They came together breathlessly as the mermaids in the stone fountain looked on. Set in the early part of the 20th century, it captures both the simple, rugged life on a farm in rural Ireland and the excitement of vaudeville and Broadway in the early days of the 20th century.'A Song Across the Sea' is approximately 117,000 words long.Excerpt:Suddenly Reece was beside her, a dark form silhouetted by the distant lights from the mansion. She is forced to flee, taking a resentful Sheila and going into hiding in the squalor of the Bowery.Will Reece return safely from war-torn Europe? Will he follow his heart and marry Tara, or go through with his obligation to his fiancee? Will Muldoon succeed in destroying Tara's future?'A Song Across the Sea' is a richly detailed story full of memorable characters, suspense and passion. While Reece is overseas helping the American government develop its air strategy, Muldoon strikes at the people and things Tara holds dear. Is he toying with her? Or will he break off his engagement? A hard-to-control young cousin, Sheila, is sent to live with her, and Tara hardly feels up to the task of chaperoning the headstrong teenager.World War I breaks out. Reece seems as drawn to her as she is to him. and lives in New York.As Muldoon stalks her, Tara tries to cope with new challenges while still performing on a vaudeville stage every night. Still, she has survived family heartache and a catastrophe at sea, so she refuses to give up on her dreams - of Reece's love and of a career on the stage.Tara's extraordinary singing voice gets her a job in vaudeville, but her rising fame brings her to the attention of a dangerous criminal named Muldoon, whom she spurned back in Ireland. As an immigrant working in a factory, Tara has spunk - but not much else. Tara McLaughlin's love for handsome, wealthy Reece Waldron seems doomed he is engaged to an heiress from his own social circle.

A Song Across the Sea by Shana McGuinn