Kindle Edition Amazon Tim Vicary's official website Amazon US Amazon UK Category:  Historical Fiction Publisher: White Owl ISBN-10:  1481906437 Pages: 390 Copyright: Feb 12 2013 ISBN-13: 9781481906432 Price: $1.99 (eBook) A tragic love story and political thriller set in turbulent 1920s Ireland. Ireland in 1919 is seething with violence, tension and divided loyalties - and so is the heart of the beautiful, wilful heiress Catherine O'Connell-Gort. For Catherine, by heritage, is a glittering symbol of British rule and oppression - yet by inclination she is a traitor to her class. A fervent supporter of Sinn Fein, she is also the secret lover of Sean Brennan, an IRA volunteer who is being hunted by the police for terrorism and murder. When the British government decides to meet terror with terror, Catherine finds herself in a position of even greater conflict. Her father, a colonel in British Military Intelligence, recruits Major Andrew Butler, battle-scarred war hero and Irish landlord, to assassinate IRA leader Michael Collins. He also decides that the dashing major would make the perfect husband for his headstrong daughter ... In a violent climax of passion, guilt and betrayal, while her country hurtles towards civil war, Catherine faces and a agonising choice as she makes her final, fateful decision.

Fascinating and deeply moving
Catherine O'Connell-Gort, the only surviving child of Sir Jonathan O'Connell-Gort had always been wild and reckless. When other girls of her age and class were 'coming out' as débutantes, she insisted on going to university to study medicine. And it was there that she met Sean Brennan - handsome, charming... and an active member of the nascent Irish Republican Army.
Catherine's father is desperately taking a stand for the old regime against the I R A murderers and rebels who are killing policemen in the street. And his task is made next to impossible because all the Irish institutions - the police force, the civil service, even the post office - have been infiltrated by Sinn Féin spies, and the Irish people look the other way. Nobody ever sees who carries out the murders and the British can do nothing without the I R A knowing their plans. The members of Sinn Féin, however, are not hampered by rules of gentlemanly behaviour. They are in no doubt that they are fighting a war, waged for the independence of their beloved Ireland, and if innocent people are killed in the process, that is the sacrifice that must be paid.

There are many reasons why you might want to read this book, not the least of which is that it describes more vividly and emotively the early days of the I R A than any text book could.
As always in these circumstances it is the little people who get hurt, the policemen with families to support and a pension to worry about, the idealistic young men like Sean Brennan who are recruited by Sinn Féin and turned into killers.

But there are other reasons. This is one of the most poignant love stories I have ever read. I was moved to tears more than once and kept hoping against hope that somehow Catherine and Sean's fragile, doomed love would survive the bloody battlefield that was Ireland in 1919.

And finally, you might choose to read it for the same reason I did. Because you have read Tim Vicary before and recognised him for the superb writer he is. Make no doubt about it, Tim Vicary is a master of his craft. His prose is fluent and beautiful, his characterisation superb, his plots perfectly structured and paced.

When I read the first book I became a fan. With this one I have become an addict. Jenny Twist

A Touching Story of Forbidden Love
The Blood Upon the Rose is a masterfully written historical romance that places the reader in Ireland during the aftermath of World War I. This touching story of forbidden love is tightly woven into stunning historical scenes that relive the birth of the Irish Republic Army and the devastation of war.

Catherine O'Connell-Gort is a Protestant heiress and the only daughter of an army intelligence officer. A young woman ahead of her time, Catherine is well educated and sympathizes with the soldiers of the republic. While in medical school, she falls in love with Sean Brennan, a Sinn Fein Volunteer. Sean is targeted by the police after he is involved in an attempt on the Viceroy's life. Catherine's father hires war hero, Andrew Butler, to hunt down and kill Sinn Fein leader, Michael Collins. When Catherine thinks that her love for Sean is a lost cause, she begins to trust Andrew and falls into his trap.

This is an engaging, action-packed historical portrayal of a fascinating place and time. I enjoyed this book so much, that I look forward to reading it a second tim

I would like to thank the author for his wonderful story
I wish I could have read this book many years ago. This is a historical novel but I really learned a lot about what the issues were of the rebellion of the Irish against the English and what it was all about. Growing up I frequently heard that the IRA was in Ireland rebelling and blowing up a lot of things but I couldn't understand it. I also heard many times that it was a war of religions. I know both of these are true but I never heard that the heart of the matter was to free Ireland.

While reading this novel I took time to look up many things and read on the internet about the principal people and why they were rebelling.

We in America are so proud of our Freedom. I wish many nations of the world were able to gain their Freedom too.

Now, back to the book. This was a really excellent story. I would recommend this book to all who enjoy historical novels and to all who want to understand a little more about the Irish whose cry has always been for Freedom! I think the internal struggles the girl goes through is representative of
the turmoil of the people who are caught up in the struggles.
There is pain and anger and death, but there is beauty too. There are also many surprises in the book. I read it from cover to cover in one night as the story really drew me in.

I would like to say Thank You to the author for his wonderful story.