There's an interesting premise behind this fantasy / paranormal romance, but Barclay unfortunately just doesn't have the writing chops to pull it off. Shallow characterizations, wooden dialogue, and an unfortunate number of homophone errors keep this novel from ever really satisfying.
When architect Garrett Richmond gives in to a long-held desire to buy and renovate a New Bedford home dating back to the early 1800s, he hardly expects a ghost to come along with it. Constance Canfield fell from her home's rooftop widow's walk in 1840, as she watched for the return of her whaling captain husband. But Constance, for some reason, has been trapped between life and death for 170 years, invisible to the successive owners of Seaside â until Garrett Richmond appears. Once Garrett accepts what seems to be impossible, he finds himself developing strong emotions for Constance, and â most frightening of all â each of them separately seems to be coming unmoored in time, flashing back to incidents in Constance's history.
The why and how of the phenomenon doesn't really get much attention until the last hundred pages. Only when Constance and Garrett are told of the frightening attempt they must make to resolve the situation, does the book develop any drive or suspense. It's a nice last-ditch effort, but really can't overcome the book's clunky beginnings
When architect Garrett Richmond gives in to a long-held desire to buy and renovate a New Bedford home dating back to the early 1800s, he hardly expects a ghost to come along with it. Constance Canfield fell from her home's rooftop widow's walk in 1840, as she watched for the return of her whaling captain husband. But Constance, for some reason, has been trapped between life and death for 170 years, invisible to the successive owners of Seaside â until Garrett Richmond appears. Once Garrett accepts what seems to be impossible, he finds himself developing strong emotions for Constance, and â most frightening of all â each of them separately seems to be coming unmoored in time, flashing back to incidents in Constance's history.
The why and how of the phenomenon doesn't really get much attention until the last hundred pages. Only when Constance and Garrett are told of the frightening attempt they must make to resolve the situation, does the book develop any drive or suspense. It's a nice last-ditch effort, but really can't overcome the book's clunky beginnings
