This wonderful Celtic romance evokes the days of the Fianna, the finest warriors of Eireann. Niamh, daughter of a farmer, is flattered that warrior Bryan wants to court her at the Lughnasa fair, but wise to the ways of men she sets him a riddle, asking him to name the triad of things that women want from men. Only then will she consider him. Bryan has other concerns - he's seen a fine horse lamed by the man who wants to be the king's successor, and can't trust a man who cares little for his mounts. And his younger brother Leary was almost swept away by a malevolent spirit, the pooka, which takes the form of a black horse. Clearly this is going to be no ordinary midsummer fair.

DAUGHTER OF GOLD bewitches from the start, a total immersion in the times, from brown woollen cloaks because the sheep are brown, to fine embroidery worn only by the wealthy. The goods ready for barter, such as hound pups, bone-handled knives, linens, bilberries and honey, bring us on a stroll among the tents and wicker pens, so we hear the laughter and songs, feel the excitement. Bryan asks golden- haired Niamh to be his Lughnasa Sister - a ladyfriend for the duration of the fair - but she won't be loved and left, preferring to seek a husband.

The pooka is still in the vicinity, showing itself occasionally and making trouble, a danger to any who approach it. Bryan has to win three sporting challenges to take the place of the reckless prince. He must win a mounted swim race, a javelin throw and a horse race. As the tension mounts and the rivalry becomes deadly, Niamh feels that her simple clothes and background make her inadequate for Bryan's consort, compared to the princesses. But her innate understanding of the earth, fields and woodlands may be all that saves them from the wrath of the pooka.

I found DAUGHTER OF GOLD tremendously enjoyable, vivid and romantic. In Wicklow there is a lake called Poulaphouca, where the pooka is said to have drowned unwary travellers who tried to ride it. The legend has been reworked in splendid style by Janeen O'Kerry, who has written several Celtic romances, all with the same attention to detail. Romance fans and horse lovers equally will love DAUGHTER OF GOLD.

Book Summary

Niamh travels to the late summer festival known as the Lughnasa Fair, a great gathering of the kingdoms. There she meets Bryan, a member of the Fianna, a group of the king’s finest fighting men. He wishes her to be his “Lughnasa Sister”—his mate for the fourteen days of the Fair—but Niamh wants an offer of marriage. And the offer must come from a man who can answer her riddle: What three things does a woman want most from a man?

Yet Bryan has little time to think on Niamh’s riddle, for the Fair is plagued by a supernatural creature: the puca—a malevolent, destructive spirit in the shape of a black horse with fiery red eyes. Putting aside other matters, Bryan and Niamh must work to solve the mystery of the puca and save the people of the Fair—and their future—together