The Maidenstone Lighthouse

I really enjoyed reading this book. O'Rourke's writing style is pleasant and flows easily, which is exactly what I needed since I'm still a bit foggy from being sick most of the week. I was caught up in the story very quickly--who doesn't like a ghost story?--and I had a hard time putting the book down. Actually, there is more to this book than just the ghost story, but I don't want to give away too much because I would risk spoiling it. Let's just say the last several chapters prove to be very intense! I also liked the way O'Rourke handled Susan's two men in her life--Bobby (disappeared and presumed dead), whom Susan had basically fooled herself into believing was the perfect man, and Dan, who truly was the perfect man--for her, I mean, naturally he had his own flaws. It was a very realistic portrayal of her relationships--luckily, in the end she found someone who was everything she wanted, rather than someone whom she had built up to be everything she wanted because that was what she wanted to believe and wanted to have. (I hope that made sense, I plead a fuzzy head from the cold if it doesn't!) All-in-all I thought it was a great escapist read, made even better by the fact that had I not been browsing BJ's, I likely never would have come across it! A ghost story/mystery from Susan's family's past, an emerging mystery in Susan's current life, and a love story with a happy ending. Now I've got to get my hands on O'Rourke's first book, The Man Who Loved Jane Austen--I like the sound of that!

I can say I have read her first with Jane and now Maidenstone. It is a book that is a fast read because you want to find out what will happen next. She fell in love with someone and lost them only to find out the real danger lay ahead in more ways than one. There are three people to save her and one is a ghost. I would say give this author a try and her newest Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage is good for the whole family to read. My 10year old son loved it!

Grief stricken by the tragic death of her beloved Bobby in a plane crash over the Pacific and lacking closure as his body and those of the other victims were never found, Susan Mark needs time away from the memories of her fiancé that is everywhere. She heads to property she inherited from her great aunt in Freedman's Cove, Rhode Island. She goes there because her fondest memories were the summers she spent there. To her shock, the ghost of an ancestor visits Sue, who learns the spirit died tragically. Sue also meets childhood summer friend Dan Freedman. With his help, she begins to accept her loss and move on with her life. However, as Sue and Don fall in love, a second tragedy leaves Sue shattered once again. Two mysteries, past and present, make for a wonderful contemporary tale starring a likable protagonist who when she sees the apparition for the first time wonders if she is losing her mind due to her grief. Sue owns the exciting well written story line as she struggles to find solace only to deal with a hundred year old mystery and her growing attraction to dependable Dan; ironically the first somewhat occupies her mind while the second her heart but also makes her feel guilty that she is deserting Bobby. THE MAIDENSTONE LIGHTHOUSE is an entertaining amateur sleuth paranormal romance. Harriet Klausner