Secrets of the Lighthouse

June 9, 2014
Montefiore (The Summer House) has penned a lyrical novel rich with ghostly beings, love, and loss set along the idyllic Connemara coastline of Ireland. Ellen Trawton escapes her very proper London life and fiancé to visit her Aunt Peg in Ballymaldoon, Ireland. She becomes enchanted with the town and meets her mother’s siblings for the first time. Yet it is the lure of an old lighthouse that beckons most to Ellen, who is an aspiring author hoping to find inspiration in Ireland. When Ellen meets the elusive Conor Macausland, she is instantly smitten with him. As Ellen and Conor spend time together, a subtle but intense attraction springs up between them. Despite the mystery surrounding the death of Conor’s first wife, Ellen is caught in the lure of his promising sensuality. Unbeknownst to the lovers, Conor’s first wife, though a ghostly figure, is jealous of their blossoming love. Ellen discovers the truth behind her mother’s abrupt departure from Ballymaldoon decades before, even as she learns to cope with those she left behind in London.

July 15, 2014
Montefiore's eighth novel (TheWoman From Paris, 2013, etc.) is a love story with so many layers thatperhaps it's best to call it a story about love. Toss in broken familyties, a tragic death and a ghost who must also learn to love, and the secretsgradually unfold. When 33-year-old Ellen Trawton canno longer bear her aristocratic mother's pressure to marry for all the wrongreasons, she secretly flees England to seek her Irish aunt, whoseexistence she knows of only from letters she's found. Aunt Peg welcomes herwith open arms, as do her (surprise!) four uncles. Ellen is immediately drawnto beautiful Connemara and her newfound family, and she is so unable to dealwith pressure from home that she impulsively flings her iPhone into the ocean, severing communication with those she left behind. Drawn to the ruins of alocal lighthouse with a disastrous history, she begins exploring the area andslowly unravels her mother's connection to Ireland and the true story of herown roots, and she finds love...if only the ghost will allow it. Chapters writtenfrom the ghost's point of view reveal Montefiore's leanings: There arespiritual vibrations, channeling, life after death in different forms. Readerswill suspect the truth long before the characters do (Ellen seems too naive for 33), but the ghost brings an interesting perspective.Montefiore intertwines lush description of Connemara with her character-drivenplot, and all ends well on Earth and beyond.The ghost provides the message ofthe story: We are not alone, death is not the end, and love is all thatmatters. As she says, "Why does it take so much unhappiness to make us realizethat there is nothing of any value in our lives but love?"

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September 1, 2014
Ellen Trawton has a comfortable job at a posh London jewelry company, and her fianc', William, is perfectly pleasant, but she still finds herself with a major case of pre-wedding cold feet. Armed with a suitcase, the phone number of an aunt she's never met, and a faux-fur jacket totally inappropriate for the Irish countryside, Ellen escapes to the tiny town of Ballymaldoon to clear her head. She never expects to meet the other half of a family she knows nothing about or to fall in love with Ballymaldoon itself. While she's happy to learn more about her past while contemplating her future, Ellen has no idea how quickly her life will change. A story of history, fate, and second chances, Secrets of the Lighthouse is a romantic, introspective escape. Montefiore offers a glimpse of small-town Irish life, and a heartbreaking mystery provides another layer of tragic romance. Montefiore's use of the mysterious victim as one of the narrators is an excellent way to provide an omniscient view of Ballymaldoon. Fans of Maeve Binchy and Lucinda Riley will adore this captivating, enchanting novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)