I felt like I was on the journey with Moira as she travels to Ireland to become a teacher in her mother's homeland. As she gets there, she faces many new idea and customs. Many are very welcoming to her and others hold strong to superstitions and the past. I would hard enough to give up all and travel to a new country, but to face what Moira had to would make it even more daunting. I was glad that she was able to find others along the way to help her on her new journey.

I received a copy to read, the review is mine.

A Dance in Donegal takes the reader on an exciting journey from Boston to the beautiful little village of Ballymann in Donegal, Ireland. With the aid of Jennifer Deibel's writing style you can smell the salty air, feel the gentle breeze, and hear the lilt of the language. It's an absolutely lovely debut novel from Ms Deibel and will make you anxious for the next.

The story itself is filled with adventure, mystery, and romance. Moira comes to Ballymann to fulfill her mother's wish. Once she is there she finds a mixed bag of acceptance. There are a few that seem to welcome her with open arms, another group somewhat avoids her, and yet another select group is outright hostile towards her.

There is a constant murmuring about a mysterious secret that has overtones of scandal that involved her mother. Most in the village seem to know something about it but aren't talking. Moira herself hasn't a clue about what it could be. As the story intensifies Moira relies more and more on Sean . . . and of course romance blooms.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a complete delight to follow along with the characters to unravel the mystery. If you are a fan of historical fiction and you like a twist of mystery I think you will enjoy reading A Dance in Donegal.

I received a copy of this book to facilitate my review.

My Thoughts:

Ah! Ireland. I’ve traveled to Ireland twice in my life. The first time I visited Belfast, Portadown, and Armagh in Northern Ireland. The second time I visited Dublin and Waterford. I loved every minute of my stay.
A Dance in Donegal gave me the chance to immerse in Irish culture, scenery, and romance.

Several reasons why I love A Dance in Donegal.
1. The writing is descriptive and warm. It drew me in with a feeling of nostalgia.
2. Moira is strong in Scripture knowledge, prayer, and faith. She has a solid Christian foundation.
3. I love the heavy use of Irish words. For example: craic, amadan, shillelagh, ceol, anois, and Feabhra.
4. The time period of the story is the early 1920s. The culture of that period shows Irish slang and superstitions. The history of this period is the fight for Ireland’s Independence.
5. Moira has both internal and external conflicts. She has a strong moral character. The internal conflicts propel her story.
6. Moira is an admirable character. She is beautiful in appearance. She is sweet and kind. She reveals the best in character traits and physical appearance. She is too perfect. It is difficult to find a flaw. I am not turned off by her character, but I feel something could be added to depict believability. I feel when a book character is too perfect it is difficult to become swept up in the story. It is difficult to feel the story is believable.
7. Sean McFadden brings balance. Moira is serious. Sean has a keen sense of humor. The story needs his humor. His humor and charm makes him swoon-worthy.

Themes in the story: sacrifice, courage, power of love, romance, compassion, hospitality, perseverance, shame, betrayal, and honor.

Source: I received a complimentary NetGalley e-book copy. I am not required to write a positive review.

Wow! This book is simply amazing! It is moving, heartfelt, heartwarming, heart-wrenching, romantic, full of hope, and much more! Whenever I picked up "A Dance in Donegal", I was whisked back in time to early 1920s Ireland, and was truly immersed in this story from the first page to the last.

This is the first book I have read by Jennifer Deibel, and I can't wait to read many more! Her writing style is incredibly visceral: you feel as if you are right there watching the story unfold. I felt like I could truly see every location, and could picture all of the characters. Ms. Deibel also seamlessly weaves history and historical fiction, and I can only imagine the amount of research she must have done to bring this book to life. It is also so clear how much she loves and respects Ireland, and this jumps right off of the page.

Moira is such a strong, brave, intelligent, kind-hearted woman who believes in doing what is right. She loves teaching children, and when an opportunity to move to Ireland and find out more about her mother's history arrises, she chooses to go.

Sean is such a good-hearted, sweet, and giving man who puts others before himself. He is selfless, and wants the best for those he cares about.

I truly found myself pulling for Moira to find happiness and peace from the very start. Much of what she goes through is absolutely heartbreaking, yet, she remains hopeful. Many other characters truly also warmed my heart, some from the start and some as the story continued. Others I did not trust, and came to absolutely despise.

If you enjoy historical fiction, I highly recommend this book! It had me turning the pages into the early hours of the morning to see what happened next, and I sometimes found myself holding my breath. Many moments had me smiling from ear to ear and some moments had me in tears.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Revell for the ARC of this book, as well as to Revell Reads for sending me a physical ARC as well, I was so moved by it. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Please Note: The author does deal with some heavier topics in this book. I believe she handles them with great care.

“A Dance in Donegal”, Jennifer Deibel’s debut novel, is a deft brushstroke of genius, set against the stunning backdrop of the lush green canvas of Ireland’s passionate beauty. Themes of resilience resonate in full power, interspersed with adversity, in this impeccable, well-researched novel.

The novel is an excellent piece of immersive writing, rich in atmosphere and profoundly deep in meaning. Moira’s exemplary courage and heartwarming compassion, coupled with Sean’s inner strength, make them endearing characters.
Jennifer’s debut novel, with a far-sighted, panoramic view through the illuminating lens of culture, history, and love of family, makes beautiful reading.

Set in the heart of the romantic beauty of wind-swept Ireland, combined with Moira’s steadfast faith, Jennifer Deibel’s debut novel paints a splendid portrait of the Emerald Isle. In this poignant, heart-moving novel, Moira strives to navigate a life she never dreamt of but in a unique, God-ordained way, was meant to live.

Unknown to us, the swirling mist of County Donegal seeps silently into our awareness, as Jennifer’s characters reside in our hearts. Every dramatic scene is vividly described in lilting dialogue. There are mysterious secrets to be unraveled, in a tender spiritual journey of discovery. I highly recommend this stunning debut novel to all readers who love to immerse themselves in the picturesque beauty of County Donegal, Ireland.

A Dance in Donegal is a historical novel set in 1920. Moira Doherty leaves Boston after her mother dies to return to her mother's hometown of Donegal, Ireland as a schoolteacher. Upon arriving in Donegal she hears rumors of her mother's scandalous past, deals with small town small mindedness, and finds love.

I wanted to read A Dance in Donegal because both the Irish setting and 1920 time period were intriguing.

The author has lived in Ireland and she did an amazing job at setting the scene and capturing Ireland of many years ago. The characters use Gaelic terms and there is a glossary of terms at the end of the book to help readers. I really enjoyed the old Ireland details in this book and the lovely historical details.

Moira is a very sympathetic protagonist who has faced great loss and taken a real chance to move to another country - only to find obstacles from the small minded town folk. She faces barriers based on her mother's reputation, and when she tries to help a student who has Spanish Influenza, that further separates her from the town.

Moira has two men who are interested in her - Sean, a village thatcher who is strong and kind, and Declan, a barrister recently returned to the village, who is charming and glib.

This is a Christian novel. I read inspirational fiction regularly and enjoy it. I found the message in this book to be much more direct than I am used to and I often wished that there was more "show, don't tell," with the character's faith being shown more subtly through actions and quiet strength.

A Dance in Donegal is a novel for fans of Christian fiction, and especially for anyone who is interested in Ireland.

A Dance in Donegal is a wonderful romance but also suspense but also a historical fiction book that I could not put down.

I really enjoyed this book and a new to me author. It read quickly and well. The characters reached out to grab me and just wouldn’t let me go.

Moira is definitely a wonderful character. All her life she’s wanted to go to the enchanted village where her mother is from. Well, her mother made it sound enchanted at least. Finally, her mother gets the new teaching position in the village for her and she’s ecstatic. That is until her mother dies and she just can’t imagine herself leaving where they lived. But she can’t imagine not going.

Spoiler Alert. She goes.

But it’s not all that she thought it would be. She makes friends but it’s almost as if she has an unseen enemy out to get her. It’s only as you get further into the story that you learn more about her mother’s time in the village, or at least what some people happened.

Can Moira find out the truth? Or will she die trying? Can she count on anyone? And when push comes to shove can she call upon her faith in God to see her through?

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.

I liked this book, but I didn't love it.

I'm not sure how I feel about Moira as a main character. She seemed so lost most of the time. I understand she came to Ireland to see where her mother was from, etc. but I don't believe that she accomplished much during the length of this book. We don't really find out why her mother fled. At least I don't remember if the author mentioned it, which is surprising since that is a driving force of the whole storyline.

There are several things that bothered me about this book. Moira is young and foolish, the people of Ballymann are clique-y and rude, and the storyline drags. I had a very hard time getting into it, and didn't feel compelled to read. I got through the first 2/3 by willpower.

The end of the story picked up, but it was frustrating. The people of Ballymann were not willing to give anyone the benefit of the doubt, were quick to judge, and clearly not interested in helping the less fortunate. Moira makes several poor decisions, experiences a horrific trauma (which she recovers from unrealistically quickly), and some of the characters popped in and out of the story with little to no explanation.

Colm, Peg, and Brid were my favorite characters. They were level-headed, kind, godly, and interesting. They gave Moira good advice and love. The others were shallow and one dimensional.

I would probably read another book by this author, but not sure I would read another in this series.

Jennifer Deibel’s debut is an immersive delight that had me feeling like I was right there experiencing Ireland for the first time alongside Moira. From the descriptions of landscapes to the local traditions and superstitions and memorable characters, A Dance in Donegal is sure to appeal to historical romance readers.

As Moira struggles to find acceptance in this close-knit community, some allies come alongside her, but most are distant. In a small village where gossip travels fast, our heroine finds herself a favorite topic.

The story lulls you and settles you in like a warm blanket or a favorite hot drink, then drops even more issues into Moira’s life. The faith-thread is strong, the romance flows at a realistic pace, and there is an undercurrent of mystery around Moira’s mother throughout. All in all, a wonderful debut that has me wondering where Deibel might take readers next.

Disclosure statement: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

This was an enjoyable story that fans of inspirational romance will really enjoy. It is chocked full of mystery, romance, interesting characters, beautiful scenery, and faith elements that will challenge and inspire you. I would encourage you to snag a copy of the audio book to get the full effect. Most of the Irish names and dialect are hard to read which can be distracting to the story. Still, it was a fun ride that reminded me of the Christian classic, Christy. Definitely check it out.

I received a copy of this book for free for the purpose of review.

I loved this book – the story is heart-warming and sometimes gut wrenching. Following Moira on her journey to find love, God, and the truth was a beautiful journey. At times, the story surprised me and at other times made me laugh. Jennifer Deibel has done an excellent job with the characters and with the setting.

While reading, I could smell the turf burning, hear the Sean thatching roofs, and see the beauty of Ireland – much more than any other Ireland-based book I’ve read. The setting and storytelling were beautiful, but the characters with all their idiosyncrasies and flaws, were what made the story! Even Moira isn’t perfect – she had issues and doubts like the rest of us.

I definitely suggest reading this book – it is truly heart warming. Just make sure you have a box of tissues ready. You’re going to need them.

I have never had the chance to go to Ireland but this beautiful book made me feel that I did have a little bit of a visit in 1920, without even leaving my own house. Moira has just suddenly lost her mother and her mother's dream for her was for Moira to go back to Ireland to the land her mother loved. The chance comes along with the job of the local schoolteacher.

Deciding to take this chance of a lifetime Moira steps onto the green hills of Ireland with adventure in her heart and the memories of her dear mother's blessings. Little does she know that this land has a way of hiding secrets and those secrets can be most deadly. And the people can be most stubborn.

This was a most enchanting read and the author did a great job immersing the reader in the culture, superstitions, and even the lyrical language. There was a slow burn romance and quite a few surprises along the way that absorbed this reader. There was a very strong spiritual thread throughout as well, and not at all in a preachy way.

This was my first Author Deibel story and I look forward to reading more of what she pens.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

A Dance in Donegal by Jennifer Deibel is a story I both struggled with and enjoyed. First, I cannot believe this novel is a debut. The writing is spectacular. Deibel’s prose is beautiful and I adore how seamlessly she includes the melodic Irish language within her paragraphs and dialogue. It really lends to the authenticity of the story. My absolute number one favorite aspect though is the amazing, majestic sense of place that Deibel creates. It is magical! Deibel transports her readers to a tiny Irish village in 1920. I could smell the misty, salty ocean. I could hear the bleating of sheep grazing on the hillside. And, I could see the villagers as they walk about town to and fro running their errands and chatting with neighbors. I enjoyed so much the feeling like I was in Donegal with the characters. It really made my reading experience all the more memorable, and if I was a traveler, I would travel to Donegal immediately!

While I did enjoy the story, the setting, and the fantastic sense of place, I did, unfortunately, struggle with the characters and their actions. First, I do not appreciate how almost every single character treated Aedach after his illness is discovered. I don’t want to spoil anything because Aedach’s illness is a pretty big part of the narrative, but I do want to say that when a child is sick, no matter how “bad” we may deem that kid to be, we should NEVER hesitate to help. Like, this is pretty non-negotiable. If you know that a child is sick or hurt and you purposely don’t help because you don’t like the kid, you’re a pretty evil person. And this issue actually lends to the second thing I struggled with — the entire community of Ballymann. I don’t know if it’s a small-village thing or a 1920s mentality but the people of Ballymann are awful. They’re mean and cruel gossip-mongers. They talk so badly about others without any actual proof and then treat those they’re talking about as if they are the lowest of scum. Colm, Peg, and Brid are the exceptions in this story, but the rest of the characters are way too judgmental, harsh, and mean for my liking.

I know I am not perfect. I have many, many flaws and I’m a sinner, too. I promise I’m not trying to cast the first stone here. It’s just that I spent 300+ pages reading a story where people were perfectly OK letting a kid die because they didn’t like him, and they were fine treating someone cruelly just because of hearsay. These people gave cold shoulders, made mean accusations, crossed streets to get away from the “bad” person, and whispered just loud enough so their mean words could be heard — it was rough and I really struggled reading this. When I read fiction I want to escape the cruel world we live in. I want to feel hopeful that people are better than what I see on the news. But the actions and words of the characters in this story didn’t let me escape.

While I did struggle with the characters and their actions, I did LOVE the plotline, the setting, and the sense of place. It is for these reasons that I do recommend A Dance in Donegal.

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the publisher, Revell, via NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It is a dream of mine to one day go to Ireland, and although travel is currently not a possibility, what better way to visit somewhere than through a book.

I had seen a lot of hype over this book and to be honest, that concerned me a little (Enneagram Type 4 here). I was worried it wouldn’t be worth all the hype, but I am happy to say that I was wrong. This was a fantastic book. I loved the character development. Particularly how Moira grew through the challenges she faced and in response to the actions of the people of Ballymann. I did find the start to be a little slow, but I was quickly drawn into Ireland and the story. There were many unexpected twists and turns as the story progressed which made it a fun read. There was one point where I told myself to just finish the chapter and go to bed. Did I go to bed then? No. I had to finish the book. Thankfully it wasn’t too late at night.

I really enjoyed the use of Gaelic and the other Irish cultural aspects. Books that teach me something at the same time as captivating my imagination are ones that I love.

So if you are looking for a new book to read, here it is. This books needs to be on your TBR list.

" We must be willing to accept the consequences of our obedience."

Moira has arrived in Donegal, Ireland. She has recently lost her mother, and inherited many questions as to who she truly is. After accepting to be the local school teacher, Moira sets at to get to know the town where her Mother grew up. A shroud of mystery and scandal seem to follow the memory of Moira's mother, and that is the heart of the story.

I really enjoyed this story because it had such a positive meaning to it. There are consequences to every choice: good or bad. A strong person stays strong in the face of hardship. It doesn't quiver when friends turn their backs, and encourages action when action is needed.

Moira and Sean had a tender relationshiop, as did Peg and Colm.

There are some books you lose yourself into instantly and cannot put down. Unfortunately, this book was not one of them. Even though I did not enjoy reading it, I will do my best to give it a fair and honest review.

I think the best way to classify this book is Christian Fiction and Romance. Neither of these are genres I enjoy reading, which may explain why I did not enjoy it. This was completely my mistake for not doing better research before picking this up - I was expecting more of an Irish historical drama - and so I expect that other readers who enjoy the actual genres may end up with a totally different evaluation of this book.

This book covers the story of Moira, a young girl of Irish heritage living in the Boston area who, upon the death of her mother, returns to her mother’s native Ireland to re-visit her cherished memories and at the same time, to uncover the terrible secret surrounding her mothers departure from Ireland.

What I felt that the author got right - I love books set in Ireland and the author did a good job of laying down the backdrop of the story. The setting felt authentic and was captured well, both in captured time and in place. There was some lovely language describing the Irish countryside and village that was nice to read and very engaging.

Also, the basics of the early plot had potential - there was some intrigue around the “secret”, and I was curious to read more.

Unfortunately, that’s about all I ended up enjoying in my read of this novel. I found the unfolding of the “secret” and the surrounding plot heavy-handed and the sub-pilots predictable, It made for very slow reading.

I also found Moira as the female lead character, incredibly annoying. Her internal dialogue consisted largely of negative self-talk, or even worse, an ongoing internal conversation with God, consisting almost entirely of bible quotations. As I am not a reader of Christian fiction, I did not find this interesting, informative or fun to read, although as I said before, others may disagree.

Sean, the male protagonist, had no personality, with no backstory or character revealed - his only features, aside from his instant and unwavering feelings for Moira, consisted of his handsomeness, combined with his strength/skill/heroics.

I am sorry to say that I personally would not recommend this novel, although I am sure there are many readers who would enjoy it.

2.5 “I-goofed-and-picked-the-wrong-genres” stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher Revell, and the author for an advance review copy of this book.

Title: A Dance in Donegal
Author: Jennifer Deibel

Ch: 63

Pg: 352

Genre: Christian Historical fiction

Rating: 5 Stars

Publisher: Revell



I loved A Dance in Donegal the debut novel by Jennifer Deibel. I enjoyed the Ireland setting that I’ve never read before. The secondary characters were a delightful bunch. The Irish Gaelic language sprinkled throughout took a little getting used to, but once I did it only added to the story.


Moira was not only the heroine but she was also my favorite character as well. She was easy to relate to. I could see myself in Moira especially the emotions she was going through after losing her mom. It’s a process and after almost five years since I lost my own mom I don’t even think I’m there. It was nice to see if only in literature someone rekindling her faith after losing a mom.


The thread of romance in the story didn’t take away from the story it only added to it. And if I can’t visit Ireland in person right now I can visit in the pages of a book.


I look forward to Jennifer’s next book and I have a new author to add to my autobuy author list.

I received a complimentary copy A Dance in Donegal from the publishers. I was not required to provide a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.



I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

A Dance in Donegal
By Jennifer Deibel
Historical Romance
Rating: 4/5

What a lovely story! It’s been awhile since I’ve been taken back to Ireland and I was not disappointed. Not only does this historic romance hit all the spots but there’s some mystery thrown in that had me guessing till the reveal.

Moira Doherty grew up listening to stories about dancing at the halla in Ireland from her mother, and after the death of her mother, Moira is hired to start teaching in the town her mother grew up in. An American to her core, Moira must navigate the differences in rural living with her city upbringing and their superstitious beliefs with her spiritual ones. However, the more she grows to enjoy her time in the quirky village, the more she begins to feel out of place except when she’s with one man, Sean McFadden. The townspeople treat her poorly and gossip about her because of her mother. Can Moira discover the truth about what happened and find a way to save her reputation?

There’s so much more to this story than on the surface. The characters are ones I’d loved to visit again. They made me laugh, cry and want to throw things. As someone who always tries to give someone the benefit of the doubt, I struggled with some of the characters. Other characters were amazing examples of how God loves us and chooses us. Lots of tears were shed near the end (but I’m a crier lol).

Note: there’s a glossary at the end to help with all the Gaelic.

Highly recommend if you enjoy Christian historical romance with a hint of mystery.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

3.5 stars

I have never been so conflicted about rating and reviewing a book. Ever. I love settings that take place in Ireland and this beautiful cover just screams "Ireland!" loud and clear! The author writes as one who has not visited Ireland for research purposes, but as someone who lived there and loves it with her whole heart. The sights, sounds, culture, and superstitions of the Irish are beautifully and artfully described by Deibel—and when she reminded the reader there are no snakes in Ireland it was a done deal for me. I want to go there!! lol

However, I just didn't connect with the main characters...especially the hero, Sean McFadden. He was good-looking with gorgeous eyes and a really super nice guy, but I was never allowed into his heart or into his head to see what made him tick. I felt no chemistry between him and Moira, the lovely heroine. Apparently she didn't feel it either as her head is so easily turned by another handsome face. I would've loved the author to have included a real Irish ceili (a party with music and dancing) to add a bit of sparkle, gaiety, and romance to the characters' lives.

That being said, I will definitely read another book by Jennifer Deibel and am so looking forward to doing so! In my humble opinion, she needs to work on her character depth as well as she did her stunning setting. This is Ms. Deibel's debut novel and she has a promising future ahead of her. Definitely one to keep your eyes on!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and no compensation was received.

Many of us are fond of reading sweet love stories that are not full of what often seem to be obligatory sex scenes, and this is one you could safely give to a young person. The setting was delightful, and the characters were well written to represent a small town in another country and another century. Unfortunately, the writing was a bit stilted in the beginning of the story, and the resolution of the mystery at the end left some unanswered questions.. I was given this book as an arc to read and review.