Apprentice solicitor Maeve heads to the remote island of Hy Brasil off the coast of Clare for work. She has to get a landowner sign over territory so a bridge can be built to the mainland. But he is proving elusive and the rest of the islanders don’t exactly make her feel welcome. As Maeve spends more time communing with nature, some weird occurrences get her wondering: Why are the elders so fit and healthy? What’s that horrible wailing sound? And is the teacher, Killian, really interested in her? This begins as a fish-out-of-water story as Maeve, a self-centred, vain, party girl, is thrust into a hostile environment. With all the mystery-mysticism elements that are becoming the author’s trademarks, the story lures you into island life as its secrets unfold. The romance is perhaps the weakest link.
The Enchanted Island is the second novel by Ellie O'Neill. The summary says: "When Maeve O'Brien's boss sends her to a dreary old island to finalise some paperwork, she couldn't be happier. It's the career boost she needs to become a fully-fledged lawyer - besides, it hasn't been so great on the home front in Dublin. Maeve's oldest friend and flat-mate has kicked her out, and moving back in with her uptight mother has been less than cosy. But her reception on Hy Brasil, a remote island off the west coast of Ireland, couldn't be any more hostile - it's as if the island itself wants her gone. The locals are all ancient - and spookily well preserved - and they're all so nasty. And what is that terrible screaming noise that echoes around the island? But no island is going to scare Maeve off, even if she does miss her credit card, and her make-up, and bright shiny nightclubs, and the one-night stands. She's determined to track down Sean Fitzpatrick, the elusive islander, whose signature on Maeve's paperwork is going to transform the island and open it up to the world. And then, somehow, life begins to change. The island might be miserable and treacherous, but it's also beautiful and strangely seductive. Maeve's never felt better. And there's also Killian, the dreamy teacher, who stirs up all kinds of unexpected feelings in Maeve. But something's brewing, and Maeve is going to discover just how far people will go to protect the ones they love." The Enchanted Island is out in November 2015.