They say that opposites attract. But what happens when one has been devastated by betrayal and the other is so jaded that his heart is made of stone? Enter the world of Friday Harbor, an enchanting town in the Pacific Northwest where things are not quite as they seem and where true love might just have a ghost of a chance….
Alex Nolan is as bitter and cynical as they come. One of the three Nolan brothers who call Friday harbor home, he's nothing like Sam or Mark. They actually believe in love; they think the risk of pain is worth the chance of happiness. But Alex battles his demons with the help of a whiskey bottle, and he lives in his own private hell. And then a ghost shows up. Only Alex can see him, Has Alex finally crossed over the threshold to insanity?
Zoë Hoffman is as gentle and romantic as they come. When she meets the startling gorgeous Alex Nolan, all her instincts tell her to run. Even Alex tells her to run. But something in him calls to Zoë, and she forces him to take a look at his life with a clear eye and to open his mind to the possibility that love isn’t for the foolish.
The ghost has been existing in the half-light of this world for decades. He doesn’t know who he is, or why he is stuck in the Nolans’ Victorian house. All he knows is that he loved a girl once. And Alex and Zoë hold the key to unlocking a mystery that keeps him trapped here.
Zoë and Alex are oil and water, fire and ice, sunshine and shadow. But sometimes it takes only a glimmer of light to chase away the dark, and sometimes love can reach beyond time, space, and reason to take hold of hearts that yearn for it…
My Thoughts: This is the second book in the Friday Harbor series and I have seemed to have skipped the first one. I read the prequel to the series two years ago and I was captivated by the magical realism aspect of the book. I heard the rest of the books had a hint of magic/paranormal as well so I was eager to continue the series. Plus, I love Lisa Kleypas's writing.
This was a very heartwarming story with a ghost in it. Yup, a ghost. I was not expecting to have a ghost as one of the main characters in the story, which of course caught my attention right away. I kept wondering if the ghost was real or if it was in the hero's imagination. However, as the story kept unfolding, the purpose behind the phantom was revealed.
Now the love story...Zoe and Alex were your typical love protagonists. Alex was the handsome man with a dark past that needed someone to bring him to the light. Zoe was the beautiful woman who was sweet and kind but had not been lucky with love. Fortunately, Kleypas wrote these two characters in a way that I found them charming and had me rooting for them to hook up. I loved how passionate Zoe was about cooking and I loved how Alex changed at the end.
The story does deal with the issue of dementia/Alzheimer's disease. Zoe was responsible for her grandmother. The book gave a glimpse of what it may be like trying to take care of a loved one who is losing their memory. The grandmother was kind and feisty. Her connection with the ghost became obvious halfway through the story but learning the truth behind the story was still interesting. The ending...aye...it made me tear up.
Overall, this was a lovely story with endearing characters. I enjoyed the love development between our protagonists and I especially enjoyed the paranormal aspect of the book. Now I need to go back and read the first book in the series. I rate this book:
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