Fast paced and nicely written. I wanted something more from the characters though. Still it was an interesting read.

"They crossed centuries to find each other. Their love will shatter worlds.

Miss Ada Quicksilver, a student of London's Lovelace Academy for Promising Young Women, is spending her holiday in Ireland to pursue her anthropological study of fairies. She visits Dublin's absinthe bars to investigate a supposed association between the bittersweet spirit and fairy sightings.

One night a handsome Irishman approaches her, introducing himself as Edward Donoghue. Edward takes absinthe to relieve his sleepwalking, and she is eager to hear whether he has experience with fairies. Instead, she discovers that he's the earl of Meath, and that he will soon visit a mysterious ruin at Newgrange on the orders of his cousin, the beautiful, half-mad Queen Isolde. On learning about Ada's area of study, he invites her to accompany him.

Ada is torn between a sensible fear of becoming entangled with the clearly troubled gentleman and her compelling desire to ease his suffering. Finally she accepts his invitation, and they arrive in time for the winter solstice. That night, the secret of Edward's affliction is revealed: he is, in fact, a lord in two worlds and can no longer suppress his shadow self.

Little does either of them realize that their blossoming friendship and slowly kindling passion will lead to discoveries that wrench open a door sealed for centuries, throwing them into a war that will change Ireland forever."

I love how reality and folklore are so entwined in Ireland, and this book makes a good case for that to continue.

As a scholar of Irish mythology and the anthropological signs of fairies, Miss Ada Quicksilver is spending her Christmas holiday in Ireland hoping to finish her thesis. She begins her research in absinthe bars, hoping to examine a hypothesized connection between the consumption of the spirit and the ability to see fairies. It is in such a bar that she meets the very attractive Irishman Edward Donoghue, more properly the Earl of Meath. She is intrigued to learn that he's visiting a ruin near Dublin on behalf of his cousin, Queen Isolde, so when he invites Ada to join him, she eagerly accepts in hopes of furthering her research.

Edward relies on nightly doses of absinthe to alleviate his sleepwalking and Ada wants to learn of his own experiences with fairy sightings. She longs to ease his suffering even as she is leery of growing too attached to him. Soon it becomes apparent that Edward is torn between two worlds and can no longer fully suppress this other side of himself. Unbeknownst to either Ada or Edward, their fast-growing friendship and developing passion lead them to a different world and a battle that could change Ireland and its people forever.

This book was very different from anything I've read before and I really enjoyed that. I loved the re-imagination of history and the incorporation of so much Irish folklore. It's left me wanting to learn more about Celtic mythology now. I think this book definitely warrants a second read just because there was so much going on that I feel like I probably missed some things. Either way, this turned out to be a beautiful love story full of lovely, flawed, relatable characters, plus action, adventure, and fantasy. This was way out of my normal comfort zone and I'm glad I decided to give it a try. I'm looking forward to the future installments in this new series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

1.5 This is an odd book. I have come across Fisher's name before but not gotten to any of her other writing. Picking this up as a digital ARC (thank you to the author and publisher) for review, I expected a more traditional historical romance based on the title. The book appears to start that way - Ada Quicksilver is a young woman interested in scholarly pursuit of Irish folklore. She finds herself in an absinthe bar with the Earl and they begin a friendship which you can assume will lead to a romance. It does of course, but the book turns into a full on faery fantasy part of the way through. Despite some of the early faery elements, I was still taken aback by the full on high fantasyesque faery war and the rewrite of Irish history. It made the book feel disjointed to me overall. I was never quite sold on the writing style and frequently thought about putting it down, but had enough curiosity as to what other odd turn this not quite genre bending book would take.

This is the first book in the Faery Rehistory series and it was okay. I liked the historical Victorian setting in Ireland and enjoyed some of the Irish fae mythology. However, the writing was a bit disjointed and I had trouble following some of the story.

Ada is a student doing research on Irish fairies and, while visiting an absinthe bar, she runs into the Earl of Meath who has a keen interest in the history of faeries as well. They end up journeying together to an archeological fairie site when things start to get strange. They are drawn to each other in more than an academic way, but the Earl of Meath has periods where he doesn’t seem to be himself.

The writing didn't flow very well throughout the book, and I thought the actions and settings of the characters were very hard to picture and imagine. I really struggled with some parts of this and found myself rereading parts a lot.

Additionally, there are so many Irish mythology names thrown around it was hard to keep track of who is who. A lot of the characters are two people (current day and mythological one) and it got confusing who was talking when and what reality we were in.

Overall I was very excited to read this, it ended up being okay but was not as good as I had been hoping. It's a very neat idea and the first half of the book was well done. As the story continued it got confusing and hard to follow. I don't plan on reading any more of this series.

My library blog review:

From the publisher: The Irish lord Edward Donoghue, Earl of Meath, consumes absinthe to stave off his sleepwalking, but the liquor has the unintended consequence of causing fairy hallucinations. When he meets Ada Quicksilver, a Celtic mythology scholar from London's Lovelace Academy for Promising Young Women, he begins to entertain the possibility these visions may be due to the overlapping of the living world with the world of Faery. One of these visions seems to herald the young woman's death, so Edward joins Ada in her scholarly exploration of his country in hopes of protecting her. Together they uncover a plot for the takeover of Ireland by the enemies of its most ancient people, the Tuatha De Danaan. In the process, they discover their own connections to a Danaan hero and heroine who want more than anything to use their bodies for a reunion that's been centuries in the making.

The Absinthe Earl has everything a reader of paranormal historical romance could want – a handsome, brooding, and gentlemanly earl, a beautiful, spunky, and independent scholar, and a mystery surrounding Ireland, Faery and absinthe. If you are a fan of Irish mythology and legend, you will relish the appearance of every creature, hero, heroine, and rogue you ever heard of.

I read an advance reader copy of The Absinthe Earl from Netgalley; it will be published on October 15 and will be available at the Galesburg Public Library.

THE ABSINTHE EARL -- Sharon Lynn Fisher
The Faery Rehistory Series -- Book 1
Blackstone Publishing
ISBN-10: 1982684410
ISBN-13: 978-1982684419
ASIN: B07PB5DNC3
October 15, 2019
Historical Romance with strong Fantasy elements

Dublin, Ireland – 1882

English scholar Ada Quicksilver is studying the effects of absinthe on the possibility of fairy sightings. She is visiting Ireland to learn more and to discover evidence, if possible. One evening a few days before Christmas, she enters the Green Fairy absinthe house in Dublin to further her research on her thesis of “Anthropologic Explanations for the Exodus of the Daoine Maithe,” or ‘gentlefolk’ as Irish refer to fairies. Recent articles in several well-respected newspapers claim a connection between imbibing the green colored alcoholic beverage absinthe and the ability to see fairies. She is looking for people who know of fairy stories, or those who have had firsthand experience with fairies. A slightly scruffy looking man wearing green-tinted spectacles approaches and offers her a glass of absinthe. He explains it is a bribe in exchange for his claiming the unused chair at her table. His clothes are soaked from his ride from the harbor, and he wishes to warm-up and dry out before the fire. He introduces himself as Mr. Donoghue. They start a conversation. He soon explains he thought her older. A not uncommon comment as her premature silver-colored hair makes this a frequent misconception. A waiter approaches and places a glass on the table apologizing to Lord Meath for the delay. It surprises her, but their conversation continues. Soon she is explaining a single, respectable woman’s purpose in visiting such a place.

Edward Donoghue, Earl of Meath, is intrigued with Miss Quicksilver’s observations. He suffers from sleepwalking and has encounters with fay he cannot explain. Absinthe helps stop his night wanderings which allows him to sleep, and the green tinted spectacles limit some of the odd beings he sees. He thought he was losing his mind, as did others who know him. Now he wants to learn the truth. Even in this place, though, a banshee appears and curls around Miss Quicksilver, warning him of her imminent death. Besides his strong attraction, he wants to protect this young woman. He can use Queen Isolde of Ireland’s demand to do so. Besides being queen, Isolde is his cousin. She has asked him to inspect the site of the ancient fairy mound Bru na Boinne. Then too, Miss Quicksilver’s curiosity and knowledge might help not only him personally, but also in fulfilling the Queen’s request.

In THE ABSINTHE EARL author Sharon Lynn Fisher creates a fantasy world steeped in actual Irish history and mythology. One of Edward’s ancestors is Diarmnid (Deer-mid), a legendary warrior of the Tuatha De Danaan, an ancient supernatural people of Ireland. His love for Cliona made Diarmnid use a seal to force the immortal out of human Ireland; however, the seal is weakening. Diarmnid takes control of Edward’s body at night. Ada has an ancestral link to Cliona. Cliona was a mortal who became the immortal queen of the banshees in death. Cliona speaks within Ada's mind and sometimes takes over her body. Both Edward and Ada feel their attraction to each other, but is it really an attraction between their human selves or that between Diarmnid and Cliona? To help save Ireland they must travel a dark and dangerous trail through the alternate world of Faery. Can they reclaim their minds and bodies after these ancient ancestors have invaded them? The story is full of romance and danger with faery enhanced situations. The author uses lyrical description to great effect, which enhances the tale’s supernatural landscape and seems to imbue the story in Irish feeling. The story creates a fascinating mixture of the historical and fantasy genres.

Robin Lee

Four stars

I quite enjoyed this book! A really interesting concept enjoyably executed. There was a lot here to like, an AU Victorian era Ireland, fae, romance, battle, all blended together in a very intriguing mix.

The use of Irish folklore was neat, I haven't seen it used terribly often and so it made the story a bit of a novelty for me. Moreover I thought it was used -well- and to interesting effect. I will admit I have a weakness for the fae in general and this definitely lived up to all I hoped for from the blurb and more.

I liked the characters a great deal, not just the two main characters, but the side cast as well. But both the main characters definitely deserve some mentions. Ada is a lovely character. Capable and unique, she knows her own mind and sticks to it without doing any of it in the ways that can so easily make characters frustrating. She was a really wonderful heroine and reading her was a delight.

Edward as a delightful and only mildly tortured gentleman makes a lovely counterpart for her. He makes a few mistakes but he owns up to them. Their romance to me was extremely believable and enjoyable. And I like the fact that the misunderstanding as conflict was kept to a realistic minimum since there were so many other things to deal with.

I like a romance where there is a lot going on outside just the relationship and I thought this one managed that quite well without sacrificing the time spent on the building of it or the getting to know the characters.

I think if I have any minor quibble with it it's mainly that I might have liked to see more time spent on some bits of it. I'm not sure it was remotely necessary for the story or pacing however, I just might have enjoyed it.

Overall if you want an interesting fantasy romance with some very interesting world building and a hefty dose of Irish fae this is definitely one I would suggest.

Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone a little. The Absinthe Earl was that for me. The cover suggested a very romance heavy book, not quite my cup of tea as you know. However the title and the synopsis convinced me to give it a try. The combination of Absinthe and Fae I found interesting.

The start of the book was slow. It is set during the 1800s and as such the author does have to deal with what is the norm at that point. However it was interesting as our main character is an orphan and student to an academy of promising young woman and she is working on her thesis, as you will. This is about Fae and Absinthe. She’s come to Ireland to get more proof. When she goes into a pub she meets Edward, cousin to the queen.

At about page 80-100 we suddenly get tossed into a world of Fae and we never recover the slow pace of the start. I loved every minute of that. I can’t quite judge the use of some of the Irish folk legend regarding Fae as they are used here as that is not my area of expertise but what I do know from it, it seemed to keep close to it. And there is still room to discover more so I am curious to see how that will play out in the next book.

Writing was it was mostly fine. I had some problems with the switching between first person point of view in chapters. In some cases the cross worked really well and it didn’t bother me, in other parts it jolted my out of the story.

As said I knew what I was getting into with the romance. I’m not going to judge that part in regards to the star rating because I knew what kind of book I was picking up. It was quick, there was sex, there was a virgin who had no pain the first time she had sex. However I will say this. I think the whole book the relationship between the characters, they were questioning regarding some of the romance with the plot elements. There was also a respectfulness from the man to the woman that you don’t often see in this time period, especially when the woman is very used to taking care of herself. The jealousy and the I am the man bits were dealt with by talking about it and reflection on them, and she never did back down from him.

All in all I enjoyed this book for what it was. A fantasy historical romance with Fae abound. It is not ground breaking. It doesn’t have to be

This book has all the things I love! It's set in Ireland in the 1880's with an intelligent and independent, (but not annoying) heroine, a secretly tormented gorgeous humble nobleman (strong and vulnerable), lots of paranormal faerie, and mystery to unravel! Not to mention that beautiful cover!

The story is very smart and intriguing and the author does a great job detailing ancient Irish folklore, and weaves it expertly through the story. The characters' dialogue stays true to the period, and flowed naturally. Of course it got very steamy, but that aspect was not relied upon as the driver of the main story, which ended up being much larger in scope than first anticipated.

The action is plentiful and quickly-paced, and I unwittingly stayed up till 2am the night I started! The writing was easy to read, and I found that I was sad to leave this world and the characters when the book ended. I can't wait to read the next in this series!

The Absinthe Earl is a combination of historical fiction and paranormal romance. It's an interesting tale focusing scholar/student Ada Quicksilver and the Lord of Meath, Edward Donoghue as they navigate through Irish folklore. The story does suck you in right away. The reader wants to learn more about these Irish tales, and whether or not they are true just as Ada and Edward do. The only complaint I have is that the transition into the fae world when it arrives is a bit jarring. If it is the intention of the author to have the reader on uneven footing just like the characters then it is done well. If not, then it could be a slightly smoother introduction into this part of the story would be helpful. I personally had to go back and reread that part to make sure I understood what exactly was happening. All the other instances of being in the fae world were much smoother. Other than that though, the story is engaging and entertaining.

An interesting and well written mix of Irish tales and historical fiction. I found this book engrossing and entertaining.
The characters are well written, the background is detailed, and the plot kept me interested till the end.
A good reading experience, I hope to read other books by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Whooooo *fans self* If the cover hadn't given away that this was a bodice-ripper, there was no doubt in my mind pretty early on when there was so much tension between the two main characters that it was oozing into every aspect of the book. I don't normally request these things because I have so many other things to read but this sounded interesting at least.

Overall, this is a fantasy book tangled up in Irish fairy folklore. Honestly, I'm not a scholar of Irish fairy stuff, but I've read a lot of different fey stories so I wasn't completely out of my depth here. We briefly meet WB Yeats (which frankly, I didn't see the point of, but I get the little homage there), we read about different folk heroes and fairy kings and queens, and all the while we're on a (sexy) adventure with two pretty attractive people ;) The naughty bits are definitely graphic, so if you're not up for that then steer clear. But if you are, have fun!

4/5 stars because even though it was something I'd consider "fluff," even if you take out the bedroom romps it was still a great story with plot and character development.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

A light and entertaining tale for fans of historical romance and Irish mythology. My only concerns were first, that the two narrators' voices were so similar that it was easy to forget whose story was being told at times, and second, that occasionally the pacing made it easy to lose track of what was happening.

This book was engrossing, I really enjoyed the plot and the context that came with irish mythology. Its victorian language brought in some authenticity. I am looking forward to reading her next book!

I dont usually read historical fiction.. but this one peaked my interest and it did not disappoint!
This was a fresh and fascinating take on Irish mythology with a strong, feisty female protagonist!
I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

If you love Irish myths and a little magic with your romance, this book is for you. This is the story of feisty strong willed Ada and handsome Edward, who meet in a pub and find they both are looking into Irish myths. Little do they know that they will be swept up into a war with the ancient enemies of the Tuatha de Danaan and the fairys. Fun and quick to read,

I always forget that I enjoy historical fiction, its not a genre I automatically gravitate towards. But when I saw The Absinthe Earl pop up on NetGally, the cover grabbed my attention and then the synopsis sucked me right in; A historical fantasy, set in Ireland in the 1800's, full of mythology, faeries and romance. Yes please.

Miss Ada Quicksilver is in Ireland on a research trip investigating the disappearance of the fae and the links between absinthe and visions of them. She is of the belief that absinthe can help people see the magical creatures. While visiting bars for her research, she meets Lord Meath, a friendly, proper gentleman who happens to be a little mad. He sees creatures and if he doesn't drink absinthe before bed he nightwalks. Meath is the cousin of the Queen and at her order is on his way to visit a faerie mound that has recently been discovered, on a whim he invites Miss Quicksilver, who jumps at the chance to further her research.

'There's an old Irish tale of a white trout that, when caught, transforms into a beautiful woman. No trout was ever netted so prettily as Miss Quicksilver. Fortunately for her, the fisherman had no intention of devouring her.'

I loved the mythology in this book. I loved that it was set in Ireland and I loved how time appropriate the writing was. Everyone was so proper, the manners were exquisite and the outfits seemed incredibly uncomfortable but wonderful.

Miss Quicksilver is an independent lady who after the death of her parents has been on her own. She is intelligent, quick thinking, brave and capable. She takes things in her stride, which is lucky as things quickly go pear shaped for her. Within the first day of travelling with Lord Meath she discovers that the rumours of his madness are not all rumours. He does nightwalk. In fact he is very interested in her when he it's occuring. She soon comes to understand that it is in fact Diarmuid, a warrior from history, who is inhabiting Lord Meath, he thinks the Miss Quicksilver is his long lost love. And Miss Quicksilver begins to think he might be right. Lord Meath is horrified to realise that his sleeping self is obsessed with her and as his ancestor makes his presence known he battles to keep control and maintain a sense of propriety.

Meath and Miss Q are both great characters. Watching them get to know each other was wonderful. They are put in some hard situations, but they continued to communicate throughout the whole tale. They respected each other. Meath had moments of behaving like an egghead, but Miss Q didn't put up with his nonsense. She stood her ground. She didn't want to be put away and protected she wanted to be equal and she refused to accept anything less. When Meath doubted her, she showed him just how silly he was to do so. With a war for Ireland looming over them and the time period, I get why Meath behaved the way he did, and I love Miss Q even more for stepping away from everyone else's expectations.

The introduction of all the Fae and mythological creatures in the book could definitely be a touch overwhelming but luckily there is a glossary of Irish names and terms at the front of the book so that you could go back if needed to figure out who every one is and where they fit in the grand scheme of things. I had heard of The Morrigan before of course and the Formorians but that was it, so I used the glossary a couple of times, but in the end it is all explained well.

As you can probably tell I loved the romance between Miss Q and Lord Meath, it was a slow burn and based on respect. And while it was a massive part of the story, the rest of the plot didn't suffer for it. In fact it was a fascinating story and very hard to put down. I finished the book in two nights, which for me is a pretty good effort. There was plenty of action, it was funny and the side characters were great. There were pirates, redcaps, a water horse, a bog king and banshees all intertwining with the Fae.
It was a story of discovering new love and for the ancestors inhabiting Miss Q's and Lord Sheath's bodies a story of finding each other again. It was a story of fighting for your country and doing what you must to protect those you love.
Also it's the first in a series, HELL YES, I can't wait to revisit these characters.

I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.

Thought this was a fun and inventive ride through Celtic Folklore!! Loved Miss Q and Lord Meath as well as Duncan and the mad Queen. This net galley title seems to indicate that this is the first in a series. I sincerely hope it is as I would love to read more from this author especially if it includes Ada and Edward!!

I love historical fiction but I have not explored much into a mixture of historic fiction and sci-fi and fantasy. After reading this book I will be keeping an eye out for more. The author has done a great job at mixing the Victorian era, with a parallel timeline of the Irish Potato Famine and Irish folklore into one story. Mix in a love triangle, a mad queen, a waterhorse, banshees, Victorian expectations of wooing, fighting against passion and an epic battle against humans and the supernatural and you have a recipe for a book you cant put down. The only confusion I came across in this novel was in the beginning when it wasn't clear enough that the Irish Royal line survived meaning Ireland has its own ruling Queen and contemporary to Queen Victoria. I would highly recommend this book to others who wish to escape into a magical world based on the Victorian era and Irish Folklore.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher, Blackstone Publishing, for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.