She took the thong, added the matching push-up bra, and marched to the register with Sophie tossing other items into the basket as they walked along.

Take the leap, Sophie whispered when she hugged her goodbye. Somewhere out there is a man who will love you for you and not what you earn. Now, go find him.

The firm sent a limo to pick her up at her apartment and take her to the airport, where the driver checked her bags. She did nothing but show her ID and wait for boarding. Once she entered the airplane, Fiona closed her eyes, reclined her first-class seat, and ordered a long island as they flew out of a dismal Boston sky to Cork, County Cork, Ireland. The six-hour flight offered a much-needed sleep, and she awoke revitalized, ready for whatever adventure Ireland offered. After collecting her traveling case from baggage claims, she strode to immigration to get the first stamp in her newly acquired passport.

Her firm hired a car for the hour and a half drive from Cork International Airport to Waterford, and Fiona settled back against the luxurious leather back seat to enjoy the view. One hears of the beauty of the Emerald Isle but experiencing it took her breath away. Green rolling fields separated by stone fences sailed past her tinted windows. She glimpsed large black cows with big white horns chewing cud and jaunting carts rumbling along the side of the road.

The brochure in her hotel lobby boasted a tour of a lifetime accompanied by sunny skies. Excited at the prospect, she booked the outing and strolled to the hotel’s restaurant for a quiet dinner.

Early the next morning, Fiona showered and dressed in white shorts