Praise for The Irish Girl

“This historical coming-of-age novel follows young Mary Agnes across the ocean as she seeks her place in the world and within her own soul. Sweeney shows the futility of trying to run from that which truly belongs to us, as well as the promise of finding that which does. A beautifully crafted story that will both transport and transfix readers.”

—JUDE BERMAN, author of The Vow

“The Irish Girl is a story of resilience amidst trauma, love amidst loss, self-acceptance amidst rejection. Reminiscent of our immigrant ancestors and the unfathomable hardships they undoubtedly faced, I read this story in one sitting and found myself thinking about this fiercely strong girl long after I finished.”

—KELLI ESTES, USA Today best-selling author of The Girl Who Wrote in Silk

“I fell deeply under the spell of The Irish Girl—a heroic yet relatable immigrant’s tale of a thirteen-year-old girl sent to America who faces every challenge with steely determination and, ultimately, hope.”

—MARTHA CONWAY, author of The Physician’s Daughter

“Mary Agnes Coyne leaps off the page, lively, troubled, hungry for life and love. The Irish Girl is another winner!”

—SUSAN J. TWEIT, author of Bless the Birds

“Singing with drama, rooted in history, and rich in action, The Irish Girl’s independent and bold protagonist makes her way from Ireland to America at age thirteen in 1886. Pitted against the challenges of poverty, misogyny, and abuse, Mary Agnes Coyne navigates the twisty streets of New York and Chicago and expansive cattle ranches of Colorado and Santa Fe. But her longing for family and home is deep, and her search to find both leads to a gutsy conclusion. Sweeney’s fourth winner!”

—GRETCHEN CHERINGTON, author of Poetic License

“With the spunk of the Irish, Mary Agnes wins your heart from the start. With writing as lush as the Connemara countryside, The Irish Girl is a powerful story of a young woman’s discovery of hidden strengths against all odds—a story emblematic of the resilient American emigrant spirit that keeps the love of home country while embracing, wholeheartedly, the new.”

—DEBRA THOMAS, author of Luz

“The Irish Girl captured me from the very first page! At times both tragic and hopeful, this sweeping literary drama is ultimately a story of perseverance—one to which we can all relate somewhere in our immigrant past. Brimming with rich historical details and beautiful, lilting prose, this addictive book is a delight!”

—MICHELLE COX, author of The Henrietta and Inspector Howard series

Praise for Hardland (2022, she writes press)

“A stunner . . . The well-crafted story is firmly grounded in the past, but its powerful messages still resonate today.”

—TRUE WEST MAGAZINE

“Ashley E. Sweeney minces few words as she unravels Ruby Fortune’s fate on the early Arizona frontier. Wild West performer, drug addict, ardent lover, mother, and murderer, Ruby’s story is gritty and unabashedly raw. She quickly learns she is sometimes no match for the trials that come her way, but she survives as only she knows how—with her strength, her wit, and her gun. Spellbinding from beginning to end.”

—JAN CLEERE, New Mexico-Arizona Book Award winner of Military Wives in Arizona Territory

“Sweeney’s stunning portrayal of this tough-minded woman is both compelling and memorable. The fast-paced and intense narrative reaches far beyond the classic Western genre for a wide range of readers who value survival, honesty, and love.”

—HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW

Praise for Answer Creek (2020, she writes press)

“Ada is an impressive heroine who thinks for herself and exhibits moral courage in dire straits.. . . [the novel] succeeds at capturing the endurance of the human spirit.”

—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“The author is a master of vivid descriptions, dragging readers along every wretched mile of the trail, sharing every dashed hope and every dramatic confrontation, with Ada as their guide. Ada is a marvelous creation, twice orphaned and both hopeful and fearful about a new life in California, the promised land.. . . A vivid westward migration tale with an arresting mixture of history and fiction.”

—KIRKUS REVIEWS

“In Answer Creek, Sweeney rescues the story of the Donner Party from its fate as salacious anecdote and delivers a harrowing tale of resilience, folly, loss, and hope.”

—MARY VOLMER, author of Reliance, Illinois

Praise for Eliza Waite (2016, she writes press)

“Ashley Sweeney’s first novel, Eliza Waite, is a gem.”

—JANE KIRKPATRICK, author of Beneath the Bending Skies

“Cast off by her family and living in the shadow of unthinkable tragedy, Eliza Waite finds the courage to leave her remote island home to join the sea of miners, fortune hunters, con men, and prostitutes in the Klondike during the spring of 1898. Ashley Sweeney’s exquisite descriptions, electrifying plot twists, and hardy yet vulnerable characters will captivate historical fiction fans and leave them yearning for more. Eliza Waite is a stunning debut!”

—KRISTEN HARNISCH, author of The Vintner’s Daughter

“Sweeney’s debut novel is a beautifully written work of historical fiction tracing one woman’s life in the wilds of nineteenth-century America. Readers will be immersed in Eliza’s world, which Sweeney has so authentically and skillfully rendered.”

—BOOKLIST