Of Midnight Born

A woman in England during the 1350s didn't have a lot of options to ensure her longevity. Serena Clerebold had to find a husband. The Plague had killed most of her family as well as decimating the population surrounding her family's keep. With winter coming, no one to help harvest food, and inadequate knowledge of farming, Serena was desperate. Unfortunately, her plan to marry ended in her own death, leaving her a ghost at what become known as Maiden Castle. Serena had worked hard to chase away the previous occupants, and was equally determined to rid herself of Alex Woding as well. After five hundred years, she believed she had earned the castle with her blood and determination. She hated living people. Especially this man who makes her long for flesh again, and the opportunity to experience the passion always denied her. Soon she will discovery how much she underestimates Alex. Alex rented Maiden Castle for the view. An astronomer, it was the perfect place for him to study the night sky. He staffs the castle with only men, having had enough of female influence with his sisters and deceased wife. Little does he realize how profoundly his life will be changed by another female -- one not even living. OF MIDNIGHT BORN proves itself both delightful and whimsical. Lisa Cach manages to bring the impossible to life making suspension of disbelief very easy for the reader. Indeed, Cach succeeds in bringing remarkable emotional depth to these characters, thereby creating a tale of love that will capture the reader's heart. Original and memorable, I highly recommend OF MIDNIGHT BORN.

The legend has it that Maiden Castle was haunted with the ghost of Serena. A young woman that had been forced to wed, murdered her husband on her wedding night, then plummeted to the bottom of the stairs, breaking her neck, when she tried to flee.For 500 years Serena has been content to have the castle all to herself. Over the years she has had to get rid of those that dared to disturb her peace, especially the male gender. She was protective of the castle but mostly of the blooming cherry tree in the garden. Alex Woding had stayed one night in the castle ruins when he was ten years old and had an encounter with a star shower and a ghost. This caused his fascination with astronomy and with the crumbling ruins of Maiden Castle. Thus in manhood he has the castle restored and with an all male crew to run his household, he moves in. Serena will not put up with so many members of the opposite sex staying in her castle.....even that Woding man that she soon realizes is the little boy that she had scared in his youth. Only now he is a grown man and possibly even different from any other man she has ever known. What's a ghost to do with this situation? This is a very enjoyable book! Serena's ghostly antics to rid the castle of the male occupants were quite humorous which eased the seriousness of the story. A very enjoyable and touching love story out of the ordinary. Highly recommended read so close to Halloween.

In 1809, City lad Alex Woden goes camping with his country cousin Rhys near Le Gayne Fortress. Rhys entertains his young relative with stories about the ghost haunting the nearby castle. That night while Rhys sleeps, Alex sees shooting stars in the clear sky followed by a beautiful spirit trying to reach out to him. Over two decades later Alex returns to the fortress to observe the path of the shooting stars. The ghost he saw when he was a ten-year-old child returns. Soon the specter Serena Clerenbold knows love. She risks her existence to reach out to Alex who also has fallen for the five hundred-year-old apparition that allegedly killed her spouse on their wedding night. As everyone who cares about Alex worries that he is losing his mind, he and Serena risk all for a love that crosses time and planes struggling to find an existence. OF MIDNIGHT BORN is a powerfully passionate otherworldly historical romance that will thrill fans of the sub-genre. Though the story line turns extremely somber at times, Lisa Cach defuses the moments with well placed humor. Alex is a great lead character, typical of the late Regency hero in novels, as he struggles with seductive dreams battling his belief that love hurts. However, the plot belongs to the independent and brave Serena who willingly jeopardizes her essence for love.Harriet Klausner

Of all the books by Ms. Cach I have read, `Of Midnight Born' is my favorite so far. Although all of her books usually contain a hint of the paranormal, such as faeries and special healing powers, this one goes all out and introduces a hundreds year old ghost as the heroine. Talk about a hopeless romance! But Ms. Cach overcomes the difficulties inherent in a supernatural affair, and love blossoms as beautifully as the blooms on the ancient and magical cherry tree in the castle courtyard. Perhaps, however, the real reason I enjoyed this story so much is the affinity I felt for the heroine. Ms. Cach's characters are not usually the perfect, tiny-waisted things we read about in many romance novels. They are based more in reality, and are people I find myself identifying with. Instead of moving through their lives with natural grace and inherent poise, they (like the rest of us) have flaws, and are acutely aware of them. Part of this story involves the heroine's efforts to overcome her spiritual flaws and accept her physical shortcomings without shame. Which brings us to the hero of the story - an intellectual, powerful man with insatiable curiosity that compels him to communicate with a troublesome ghost rather than flee or attempt to banish her from the castle. He sees beauty in a woman who can't see it in herself, and brings out the gentler side of the mischievous spirit. Added to the mix are a meddling family and the anxiety caused by the waning power of the tree that keeps the heroines spirit alive, as well as the humorous scenes I have come to expect and enjoy when reading Ms. Cach's novels. I strongly recommend this to anyone who enjoys experiencing the gamut of emotions throughout a novel. It's a great read.

1350 After most of her family die of the plague, Serena and her brother decide that in order to survive, they will kidnap Hugh Le Gayne and hold him prisoner until he agrees to marry Serena and finance Thomas in his joining the military. The plan worked and after Thomas left, Serena married Le Gayne, a man full of hatred for her. 1809 Ten yr old, Alex Woding and his cousin, Rhys are going to spend the night at the ruins of the Le Gayne castle, even though the ruins are reputed to be haunted. But then, Alex doesn't believe in ghosts. Among the ruins of the castle, is a garden with an unusual cherry tree. Each bloom has dozens of petals, the tree appears to be very old and is blooming out of season. There is also a staircase still standing that Alex takes note of. During the night, Alex is awakened by a voice calling his name. He opens his eyes to see a rain of falling stars. He calls to Rhys and climbs the staircase to view the meteor shower. While he's at the top of the stairs, he sees the ghost and is so stunned, that he falls to the rocks below. 1832 Maiden Castle has been built on the site of the Le Gayne Castle and the owner who has had a few too many encounters with the ghost who is still in residence, and he has rented the castle to Alex Woding. Ever since the night that he saw the meteor shower, Alex has been interested in falling stars and plans to study the night sky from the top of the castle. He hires an all male staff, even though the legend says that the ghost, Serena, hates all men. Soon after Alex takes up residence, Serena starts watching him, following him everywhere, including his bath. She also starts to harass the staff with tricks, night noises, etc. The staff is soon replaced with women, except for the gardener and his grandson who care for the garden with the cherry tree. Alex is gradually becoming able to see Serena from the corner of his eye and as time passes, she becomes more and more visible to him. They fall in love and though Alex refuses to acknowledge his love for her, Serena becomes "real" a few times and they begin an affair. But, each time she uses her "powers", Serena weakens her life force. Who much time does she have left? What is the link between Serena and the cherry tree? Why, after all this time, is the tree dying? Will Alex be able to hold her here or will Serena finally be gone? What is the black shadow that is stalking Serena? This is one of the very best books that I've ever read. The characters are so well written that I can almost "see" them before my eyes, and the castle is so real that I found myself walking the halls and climbing the stairs. Laughter, tears, anger, hatred love and just some of the hottest sex scenes ever written. What more could you ask for?