Secrets of the Lighthouse by Santa Montefiore

Set in Ireland on the wild coast of Connemara, this hauntingly romantic novel tells the story of a young woman who goes in search of her family’s past and ends up discovering her future.

Ellen Trawton is running away from it all. She hates her job, she doesn’t love the aristocratic man to whom she is engaged, and her relationship with her controlling mother is becoming increasingly strained. So Ellen leaves London, fleeing to the one place she knows her mother won’t find her, her aunt’s cottage in Connemara. Cutting all her ties with chic London society, Ellen gives in to Ireland’s charm and warmth, thinking her future may lie where so much of her past has been hidden. Her imagination is soon captured by the compelling ruins of a lighthouse where, five years earlier, a young mother died in a fire.

The ghost of the young wife, Caitlin, haunts the nearby castle, mourning the future she can never have there. Unable to move on, she watches her husband and children, hoping they might see her and feel her love once more. But she doesn’t anticipate her husband falling in love again. Can she prevent it? Or can she let go and find a way to freedom and happiness?

The ruggedly beautiful Connemara coastline with its tightknit community of unforgettable characters provides the backdrop for this poignant story of two women seeking the peace and love they desperately need. For each, the key will be found in the secrets of the past, illuminated by the lighthouse.

Hardcover, 448 pages

Published August 5th 2014 by Simon & Schuster

(ebook provide by netgalley, audio book from personal library) 

*****

I loved this book!  It had so much that I enjoy reading, secrets, mystery, ghosty spirits, plus it weaves back and forth in time.  It also takes place in Ireland and my first novel by this author.

It's no secret that I am a big fan of audio books.  I'm by no means an expert on audio books but I know what I like and what I don't.  Not all books work in audio format and others do marvelously.  But the main thing that makes or breaks an audio is the reader.  They can't be too fast or too slow and the accent has to match the setting and time period.  Susan Riddell is the reader of this book and if I have to sum up with one word I would say her performance was brilliant!  I even searched for other books that she has read and I've come to the conclusion that this is her first (sure hope it isn't her last).

   

Of course a reader is only as good as her material.  This is my first book by Santa Montefiore and I was so impressed.  That very first chapter was enough to suck me right in, the ghost of Caitlin was such a unique way to get this story going.  The story continues 5 years later with Ellen arriving in Connemara.  Yea there were a few things that I figured out for myself but this story flowed so nicely, the characters had depth and it was great to be able to know and understand their mindset.  In fact the next morning I missed them on my morning walk.

One of the things that I love with my reading is discovering new authors and I love this discovery, most definitely an author I will be reading more of.  Her writing style reminds me of Kate Morton and Lucinda Riley.