Photo Credit: Laura Tancredi @ Pexels.
Today’s Book List, Kiss Me, I’m Irish is all about My Favourite Irish Love Interests and was inspired by a recent read, Worth A Shot (aka The Irish Goodbye) by Amy Ewing.
The phrase “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” originates from the legend of the Blarney Stone, which was built into the battlements of Blarney Castle in 1446. Kissing the Blarney Stone is said to endow the kisser with the gift of the gab (the ability to speak easily and confidently in a way that makes people want to listen to you and believe you – Cambridge Dictionary). If you can’t make it to Blarney Castle, kissing an Irish person is supposed to be the next best thing.
Fun Fact: My great-great-grandfather, Austin Hall was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1853 so I’m 1/16th Irish.
I love putting together Book Lists but Kiss Me, I’m Irish was challenging because two of my favourite authors (L.H. Cosway and Marian Keyes) are Irish and most of their books are set on the Emerald Isle. Given that I’ve read 25 x books by L.H. Cosway and 16 x books by Marian Keyes so far, if I’d included all of their gorgeous Irish Love Interests (ILI) today’s Book List would have been TL:DR so I’ve decided to choose my all-time favourite ILI by each author instead.
I’m always looking for recommendations so if you’ve got any Kiss Me, I’m Irish romances I might have missed out on, please let me know either in the comments or by e-mail at louisehallbooks@gmail.com.
Until next time, happy reading!
(1) Shane Claymore from Unfixable by Tessa Bailey (2014)
He’s the last thing she wants…but the only thing she needs.
Willa Peet isn’t interested in love. She’s been there, done that, and has the shattered heart to prove it. Ready to shake the breakup, she heads to Dublin, Ireland. But there’s a problem. A dark-haired, blue-eyed problem with a bad attitude that rivals her own. And he’s not doling out friendly Irish welcomes.
Shane Claymore just wants to race. The death of his father forced him off the Formula One circuit, but he’s only staying in Dublin long enough to sell the Claymore Inn and get things in order for his mother and younger sister. He never expected the sarcastic American girl staying at the inn to make him question everything.
But even as Willa and Shane’s fiery natures draw them together, their pasts threaten to rip them apart. Can Shane give up racing to be with the woman he loves, or will Willa’s quest to resurrect the tough-talking, no-shit-taking girl she used to be destroy any hope of a future together?
Tags: Favourite Author / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog) / Formula One
(2) Conor Byrne from The Cosy Cottage in Ireland (Romantic Escapes #8) by Julie Caplin (2021)
Talented lawyer Hannah Campbell is after a change in her workaholic Manchester life – so on an uncharacteristic whim she books herself a place at the world-renowned Killorgally Cookery School in County Kerry. But on her first night In Ireland, sampling the delights of Dublin, Hannah can’t resist falling for the charms of handsome stranger Conor. It’s only when Hannah arrives at her postcard-pretty home at Killorgally for the next twelve weeks that she discovers what happens in Dublin doesn’t quite stay in Dublin…
Nestled amongst rolling green hills and breath taking countryside, the cookery school throws Hannah and Conor together again–for better or worse.
Tags: Chefs / Favourite Series / Five Star Reads
(3) Nicholas from Painted Faces (Painted Faces #1) by L.H. Cosway (2012)
Dublin native Freda Wilson considers herself to be an acquired taste. She has a habit of making offensive jokes and speaking her mind too often. She doesn’t have the best track record with first impressions, which is why she gets a surprise when her new neighbour Nicholas takes a shine to her.
Nicholas is darkly handsome, funny and magnetic, and Freda feels like her black and white existence is plunged into a rainbow of colour when she’s around him. When he walks into a room he lights it up, with his quick wit and charisma. He is a travelling cabaret performer, but Freda doesn’t know exactly what that entails until the curtains pull back on his opening night.
She is gobsmacked and entirely intrigued to see him take to the stage in drag. Later on, Nicholas asks her if she would like to become his show assistant. Excited by the idea, she jumps at the chance. Soon she finds herself immersed in a world of wigs, make-up and high heels, surrounded by pretty men and the temptation of falling for her incredibly beautiful employer.
Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Book by This Author / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog)
(4) Niall O’Connor from Worth a Shot by Amy Ewing (2024)
Cordelia James was once at the top of her game-a renowned street photographer with a massive social media following, gallery showings in Chelsea, and a lucrative book deal. But after the sudden death of her father, everything changed. Now, Cordelia can barely force herself to leave her apartment. That is, until she sees an ad for a summer gig at a cosy cottage on Ireland’s picturesque Inishmore island. Rent-free, plus a small stipend if willing to do some menial housework and look after an elderly neighbour. Cordelia is on a plane before she can talk herself out of it.
But practically the moment she steps off the boat, she crashes-literally-into Niall O’Connor, a grumpy local who’s just returned home to Inishmore from Dublin. Cordelia’s camera breaks, and Niall doesn’t give a horse’s arse about it. He’s nursing a broken heart and trying to patch up a broken life, and he has no time for posh American tourists or their thousand-dollar hobbies. The more Cordelia’s and Niall’s paths cross, the more they make each other’s lives hell. But as with all rivalries, their hatred is about to reach a tipping point-and it’s going to heat up their cool coastal nights.
Tags: Chefs
(5) Jack Devine from Sushi for Beginners by Marian Keyes (2000)
Lisa Edwards: This Prada-wearing magazine editor thinks her life is over when her “fabulous” new job turns out to be a deportation to Dublin to launch Colleen magazine. The only saving grace is that her friends aren’t there to witness her downward spiral. Might her new boss, the dishevelled and moody Jack Devine, save her from a fate worse than hell?
Ashling Kennedy: Ashling, Colleen’s assistant editor, is an award-winning worrier, increasingly aware that something fundamental is missing from her life – apart from a boyfriend and a waistline.
Clodagh “Princess” Kelly: Ashling’s best friend, Clodagh, lives the domestic dream in a suburban castle. So why, lately, has she had the recurring urge to kiss a frog — or sleep with a frog, if truth be told?
As these three women search for love, success, and happiness, they will discover that if you let things simmer under the surface for too long, sooner or later they’ll boil over.
Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Book by This Author / Mental Health Rep (Depression) / Office Romance / Retro Chick Lit
(6) Calvin McLoughlin from Roomies by Christina Lauren (2017)
Marriages of convenience are so…inconvenient.
For months Holland Bakker has invented excuses to descend into the subway station near her apartment, drawn to the captivating music performed by her street musician crush. Lacking the nerve to actually talk to the gorgeous stranger, fate steps in one night in the form of a drunken attacker. Calvin McLoughlin rescues her, but quickly disappears when the police start asking questions.
Using the only resource she has to pay the brilliant musician back, Holland gets Calvin an audition with her uncle, Broadway’s hottest musical director. When the try-out goes better than even Holland could have imagined, Calvin is set for a great entry into Broadway—until his reason for disappearing earlier becomes clear: he’s in the country illegally, his student visa having expired years ago.
Seeing that her uncle needs Calvin as much as Calvin needs him, a wild idea takes hold of her. Impulsively, she marries the Irishman, her infatuation a secret only to him. As their relationship evolves and Calvin becomes the darling of Broadway—in the middle of the theatrics and the acting-not-acting—will Holland and Calvin realize that they both stopped pretending a long time ago?
Tags: Favourite Author / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog) / Marriages of Convenience
(7) Colin Walsh from The Prenup by Lauren Layne (2019)
I’ve got The Prenup to thank for becoming a Lauren Layne Super Fan because it’s the 1st LL book I ever read.
My name is Charlotte Spencer and, ten years ago, I married my brother’s best friend. I haven’t seen him since.
Charlotte Spencer grew up on the blue-blooded Upper East Side of Manhattan but she never wanted the sit-still-look-pretty future her parents dictated for her. Enter Colin Walsh, her brother’s quiet, brooding, man-bun-sporting best friend, and with him a chance to escape.
He’s far from Charlotte’s dream guy as but they need each other for one thing: marriage. One courthouse wedding later, Charlotte’s inheritance is hers to start a business in San Francisco and Irish-born Colin has a Green Card.
Ten years later, Colin drops a bombshell: the terms of their prenup state that before either can file for divorce, they have to live under the same roof for three months.
Suddenly this match made in practicality is about to take on whole new meaning…
Tags: Brother’s Best Friend / Favourite Author / Five Star Reads / Lawyers / Marriages of Convenience
(8) Mark Keegan from London, Can You Wait? by Jacquelyn Middleton (2017)
Mark also appears in the prequel, London Belongs to Me.
Alex loves Mark. Mark loves Alex. But is love enough?
Since moving to London from the US, twenty-four-year-old Alex Sinclair seems to have it all: a coveted job writing for the theatre, supportive friends, and the man of her dreams—gorgeous Irish actor, Mark Keegan. But in the year since the acclaimed debut of her play, Alex and Mark’s lives have been turned upside down.
Thanks to his role on a smash-hit British TV show, Mark is catapulted to stardom. Alex couldn’t be happier—until her boyfriend’s popularity and insatiable drive to succeed means they’re apart more than they’re together. Forced to share Mark with showbiz heavy-hitters, intrusive press, and unrelenting fangirls, Alex’s hopes for a stable and committed life with him start to fade. Her struggles with panic attacks, career uncertainty, and Mark’s increasingly worrisome behaviour make her wonder: how much more can she bend before she breaks?
Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Book by This Author / Five Star Reads / Mental Health Rep (Panic Attacks)
(9) Ollie Dunne from Luck & Last Resorts (Love, Lists & Fancy Ships #2) by Sarah Grunder Ruiz (2022)
Commitment-phobe Nina Lejeune lives by two rules:
1) Always have fun.
2) Don’t rely on anyone but yourself.
The first rule is easy; the second, she’s only broken once.
Ten years after fleeing home, Nina is the chief stewardess on the super yacht Serendipity, single by choice, and perfectly content with how life has turned out.
But Nina’s ex-coworker and old flame, Irish chef Ollie Dunne, isn’t so happy with the status quo. One year after leaving yachting, he’s returned as the Serendipity’s chef with an ultimatum: if Nina continues to deny she’s in love with him by the end of this charter season, he’ll go back to Ireland for good.
Nina and Ollie’s shared secret from their past threatens to shipwreck not only their relationship, but the entire boat. But as their connection grows amidst chaotic guests and crew drama, could there be smooth sailing in their future?
Tags: Chefs / Marriages of Convenience / Workplace Romance
(10) Jack Dunne from Last Call at the Local (Love, Lists & Fancy Ships #3) by Sarah Grunder Ruiz (2024)
Jack is the younger brother of Ollie from Luck & Last Resorts (see above)
Raine Hart is used to the challenges of living with ADHD. It’s why she ditched her life in Boston to busk around Europe as a traveling musician. No boss. No schedule. No one to disappoint but herself. But when a careless mistake in Ireland leaves her unable to perform, she sees no other option but to give up her nomadic life.
Since inheriting the Local, Jack Dunne has wanted to make the pub his own. But the baggage of running a family business and the intrusive thoughts that stem from his OCD make changing things a challenge.
Over a pint with handsome, tattooed Jack, Raine accidentally insults him and the pub. Instead of taking offense, Jack, impressed by her vision of what the pub could be, offers her a job bringing it to life.
But when Raine and Jack develop feelings for one another their opposite lifestyles won’t accommodate, it becomes clear the pub isn’t the only thing that needs reinventing. As the end of their business collaboration draws near, they’ll have to find a way past the limits they’ve placed on themselves or let go of a love that could last a lifetime.
Tags: Fictional Musicians / Five Star Reads / Mental Health Rep (OCD) / Neurodiversity Rep (ADHD) / Tattoo Artists
Louise Hall 