Lacey Bright, recently widowed and living beneath the charity of her sister-in-law, leaves London with her son and her housekeeper. She leases Cliff Cottage, despite the fact it is haunted, because of its broodingly remote vista overlooking the English Channel. She is an artist, with recognizable talent, seeking to make a livelihood selling her landscape paintings. However, Captain Maximilian Stern, a curmudgeonly former sea captain who drowned twenty years before in the choppy waters of the Channel because he had never learned to swim, merely wishes to be left alone so he can haunt his home in peace. Even though the last thing he wants is a gaggle of females and an urchin mucking about his once-pristine home, he and Lacey strike up a deal which will allow her to continue living there, providing she doesn't make any changes to his bedroom. She agrees, although the idea of sharing a bedroom with a man, even a ghostly one, leaves her slightly unsettled.

For readers who enjoy ghostly romances, Lacey's Ghost is sure to please. Ms. Kilgallen's prose and dialogue effortlessly draw the reader back to the Victorian age, where a widow usually found herself at the mercy of her husband's relatives. Though Ms. Kilgallen's captain acts and talks like a true salty seadog at times, he makes a worthwhile hero despite his obvious ghostly drawbacks. Her heroine's determination to make it on her own by renting a remote cottage, which also happens to be haunted, on the craggy English coastline is admirable, even if a tad unbelievable at times. I was totally drawn in by the magnetism between Lacey and Max and thoroughly enjoyed reading Lacey's Ghost. Throughout it all, Ms. Kilgallen tantalizes her reader into hoping that her hero and heroine will somehow manage to consummate their relationship, and she delivers a very satisfying read.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Very sensual

Reviewer: Kathryn
February 8, 2010