Ridgefield, Connecticut. A cemetery. A Revolutionary War soldier. A ghost. A writer. 1777 meets 2024.
Clara Donovan, a divorced novelist, moves into her late grandmother's Connecticut home after a failed marriage and a failed book. She wants silence and a second chance.
Benjamin Whitlock, a soldier killed at the Battle of Ridgefield on April 27, 1777, has haunted the local cemetery for two hundred and forty-seven years. He wants to be heard.
Eliza Hartwell, dead since 1851, has been weeping in that same cemetery for one hundred and seventy-three years. She wants her story told before it disappears entirely.
When Clara agrees to write Eliza's story — an Irish immigrant husband erased from history, an infant son who never drew breath, a locket stolen from her body before burial — she sets in motion a love story she never anticipated. One conducted entirely across the uncrossable distance between the living and the dead.
"A sweeping historical ghost saga with a wonderful, lively heart. Very highly recommended."
— Asher Syed, Reader's Favorite, Five Stars
"Rich, evocative prose and heartfelt characters that make both the living and the dead feel equally real."
— Heidi McIntyre, author of Sea Magic
Readers of this book also loved:
Clara Donovan, a divorced novelist, moves into her late grandmother's Connecticut home after a failed marriage and a failed book. She wants silence and a second chance.
Benjamin Whitlock, a soldier killed at the Battle of Ridgefield on April 27, 1777, has haunted the local cemetery for two hundred and forty-seven years. He wants to be heard.
Eliza Hartwell, dead since 1851, has been weeping in that same cemetery for one hundred and seventy-three years. She wants her story told before it disappears entirely.
When Clara agrees to write Eliza's story — an Irish immigrant husband erased from history, an infant son who never drew breath, a locket stolen from her body before burial — she sets in motion a love story she never anticipated. One conducted entirely across the uncrossable distance between the living and the dead.
"A sweeping historical ghost saga with a wonderful, lively heart. Very highly recommended."
— Asher Syed, Reader's Favorite, Five Stars
"Rich, evocative prose and heartfelt characters that make both the living and the dead feel equally real."
— Heidi McIntyre, author of Sea Magic
Readers of this book also loved:
- Ghost romance
Forbidden love across life and death
Woman starts over in small town
Historical cold case solved
Living woman falls in love with ghost
Ghost who refuses to move on
Historical injustice uncovered
Found purpose through writing
Impossible love story
Bittersweet heartwarming ending
About this book:
Heat level: Sweet (no explicit content)
Series: Standalone novel
POV: Dual — Clara Donovan (present day) and Benjamin Whitlock (ghost, 1777)
Setting: Ridgefield, Connecticut and New York City, 1777 and 2024–2025
Content notes: Gun violence, deportation, pregnancy loss (historical), infant death (historical)
Comp titles: The Keeper of Lost Things, The Saturday Night Ghost Club, The Invisible Hour, Garden Spells, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
Genre: Fantasy