Heart of the Ocean
by Heather B. Moore
A dark secret . . . a grieving ghost . . . a handsome stranger . . .
What more could Eliza Robinson want?
Except for maybe her life.
In Heather B. Moore’s enthralling 1840’s historical romance, Heart of the Ocean, Eliza Robinson has turned down the very pretentious Mr. Thomas Beesley’s marriage proposal. As a business partner of Eliza’s father, Thomas quickly discredits the family and brings disgrace to the Robinson name.
While her father scrambles to restore his good name in New York City, Eliza flees to the remote Puritan town of Maybrook to stay with her Aunt Maeve. Although relieved to be away from all- things-male and unforgiving gossip columns, odd things start to happen to Eliza, and she is plagued by a ghostly voice. Her aunt’s explanation? That Eliza is being haunted by a woman who died of a broken heart twenty years ago.
After Aunt Maeve is tragically killed, Eliza's life is put in danger as she tries to uncover the mystery of her aunt's death. She encounters Jonathan Porter in Maybrook, whose presence in the town seems suspicious, yet she finds herself drawn to him. When she discovers that Jonathan’s dark secrets may be the link between the dead woman who haunts her and her aunt’s murderer, Eliza realizes that Jonathan is the one man she should never trust.
My Review
Eliza Robinson has been banished from New York City by her mother. Her crime, she refused to marry her father's aged business partner and created a ton of gossip about herself and her parents. Eliza's been sent to live with her Aunt Maeve in a quaint little Puritan town, and the culture there is entirely different from what she's used to. They live together in a small cottage near the ocean, and it's kind of nice not to have to worry about all the gossip and what everyone is thinking of her. But Eliza starts to hear a voice, it's in her head and it doesn't seem as though anyone else can hear it. This voice is telling her to do crazy things like jump in the ocean. One night there is a huge storm, Eliza has heard the voice yet again and she tells Maeve about it, hoping that there's a solution for her possible craziness. Maeve does have an explanation, she tells Eliza about the young woman that lived in the cottage before her. A young woman with a mysterious lover, a little boy and she happened to die while she was living in this cottage. But during the storm that night, Eliza hears a crashing sound and goes to check on her Aunt Maeve, to her dismay, Eliza finds Maeve dead. Uncertain what's happened to her aunt, Eliza rushes into the storm for help and runs right into Jonathon Porter, who takes her to a safe home. But when both Eliza and Jonathon end up arrested and put in jail for Maeve's murder, Eliza is unsure just who she should trust. She must find out who killed her aunt to clear her own name. And what of Jonathon's secrets?
This book is quite different from Heather B Moore's other books that I've read. I really enjoyed the mystery of this book. It was really eerie with the voices that Eliza was hearing and all the strange things happening in the town. I enjoyed the feel of the book, it felt like you were really Eliza living in this small backward town, and trying to find out just who had killed your aunt and why. I liked the characters, I really liked Eliza and Jonathon and I thought that the spurned business partner was just really creepy and yucky! I highly recommend this book, it's a great read for when you're in the mood for a mystery!
There were a few mild swear words in this book.
I was sent an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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Author Heather B. Moore
Heather B. Moore is the award-winning author of ten novels, two inspirational non-fiction books, and two anthologies, including The Newport Ladies Book Club Series, A Timeless Romance Anthology, and Christ's Gifts to Women (co-authored by Angela Eschler).
Her historical fiction is published under the pen name H.B. Moore. She is the two-time recipient of Best of State in Literary Fiction, two-time Whitney Award Winner, and two-time Golden Quill Winner for Best Novel. Her most recent historical novel under H.B. Moore is Daughters of Jared (2012 LUW Gold Award of Excellence & 2012 LUW Best Book Trailer).
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Labels: Heather B Moore, Mystery
