Praise for Kate Hoffmannfrom RT Book Reviews
The Charmer âHoffmannâs deeply felt, emotional story is riveting. Itâs impossible to put down.â
Your Bed or Mine? âFully developed characters and perfect pacing make this story feel completely right.â
Doing Ireland! âSexy and wildly romanticâ
The Mighty Quinns: Ian âA very hot story mixes with great characters to make every page a delight.â
Who Needs Mistletoe? âRomantic, sexy and heartwarming.â
The Mighty Quinns: Teague âSexy, heartwarming and romantic ⦠a story to settle down with and enjoyâand then re-read.â
Dear Reader,
Another Quinn trilogy is coming to a close and this one has been a lot of fun to write, especially since it took me back to one of my favorite places, Ireland.
Though Iâve only been to Ireland once, Iâve spent the last year thinking about all the wonderful and picturesque towns I visited. Someday, I hope to return for another visit, maybe even during the holidays. I could even search out my one lonely Irish ancestor. Iâd drive past the spot on the coast where Ballykirk should be and wander down the country road where Winterhill might have stood. And if Iâm lucky, I might even meet a man who looks a little bit like Kellan Quinn. You couldnât ask for a better Christmas present than that.
If youâve never had a chance to visit the Emerald Isle, I hope this Quinn trilogy has given you a little taste of one of my favorite places.
Happy holidays,
Kate Hoffmann
KELLAN STARED out at the water from the narrow beach, the morning sun gleamed off the glassy surface of the Atlantic. He drew a deep breath and smiled. It was the perfect summer day. Warm without a hint of the damp wind that usually roared along the coast.
âWe should sleep here tonight,â he said to his brothers. âUp on the cliff. Da would let us take the tent.â Glancing over his shoulder, he found Riley and Danny squatting down and digging in the sand.
Smugglerâs Cove had become their secret getaway. Just five or six kilometers from their cottage outside Ballykirk, the hidden cove could only be reached from the water. But Danny, Kellanâs youngest brother, had discovered a path down through the rocks, making the spot accessible.
âIâm not spendinâ the night,â Riley said. âThereâs ghosts in that old house up there.â He was talking about the abandoned castle and manor house that overlooked the cliff. None of them had ever been brave enough to venture inside, although Kellan had heard the older kids used the place for parties all the time.
âMe, neither,â Danny said.
âWhat the feck are you two about?â Kellan asked, watching as they scraped sand aside with their fingers.
âThereâs something buried in the sand,â Danny said, burrowing after it like a terrier after a bone. âCome here and help, ya lazy git.â
âNo way. Youâve been digging in that sand for two years now and you havenât found a thing. Considering the smugglers are long gone, itâs probably just an old piece of wood. You and your fantasies. Theyâre a waste of time.â
Riley stopped for a moment. âIf Kell doesnât dig and it is treasure, then he doesnât get a share.â
âAgreed,â Danny said.
âYeah,â Kellan said. âAgreed.â But to Kellanâs surprise, Danny and Riley pulled a small tin box out of the sand. âWhat the feck,â he muttered, striding over to them.
âSee,â Danny said smugly. âTold you. Now you donât get a share.â He brushed the sand off the top of the old biscuit tin.
âOpen it,â Riley urged.
Danny reached for the top, then hesitated. âI donât know. What if itâs cursed? It could be like ⦠like â¦â
âPandoraâs box,â Kellan told him. âJaysus, you two are always letting your imagination run away with you. Itâs a feckinâ biscuit tin.â
âShould we open it?â Danny asked, looking to Kellan for an answer. They always looked to him for answers. Thatâs what it was to be the oldest boy in the Quinn family.
Kellan shrugged. âYou found it. You open it.â He turned away, determined not to show his interest. But as he did, he caught sight of a movement among the rocks on the cliffside. He stared at the spot for a long moment, then shook his head. But there it was again. A flutter of pale green fabric in the breeze and a slender form scrambling behind another rock.
âThereâs someone up there,â he muttered. âWatching us.â
The boys looked up from their examination of the box, following Kellanâs nod. âRight up there.â
âMaybe itâs a fairy,â Riley said. âAnd maybe this is her box of magic. Letâs go see if we can catch her.â Riley shoved the box at Danny and leaped to his feet, then took off for the path at the bottom of the rocks.