To Ride a White Horse: An Irish Historical Love Story

Pamela Ford

Jan 2015 · Out of Ireland Book 1 · Aine Press

About this ebook

“A sweeping historical love story that hits all the marks.” –Publisher’s Weekly starred review

 

Your feet will bring you to where your heart is.

Ireland 1846. With Ireland ravaged by famine and England unsympathetic to its plight, Kathleen Deacey faces a devastating choice – leave her country to find work or risk dying there. Despising the English for refusing to help Ireland, she crosses the ocean to support her family and search for her missing fiancé.

 

But when her voyage goes awry, she must accept help from an English whaling captain, Jack Montgomery, who represents everything she despises – and with whom she is reluctantly falling in love. As Kathleen fights to save her family in Ireland, she finds herself facing yet another devastating choice – remain loyal to her country or follow her heart.

 

Award-winning author Pamela Ford captures the anguish of a devastating period in Irish history and delivers an historical saga of hope, loyalty, the strength of the human spirit, and the power of love. With more than a half million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is known for creating stories that are emotional and moving.

 

Gold Medal Winner, IPPY Awards  ·  Finalist,  National Readers’ Choice Awards  ·  Finalist, Maggie Awards for Excellence  ·  Finalist, Kindle Book Awards

 

Praise for To Ride a White Horse:

 

5 STARS. "Expertly drawn characters that stole my heart. The writing is superb...a larger than life novel...captivating, breathtaking." –A Night's Dream of Books​

 

​5 STARS. "Endearing...pulls you in from the first page and never loses momentum." –Mom in Love with Fiction​

 

5 STARS. “I absolutely loved it...it was hard to put down.” –Ms Nose in a Book​

 

5 STARS. "So long as there are books this good, I shall continue to shun TV...a hearty recommendation to get this book." –Gspotsylvania

 

5 STARS. "The story line was riveting, and the characters were fresh, well-developed, and enticing." –Books and Bindings​

 

5 STARS. "I loved To Ride a White Horse...it was written beautifully...I fell in love with Kathleen and Jack.” –Books like Breathing​

 

5 STARS. "A page turner...a wonderful story of personal choices, tragedy, kindness, forgiveness, and the power of faith and love!" –Rockin' Book Reviews

 

5 STARS. "I read the first chapter and was hooked. I didn’t want to stop." –Every Free Chance blog​

 

"Utterly compelling...I found myself caring about the characters in big ways...unable to put it down." –Novel Escapes

 

"Wonderful... Ford writes with a lyrical quality that sweeps you into the story...a lovely story." –All the Reads

 

"A superbly crafted romance/adventure novel...highly recommended." –Midwest Book Review

Ratings and reviews

A few years back I read Pamela Ford's contemporary rom-com series called the Continental Breakfast Club and enjoyed them. They were fun and light-hearted. I was eager to read her Out of Ireland historical fiction series. To Ride a White Horse is the first book in the series and I enjoyed it immensely! I am so impressed by how this author can write two different genres (one light-hearted and the other more serious) so well. The story begins in Ireland, with the poverty stricken Deacey family discovering another crop of potatoes devastated by the blight. Kathleen makes the difficult decision to leave Ireland and head to Canada where her fiancé Danny is working, but whom she has not heard from. The trip is arduous and dangerous. Eventually, and almost by a miracle, she ends up on another ship captained by Jack Montgomery, an Englishman now living in America. Their lives intertwine as Kathleen makes it to America and must decide if she should follow her heart and betray all that she holds dear. The setting makes this story an emotional one and I keenly felt the despair of the Irish as they slowly starved and were downtrodden by the English during the Great Famine. Several scenes brought me to tears. Ford adds a few scenes on the ship that brought some comical relief, balancing out the readers' feelings even as she kept the story realistic. The romance is strong, with two characters who must overcome their personal dilemmas and social status views. Ford brings the era to life both in Ireland, on the whaling ship as we witness the brutal hunt and the slaughter work of gathering whale oil, and in Boston's high society. Clearly, a well-researched novel with a bibliography that the author shares at the end of the book. To Ride a White Horse is a well-written historical fiction novel rich in Irish lore and satisfying in its romantic plot. I enjoyed the characters, the setting and the story very much and I am eager to dig into the second book in the series A Rush of White Wings.

I couldn't put this book down at times and looked forward to reading it every night after work. That's a rarity for me. It's one of those magical tales that comes straight from the heart and penetrates your soul. I cried, I laughed out loud, I fell in love, I gasped and I got goosebumps. I felt like I was there, back in time, and could vividly picture every scene. The characters seemed so real and even now, a week since finishing the book, I can't stop thinking about them. This book has all the elements of an epic movie with so many opportunities to expand on the subplots. I didn't want it to end! I believe it should be made into a TV series. It conveys the heart of Ireland and tells a story that needs to be told. It filled me with hope and restored my faith in humankind. That is the power of good storytelling. A++

Loved every minute of reading this book!

About the author

Pamela Ford is the award-winning author of contemporary and historical romance. She grew up watching old movies, blissfully sighing over the romance; and reading sci-fi and adventure novels, vicariously living the action. The combination probably explains why the books she writes are romantic, happily-ever-afters with plenty of plot – and often lots of laughter.

 

After graduating from college with a degree in Advertising, Pam merrily set off to earn a living, searching for that perfect career as she became a graphic designer, print buyer, pantyhose sales rep, public relations specialist, copywriter, freelance writer – and finally author.

​

Pam has won numerous awards including the Booksellers Best, the Laurel Wreath, and a gold medal IPPY in the Independent Book Publisher Awards. She is a National Readers' Choice Awards finalist, a Kindle Book Awards finalist, a Maggie Awards for Published Novelists finalist, and a two-time Golden Heart Finalist.

More than a half million copies of her books have been sold worldwide.

(Irish historical fiction, Ireland romance 19th century romance, sagas, women's fiction, United States 1800s historical, immigrant fiction)