A Charmed Place
by Antoinette Stockenberg
Category: Fiction

From USA TODAY bestselling author Antoinette Stockenberg comes an original and wonderfully romantic story of star-crossed lovers who have been apart for twenty years and who rediscover one another in an idyllic coastal village on Cape Cod. A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE. It's a deep, aching need for anyone whose heart has ever been broken. Maddie Regan and Dan Hawke were college lovers who were compelled to go separate ways after a horrific event for which Dan was blamed. She settled down and raised a family; he roamed the planet as a war correspondent. But a near death experience brings Dan in search of the only woman he has ever loved. His plan to win Maddie is simple: take up residence in a lighthouse just a stone's throw from her family's summer home, and then make her fall back in love with him. He knows her family will object and suspects that her daughter might; but he refuses to believe that Maddie herself -- the woman who has haunted his dreams for two decades -- can be any less in love with him than he is with her. It's not that simple for Maddie. She has a jealous ex-husband to deal with ... a feisty, resentful teenager ... a widowed mother unable to emerge from mourning ... and the ongoing heartbreak of her father's unsolved murder. Is it possible to throw all of that aside for the chance to be happy? REVIEWS "A superb story." --Rendezvous Magazine "This wonderful plot gives the reader a love story about two people who had lost each other for 20 years ... and embroiders the tale with a mystery. What fun to read! Totally different, exciting, and new. Colorful and extremely visual descriptions make this book come to life; I could see the ocean and smell the salty sea air ... the story flows and is hard to put down ... it's a keeper, readers!" --Romance Communications online (Winner, Romance Communications Reviewers Award) (Nominated, Romance Communications Readers Award) "Buy this book! A truly fantastic summer read!" --Suzanne Barr, Gulf Coast Woman "A CHARMED PLACE allows Stockenberg's considerable talents to truly shine ... almost perfect ... a well-rounded, believable, entertaining and moving romance [with] an intellectually challenging mystery... a real story about real people whom readers will care deeply about." --Gothic Journal "An absorbing, highly engaging read with dialogue [that is] clever and realistic. The Cape Cod setting is vividly evoked, and secondary characters add great color .... Ms. Stockenberg is a gifted prose stylist; she makes us care about the characters. The fairly explicit love scenes are not only passionate, but also tender. A truly charming contemporary romance with an uplifting theme that second chances at love are possible .... " --Regency World --"A CHARMED PLACE is a captivating mixture of mystery and romance with characters that seem so real they jump off the pages. Stockenberg is adept at capturing family relationships and conveying a real sense of the characters' feelings and motiviations. [This is] an intriguing and passionate tale that will have the reader longing to read her next novel." --Writers Write Website "A glorious novel ... Ms. Stockenberg takes her place alongside LaVyrle Spencer as a writer of depth and perception." Very Highly Recommended --Under the Covers Reviews "Pure Stockenberg. The author captures the flavor of New England life along with great family dynamics. The love story between Dan and Maddie gives hope to anyone who dreams of their first love." --Interludes "Passion, love, hatred and deceit all collide with unexpected force in the powerful and expressive A CHARMED PLACE." --Romantic Times Magazine "Very witty writing ... wonderfully drawn characters ... [get] to know them and the obstacles they overcome." --Book Barn Gazette