A second chance for romance… Hidden in Graystone Manor is a book containing all the dark secrets of Harmony Harbor, and Ava DiRossi is determined to find it. No one-especially not her ex-husband, Griffin Gallagher-can ever discover what really tore her life apart all those years ago. With Griffin back in town, it’s more important than ever that she find the book before someone else does. … that she find the book before someone else does. Because her ex is still angry with her for leaving him. And he still has no idea Ava never stopped loving him…
Ava is no longer the vibrant, happy woman Griffin had once loved and married, and he would do anything to bring back the sparkle to her brilliant green eyes. But what’s never changed are the sexy sparks of attraction between Ava and Griffin, and he won’t give her up again without a fight. He knows there’s the real possibility of a future together… if the truth doesn’t burn the bridge between them forever.
“Heartfelt and delightful!”
–RaeAnne Thayne, New York Times bestselling author
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Amusing, tender, and uplifting!
Starlight Bridge is a playful, heartwarming, second-chance romance that transports you to Greystone Manor and into the life of the handsome, confident Grant who still can’t quite understand what actually went wrong in his first marriage and the troubled, hardworking Ava who is on an all-consuming mission to find the late Matriarch’s hidden journal that contains the one secret she never wants to be known.
The writing is heartfelt and light. The characters are troubled, secretive, quirky, and kind. And the plot told from alternating POVs is an engaging mix of family, friction, friendship, miscommunication, self-reflection, oddball situations, hilarious hijinks, attraction, chemistry, enduring love, and a dash of the paranormal.
Overall, Starlight Bridge is a comical, hopeful, entertaining tale by Mason that is a delightful mix of sweet romance, familial drama, and mystical mayhem.
Debbie Mason did a great job again. It’s a story of lost love, second chances and past secrets ready to explode at any moment.
Ava and Griffin’s story hooked me immediately. I couldn’t put this one down. I had to know how it would all work out. There are a couple of times I wanted to knock some sense into both of them, but overall, I just wanted to hug them and tell them it was going to be alright.
There is an excellent mix of villains and “good guys”. It taught me that I need to read the entire book before jumping to conclusions about characters. I started out hating one, then loving the character by the end.
Lots of laughs…. Colleen and Simon (ghost) add so much to the story..
It had intrigue, mystery, and romance wrapped into one package. Can’t wait for the next one! I recommend this book
The story was compelling and interesting. I loved the hero and the heroine was okay, but I had to warm up to her. The ghosts were entertaining but not necessary to the story. They seemed almost an aside, like you’d expect the place to be haunted. There were a lot of characters. It felt like I should already know them maybe from a previous story. I had issues keeping up with who was who for awhile, but enjoyed the read overall.
Ava is a shell of her former self. She is skin and bones, wearing drab clothes, smoking, and running herself ragged. The one thing that is absolutely the same, her love for her ex-husband Griffin. She just couldn’t torment him any longer after what happened and she couldn’t tell him what happened either. She also left nursing school and works as a maid at the manor and takes care of her father who is wheelchair bound after an accident and a nasty drunk.
Griffin, a recently retired Navy Seal, didn’t even recognize Ava when he came home for his GG’s funeral. Lexi, his second ex-wife didn’t care much for Ava and asked her for towels even though they had plenty. After a bit of time at home though, Griffin realizes he never stopped loving Ava. He gets a call from Lexi telling him she needs to talk to him but will only do so in person. He needs to go back to Virginia to wrap things up any way. Finally, Lexi comes over and surprise she is pregnant. It was from a deal they had made when they divorced three years ago, that if she wasn’t still single and not pregnant by 39, Griffin would be her sperm donor. It go weird quick and they ended it but a baby was made. Lexi has no family and suggest they all move to Harmony Harbor and for Griffin to be a part of his child’s life. The only stipulation is he not have any contact with Ava.
Once back in Harmony Harbor, Griffin comes up with a plan to bring the two women together. Griffin soon realizes his plan worked really well when the two women become best friends with Ava forgetting she has plans with Griffin. It also turns out the two ladies end up sharing their deep dark secrets with one another leading them to be each others heroes.
Ava and Griffin were once happily married, but then something happened and Ava wasn’t quite sure how to handle it, so she stupidly pushed Griffin away, which ultimately let to their divorce. Letting Griffin go was the hardest thing that Ava has ever had to do, and it has haunted her everyday since, and no matter how hard she has tried to convince herself it was for the best, her heart just doesn’t believe it. There is only one other person who knows the real reason why Ava pushed her husband away, and she decided to take that little secret that was supposed to be kept just between them, and put it in writing, in a special diary. Now this secret little diary is about to be discovered and Ava can’t bare the thought of her little secret being discovered, so she is determined to find the diary before it lands in the wrong hands… the hands of her ex-husband.
Griffin has never really understood what changed between him and his beautiful wife and what caused her to push him away, and ask for a divorce. Walking away from her, and mustering the courage to move on is one of the hardest things he has ever had to do, he’s made great efforts to let her be, but his heart has never completely let her go. He is filled with reservations about returning home to Harmony Harbor, and having to face her again, but he also has hope that maybe he’ll finally have some answers as to why she walked away from their marriage.
This was my first experience with Ms. Mason’s work, and I have to say it left a pretty memorable first impression, those endearing characters of hers really lured me into their little town, and had me never wanting to leave. I thoroughly enjoyed Ava and Griffin’s story, it instantly grabbed my attention, and had me flying right through the pages, and staying up well past my bedtime just to see them find their well deserved second chance at a happily ever after. So happy I decided to request this one, it is definitely one of the most enjoyable first reads I have had in a while!!
Highly recommend you acquaint yourself with the folks from Harmony Harbor, they are sure charm their way into your heart, and make you feel right at home!
I really enjoyed this book. Debbie Mason handles several sensitive subjects with great care and understanding. The romance between the hero and heroine is believable, being both touching and steamy at the same time. If you like lighthearted romance with occasional serious undertones, don’t hesitate to read this book.
I have had this book downloaded for quite some time and kept putting it off. What a wonderful surprise to find out what a great book I had been missing out on. Wonderful story!!!!!
Reading now. Great!
Favorite Quotes:
She doesn’t look suspicious, she looks constipated.
Ava took a long, satisfying drag on her cigarette. She’d given in to its siren call after she’d eaten the two cupcakes she’d snuck from the kitchen at the manor. Sadly, they were divine, and probably a thousand calories each.
I wanna write a new ending to our story. One that has you growing old by my side.
My Review:
This series is an amusing hybrid of genres including cozy mystery, contemporary romance, women’s fiction, and paranormal. Starlight Bridge continues to provide a clever and amusing premise with ongoing family drama, feuds, angst, ghostly interference, gossip, espionage, sabotage, busy body aunties, rivalries, greed, heartbreak, and a few second chance romances. The storyline is a slowly evolving melodrama with multiple plot threads with quirky and intriguing characters that seem to have their own secrets and agendas. Thankfully, among the tension and angst, I also found an equal amount of comical scenes and amusing banter. I enjoyed the humor as well as the use of a fumbling ghost who is hampered by limited energy and ghostly knowledge as well as a small territory for her haunting, yet her cat taught her to use him as her minion to influence or garner the attention of the living. As a cat lover, I found that to be quite clever. I am looking forward to the next installment and hope to ascertain the mystery behind Dana as well as the contents of the Book of Secrets. Color me intrigued.