Eternal Sea (Haunting Hearts) [Paperback]

Alice Alfonsi (Author)

Book Description

Series: Haunting Hearts | Publication Date: January 1, 1999

Jenny Smithson and Eric Wolfe attempt to bind their souls together, but when Eric dies in a bitter fight, the sea takes his soul. He can only watch his home deteriorate over the decades--until a woman appears almost a century later. Her name is Miranda Burke, and only she can unlock him from his watery grave.

Editorial Reviews

Review

For free-spirited Miranda Burke, living with her Aunt Joan is pure imprisonment. Due to the terms of her father's will, her rich uncle controls her trust-fund and her aunt is attempting to use the financial leverage to make Miranda conform to high society's norms. Because Joan knows that her husband, Miranda's Uncle, also intends to make Miranda his heir instead of his step-son, Josh, she wants to force Miranda to accept her son's marriage proposal. Miranda, instead, decides to take her late father's sailboat, Sea Sprite, and run away to an abandoned Victorian sea-captain's house, 'Blue Night's Cottage'. Little does she know that the cottage already has a resident. Ghost Captain Eric Wolfe is not happy with the little redhead who's disturbing his few weeks of rest between stints serving the Sea, rescuing sailors in distress. Although he is visible and solid while at sea, he is shocked to learn that Miranda can see him on land. He tries to drive her away, but ends up grudgingly allowing her to live in the cottage, all the while hoping he can resist her charms. He and Miranda begin to give into their attraction, even as a malevolent Sea-devil, Leach Muldavey, tries to destroy Eric and any of his descendants in revenge for what happened one hundred and sixty years earlier. Eternal Sea is one of the most unusual and enjoyable romances I've ever encountered. Alfonsi's typical wit is abundant in the text, but the relationship between Eric and Miranda was sweetly poignant and sad. Even though there is a happy ending, there are plenty of trials for these time-crossed lovers to overcome. Alfonsi most definitely captures the atmosphere of New England with prose and descriptions so well written that I could almost smell the salt air as I read along. Adding to that is a colorful and delightful cast of both real and ghostly characters that make every moment of this book a 'can't-put-it-down' read that romance fans will fall in love with. Alfonsi continues to improve on her already dynamic, generous writing style! Super! Eternal Sea is a heart-wrenchingly sweet, and witty read from beginning to end! Readers will not want to put it down until they're finished! One of the most unusual and enjoyable romances of the year with plenty of trials for this time-crossed pair of lovers to overcome on their way through a book that is guaranteed to make readers laugh and cry, combined with an ending that is truly satisfying in every way! Phoebe Imel -- Copyright © 1999 Literary Times, Inc. All rights reserved -- From Literary Times

Product Details

• Paperback: 342 pages
• Publisher: Jove (January 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0515124346
• ISBN-13: 978-0515124347
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,444,747 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting, humorous, and romantic, October 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Eternal Sea (Haunting Hearts) (Paperback)

I wasn't too sure about the book because of the cover. But after I started to read it, it was terrific. I couldn't put it down. The characters were believable and I especially love the hero, who was very strong but at the same time sensitive. I love the humor and the drama and the romance. You really hope that they will get together at the end of the story and you know that they will but it was great reading how Alfonsi put the story together. I very highly recommend this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars IF YOU LIKE PARANORMAL - read THIS BOOK!!!, March 1, 1999

By 

Sarah "sssspro" (North East, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eternal Sea (Haunting Hearts) (Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Ms. Alfonsi's book, Eternal Sea. Eric and Miranda (a good allusion using Shakespeare's Tempest princess' name) work so well together, that by the end, you really want a traditionally happy ending for them. I rarely show any sort of emotion when reading, but I did get quite a few chuckles form this story. Our hero's last name is Wolfe, and Miranda's hooded sailing jacket, when they first encounter each other, is red. Ms. Alfonsi has a superb command of the sublime.

I did feel at times that Miranda's character was a bit childish. Also, unfortunately, I felt that the book's ending rushed our hero and heroine too much. Miranda spent so long away from Eric, eventually not believing in him at all, and then in one night becomes a believer again? I think the plot would have been better served if their reunion took longer. It really didn't seem plausable to me.

Eric, on the other hand, was a great charater, who struck a cord with me immediately. He was strong, yet not overly so...kind of blustering when angered, yet gentle too. That is usually a hard combination to pull of successfully, yet Ms. Alfonsi accomplishes it admirably. I did not however, care for the 'evil storyline' of this book. The secondary characters (with the exception of Wolfes' crew) were overblown, and completely unbelievable. They detracted from an otherwise lovely story. The story is sweet and simply written and I would have prefered to give this book a 3 1/2 star rating.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Bad secondary characters, April 29, 2000

By 

Anne M. Marble "Anne" (MD, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eternal Sea (Haunting Hearts) (Paperback)

This novel reads like a tribute to "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir." In fact, it makes me want to read that classic again -- but it doesn't live up to it.

The lead characters were neat -- Eric was a ghost, but his personality was very solid. It was the secondary characters who spoiled this read. When you have characters named Josh Cunning and Leach Muldavey, you know you're in trouble. Most of the secondary characters are either thoroughly evil, or horribly selish, or all of the above. If they had been more believable, this book would've been a keeper.

I gave this book a C at All About Romance.