Dollycas’s Thoughts

This is a very hard review for me to write because this series had so much promise. I have been really enjoying my excursions to Ireland but for the second book in a row, the protagonist has driven me crazy.

Maura Donovan inherited a pub in Leap over a year ago through an agreement her grandmother, the woman who raised her, made with the previous owner. Her inheritance also included a cottage and we learn in this book several pieces of land. When she arrived she apparently signed a bunch of papers not realizing what she was signing and just went on her merry way showing up each day at the pub and returning to the cottage each night finding a dead body or two along the way. She recently reconnected with her mother and in this story meets her step-sister. She has two employees, a young lass named Rose, who is studying culinary arts so that the pub can start serving food, and Mick Sullivan, the bartender who Maura has a romantic relationship with.

Thank God for Rose and Mick because Maura knows nothing about running a business and after a year doesn’t seem willing to learn. She can’t answer basic questions about her business plans. She has a unique opportunity to get all the appliances she needs for free but has no clue what she wants or needs and passes all responsibility to Rose. Her younger sister who has just arrived in Ireland takes more interest and has more ideas than Maura.

In this story, a college student awakens Maura one morning asking to look for fairy forts on Maura’s land. I was excited to learn about the mystical fairy creations but when Maura didn’t even know what land was hers I was just shaking my head. While she may not be a farmer, her land could be rented out to make additional money to fix up the pub or other expenses but no one has ever approached Maura about this at all. That aside, the fairy forts are a very cool thing. A lot of folklore surrounds them and many believe they are best left alone and that angering the fairies could cause perilous consequences. The student offers to show Maura her maps on a computer but Maura explains she doesn’t have one and wouldn’t know how to use one if she did.

The student is joined by two classmates with equipment to help her investigate and record the fairy forts she finds but when they split up for lunch one of the students disappears. Maura gets the local garda involved and she and Mick do a little investigating on their own. They don’t find the student but do find a body buried in the center of one of the fairy forts. A body that has been there for decades. When the man is identified Maura finds there is a connection to her own past. In fact, the man’s story was an old one. A story just two people are still alive to tell, which they do after being put off for hours. Oh yes, and the student turns up too and is also connected to the old story.

I get that things in leap are laid back, at least around Sullivan’s Pub. Up the road, Maura’s mother is busy trying to get a hotel back on its feet following a murder in a previous book, but I just want Maura to be more engaged and not so lackadaisical. I like that her sister has come to visit and that Maura is making inroads with the mother that abandoned her.

My issues with Maura aside, and yes I qualified my review for the previous book the same way, there are some really good things in this story. I love Rose, she is smart and can think on her feet. The fairy fort theme was very interesting and after reading this story I want to know more. There was a lot of repetition throughout the book which was frustrating, tightening it up would make a shorter but better story.

Other series by this author have been very enjoyable and entertaining. With my Irish heritage, this series was a fave. I hope between now and the next book Maura has a grand awakening and realizes all she has been blessed with and starts to take it seriously.

I've read the previous books in this series and I believe this is the weakest one. It didn't feel like a mystery, and I felt like everything just kept being repeated. I've always enjoyed this author so I think this could just be an off book.

My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was okay.

Book 8 in the series.

I've enjoyed this series from the beginning, but this one just felt like the weakest of the lot. On one hand, it was nice to get to meet Maura's half sister, on the other hand, the mystery was kind of boring and the victim wasn't super likable and no one really seemed to care about him other than his gang-like family.

And the college student part of the plot kind of felt like half that story had been cut out, as we never really got an explanation of why the kid disappeared, or what he was doing when he was gone.

I still like the characters, and will continue to read the series, but please, finish the kitchen already! And if Ms. Connolly could bring back some of the music again, instead of just talking about it, that'd be good too.

Maura is enjoying Irish living and looking towards the future when it comes to the pub. When a knock comes to her door one morning Maura is soon I introduced I to the local folklore of fairy forts. She has never heard of such things but the young student who wants to investigate her land looking for some forts has her asking the locals all about them. While at the pub later that day she gets an unexpected surprie, her mother who she just recently met is back in town and her half sister is with her. Maura is happy to get to know this young girl who is family but she isn't sure her sister feels the same way. Meanwhile one of the students she has agreed to let search her land has up and disappeared. Maura knows she must investigate and when she finds a body buried in the center of a fort she wonders who it could be. You see while looking for the missing student she comes across the grave and worried that it is him but soon finds out the grave is much older. Follow along as Maura deals with her relationship with her mother, her sisters feelings towards her, the missing student, and the body she found. Will she be able to deal with everything or will it all get the best of her?

I've read all of the County Cork mysteries, and in my opinion, this is one of the weaker entries. The plot summary sounded better than it was executed. I still like the characters but the plot needed work.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read in the series County Cork. She had grown up in Boston with her Grandmother that had raised her but after her death she learns she has inherited a pub and house in Ireland where her Grandmother was from. She makes friends but she still has lots of questions. Her mother shows up that abandoned her when she was an infant. Plus now her mother and sister arrive. Plus a college student goes missing in a fairy ring on her land.

Let me start off by saying that I do truly enjoy this series and I do truly enjoy books by this author. However, every author has an off book and this was definitely one of those. It started out slow but enjoyable. I liked seeing Maura, Mick, and Rose and the rest of the cast of characters. I like catching up with what is going on in the pub and seeing more from Maura's long lost mother. And I was instantly intrigued by the fairy forts. It was slow but not a book I minded reading. About half way through the slow pace became dragging.



Maura has never been the most motivated of characters but in this book her lack of motivation was straight up apathy. Every question she was asked she shrugged off with a kind of "I don't know. Why are you asking me?" attitude and this ranged from her personal life to details about the business which is supposedly her life. She's lived in the cottage for a year but never got around to even looking through the previous owner's stuff. She has no idea how the kitchen will add to the pub and figures Rose (who is maybe 20) will take care of all of that. Then we have the repetition. Every conversation between Helen and Maura is an apology and an explanation. In real life this would probably be necessary but it becomes a bit much in book form. It is also repeated multiple times that Maura knows nothing about the land she owns, fairy forts, or really anything in Ireland.



I enjoyed the first half enough to give it 3 stars but I was so frustrated with the last half I would have given it 1 star. I still love Sheila Connolly and will pick up her next books but I'm glad to have this one behind me.

I hate to write this, but I think that the county cork mystery series is past it’s good by date. This is book 8 and it barely rates three stars for me. Here are the problems:
- Continuity and timeline issues
- The same information presented again and again
- Maura knowing nothing about the area one minute and then the next knowing enough to direct tourists on what to see.
Ever since this series went hardcover, it has lacked something. It feels like the author has to make a certain page count but doesn’t have enough story.
What I liked:
- Maura learns what lead her gran to go to the U. S.
- Development in Maura and Mick’s relationship
- Meet Maura’s sister Susan
- the pub gets a kitchen upgrade
The problem is getting this information was a bit like pulling teeth.
I really liked this series before it went hardcover. I did read an ARC copy of the book, so maybe some of the issues were taken care of in editing before the final book?
I greatly appreciate the opportunity to review the book. I was a bit let down. In some places it was painful to read.

Fatal Roots is the eighth book in the County Cork Mystery Series.

Maura has been in Ireland for a little over a year and has spent almost all her time learning how to run a pub and looking for ways to improve business. They have gone back to the old days and have started to offer music a few days a week. Rose who has been serving drinks and bartending has finally convinced Maura that they should start offering food. The next thing is to decide what equipment will be needed for the kitchen.

One morning, earlier than Maura would like, there is a knock on her door. At the door is Ciara, a university student studying Archaeology, who asks for permission to search for fairy forts or fairy rings on Maura’s property. Ciara informs Maura that she will have to others arriving to help her, one with a drone and the other with a piece of equipment with radar that will show is anything is buried. Then a couple of days later one of Ciara’s crew goes missing.

While searching for the missing researcher Maura takes Mick to show him the fairy ring. While investigating inside the ring the discover a body that had been buried many years before. Now they need to find the missing student, but also who the dead body is.

In a sub-story, Maura’s mother, Helen, has returned and has brought Maura’s half-sister, Susan, with her. Maura is surprised that she and Susan are able to get along so well. Susan even likes to hang out at the pub and proves to be a valuable assistant to Rose in the planning of the Sullivan’s Pub new kitchen.

Another wonderful addition to this interesting and informative series. Connolly’s writing is so vivid that I feel that I am actually there.

I’ll definitely be watching for the next book.

Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, but I’m not sure where. I’ve been reading (and enjoying) this series since the beginning and although I liked this book, I felt like it was confused as to what it was supposed to be. There wasn’t much of a mystery, so I’m going to say this is fiction with a hint of mystery and it seemed mostly to tie together a bunch of loose threads from the series so far and to connect Maura’s mom and her new family to the series? I don’t know.

The mystery (in a loose sense of the word) involved three college students who came to Leap to study Fairy Forts, small circular constructions that dot the landscape in the Cork part of Ireland. When one of them disappears, Maura and Mick go out to take a look around and find a body buried in one of the fairy forts, one that has been buried too long to be the missing college student. There’s not a lot of investigating but the truth is soon uncovered.

The only part of the story that I didn’t like was there was too much filler. Every new facet was repeated and rehashed over and over – punctuated by Maura explaining, over and over, to everyone in her vicinity that she didn’t have a computer, didn’t know how to use one and did she mention that her mother abandoned her and just came back into her life? If not, let’s let everyone know yet again. So I think this would’ve been better as a short story minus all the filler.

Overall, I enjoy visiting Leap and the gang down at Sullivan’s Pub but would’ve benefited from a stronger mystery and less filler. It can be read as an entry into the series as any references to prior events are explained pretty well, but I recommend reading this series in order to experience the growth of the characters as the series progresses.

I didn't like the previous instalment in this series but I'm happy to say it's back on track and this was an engrossing and entertaining read that kept me hooked.
There're all the elements I love in this series plus a solid mystery that kept me guessing.
I can't wait to read the next instalment.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I’m enjoying Maura's journey. The characters are interesting, and I like the development of each through each book.

As soon as I read that fairy fort lore was involved in Fatal Roots by Sheila Connolly, I was all in. This story had everything I love about the series. First of all the pragmatic Maura, then mystery, suspense, drama, community and family drama along with the local fairy folklore make for an extraordinary read.

Transplant Maura is a character I can identify with like she always is. Like her, I would want to do something if what happens had happened on what is mine. The clientele of Sullivan’s are their usual sometimes helpful, sometimes obstinate, sometimes cryptic selves. Then there is family, God love them. A tad bit of romance to even it all out in Maura’s life. Yeah!.

This is the eighth book in the series but still I think someone could read it as a stand-alone. In many ways this is a pivotal book in the series; one not to be missed by fans or new fans either.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Fatal Roots by Sheila Connolly is another of the Cork County Mysteries featuring transplanted Bostonian, Maura Donovan, and her pub in Leap, County Cork. She awakens earlier than normal to a knocking at her door. She had closed the pub last night and was not quite ready to awaken. At her door she discovered a young woman who inquiring about her land and requesting permission to explore her land for fairy forts or ring forts. It seems there was a good one very near. Ciara, the archeology student at her table, had maps to prove it and invited Maura to help her explore, which she did for a while before she went into Leap to work. Ciara had two friends joining her, one with a drone with a camera, and the other with a machine that could determine if there was anything buried within the fort. When she got to the pub, Mick was already there and more than willing to share what he knew of fairy forts and other Irish lore. Shortly after a car pulled out and who should jump our but her recently discovered American mother and a young woman who turned out to be her half-sister. How much more complicated could this day get?

I am often attracted to books, which take place in a place or time that I wish to explore. I have Irish roots and love to read novels that take place in Ireland. This series has been far from a disappointment. I always learn more of Irish culture while at the same time enjoy a decent mystery and a touch of romance. Connolly, as well her heroine, Maura, is very low key and not ostentatious at all. I enjoy that in a character, as well as in an author. Connolly seems to get the tempo of life in rural Ireland and is able to convey it within her work. I loved learning about the fairy forts and other Irish myths that seem to impact the daily lives of may in the rural areas. Mick, Maura's employee and lover, is just a low key and slow to change and I find it entirely endearing. I love this series and am proud to say it. Good work, Sheila Connolly. I recommend it.

I received a free ARC of Fatal Roots from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #fatalroots

The cover initially drew my attention to this book and upon reading the synopsis, felt that it was a book for me. There are times when a book can be read as a standalone and sometimes not. As it's the 8th book in the series, perhaps it would have been better if i had read the previous books first. That is not to say that i didn't enjoy this book, as it was good and it wouldn't stop me from reading more by this author.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This my honest review, which i have voluntarily given.

This is book 8 in the Country Cork series and it's one of my favorite cozy/murder mystery series. Maura is running her pub she inherited in Ireland and becoming part of the small town community. She hasn't seen her mother in 20 years until she walks into the pub with Maura's half sister. Between their unexpected visit and the local college students wanting to explore Maura's land for a mystical fairy fort her life is chaotic. When a student disappears Maura goes to the fort and finds a very old body. The town isn't providing any help but everyone seems to know the identity and story. Great read. Can be read as a stand alone. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Fatal Roots is book eight in the County Cork Mystery series by Sheila Connolly. I have only read one previously from this series. I was able to get up to date quickly.
Since moving to Ireland from Boston, Maura is learning she is in a whole different world. When a grad student shows up wanting to research Maura's property, she learns she owns plots of land all around her but all connected. She also gets a crash course on fairy forts that are on a piece of her land. When a body is found buried in the center of one of the forts, Maura starts an investigation of her own.
The is an easy to read cozy having many twists and turns, and also her family life.. There is also some romance.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.

“Fatal Roots” Is the 8th instalment in “A County Cork Mystery” series by Sheila Connelly. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have purchased a few of the previous books.

Some secrets are too big to stay buried...
A few months ago, Boston expat Maura Donovan was rekindled with her mother after more than twenty years of absence. Since then, Maura has been getting accustomed to Irish living, complete with an inherited house and a pub named Sullivan's. But now, her mother has returned--and she's brought Maura's half-sister in tow. To make matters more confusing, a handful of Cork University students are knocking on Maura's door asking about a mystical fairy fort that happens to be located on Maura's piece of land.

The lore indicates that messing with the fort can cause bad luck, and most everyone is telling Maura not to get too involved for fear of its powers, but Maura is curious about her own land, and she definitely doesn't buy into the superstition. Then one of the students disappears after a day of scoping out the fort on Maura's property.

Maura treads carefully, asking the folks around town who might have an idea, but no one wants anything to do with these forts. She has to take matters into her own hand--it's her land, after all. But when she uncovers a decades-old corpse buried in the center of the fort, nothing is for certain.

Even though this is the first book I have read in the series I was able to follow along easily so it can be read as a stand alone. I really enjoyed it and have since purchased a few other books in the series.

The protagonist Maura is a strong, independent woman who is finding out who she is and where her family came from. The characters are well rounded and seem real as I could relate to each of them. The town of Leap in County Cork is interesting, and the author brought the area to life with her descriptions.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and there are plenty of twists and turns in this story. I kept guessing and second-guessing myself on who the body was right to the very end. There is also the secondary story of Maura and her mother Helen, along with half sister Susan and where it is heading. Overall the story moves at a steady pace, but I did take longer to finish than normal and I’m not sure if that was to do with the holidays. I recommend this book to all my mystery lover friends, and plan on buying the complete series.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As a fan of Connolly's books, this one didnot dissapoint. This story was a great addition to help fill in the gaps from the background of both the community of Leap and Maura while still giving both room to grow. I enjoy that though the plotlines of other stories are referenced, Connolly doesn't give the story away so the books can be read as stand alones.

Maura knew she inherited Mick Sullivan's pub in Leap, County Cork, but she didn't understand the full extent of the land he left her. Nor did she know that land contains fairy circles, at least not til some students show up and want to explore them. She's already got a lot on her plate what with her mother- who left her with her gran and never came back- showing up with a half sister named Susan, no less. Of course, since this is a cozy, a body is found in one of the circles and Maura finds herself investigating, along with her friends and Sean Murphy from the Garda. That body has been buried for a while and part of the mystery is his identity. This all pulls together nicely and while it might be the 8th in the series, you'll be fine with it as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Great local atmospherics and it's nice (for readers of the series) to see Maura learning more about herself.