If there’s one writer whose name is synonymous with contemporary romance, it’s Nora Roberts. As the author of more than 250 books over the past 40-plus years—including nearly 230 best sellers—Roberts is the titan of the genre. Collectively, her books have sold over half a billion copies, been translated into at least 25 languages, and won 22 Romance Writers of America RITA Awards (counting those she won under her pseudonym, J.D. Robb), earning her the inaugural spot in RWA’s Hall of Fame. Roberts is also credited with ushering in a more modern era of romance, one characterized by female empowerment and desire rather than the domineering men and blurred lines of consent common in bodice rippers of the 1970s. In Jewels of the Sun, the first novel in her Gallaghers of Ardmore trilogy, published in 1999, Roberts’ talent for blending passion, humor, and heart shines through as she crafts a love story between American psychologist Jude Murray and pub owner Aidan Gallagher in the picturesque Irish village of Ardmore. The cozy tale follows Jude and Aidan as their shared fascination with Irish folklore—the magic of which permeates the narrative—slowly blossoms into much more.
