The Absinthe Earl: The Faery Rehistory Series, Book 1
Dublin, Ireland, 1882: Miss Ada Quicksilver, “a quiet and unimportant English woman,” has just a touch of an Irish and mystical heritage in her ancestry. She is researching fairy mythology on leave from the Lovelace Academy for Promising Young Women. Following the rumor that says drinking absinthe may enable one to see faeries, she goes to a posh absinthe establishment and meets a handsome and noble Irishman, Edward Donoghue, Earl of Meath. Edward suffers from unwanted visions, and absinthe seems to help. The two have a common interest and eventually discover they also have an ancient and intricate linkage. Edward’s cousin, Irish Queen Isolde, has tasked him with an urgent mission of discovery and ultimately the defense of Ireland. Ada follows him on this quest, which is stranger and more dangerous than anything she could have imagined.
This delightful book is a sweeping fantasy tale of Celtic mythology wrapped in an alternate history context. Above all a romance, it also features legendary Irish figures to include Grace O’Malley, banshees, water horses, the war goddess Morrigan, fairy sprites, noble warriors of the Tuatha de Danann and evil Fomorians who are akin to Goblins here. The contrast between the rational, almost scientific Ada and the preternatural events enveloping her is appealing.
Though there are bits of steamy and graphic sensuality, the novel is also somewhat Tolkienesque in the wide-ranging array of good and evil creatures who are combatants on both sides. Full disclosure: Irish legends have been a particular favorite of mine since early childhood, so I was right at home. I suggest reading this captivating novel in a verdant woodland, sitting in the shade against a stout tree trunk and perhaps sipping a bit of absinthe. Enjoy as I did.
