Lacewood

A New York socialite who has grown weary of city life and a special operations veteran still carrying old wounds each have reason to doubt that things will change for the better. Can they rebuild a neglected family house while mending their own hearts? The novel blends romance with ghost story, asking its characters and readers to trust in fate, release the past, and accept what cannot be seen.

Katie McCain expects a quiet adjustment when she relocates to a small Virginia town, but her plans shift when she comes across an abandoned mansion nearly two centuries old. Drawn in by the faded grandeur of the estate, she is also haunted by a portrait of a woman dressed in mourning. On impulse, she buys the property and tries to fit in among the eccentric residents of New Hope while piecing together the story of the so-called widow of Lacewood. Each clue reveals the former owner's painful history and secrets the house has kept for generations, and Katie begins to face her own losses.

Hometown hero Will Durham comes back to New Hope and starts his own recovery by helping the newcomer restore the home, which holds many memories for him. As past and present draw together, a love affair that was long ago forgotten comes to light, and a destiny that has waited in the shadows for centuries begins to unfold. Themes of love, grief, belonging and the spirits who refuse to be silenced run throughout.

The author, Jessica James, is an award-winning writer whose work connects the past with the present and the present with what lies beyond.